CHAPTER 1

Greer had always felt he was lucky, but luck had abandoned him this nightas he crept down the alley, slipping from shadow to shadow as quietly as hecould. It would not do to have the peacekeepers stop him or be spotted byany of the rough trade that lurked in the dark alleys of Høyhauger at thistime of night. That would alert the men who were trying to find him. No,he thought to himself, he needed to keep moving and get to the closest ofhis bolt holes as fast as he could. Greer tried to calm his breathing to listen,but the pounding of his heart was so loud he could not be sure of what heheard. He hoped he had lost the men who were chasing after him.

Slipping from the shadows in which he was hidden, Greer movedswiftly down the alley staying close to the wall, trying to make as littlenoise as possible. There were no lanterns marking the back doors inthis part of town, which was to his advantage. The merchants and folkswho lived here would not waste good coin for such a luxury. The otheradvantage Greer held was the knowledge of all the back alleys and bywaysof Høyhauger. He did not think those who were trying to find him knewthem as well as he did. Now he could only hope the clouds stayed thickand the moon did not show its face this night.

Greer had lived on the streets of Høyhauger for as long as he couldremember. He thought he once had had a family, but that was so long agohe was not sure. Greer was just one of the many street lads who got by asbest they could, scrabbling from one odd job to the next and trying to ekeout a meager existence in the high hills border town.

Being small for his age, Greer looked much younger than his ten andfive years. In addition, one of his legs was shorter than the other, causingfolks to view him as a cripple, which he had learned to use to his advantage.No one expected him to be able to move very fast. To supplement hisincome, Greer had become adept at lifting items that did not belong tohim, such as fruit and vegetables from the markets, a small roll from abakery cart, and occasionally he would lighten a purse or two of somecoin. His youthful looks and nimble fingers had kept him alive a numberof times during the lean periods when odd jobs were scarce.

During the last month, Greer had not had to rely on stealing to keepfood in his belly, for he had stumbled onto a steady job at Milkin's Stable.He was to muck the stalls daily, groom the horses, and be there at nightto answer late arrivals. He had thought himself set for the harsh wintermonths. In return for doing the daily chores at the stable, he had a warmplace to stay and one meal a day. All of that was gone now, and he wasglad he had not abandoned his bolt holes, for nothing good in his life everseemed to last.

Greer slipped between two buildings into a space so narrow that evenhe, with his small size, was hard-pressed to squeeze through. He did notthink anyone would have seen him slip within the opening, for even duringthe daylight hours, this section of the wall was deep in shadow. Greer hadfound this particular bolt hole quite by accident. He had been rummagingin the trash behind the building when he noticed a mother cat slinkingthrough the shadows carrying a kitten. All of a sudden, the mother cat andkitten had disappeared as though the very building wall had swallowedthem up. Greer had stayed still and watched. Shortly, the mother cat hadjust as suddenly reappeared, as if out of thin air. Just a little while later, shereturned carrying another kitten. Again, she disappeared. One momentshe was there, and the next moment she was gone. After she reappeared asecond time, Greer had taken a closer look and had discovered the placein which he was now hiding. Like many buildings in Høyhauger, this onehad been built on the ruins of a previous one. The newer building did notquite fit on the foundation of the older one, leaving a narrow space thatwas hidden because of an overlap between the two buildings.

For one such as him, having a number of bolt holes was an importantsurvival skill in a town like Høyhauger. The town, southernmost on theborder of Bortfjell, is situated at the mouth of the pass to the country ofSommerhjem. Part fortress and part town, it is a place of contrasts. In timesof peace, a brisk trade moves through the pass, and the wealth of that tradeis reflected in the richness of the merchants' homes. Part of the town is stillfortified and houses the barracks of the border guard, representatives ofthe reigning prince, and the administration overseeing the town. In timesof unrest, Høyhauger could still be defended. Like many towns, and mostespecially border towns, there is an underside where folks, some with andsome without the blessing of the current ruler, cater to the seamier wantsof either the folk who live here or are just passing through. A border townset to regulate or monitor a pass through the mountains also attracts itsshare of smugglers, who pass between the two countries by ways otherthan the main, more well-traveled, pass.

Greer felt safe for the moment, but he could not stay here forever.After what he had witnessed in the stable, the hunt for him would not endthis night. Others on the street would be more than happy to sell him outfor a few coppers. While being small and assumed to be a cripple was sooften to his advantage, it also made him very recognizable should anyonewant to find him. It made him stand out from the other street lads. Whathe had done this night meant he could no longer stay in the only place heknew. Where would he go? He had never been outside the town limits, asfar as he knew. How would he survive?

