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If Hishn would just tell her what was wrong, she could try to do something about it, but the Gray One did not seem able to put her subtle fear into images the wolfwalker could understand. "Why the frown?" Aranur asked, dropping to sit beside her after she had finished treating the boy's legs. a a T T n n s s F F f f o o D D r r P P m m Y Y e e Y Y r r B B 2 2 . . B B A A Click here to buy Click here to buy w w m m w w o o w w c c . . . . A A Y Y B B Y Y B B r r Dion sighed, looking across the fire at the space where the youth was restlessly sleeping. "Whatever the poison in the rastin bites, it's gone into his veins like a mild blood poison and is keeping the bites from healing. Unless his metabolism adjusts to it, there's not much more I can do." She made a face. "The stuff tastes vile enough that I'm surprised I haven't gotten sick from sucking it out of his wounds.'' "How much is it affecting him? He's keeping up, but we have a long way to go, and there arc more mountains on the other side of that valley." "Frankly, I don't know. It's sapping him you can tell by the way he reacts to all of us and forcing his body to use up its reserves dealing with the toxin instead of letting him spend his 232 Tara K. Harper energy sleeping or walking or eating." She gritted her teeth in frustration. "I need herbs, chemicals that I don't have." "Could you find them if we slowed down?" "Some. Three of the herbs I need grow in the snow climes, and four grow in temperate areas. If luck rode my back like a demon, I'd be able to locate half of the herbs in that valley.'' "Do what you can." He frowned. "Time is on our side right now, so we can spend as long as you need in the lower altitudes. If you don't find what you need," he promised with a smile that did not quite touch his eyes, "I'll carry Tyrel back to Ariye myself." Dion did not put into words the grim thought that if the boy did not get better soon, none of them would have to worry about him because the moons would take him for their own. After the snowy cold of the mountains, the valley was a pleasant change. The muggy air was heavy with coastal rainfall trapped between the ranges, but with the mild heat of early summer, the land was green, steep, and beautiful. Dion's first glimpse of the valley brought a gasp from her lips, and Aranur, who had taken her to the overhanging cliff, watched in pleasure. "It's beautiful," she breathed. He nodded. "Like a hidden paradise." "It must be dense in those canyons. And look at those valleys it'll take a long time to cut through all that just to get to the other side." "We've time." He gestured at the pristine expanse of deep green relieved only by threads of darker hues where streams edged their way through the valley and rock heights jutted up suddenly like lookouts. "This is about as remote as you can get from Zentsis. The man a a T T n n s s F F f f o o D D r r P P m m Y Y e e Y Y r r B B 2 2 . . B B A A Click here to buy Click here to buy w w m m w w o o w w c c . . . . A A Y Y B B Y Y B B r r never took his troops anywhere there wasn't gold to be had, so we won't have to worry about righting anything here but the brush.'' She glanced at the tall, black-haired leader from the comer of hereyes. Standing there, one foot up on a rock and one hand unconsciously on the hilt of his sword, he made a rugged picture. His profile was strong as strong as those clear gray eyes that seemed to see right through her and leave her blushing every time. His hard, muscular body was as worn as his thin boots, made lean by trail running and scarred by the blades of raiders, his mail stained with old blood and dirt, and his once-clean leggings the easy color of the earth. But as she stood next to WOLFWALKER 233 him, she felt curiously comfortable protected as if she were standing by a massive wolf. He was taller than her brother and not as wide in the shoulders, but Dion knew that his quiet strength was more than a match for the bursts of furious violence her twin could erupt into. That, then, was the major difference, she realized. Where Rhom used anger to fuel his sword arm, Aranur used experience. He lunged, he blitzed, and he cut as quickly as a sand cat could strike, but even when furious, he never let the rage turn his blade too soon or move his arm too slowly out of a slaver's blow. Instead, he let the other men make the mistakes, and when the smoke cleared and the swords were cleaned and counted, his was one of the blades still ready to fight again. "Which pass are we heading for?" she asked curiously, gazing across the valley with him. He nodded toward a low saddle between two snow-strewn peaks. "One of those streams seems to run straight toward that low spot. Probably on a fault line. I figure we can cut a raft and take to the water might save days of hacking our way through that jungle." It would save Tyrel a great deal of pain, too, she knew. The boy had not voiced a word of complaint, but he moved more and more slowly; soon he would not be able to jog at all, something that Aranur had realized a day before. "How long will it take to build the raft?" "A day. Maybe two. Depends on how hard the wood is and how rough the water." ' 'I '11 run out of two of the herbs I need by tomorrow.'' He stood down from the rock and turned to her. "I'll help you look for them. It'll give me a chance to scout the area." His gaze lingered on her figure for a moment, and she blushed. "I can take Gray Hishn," she protested ineffectually. He merely looked at her, and she flushed more deeply. "So you could help with the raft," she added quickly. By the moons, she berated herself silently, what was wrong with her? She was acting like a girl who had never gone walking with a man before. The wolf sneezed slyly. Well, have you? And if not, isn 't it time you did? a a T T n n s s F F f f o o D D r r P P m m Y Y e e Y Y r r B B 2 2 . . B B A A Click here to buy Click here to buy w w m m w w o o w w c c . . . . A A Y Y B B Y Y B B r r Hishn! She was shocked. But as Aranur helped her down from the cliff's edge and led them back to the main trail, their hands brushed and a shiver ran up her spine. A lupine chuckle 234 Tara K. Harper filtered through her thoughts, and Dion glared into the brush. Go find your own escort, she sent, and we 'II see who has the last laugh. The wolf, sending only a last burst of mockery, faded away, leaving Dion with the impression that Hishn's potential mates far outnumbered Dion's tall escort. But the Gray One was happy. In spite of the worry she was picking up from her healer, the wolf was [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |
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