[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
feathers lay beside him, sorted into left and right wing, and he
was binding them in threes to the shafts. A large dog leaned
companionably against his calf.
Fin-Kedinn asked why Renn was angry, and she said she wasn't.
Why, she thought, does he want me to say it? He knows what's
wrong. Torak never seems to be around. And people keep bowing
to me as if I was already the new Raven Mage--which I'm not, not
till I say yes.
As if he'd guessed her thoughts, Fin-Kedinn said, "You've been
back some time, yet you've never asked how the ancient one
died."
Ignoring him, Renn trimmed an arrow with her knife, leaving just
enough feather to make it fly straight.
"It was just after I'd returned from the fells," began the Raven
Leader. "She'd waited till she knew I was
267
back to keep the clans together. She chose a still, cold day; a
grove of hollies half a day walk from camp. We laid her in the
snow in her sleeping-sack, and she drank the potion she'd
prepared to make her drowsy. We sang to the ancestors to tell
them she was coming, then she told us to leave. She made a
good death."
Renn set down her knife. "I know why you're telling me this. The
same reason you got Durrain to stay. To make sure I take her
place."
Fin-Kedinn regarded her steadily. "Is that why you're scared?"
"I'm not scared!" she flung back.
The dog flattened his ears and pressed against Fin-Kedinn.
Renn glowered at the fire. "It's not fair!" she blurted out. "They
bow to me and call me Mage, but they're frightened of him. Some
even make the sign of the hand to ward him off."
"He came back from the dead, Renn. Of course they're uneasy.
But they do know what they owe him."
"Oh, yes," she said drily. "They've even started telling stories
about him: the Listener who talks with wolves and ravens. They
just don't want him living with them."
"And Torak. What does he want?"
As always, he'd sensed what really troubled her. "I don't know,"
she said miserably.
Fin-Kedinn ran his thumb along an arrowshaft.
268
"They say that in the Beginning, all people were like Torak, and
knew the souls of other creatures. Now it's only him. Durrain
thinks he may be the last. That in times to come, there will be no
more spirit walkers; and all that remains will be the friendship
between man and dog: a memory of what once was." He paused.
"Torak is one apart, Renn. The clans know it. He knows it."
Renn sprang to her feet. "Even you? You want him gone?"
"Want?" Fin-Kedinn's blue eyes blazed. "You think I want him to
leave?"
"Then tell him to stay!"
"No," said the Raven Leader. "He has to find his own way."
Fin-Kedinn caught Torak as he was heading off to find Wolf, and
told him to come with him up-valley to check the snares. Torak
was about to protest, but something in his foster father's voice
made him think better of it.
Dawn was still far off, but the moon was bright, and the trees
threw long blue shadows across the frozen river. Torak and Fin-
Kedinn crunched over the ice in a haze of frosty breath. On the
opposite bank, a reindeer stopped pawing the snow to watch
them pass, then went back to munching lichen.
Belatedly, Torak noticed that Fin-Kedinn carried a food pouch and
bedding roll; he asked if he should have
269
brought his too. Fin-Kedinn said no. Some time later, he turned up
a side gully.
"But the snares are upriver," said Torak.
Fin-Kedinn continued to climb.
The snow was deeper in the gully. Trees which had been
snapped in the ice storm cast weird, humped shadows in the
moonlight.
The Walker sat beneath a broken holly, retying his foot-bindings.
Torak halted. It seemed impossible that this ragged ruin of a man
had once been a great Mage. Only Fin-Kedinn had seen deep
into the Walker's heart, and perceived that he still possessed the
skill and the spark of sanity which would drive him to cross the
fells and find Eostra's lair. The Raven Leader's faith had not been
misplaced.
Fin-Kedinn put his fists to his chest in sign of friendship.
"Narrander," he said quietly. The Walker ignored him.
Cautiously, Torak went to squat beside him. "Walker," he said.
