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Alain took another step forward, showing his eiveelse fro his spear raised, and hethrust toward Alain, who did not step back but instead caain

"As you see, I do not fear dying, because I ahtens iveas he came up from behind Maybe it was the silent hounds Maybe the warrior had sih

He set down the child, turned, and scra forward to grab the infant just as the warrior lost hold of his spear and it sailed down to land in the cataract with a splash The haft spun, rode the cascade, and lodged up between two rocks as water roared over it With an oath, the man vanished over the lip Pebbles spattered down the cliff face, then all trace of him ceased

Kel whooped as he came up behind Alain The baby whimpered, more a croak than a cry Kel waded out to fetch the spear and offered it to Alain

"Nay, I won’t take it!" Alain snapped Kel flinched back, looking shaken "Here," said Alain ain, he took up his oak staff

They went swiftly back, but cautiously, skirting the corpse sprawled in the burial field and taking a deer trail through the forest, not knohat they ht when they got there Luckily, the newborn fell into an exhausted sleep

Easing out froe with the first slant oflike ants, in haste, scurrying here and there As they watched, trying to understand what they saw, a cloud covered the sun and the light changed Thunder rumbled softly Rain shaded the southeastern hills

"Beor!" said Kel softly, pointing

Alain saw Beor walking down through the earthworks with a spear in his hand, his posture taut with battle anger At least fifteen adults acco Se, but it had the cloudy vigor of a newly doused fire A few corpses lay evident, soer It seee that these people would strike with such deterain, like a thunderstor up overhead with fury and noise that, as suddenly, blows through to leave fresh puddles and cracked or fallen branches in its wake

Halfway between the river path and the birthing house, Alain saw a luht in his throat He ran, only to find, as he feared, Adica’s leather bundle bulging open on the ground right where she’d dropped it when she first ran for Weiwara’s house It seeold antlers As he wrapped up the bundle, he found her polishedbeneath

Adica never went any where without her ripped hiht when Lavastine had been trapped by Bloodheart’s revenge behind a locked door

Voices called fro the bundle over his shoulder and rose just as Kel hurried up with a scared look on his face

"No No," he repeated, over and over, pointing to the bundle Alain ignored him and hurried on He had to find Adica

Weiwara had been taken to the council house and settled upon furs there together with the other wounded folk, not ave the lost infant into her ar the wounded Urtan had taken a blow to the head and he lay unconscious, with his young daughter Urtahis mouth with a da; he had two nasty wounds in his right shoulder and left hip Kel dropped down beside hi his chest until it bled

Mother Orla shuffled in, leaning heavily on her walking stick as she surveyed the injured She called for her daughter, Agda, who brought potions and poultices Exhaustion swept Alain, but as he tried to make his way to the door, to find Adica, Mother Orla stopped hirim He heard voices outside, but it was Beor who entered, not Adica

The moment Beor saw Alain, he spat on the floor It took Mother Orla herself, raising her walking stick, to restrain hi The hounds, waiting outside, barked threateningly

Although Beor was aler, he contented hi into an involved and desperate tale Certainly so far e this day As Beor spoke, Mother Orla’s stern features showed not one sign of weakness even as those around her and the ones who crowded outside set up a moan in response to his words