“So,” Kesey asked me curiously. “What are you going to do? You going to go into town with the Lieutenant’s wife?”

“Not now. Not like this.” I gestured down at my bizarre garb.

Kesey sniffed thoughtfully. “Your old stuff is still around, but it’s not going to fit you. One of my shirts might fit you. But not the trousers. Funny. You’re a lot taller than I thought. You seemed shorter when you were fat.”

“Taller and younger. Not a bad trade,” I said, and we both laughed. Then a silence fell between us, a silence filled with nothing to say and too much to say.

“Thank you,” I said at last.

“For a shirt? No need to thank me. It probably won’t even be all that clean.”

“No, thank you for everything. For thinking well of me when most people didn’t. For being willing to make me a part of the regiment.”

He made another deprecatory noise. “Wonder if we even are a regiment anymore, the way we’re getting spread out.”

“It’s like you told me before, Kesey. When things are down for a regiment is when the real soldiers hold their heads up and try harder.”

“Does that mean you’re going to come back to soldiering? Clear your name and put your uniform back on?”

“I’d like to,” I said, and my own words surprised me.

“Well then, I think—” he began, but at the same moment, we both turned toward the road that wound up the hill to the cemetery. A horse was coming, ridden hard, the rider low on his back, urging more speed out of him. We both recognized the rider at the same time. “I think Lieutenant Kester is mighty glad to hear that you’re back!” Kesey observed with a grin.

I had to smile, too, and then I went to meet Spink. I watched him come, an excellent rider on a mediocre mount. He was small and slight as ever, still looking more boy than man. When he drew in his horse just a few feet away from me, I was surprised. “A moustache? Epiny didn’t warn me to expect a moustache.” It looked good on him, but I wasn’t about to concede that to him without some mocking first.

He did not smile at my jest. He took a breath. “Nevare. I am so glad to see you.” He drew in another deep breath. “Amzil has been arrested. For murder.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

LIVES IN THE BALANCE

There, I thought to myself in some strange corner of my mind. There it is. The tragedy that denies all the good news I’ve heard today. The magic takes a final slap at me, for bending it to my will. Or the balancing point for Orandula, damn him! He threatened to bring my life into balance.

Then Spink was off his horse. He embraced me roughly, saying, “Sorry, brother. That’s a terrible way to greet you after you’ve been gone so long and endured so much. But the news had been burning a hole in me every second of the ride from town.” He glanced around us. “Where’s Epiny?”

“She’s in the cabin, feeding the baby.” My voice shook. I felt I couldn’t get a breath. My fault. Somehow it was all my fault. If I hadn’t used the magic to grow the garden for her, if I hadn’t supplied her so well with meat before I left her…If I hadn’t cared about her, and wanted to stay with her when the magic wanted me to move on…But I’d done all the damn magic asked of me; it had won and had its way with my life. Why did she and I have to be punished by it now?

Spink took off his gloves and wiped sweat and dust from his face. “I won’t interrupt Solina’s feeding with this sort of news. It will keep for a few minutes longer. So you’re back?” He forced gladness into his voice. He stepped back and looked me up and down. “You look like yourself again, like the Nevare from the Academy days. What happened? How are you here? And what are you wearing?”

“A cut-up cloak. It was all I had. Spink, it’s a long story, and I’d rather hear yours first. How can Amzil be charged with murder?”

“They say she killed a man in Dead Town, and hid his body. It’s probably why she came to Gettys, to hide from her crime.”

I knew it was, but I kept silent on that. “Who accused her?” I asked.

“The murdered man’s wife. She had evidently taken to whoring for the soldiers after her husband was murdered. Since Captain Thayer drove the other whores out of Gettys, a lot of the fellows have been making the trip to Dead Town to see her. Somehow the Captain got wind of her trade with the troops, and sent men out there to arrest her. Captain Thayer’s determined there will be no whores in Gettys, and I suppose he’s decided to extend that to Dead Town, though that seems to me like a big stretch of his authority. He told the patrol to bring the woman and any troopers visiting her back to Gettys. The patrol returned today with their prisoners. That was why Thayer called out the other officers today. He wanted us to witness their summary punishment.”