The Sorcerer of the North- Character Reaction

3

"Halt, Gilan, you both need to—"

"Don't tell me to calm down! He caused me to lose that whole cup of coffee!"

"That didn't mean you had to dump mine out in the yard!"

"You both have another cup of coffee," Crowley interrupted. "No harm done." The two Rangers glared at him and he sighed. "Alright, point taken, then."

"In that case, if you want to go on the ground and drink it from there, you can," Will pointed out. "You've both paid each other in kind, so let's go on with it."

Halt glared at Gilan. "He shouldn't have knocked it over."

"It was an accident!"

"We should start reading before they kill each other," Will said, handing the book to Edvin.

Will pushed open the door and went inside the cabin. It was virtually identical to the one that had been his home for much of the last few years. Halt raised an eyebrow. The room he entered took up about half the interior space and served as a combined sitting and dining area. There was a pine table with four plain chairs to his left, against a window, and two comfortable-looking wooden armchairs and a two- place settle at the opposite end, grouped around the cheerful fire crackling in the grate. He looked around the room, wondering who had laid the fire.

"I wonder," Halt said sarcastically. Will raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, come off it. You've got more coffee, so stop being so moody."

The kitchen was a small room adjoining the dining area. Copper pots and pans, obviously freshly cleaned and polished—Will and Gilan rolled their eyes—hung on the wall beside the small wood-fueled cooking range. There were fresh wildflowers in a small vase under the window-the last of the season, he thought. The homey touch reminded him once more of Halt, and the thought brought a lump of loneliness to Will's throat. The grim-faced Ranger had always contrived to have flowers in his cabin whenever possible.

Crowley snickered. "I still can't see that happening. Flowers? I expected knives."

"I can start a knife collection just for you if you'd like. I'll pin them right into your head, too."

"No, I think I'll pass."

Will moved to inspect the two small bedrooms-simply furnished and opening off the living area. As he expected, there was nobody in those rooms either. He had exhausted all possibilities in the little cabin-unless the person who had laid the fire and arranged the flowers was hiding in the stables at the back, which he doubted. Halt snorted.

The cabin had been cleaned recently, he realized. Bartell had been gone a month or more, yet when he ran his finger along the top of the fireplace mantel there was not a trace of dust. And the stone flagging in front of the grate had been recently swept as well. There was no sign of ash or debris from a fire.

"Obviously we have a friendly spirit living nearby," he said to himself. Then, remembering the animals waiting patiently outside, he moved to the door again. "Spirit?" Will shrugged. He glanced at the sun's position and estimated there was still over an hour of daylight left. Time to unpack before he made his presence known at the castle.

The dog was awake when he looked at her, her varicolored eyes showing keen interest in the world around her. That was a good thing, he realized. It was an indication of a strong will to live that would stand her in good stead in her current weakened condition. Will smiled slightly. He gently lifted her from her nest on the packhorse and carried her inside the house. She lay relatively contentedly on the flagstones close to the fire, soaking up the warmth into her black coat. Returning to the packhorse, Will dug out an old horse blanket and took it back in to arrange a softer bed for the dog. When he laid it out for her, she rose painfully and limped the few steps to lie on it, settling herself with a grateful sigh. He fetched a bowl of water from the pump that had been built into the kitchen bench-no need to draw water from an outside well here, he realized-and left it beside her.