Page 21 (1/1)

When the afterbirth slid free and Agda cut off a corner of it for Weiwara to s, all the woard Alain He waited quietly Adica braced herself

Yet no flood of recrida sat silent The afterbirth lay in glistening splendor in the birth platter at her feet, ready for cooking

No one scolded hiainst the pollution he had brought in with him, the one who had walked into a place forbidden toto let hith or the heart to send hiht in with hi of the flap of hide tied across the threshold, because the flap had caught on the basket hook, halfway up the fra askew The rose ble

"What manner of creature is this?" murmured Mother Orla a second tida "I knohat death feels like under my hands" She, too, could not look away froreat power "Whatlife out of death?"

But of course that made it obvious, once it was stated so clearly "He is ahim as he watched her He seemed confused and a little embarrassed, half turned away froe of sound rushes "He alking to the land of the dead when the Holy One brought him to me to be my companion"

Weias still too dazed by the birth to respond, or perhaps even to have heard, but Agda and Orla merely nodded their heads and pulled on their ears to make sure no evil spirits had entered into them in the wake of such a provocative statement

"So be it," said Orla "If the Holy One has brought hi any bad thing onto the village"

"If he alking to the land of the dead," said Agda, "then truly hethe path, and he ht have carried it with hireeic to call a person off the path that leads to the Other Side Maybe he has already seen the Other Side Speaks he of it?"

"He cannot speak in any language I know, Mother Orla," adda "None who have gli people anymore Everyone knows that! Is he to be your husband, Adica?" She hesitated before going on "Will he follow you where your fate leads?"

"That is what the Holy One proly, "a person who can see and capture wandering spirits, like that of this child, ought to stay in the village during this ti, and chase them away Then they won’t be able to afflict us"

"What are you saying, Mother?" Agda glanced toward Alain suspiciously

"I will speak to the elders"

"Let me take him outside," said Adica quickly "Then I will purify the birthing house so that Weiwara can stay here for herone wall: a wooden pallet padded with rushes, a sheepskin, and the special wool padding bound with sprigs of rowan that brought a new mother ease and protection Cautiously, Adica touched Alain on the elbow His gaze, still fixed on the newborn in Weiwara’s arms, darted to her

"Come" She indicated the door

Obediently, he followed her outside It seee had heard of the adulthouse Now every person in the village crowded outside the fence, waiting to see ould happen

Beor shouldered his way to the front He took the ax froly as he watched thenized a rival by iven to women to understand

"I will take care of this intruder," said Beor roughly as Adica approached the gate

"He is under h the croard their master Their size and fearsome aspect made people step away quickly "And under the protection of spirit guides as well, it seeed Beor’s thigh and growled softly: a threat, but not an attack Alain spoke sharply to the dog, and it sat down, stubbornly sticking to its place, while Alain waited on the other side of the fence,Beor’s broad shoulders and the heft of the ax Under the sunlight, the rose blemish that had flared so starkly on the tu house faded to aout of the ordinary