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scrambling to either side. Through their midst stalked the old one, his eyes alight with maddened triumph. And behind him came no less than four other ghost eaters. If the ghost eater s heart had still beat, it probably would have stopped at that moment. All the euphoria that he felt over the dramatic changes in his existence evaporated instantly, leaving him cold. A part of him had feared that the old one would go to the other towns, tell their ghost eaters that his pupil had gone rogue, and demand their help in exterminating him. But he had not thought that it would come so soon. Earlier, he had made light of Gwendith s fears when she had warned him about her luck with husbands. Now it looked like he wouldn t even survive the first day of their marriage. That s him! shouted the old one dramatically, pointing an accusatory finger. The rogue who defies our traditions, who scorns our ways and endangers the life of every Ahkan i! Silence fell instantly. No! yelled Gwendith from below. The ghost eater wouldn t hurt anyone who wasn t a threat to the Ahkan it! And what else are you? challenged the old one mockingly. That is enough, said a quiet voice. One of the other ghost eaters stepped forwards. He was short for a man, not too much taller than the ghost eater himself. His face was startlingly youthful, no more than fifteen winters old. Even though that was too young for the ceremony to make him into a warrior, he nonetheless wore the copper nose ring of a man. You are a fool, Bird Creek ghost eater. The woman saved the life of a child of your own town. To accuse her of being a threat turns the hearts of all here against you. He looked down at Gwendith thoughtfully. Nevertheless, the living have no place in this. If you think we re just going to stand here and let you kill him, you are sadly mistaken, Johann replied hotly. Other voices murmured agreement, more than could be accounted for by the small band of friends. A smile flitted over the stranger s mouth, which shocked the ghost eater. Their gazes met, and he saw that his first impression of the stranger s youth had been mistaken. A terrible age lay in his eyes, as if he had been there to witness the world s making. I am the Worn Rock ghost eater, he said softly. Some of these others call me eldest. I was made when last we fought the Enemies. Times were desperate. Those who should have been Young Men were made Warriors, so that we would have more men to fight. The one who wore this body was dying from a slow wound in the stomach when the call went out to make more ghost eaters. After the Enemies retreated, most who had been made ghost eaters went into the flames, but I chose otherwise. I did not believe that the Enemies would leave forever, so I took up the burden of remaining in this existence until my knowledge of fighting them should be needed again. For it is the function of the ghost eater to remember. That s all well and good, interrupted the old one harshly. But the reason I called you here was to help me destroy this abomination! The eldest s eyes were cool and remote. A mixture of fear and rage rose up in the ghost eater, and he glared at the old one. So you brought four others, because you feared to face me alone again? Coward! I challenge you! And when I defeat you again, I will cut the hair from your corpse and wear it at my belt! Several people gasped at the insult. The old one stared at him for a moment, trembling with rage. You may be able to best me, he said finally. But you can t survive us all at once. Kani curse you. He flung back his head, glaring proudly at them all. Then come! I don t fear you! I am Ahkan i! The old one started forward, followed closely by three of the others. But the eldest held up his hand, and they stopped. Bird Creek ghost eater, I have called you a fool, and the rogue has called you a coward. You are making it difficult to determine which of us is the most correct. The old one gaped at him. The eldest ignored him, turning his eyes once more on the ghost eater. Unlike your teacher, rogue, I listened to what the people of your town said when we arrived here. Their tale of an attack by soldiers contained many odd things about you. They say that you touched your hand to a warrior s wound and it closed, saving his life. They say that Vulture appeared and placed his mark on you. A little of the ghost eater s fear drained away. Were they actually going to give him a chance to explain himself? That is true, eldest. But there is more to it than that. The one who made me named me rogue, but it isn t as simple as he insists on believing. At least hear my story before you condemn me. There is nothing to hear, the old one snapped. He just admitted that he s stepped outside the boundaries set for our kind! The penalty for that is death. It doesn t matter how good his intentions may have seemed, either to himself, or to the living. I say again that he is a danger to the Ahkan it. Show them! Sihun yelled suddenly. Tskiya s feet were burned by the soldiers. Heal him, and let them see! The eldest cast Sihun an annoyed glance but did not disagree. The suggestion has its merit. Take us to the house of this child, and we will see for ourselves. Very well. The ghost eater took a step towards them, then heard Gwendith call out to him. He turned, tried to memorize the sight of her upturned face, in case things went wrong and this was the last time he saw it outside the Darkening Land. He wished that he was a thought-whisperer and could send her the words he didn t dare yell out in front of hostile ghost eaters. I will join you as soon as I can, he called instead. Then he turned back quickly, before she could object, and went among the others of his kind. *** The ghost eater sat in the center of his house, surrounded by a ring of judging faces. He had taken them to Tskiya, and they had watched while he healed the boy s feet. He wished that he could do as much for Tskiya s heart. The child seemed lost without his twin, all the bright mischief that had once burned in him extinguished. The ghost eater hoped that it would come back someday, but he feared that the scars on Tskiya s soul would run too deep. Afterwards, they all went to the ghost eater s house, to hear him tell his story. He told them everything, beginning with his first contact with Little Deer and Rabbit. Everything he had done, he pointed out carefully, had been at the instruction of the animal spirits. How could even a ghost eater refuse to listen to them? He also mentioned his discovery that the ghost eaters were capable of interacting with normal humans, even to the point of sleeping with them. He hated to speak something so [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |
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