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“Pertak!” Erlin called to the stockyto Vaelin and Astorek as he spoke on
“He says he brings many allies to the Laretha,” Astorek reported Vaelin noted the deep unease on the shaman’s brow “This is foolishness, Raven’s Shadow These people offer only death to outsiders”
Vaelin nodded at Erlin, now approaching the chieftain with arms spread “But not to him”
Erlin halted a few feet short of the chieftain, his words soft and lost to theh the tribesman’s countenance lost some of its fierceness, if none of its suspicion After a few moments Erlin turned and beckoned them forth “Pertak, Chieftain of the Laretha, demands tribute if you are to besh Vaelin had yet to see the stockyonly,” Erlin explained “If he allows you to stay without it he appears weak and one of the youngerone of his axes at the asseuttural demand Vaelin followed its course to find the axe pointed to where Dahrena stood holding Scar’s reins “He wants ht smile “He wants your woman”
“That is not acceptable” Vaelin’s hand went to a pouch on his belt, loosing the ties to extract a stone, a finely cut ruby of iven to hio, though it seemed like many more now There had been times when he had been te so constantly hungry, but the blood-song had flared in warning whenever he considered it He hoped this hy
The chieftain dropped one of his axes to catch the gem as Vaelin tossed it to him, eyes ith instant fascination The warriors on either side of hiot their discipline to crowd round, every face lit with an enthralled greed Pertak snarled so, and they shrank back, though their gaze returned continually to the ruby
Pertak spoke again, directing his question to Vaelin as he held the ruby up to the light “He wants to knohat power it holds,” Astorek translated, a faint note of conte his voice
“The eard for them”
“Tell him it has the power to capture men’s souls,” Vaelin said “He really shouldn’t stare at it for too long”
A brief gleam of fear shone in the chieftain’s eyes as Erlin related the warning, his fist closing over the stone in a fierce grip before he raised his gaze to Vaelin, squinting in conterunted a short clipped sentence and, with considerable deliberation, turned his back and walked towards the settle close, all concern at the arrival of such a large body of intruders now apparently vanished
“You enerous concession, I h?” Vaelin asked him “For our purposes?”
Erlin looked up at theabove the settlement, the flattened summit part obscured by a thinhere, brother”
• • •
He forbade anyone but Vaelin froh Dahrena and the other Gifted protested loudly “We have coe now”
“I seek to preserve,” Erlin broke in, “not to deny Trust e”