Raven's Strike Read Online Free

know what the charge’ll be if we rid you of this beast,” he said finally. “That’s not my decision. It won’t be more than you can bear—my word on it.” That much he could fight Benroln on if he had to.
    Jes dropped to all fours and brought his face next to the wounded man’s. The smith flinched at the sudden movement.
    â€œIt was a mistwight,” whispered Jes. “I can smell it.”
    â€œWhat’s a mistwight?” asked Lehr.
    â€œA water imp,” replied Tier. “It’s not undead, despite its name. They’re called wights because they are shy, and most people catch only a glimpse of them before they’re gone. I’ve heard that they can be nasty if you corner them. I’ve never heard of them being shadow-tainted, but most people couldn’t tell one way or the other on that, I suppose. Your mother will know for certain.”
    Mistwights didn’t live around home, where the snow got too deep. He’d glimpsed one once when he’d gone a-soldiering, but he couldn’t see how Jes would have ever met one. “How do you know what they smell like, Jes?”
    Dark eyes looked up, and Tier saw Jes, his Jes, rise up to answer his question. “I d-don’t know,” he stammered. “We just smelled it and knew.” A breath later, and the Guardian’s sharp darkness was back in his eyes.
    Tier had never seen him do that before, transform from Guardian to Jes and back again, though it happened the other way around from time to time. It made him wonder why it had been necessary for Jes to answer that question rather than the Guardian.
    All of his children knew that, as a Bard, Tier could hear a lie as clearly as an off-pitch note. Would the Guardian have felt compelled to lie if he had answered the question and so had given way to Jes?
    â€œIt’s all right, Jes,” said Lehr. “It doesn’t matter. Now we know what we’re dealing with.”
    Lehr was right, time enough to worry about Jes when this mess was cleaned up. Assuming the Guardian was right about what they were facing—and he certainly hadn’t lied about it—they had trouble enough facing them.
    Tier looked around the hut and pulled together a plan of attack. “Jes, I want you and Lehr to go back to the clan and tell your mother and Benroln what we’ve found here. Tell them we need Brewydd for the wounded and whatever people it takes to get rid of a tainted mistwight.”
    â€œBoth of us?” asked Lehr. “Jes can stay to keep you safe.”
    Tier shook his head. “Both of you.” It wouldn’t do to say that his part of this, soothing the smith, would be better done without his sons, so he chose another truth. “If Jes stays, I’ll never be able to keep him away from the mistwight until your mother gets here. Take Skew with you, so he doesn’t get eaten while we’re waiting.”
    â€œWhat will keep you safe?” asked Jes.
    â€œIf these people have been snug in here for days, I expect I’ll survive a couple of hours,” Tier said.
    Jes frowned unhappily, but in the end he went out and gathered up Skew’s reins. After a brief argument about who would ride, they set off at a rapid jog, leading the horse.
    Once his sons were gone, Tier closed the door and barred the window again because their being open seemed to make the smith nervous. Then he sat on the floor and braced his back against a wall, sighing with the relief of getting his weight off his knees.
    He looked away from the oppressive fear on the face of the smith. The fear of the thing in the well was stronger right nowthan the man’s dislike of Travelers, but he wasn’t getting any happier trapped in the tight quarters of the hut with Tier.
    Tier decided to give the smith time to calm.
    â€œHello,” he said, directing his remark to the two children, who huddled against the opposite wall.
    The boy responded