circle just ahead of his feet, but protected his eyes from the
stream of water that was soon cascading over his face. Some
days were better than others for a forestier - but ones like this
came bottom of the pile. He stumbled over tree roots and
more than once grazed his shin against a protruding rock, but
he knew he had to clear the traps today or they'd be cleared by
poachers and foxes tonight. The Commune of Troyes only paid
him to watch and maintain the forest - they wouldn't care if he
went home and dried himself beside his fire. As long as the
trees were kept healthy (God willing, he'll be able to do
something to make sure of that) and a daily load of kindling
was supplied during the colder months to the various charitable
institutions to which the Commune was committed, then no-
one cared what hours he kept. There were no restrictions on
which animals he was allowed to hunt and trap - a great
privilege allowed only to the forestier and the local nobles, and
one on which he greatly depended. There was no alternative
but to plod on despite the rain.
Soon he came to a denser part of the forest and his
progress became more difficult. There was a lot more kindling
to collect here, but tree roots barred the way in every direction
and were treacherously slippery in the damp conditions. It was
curiously quiet - neither bird nor animal stirred and the only
sound came from the branches above as they rocked back and
forth in the wind. He came to a particularly awkward root
buttress and placed his palm against it for balance as he tried
to climb over. Suddenly the moss covering the bark gave way
and the load on his back forced him to lose his balance and
topple sideways. At the last moment he tried to brace himself
with his foot, but by now his momentum was too great. He fell
face first into the mud, bruising his elbow and taking several
layers of skin off his hand into the bargain. He was just
beginning to think the day couldn’t get any worse, when he
lifted his face from the mud and looked directly into the dead,
staring eyes of a corpse.
Suddenly the forest wasn't quiet any more.