"You saved my life. Thank you." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl szkicerysunki.xlx.pl
feathers lay beside him, sorted into left and right wing, and he
was binding them in threes to the shafts. A large dog leaned
companionably against his calf.
Fin-Kedinn asked why Renn was angry, and she said she wasn't.
Why, she thought, does he want me to say it? He knows what's
wrong. Torak never seems to be around. And people keep bowing
to me as if I was already the new Raven Mage--which I'm not, not
till I say yes.
As if he'd guessed her thoughts, Fin-Kedinn said, "You've been
back some time, yet you've never asked how the ancient one
died."
Ignoring him, Renn trimmed an arrow with her knife, leaving just
enough feather to make it fly straight.
"It was just after I'd returned from the fells," began the Raven
Leader. "She'd waited till she knew I was
267
back to keep the clans together. She chose a still, cold day; a
grove of hollies half a day walk from camp. We laid her in the
snow in her sleeping-sack, and she drank the potion she'd
prepared to make her drowsy. We sang to the ancestors to tell
them she was coming, then she told us to leave. She made a
good death."
Renn set down her knife. "I know why you're telling me this. The
same reason you got Durrain to stay. To make sure I take her
place."
Fin-Kedinn regarded her steadily. "Is that why you're scared?"
"I'm not scared!" she flung back.
The dog flattened his ears and pressed against Fin-Kedinn.
Renn glowered at the fire. "It's not fair!" she blurted out. "They
bow to me and call me Mage, but they're frightened of him. Some
even make the sign of the hand to ward him off."
"He came back from the dead, Renn. Of course they're uneasy.
But they do know what they owe him."
"Oh, yes," she said drily. "They've even started telling stories
about him: the Listener who talks with wolves and ravens. They
just don't want him living with them."
"And Torak. What does he want?"
As always, he'd sensed what really troubled her. "I don't know,"
she said miserably.
Fin-Kedinn ran his thumb along an arrowshaft.
268
"They say that in the Beginning, all people were like Torak, and
knew the souls of other creatures. Now it's only him. Durrain
thinks he may be the last. That in times to come, there will be no
more spirit walkers; and all that remains will be the friendship
between man and dog: a memory of what once was." He paused.
"Torak is one apart, Renn. The clans know it. He knows it."
Renn sprang to her feet. "Even you? You want him gone?"
"Want?" Fin-Kedinn's blue eyes blazed. "You think I want him to
leave?"
"Then tell him to stay!"
"No," said the Raven Leader. "He has to find his own way."
Fin-Kedinn caught Torak as he was heading off to find Wolf, and
told him to come with him up-valley to check the snares. Torak
was about to protest, but something in his foster father's voice
made him think better of it.
Dawn was still far off, but the moon was bright, and the trees
threw long blue shadows across the frozen river. Torak and Fin-
Kedinn crunched over the ice in a haze of frosty breath. On the
opposite bank, a reindeer stopped pawing the snow to watch
them pass, then went back to munching lichen.
Belatedly, Torak noticed that Fin-Kedinn carried a food pouch and
bedding roll; he asked if he should have
269
brought his too. Fin-Kedinn said no. Some time later, he turned up
a side gully.
"But the snares are upriver," said Torak.
Fin-Kedinn continued to climb.
The snow was deeper in the gully. Trees which had been
snapped in the ice storm cast weird, humped shadows in the
moonlight.
The Walker sat beneath a broken holly, retying his foot-bindings.
Torak halted. It seemed impossible that this ragged ruin of a man
had once been a great Mage. Only Fin-Kedinn had seen deep
into the Walker's heart, and perceived that he still possessed the
skill and the spark of sanity which would drive him to cross the
fells and find Eostra's lair. The Raven Leader's faith had not been
misplaced.
Fin-Kedinn put his fists to his chest in sign of friendship.
"Narrander," he said quietly. The Walker ignored him.
Cautiously, Torak went to squat beside him. "Walker," he said.
"You saved my life. Thank you." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]