Flat panic stopped her breath. I don’t show! How can he know? And how could he know, in any case, if the fruit of that really, really ill-considered and now deeply regretted frantic fumble with Sunny Sawman at his sister’s spring wedding party was going to be a boy or a girl, anyhow?

He seemed to realize he’d made some mistake, but to be uncertain what it was. His gesture wavered, turning to open-handed earnestness. “It was what attracted the mud-man. Your present state. It was almost certainly why they grabbed you. If the other assault seemed an afterthought, it likely was.”

“How can you—what—why?”

His lips parted for a moment, then, visibly, he changed whatever he’d been about to say to: “Nothing’s going to happen to you now.” He packed up his cloths. Anyone else might have tied the corners together, but he whipped a bit of cord around them that he somehow managed to wind into a pull-knot one-handed.

He put his right hand on the log and shoved himself to his feet. “I either need to put that body up a tree or pile some rocks on it, so the scavengers don’t get to it before someone can pick it up. He might have people.” He looked around vaguely. “Then decide what to do with you.”

“Put me back on the road. Or just point me to it. I can find it.”

He shook his head. “Those might not be the only fugitives. Not all the bandits might have been in the camp we took, or they might have had more than one hideout. And the malice is still out there, unless my patrol has got ahead of me, which I don’t think is possible. My people were combing the hills to the south of Glassforge, and now I think the lair’s northeast. This is no good time or place for you, especially, to be wandering about on your own.” He bit his lip and went on almost as if talking to himself, “Body can wait. Got to put you somewhere safe. Pick up the track again, find the lair, get back to my patrol quick as I can. Absent gods, I’m tired. Mistake to sit down. Can you ride behind me, do you think?”

She almost missed the question in his mumble. I’m tired too. “On your horse? Yes, but—”

“Good.”

He went to his mount and caught up the reins, but instead of coming back to her, led it to the creek. She trailed along again, partly curious, partly not wanting to let him out of her sight.