Chapter 129

IT WAS the rifle that did it, seeing it lying there in the grass. That was when the reality of it all truly sank in. Wil wouldn't have left it like that if he could help it, which meant Wil *couldn't* help it, which meant... an endless array of very dark possibilities.

Andette had been the one to find it and Wil's pack down by the river, at the spot where Wil and Dallin had--

Dallin pushed that away and focused on right now.

He'd roused the camp, told them their Aisling had been stolen, told them they'd be hunting one of their own, and watched with cold satisfaction as their eyes turned hard and their faces set. Next he'd sent runners to every known picket and post with the same message, gave Healdes the charge of coordinating the search, then stood back and watched the wheels begin to turn.