[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.“The stars spit in the face of the unending dark,” his father had said.Hratt led her to a place on the mountainside where the black blanket of night covered them, broken only by the silver stars, the moon hidden behind the rocky teeth of the mountains.He had watched, sleepless and fascinated, as she sat on the stone—no coat, no cloak—and prayed to … whomever.To Hratt it did not matter.She could have prayed to the flowers of the field for all he cared.Most believed she would die under dawn’s first light, yet she sat under the stars and communed with her god, heedless of the cold that set a frost upon her skin.Hratt had offered a few prayers of his own for her, but he would not tell Maaqua that.If he was wrong … well, then he was only out a bit of gold.A rather large bit, to be sure, but the world was full of gold.There were more important things in life.Seeing this human girl defeat the champion of the Razor Heart might just be one of them.Hweilan stood at the bottom of the valley on a wide, empty space of ground surrounded by hundreds of hobgoblins.And the only thing she could think was—Mother, father, if you could only see me now …It made her smile, despite the dozens of fanged faces jeering at her.Darric, Valsun, and Jaden stood near the edge of the throng.The old knight looked none too pleased at his surroundings, and Jaden looked downright terrified.He knew what was at stake.Darric was the only one who surprised Hweilan, for she had no idea what he was thinking.He stood between his two companions, crowded between a tight row of hobgoblins in front of him and hundreds more behind.He didn’t scowl in displeasure.He didn’t seem to be contemplating his own death in the event of her defeat.He didn’t seem angry.He was completely stone-faced, oblivious to the taunts of the crowd and the malicious looks cast in his direction.Last night, they had scarcely spoken until Kaad arrived.The healer took one look at Mandan and shook his head, saying there was nothing he could do.“You have the gunhin?” said Hweilan.Kaad swallowed hard and nodded.“Give it to him.”“I cannot.It is only for—”“His life belongs to Ruuket and her children,” said Hweilan.“It is the way of the Razor Heart.Maaqua demands it.If he dies here …”Hweilan let the rest go unspoken.Very reluctantly, Kaad gave Mandan the gunhin.Not a full swallow.Not enough to make him hale and whole.But the bleeding had stopped, the peeled skin fell away, and the flesh scabbed over before their eyes.He looked a horrible mess, but he opened his eyes and spoke for a time with his brother.Hweilan walked away, not wanting to intrude.Later, Darric came to her outside the cell.He stepped up beside her, not looking at her but following her gaze into the darkness.“You said you didn’t care.”“I never said that,” said Hweilan.“I said I could not save his life.Nothing has changed.”“He’ll live the night.”“I’ve done him no kindness.Ruuket—”“Then why did you do it?” Darric had looked down at her then.He’d even reached out to touch her.But she stepped away and he flinched as if stung.She’d almost told him.Probably it had been the last of the gunhin running through her blood, addling her brain and making her unable to push out of her mind how well Darric’s shoulders filled his tunic.But she hadn’t.For two simple reasons.One, her plan had a cobweb’s chance in the wind of working.But more important, she knew Darric’s pride as a knight and his stupid devotion to her.He would have tried to help and ruined everything.So she’d looked up at him and said, “I didn’t.I came to say my farewells.It was Hratt who saved your brother.”Darric’s jaw tightened and his nostrils flared—hurt or anger, Hweilan could not tell.Her only experience with men had been her family.All much older than she.“Why do you push me away?” he said.“Because I see what you want, and I cannot give it.”And that was how she’d left him.She’d hurt him.Of that she had no doubt.But it had been nothing but truth, and a cold truth was better than a warm lie.Her life was sworn to put an end to Jagun Ghen.Nothing beyond that.After …She couldn’t bring herself to think of after.Not yet.Hweilan sensed a ripple passing through the crowd, and she turned her attention to the path that led up the mountain.The crowd was parting to make way for three figures.The foremost was easily recognizable, much shorter than any around her.Maaqua, queen of the Razor Heart.She stopped to speak with a hobgoblin that Hweilan recognized as Hratt, then proceeded on, her two companions following.One was Buureg, the Razor Heart Warchief, and the other, towering above everyone in the crowd except for the bugbears, was Hweilan’s foe of the morning.Unlike everyone else in the crowd, Rhan wore no armor and precious little else against the morning chill.He was bare above the waist, save for the belt of his scabbard, draping him from shoulder to hip.The hilt of his sword protruded from over his right shoulder, and despite the cheers of the crowd, his eyes were fixed on Hweilan.She turned her back to him.The crowd did not miss the insult, and they cheered and howled in anticipation of their champion’s wrath upon this human interloper.Valsun shook his head, obviously disgusted at the foolishness of youth.Jaden closed his eyes and began muttering what Hweilan felt sure were heartfelt prayers.Darric scarcely moved.He blinked once, and that was all.Hweilan turned.Maaqua stood holding her staff at the edge of the crowd, but Rhan and Buureg had come forward into the center of the open space.The warchief had donned his armor, and the gleam of the metal and the reek of oil wafting off him told Hweilan that some poor slave had spent the night polishing it.A hush fell over the crowd, beginning behind her, then spreading until a tense silence had settled over the valley.It was time.Buureg carried his helmet under one arm so that all might see his face.He raised his voice, “Razor Heart! Rhan, son of Goruun and Mileq demands the right of Blood Slake! Hweilan, Hand of the Hunter, stands ready! All bear witness!”The crowd roared their approval.Warriors slapped spears to shields or clapped their swords on the top of their helmets.“Blood for blood, let it be done!”With that, Buureg turned on his heel and rejoined Maaqua.The crowd continued their jeers and cheers, but a calm quiet descended over Hweilan.The noise in the valley continued, and she let it wash over her.They didn’t matter anymore.Rhan shrugged his way out of the harness holding his scabbard, then grasped the hilt of the Greatsword of Impiltur.He held it in front of him with both hands, on display, giving the crowd what they wanted, then let his left hand fall to his side.His right hand, still holding the sword, whipped outward, freeing the blade and flinging the scabbard into the crowd.They roared their approval.In that moment, when she hoped most eyes were on Rhan, Hweilan brought both her hands to her face, feigning a final prayer.But in her right hand was the bit of rabbit bone.She sucked out its contents—the drakthna and crushed root of white iruil, a few other things from her pouch, and a bit of water.She hadn’t been able to clean the bone thoroughly, and she hoped the remaining marrow and rabbit blood would have no ill effect upon her little concoction.She’d only done this once before, with Gleed.But he had taught her well.Still, while her hands were still in front of her face, she did offer a final prayer to Dedunan, Nendawen, and all her ancestors that this would work.Too much depended on it.Rhan took one step forward, and absolute silence fell over the crowd.So quiet that Hweilan could hear the breeze cutting through the canyon and the heavy breathing of the crowd [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]