The Moon She Waited Under novel · Chapter 12 of 24
Chapter 12: The Challenge
The horn blew for an assembly at first light.
We heard it from the ridge, with the sun not yet over the trees and the dew soaking through my boots.
Lucan stopped on the path and looked at me.
"I didn't call it."
"I know."
"Then who did?"
I already knew.
We came down the hill together, and the pack was waiting in the yard in front of the hall.
Everyone was there.
The council stood on the steps, and Osric leaned on his stick at the bottom, his face drawn.
Kari stood at the front of the crowd, with flour on her sleeves, and she shook her head at me hard.
Ilse stood on the top step, in a clean grey dress with her hair loose, and she held her satchel in both hands.
She looked small and tired and sorry.
Corwin Haskell stood behind her shoulder with his hands in his jacket pockets.
On the south ridge, above the hall, a line of wolves in human skin watched from the trees.
"Thank you for coming," Ilse said, in her soft voice, and the whole yard went quiet to hear it.
"I'm going to say something hard, and I'd like you to let me finish."
"You have no standing here," Lucan said.
"Then let the council tell me so."
The woman who ran the council folded her hands and said nothing.
Ilse took a breath.
"I confessed to forging the notes, and I meant every word," she said. "I'm ashamed, and I will carry it. But I've been silent about something else, because I didn't want to hurt anyone further."
"Ilse," I said.
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