Page 108 of Warrior of the Wild
I turn around and climb the tree at my back. The boys helped me select the perfect vantage point to see their homecoming. I wish I could go with them, but it’s not possible. When we’re banished, we’re banished from all villages. Newcomers stand out, and I’d be recognized as an intruder instantly.
I climb the tree higher and higher, feeling lighter as I go.I helped them go home. They would never have done it without me.
I may not have been the perfect leader my village deserves. But I did something right out here.
When I’ve climbed high enough, I find a thick branch to sit on and rest my back against the bark of the trunk. My eyes seek out Soren and Iric.
It’s midday, and the village is busy. It’s not very different from how Seravin looks. Cut-rock houses. Display tables showcasing foods and hides and gems available for trade. A dog loops aroundpeople in the road, trying to catch up to its owner. Children run through the street, making a game of dodging all the people. A scolding mother grabs one of the children before he can run across the path of a nocerotis.
Iric and Soren hover at the edge, watching it all. Perhaps waiting for someone to notice them.
I’m too far away to hear anything, but I watch as one head turns and points. Then another and another, until all the activity in the market stills, as everyone sees the banished boys returned home.
Eventually, a man cuts through the crowd and approaches Iric and Soren. Both boys remove their packs from their backs. Iric sets his on the ground, grips the end of the sack, and pulls it up. A mound of white slips through the opening. When the salt falls away, the head becomes visible for all to see.
I can hear the gasps, and then the cheers.
Soren offers his feather to the man who must be the new village leader of Restin, after the last one was killed by Peruxolo.
He takes it, and the shouts and screams are deafening, as the villagers surround Iric and Soren.
What are they doing? Mauling them?
I’m about to rush out of the tree, when I see Iric and Soren hoisted up in the air on the shoulders of some of the hunters and warriors.
They’re welcomed as heroes.
Iric and Soren aren’t set back on the ground until two new figures enter the square. I can’t see much of their features save their gray heads. They must be Iric’s parents, for they’re rushing at the boys, smothering them with their bodies in fierce hugs. The woman kisses each of their cheeks before ushering them down the street.
But then one more person makes an appearance.
Iric pulls himself away from his mother.
The newcomer, who I’m sure must be Aros, launches himself at Iric. The two nearly fall over from the force of the hug. Aros doesn’t even come up to Iric’s chin, so the latter has to bend down so their lips can meet.
A smile comes to my own lips, and I recline my head against the trunk of the tree. They made it. They’re home. And all is well for Soren and Iric.
But then a girl breaks out of the crowd, someone with golden locks far brighter than mine. She’s dainty, elegant, and I’m sure her face is beautiful. She goes right up next to Soren and wraps her arms around his neck.
My eyes narrow.
Who the hell is that?
Soren detangles himself from the girl, but she doesn’t go far, hovering around his shoulder. The proud parents, Pamadel and Newin, hurry their boys down the street, likely to their home, with Aros and the girl following.
I’m leaning forward so far that I nearly lose my balance on the branch. I right myself, scowling at that blond head of hair. Just what does she think she’s doing? I stare until the group disappears from sight and the market resumes to its previous state.
And I wait.
One hour. Two hours. Three.
I wait for my boys to come back to me. To help me kill the god and make my own way home.
But they don’t come, even after night falls.
For a moment, I wonder if they ever intended to come backat all. They’ve got what they wanted. They’re reunited with their parents. Iric has Aros, and Soren—
Soren has the blonde.
