Part VA week later they took the Day Road to the path to Ash Hall, leaving Calana in the afternoon. They rode through the Night Forest almost without stopping. Iain heard a wolf howl, then another, and another, and another. His skin prickled and he turned toward the howler. Avaniel caught his arm and pulled him back.
“But I was just going to—I mean, never mind,” Iain said, trying to explain.
“No, come on, stay with me. I can’t go in there with you.”
Iain stared into Avaniel’s eyes. “I need to run.”
“Not here, not now.”
Iain let Avaniel turn him away from the forest. The turning hurt. They rode on.
* * * *
Iain got down from his horse at the stone gate in the outer wall. He could feel the dark shadows of Ash Hall on the wall’s other side. The house needed cleansing for all the years
