He pulled out his crock of goose fat to rub in yet another layer, then looked back into the bag. “Hey,” he said, and opened the mouth of the sack wider to fish about in its contents.

“Lose something?” Talen asked.

“Where are my new bowstrings?” Ke said.

“Strange,” said Talen. “All sorts of things going missing today.” He tsked. “What a negligent bunch we must be.”

It took River about two seconds to catch on. “I want my honey,” she said.

“I want my trousers,” said Talen.

Ke looked up from his sack. “You took my strings?”

“You took my trousers.”

“What would I want with those?” asked Ke.

“What would I want with your bowstrings? They don’t fit my bow.”

River put her hands on her hips. “That honey has a special—”

“Oh, don’t act like you’re offended for the dyer,” Talen said and began to work his way toward the door.

“Who said anything about him?” River asked. “That honey’s imbued with vitality. Now, hand it over.”

“Pants first,” said Talen. He continued to move until he stood between them and the doorway.

Ke narrowed his eyes.

River cocked her head, threatening a fight. She tightened the yellow sash she used as a belt. This is what she did when she wanted to run. The two of them exchanged an evil glance, and Talen knew if he sat where he was a moment more, they’d have him.

“Trousers!” he demanded. Then he dashed out of the house in his bare feet and underwear and into the yard.

To his surprise, Talen found Nettle, his cousin, opening the door to the smokehouse to get something to eat. He was supposed to be on a patrol with his Father, but Talen didn’t care what he was supposed to be doing. He was here now, and could even the odds in this fight.

Ke and River charged out of the house hard on Talen’s heels. At this point Talen was most worried about River. He darted left, and thanked his instincts. A short length of firewood flew past him. River, in addition to being a healer, was a thrower, deadly with spoons, pots, and sticks at twenty yards. She could whip off a wooden garden clog and fling it with ferocious aim at your head before you’d even taken five steps. Talen knew: he had the bumps to prove it.

Talen ran past Nettle. “Trip them!” he said.

Nettle, the Mokaddian traitor, did no such thing. He cut a link from one of the hanging sausage chains, took a fat bite, and stood back to enjoy the show.

Talen raced toward the woods beyond, but River had the angle on him and sprinted to cut him off. Thank the Six she hadn’t had time to pick up anything but a stick. Talen veered toward the garden.

“Pick up the pace,” Nettle called out. “They’re gaining on you.”

“Coward!” Talen yelled back. He dashed around the garden fence, turned to avoid Ke, ran back toward the house, and found himself boxed in between the midden and the barn.

He had two choices. He could make a run at one of his dear siblings and hope to blow by, or he could go up the old walnut tree and hope they would stay at the bottom and do nothing more than shout insults and threats up at him.

He wouldn’t get by Ke and his long arms. Talen had enough room to get by River, but she was daring him, grinning at him to just try.

He made his decision.

Da had fashioned a wooden slab bench and put it next to the trunk of the giant walnut tree.