He believed that second voice, but his heart was still heavy with sadness and worry as he led the border-pony out through the back of the barn and away from the house. Oy padded along at his heel, occasionally looking up at the sky and muttering “Moon, moon,” but mostly sniffing the crisscrossing scents on the ground. This trip was dangerous. Just crossing Devar-Tete Whye—going from the Calla side of things to the Thunderclap side—was dangerous, and Jake knew it. Yet what really troubled him was the sense of looming heartache. He thought of Benny, saying it had been great to have Jake at the Rocking B to chum around with. He wondered if Benny would feel the same way a week from now.

“Doesn’t matter,” he sighed. “It’s ka.”

“Ka,” Oy said, then looked up. “Moon. Ka, moon. Moon, ka.”

“Shut up,” Jake said, not unkindly.

“Shut up ka,” Oy said amiably. “Shut up moon. Shut up Ake. Shut up Oy.” It was the most he’d said in months, and once it was out he fell silent. Jake walked his horse another ten minutes, past the bunkhouse and its mixed music of snores, grunts, and farts, then over the next hill. At that point, with the East Road in sight, he judged it safe to ride. He unrolled the duster, put it on, then deposited Oy in the pouch and mounted up.

Five

He was pretty sure he could go right to the place where Andy and Slightman had crossed the river, but reckoned he’d only have one good shot at this, and Roland would’ve said pretty sure wasn’t good enough in such a case. So he went back to the place where he and Benny had tented instead, and from there to the jut of granite which had reminded him of a partially buried ship. Once again Oy stood panting into his ear. Jake had no problem sighting on the round rock with the shiny surface. The dead log that had washed up against it was still there, too, because the river hadn’t done anything but fall over the last weeks. There had been no rain whatever, and this was something Jake was counting on to help him.

He scrambled back up to the flat place where he and Benny had tented out. Here he’d left his pony tethered to a bush. He led it down to the river, then scooped up Oy and rode across. The pony wasn’t big, but the water still didn’t come up much higher than his fetlocks. In less than a minute, they were on the far bank.