Chapter 10

I talked my way to the dead man’s mount grazing not far away and hoisted the corpse aboard the nervous animal, not an easy task for a man of my middling size, but I got it done. Then I used a stone to scratch a message in sign language in the sand to warn Cuthan of the attempt on his life. He was a thorough and cautious man; he would investigate and discover my message. Then he would erase any trace of what had happened here. Even if he failed to find it, the scratches in the earth would be meaningless to others. Satisfied I had done all I could, I made for the trail north of the river toward my buckboard, trailing the roan bearing the corpse along behind me.