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Ayla’s h the motions that retired Brun and raised Broud to the rank of leader She atching Creb and remembered the first time she saw his one-eyed, scarred face and reached out to touch hi to teach her to co She reached for her amulet and felt a tiny scar on her throat where he had expertly nicked her to draw her blood as a sacrifice to the ancient spirits that allowed her to hunt And she cringed with the memory of her clandestine visit to a small cave deep in asadness and his cryptic, enight before

She only picked at her food at the feast celebrating the succession of the next generation to the realms of authority The men filed into the small sacred cave to complete their ceremony in seclusion, and Ayla passed out the datura received fro-ur But she had no heart for the women’s dance, her rhythms lacked verve, and she drank so little of the ceremonial tea, the effects wore off quickly She returned to Creb’s hearth as soon as she appropriately could and was asleep before Creb returned, but she slept fitfully He stood over her bed watching her and her son before he hobbled to his own sleeping place

“Ma with Ma for the , but Durc ide awake

“Not until after breakfast, anyway, Durc Coet hi is here, but it’s not that warm yet”

After he ate, Durc spied Grev and forgot about hunting as he raced to Broud’s hearth Ayla watched hi up the corners of her mouth The smile faded when she saw the way Broud looked at hiether Suddenly a feeling of claustrophobia overwhelht she would voet outside the cave She bolted for the opening, feeling her heart beating rapidly, and took several deep breaths

“Ayla!”

She jumped at the sound of her name spoken by Broud, then turned around, bowed her head, and looked down at the new leader

“This woestured formally Broud seldom stood face to face with her She was much taller than the tallestthe tallest He barely reached her shoulder She knew he didn’t like looking up at her

“Don’t go running off anywhere I’ out here soon”

Ayla nodded obediently

The clan slowly congregated The sun was shining, and they were glad Broud had decided to have his round They waited for a while, then Broud strutted to the place formerly taken by Brun, supremely conscious of his new status

“As you know, I a to the entire clan in his new capacity was betrayed by an opening statement that was patently obvious

“Since the clan has a new leader and a new es,” he continued “I want to make it known that Vorn is now my second-in-command”

There were nods; it was expected Brun thought Broud should have waited until Vorn was older before raising his position aboveIt’s probably just as well to do it now, he said to himself

“There are soes,” Broud motioned “A woman in this clan is not mated” Ayla felt herself flush “Someone must provide for her, and I do not want to burden my hunters with her I am leader now and I must be responsible for her I will take Ayla as second woman to my hearth”

Ayla had expected it, but it didn’t ht She ht thing Brun looked proudly at the son of his mate Broud is ready for leadership

“She has one deformed child,” Broud went on “I want it kno, no more deformed children will be accepted into this clan I don’t want anyone to think it has anything to do with s, when the next one is refused If she has a normal child, I will accept it”

Creb was standing near the entrance to the cave and shook his head as he watched Ayla blanch and bow her head lower to hide her face Well, you can be sure I won’t have any ic works for ht I don’t care if babies are started by ans, you won’t start any ive birth to babies that have to die because you think they’re deformed

“I’ve made it plain before,” Broud went on, “so this shouldn’t come as any surprise I will not have any defor at my hearth”

Ayla’s head jerked up What does he mean? If I have to move to his hearth, my son comes with me

“Vorn has agreed to take Durc to his hearth His mate is fond of the boy, in spite of his deformity He will be well cared for”

There was a disturbed nals froed with their rown Why would Broud take Ayla but refuse her son? Ayla broke out of her place and threw herself at Broud’s feet Broud tapped her shoulder

“I ah yet, woman It is disrespectful to interrupt the leader, but I will overlook it this time You may speak”

“Broud, you can’t take Durc away froo with her,” sheor to phrase her state, his pride in the new leader gone

“Are you, wo this leader what he can or cannot do?” Broud motioned with a sneer on his face He was pleased with hiotten just the reaction he had hoped for

“You are no a is more mother to Durc than you are Who nursed him? Not you He doesn’t even knoho his mother is Every woman in the clan is mother to him What difference does it make where he lives? He obviously doesn’t care, he eats at everyone’s hearth,” Broud said

“I know I haven’t been able to nurse him, but you know he is ht”

“Well, he won’t sleep with ht Can you deny that Vorn’s mate is ‘-ur, that theThere is no point in waiting You will o back to your place,” he colanced around the clan and noticed Creb leaning on his staff near the cave The old ry

But not nearly as angry as Brun His face was a black rage as he watched Ayla return to her place He struggled to control hier in his eyes, the pain in his heart showed, too The son of ht, who I raised and trained and just e Revenge against a woined Why didn’t I see it before? Why was I so blind to him? Now I knohy he raised Vorn’s status so soon Broud arranged the whole thing with hi Broud, Broud, is that the first thing a new leader does? Puts his hunters in jeopardy with a young and inexperienced second to avenge hi you to separate a mother and her child when she has suffered so much pain already? Have you no heart, son of my mate? All she has of her son is to share her bed with hiht

“I aet the attention of the shocked and uneasy clan They finally settled down

“This man was not the only one raised to a new position We have a new o with increased status I have decided that Goov … the htful hearth of t

he ician of the clan Creb will move to the back of the cave”