Greer also knew he had another problem. He needed to get back intothe stable before he left, and do so without being seen, for he could notleave Kasa behind. He knew he was being foolish and placing himself atmore risk. He knew he should cut his losses and leave, but he just couldnot. Greer had promised, and he knew a man was no better than his word.It was one thing to skirt the edge of the law to survive, but one never didso at the cost of one's honor.

One additional job Greer had had at Milkin's Stable was to look afterthe stable owner's prize border dog and her litter. She had had eight pups,seven of which would bring a great price. Border dogs are known for theirintelligence, fierce loyalty, and guarding instincts. It was the eighth pupthat concerned Greer. The runt of the litter, with coloring and markingsthat were no longer considered desirable. In addition, there was somethingwrong with one of the pup's forelegs, causing him to have an uneven gait.The stable owner would have summarily gotten rid of the pup, had notGreer asked politely if he might have him. The owner had been in anexpansive mood that day and had even joked that Greer should have thepup, for they were a matched pair. Greer had managed to keep the puphe had named Kasa out of sight whenever the owner made an infrequentcheck on the other pups. He had hoped out of sight was out of mind, andhe had not wanted the owner to change his mind. If Greer did not returnto the stable and get Kasa, the border dog pup would not survive theowner's next visit. Greer had promised Kasa he would protect him.

Greer needed to think. It would not do to go rushing off half-cocked,for that would not serve either the pup or him well. He was sure themen searching for him had not given up. He knew he could not leaveHøyhauger without a plan and without provisions. Greer had learned earlythere was no one he could trust. He had no friends among the other streetlads. Why, oh why, had he not followed the stable owner's instructionsand left the stable as he had been told? It did not happen often, but everyonce in a while, the stable owner used the stable for business he did notwant others to know about. When that happened, he would just tell Greerto make himself scarce or send him off on an errand. This night, thestable owner had told Greer to leave and not come back for several hours.Unfortunately, Greer's curiosity had gotten the better of him, and he hadhidden behind the hay piles to see what the owner was up to. Greer hadlearned early on that knowing something he was not supposed to couldcome in handy.

Shortly after Greer should have left, two men he had seen beforeslipped into the stable and tucked themselves into an empty stall, out ofsight. Greer knew they sometimes worked for the stable owner. They weretough-looking men, the kind one would not want to meet in a dark alley.Soon after they arrived, Greer heard the sound of a single horse and riderapproaching the stable. The owner stepped out to greet the rider. Therider, a man by the sound of his voice, asked if there was room to boardhis horse for the night. He had been directed to Milkin's Stable by thestable lad at the town stable. Seemed the town stable was full up. He hadbeen told Milkin's was a good place to board his horse. Greer wonderedabout him being directed by a stable lad because, as far as he knew, no ladsworked at the town stable. He had tried to find work there himself andhad been summarily sent on his way, being told the town stable did nothire lads, only grown men.

The stable owner had said, "Of course, of course. We pride ourselveson our clean and secure stable."

The gentleman, for he looked a gentleman from his clothing and finehorse, had ridden his horse into the stable and dismounted. As the stableowner took the reins, the two men who had been hidden rushed out,and first, knocked the stable owner out, and then knocked the gentlemanout. That was when things got odd. First, they checked the gentleman tomake sure he was unconscious. Then they tapped the stable owner on theshoulder, and he rolled over and sprang up.

"Quick," he had said to one of the men, "you search his saddlebagswhile I search him. You," he had said to the other man, "be ready to knockhim out again if he comes to before I am finished."

Each man proceeded to do his assigned job. Greer had held his breath,not wanting to make even the slightest sound. He knew if the stableowner knew he was there, he would be in a lot of trouble. The man goingthrough the saddlebags told the stable owner that what they were lookingfor was not there. The stable owner meanwhile had searched through thegentleman's cloak, pouch, and pockets. He patted him down, and evenremoved the gentleman's boots and searched in them. Going back over thegentleman one more time, the stable owner reached beneath the collar ofthe gentleman's shirt and pulled out a small pouch hanging from a cord.Straightening, he had turned to the others with a look of triumph in hiseyes.

"This must be it," he had said, as he pulled the cord over the gentleman'shead.

