Page 84 of Warrior of the Wild
My cheeks warm without my permission.
But just as quickly, panic sets in. Liking Torrin is what got me banished to the wild. Ican’tlike Soren.
But I do.
I hadn’t realized it before, but now it’s so obvious.
I like him. I want to help him, but I also have a promise to keep and fears to worry about and—
I put my focus into breathing and thinking. Breathing and thinking. That’s all I have to do.
I don’t want Soren to climb that mountain alone. I don’t want him to die. But I also need every move I make in the wild to draw me closer to killing the god.
And then I get an idea as I realize something.
It would never be enough to walk back into the village carrying Peruxolo’s head. He has the face of a man. No one would believe it was the god’s. If I’m to return home, I have to publicly kill Peruxolo.My father has to see the god’s powers and see me defeat him. Somehow.
But would Peruxolo come if I issued such a challenge? What if he laughs it off? What if he visits his wrath on the villages instead?
But then I realize—
He can’t. He wouldn’t.
Not if I tell him all the villages have been invited to watch the battle. He’d want to come and show off his powers. He’d want to put me in my place for all the people to see. Instilling fear and awe in mortals is what Peruxolo enjoys most. Surely he wouldn’t skip out on such an opportunity.
I only hope that I can find a way to come out on top.
“Soren,” I say, cutting off the boys’ argument, which I really hadn’t been listening to anyway. “When I’m ready to challenge Peruxolo, I’m going to do it publicly. I want all seven villages to witness the battle. But I can’t do that on my own. I’m forbidden to set foot in any village, but if you complete your task, you could deliver the invitations on my behalf. I will climb the mountain with you if you will travel to each of the seven villages and invite them to the battle.”
Silence.
“That’s not a terrible idea,” Iric says.
“You’d be traveling through the wild alone,” I say. “It could be dangerous—”
“I’ll do it,” Soren says. “It’s a deal. When do we leave?”
“First thing tomorrow?”
“Works for me.”
“Actually,” Iric says, “I’m going to need your help tomorrow before I can get started on Rasmira’s armor.”
“What are you going to make it out of?” I ask. “The god’s power deals with metal. Our iron armor can’t get through the barrier, but we haven’t had a chance to test other metals.”
Iric grins proudly. “I wasn’t planning on building you armor out of metal.”
“If you think you’re going to get away with making me wooden armor, you—”
Iric starts laughing. “I’m not going to build it out of wood, you impatient twit. I’m going to build it out of ziken hides.”
I’m taken aback. Ziken hides. That actually—“That’s brilliant!” I say. It’s durable. Strong. No metal involved. And—“Do you think it would heal itself after being struck?”
“Only one way to find out.”
“Iric, you are a genius.”
“I’m not sure whether to be touched, or offended that it’s taken you this long to realize that.”