The stable owner opened the small pouch and tipped its contents intohis hand. There was a flash of light. The stable owner flung the pouch andanother object straight over the hay pile Greer was hiding behind. Greercould see the stable owner clutching his hand, as he doubled over in pain,all the while yelling to the others to go and get the pouch. Greer couldnot explain, even to himself, why he had snatched the pouch up, and thenquickly looked at his feet where something had hit. He could not makeout what it was, but it caught the light. He quickly scooped it up andput it in the pouch. Greer began to back away from where he had hiddenhimself. He thought he might have made it out of the stable unnoticed ifhe had not knocked against the pitchfork leaning against the hay, whichteetered and then clattered to the floor. The noise had alerted the men,who almost caught him before he could get out of the stable's back door.

All that had happened earlier, and thinking about it now was notgoing to keep him safe or help him plan how to get himself out of the messhe now found himself in. He was sure the stable owner would be able toconvince the gentleman that both of them had been attacked by thugs,and thus he could not be held accountable for what would appear to be arobbery. He might even be telling him that his stable lad was probably inon the robbery, and they should report him to the local peacekeepers.

He wondered what was so important about what was in the pouch.Taking a chance at being seen, Greer squeezed himself through the openingof the bolt hole. He moved out of the safety of the shadows into the lightand tipped the contents of the pouch into his hand. The object looked likea very oddly shaped ring made of gold, which did not seem to be in verygood condition due to its deeply scratched surface. The ring certainly wasworth something because it was made of gold, but it could not be worthall that much. It would be difficult to get rid of unless it was melted down.It seemed odd to Greer that the stable owner had gone to such a great dealof trouble to get that particular gentleman directed to his stable just so hecould rob him of something that was not of great worth. The stable ownerhad not seemed interested in the gentleman's coin or other possessions,just what was in the pouch. What made this ring so valuable?

But what was done was done, and there was no going back andchanging it. Sitting here thinking about it was not going to keep himsafe, so Greer reentered his bolt hole. He carefully opened a small irondoor that had been built into the wall. At one time, it must have beenan ash door, when the building had been a home and this wall part ofa fireplace. It had kept what few possessions Greer owned dry and safefrom the rats and other vermin that lived in the alleys and sewers of thetown. He pulled out a rucksack that contained a change of clothes andthe supplies he had collected over the years, just in case he ever neededto leave town. His biggest concern was going to be finding food once heleft Høyhauger. While he knew how to scavenge in town, he knew littleto nothing about living off the land, and even less about traveling in themountains. He knew he could not just head out the town gate and calmlywalk either north into the unknown or through the pass to Sommerhjem,the country to the south. The town gates would be watched. The passwould be watched. How then would he get away?

But first things first. Greer took tight hold of his pack, squeezedhimself through the opening of the bolt hole, and stopped to look andlisten. Slipping from shadow to shadow, he moved with great stealth andbegan to retrace his steps, hoping those looking for him would think hewould not return to the stable. He arrived at the stable undetected. Notdaring to risk entering either the front or back doors of the stable, Greermoved towards the dog run, hoping the dogs would not give him away.Climbing into the fenced area, Greer quietly moved aside the small doorthat could be opened to let the dogs out of the stable and into the run.Once Greer had the door open, he gave an almost inaudible whistle. Itwas met with a small yip and a scrabbling sound. Soon a small wet nosethrust itself into Greer's outstretched hand. Gently, coaxing the pup out,Greer quickly closed the dog door, so the other pups would not follow. Hepicked his pup up, softly admonishing Kasa to please be very quiet. Eitherthe pup was too tired to do anything other than return to sleep, or heunderstood. Either way, the first problem had been overcome. Now Greerneeded to gather some food and figure out how to get out of Høyhauger.Moving quickly, Greer headed towards the more prosperous side of town,hoping against hope that the search for him had not reached that far. If hewere lucky, he just might be able to snatch a loaf of bread or some meatpies off an open window ledge with none the wiser, but then what? Dawnwas only a few hours off.

CHAPTER 2

After successfully liberating Kasa without being caught, Greer began tothink his luck might be changing. While he was afraid to put the pupdown, he knew he was going to have to soon, for Kasa was getting heavierby the minute. Greer had meant to fashion a collar for him, but had notdone it, nor did he have a rope to tie Kasa with. When Greer's duties weredone at the stable, he had worked with Kasa, trying to get him to stay withhim and not run off. Sometimes he had been successful, and sometimesthe pup, being a pup, did not do as asked.

"I need you to listen now," Greer addressed Kasa. "You need to stickclose. No running off, for we are both in real trouble." Greer felt a littlefoolish thinking the pup understood, and so was pleasantly surprisedwhen, after he put Kasa down, the pup just sat quietly next to him.