The Broken World Book One - Children of Another God Read Online Free Page B

badly injured after all. It
looked helpless on its back, so she lifted it by one wing and
turned it over. It flopped down on its breast, its blood staining
the snow, then raised its head and stood up. Its talons dug into
the snow, and its wings rested on the ground as if to support
it.
    Wind rushed
around her, making her gasp and raise the arrow. The sound of
beating wings filled the clearing again, and the eagle vanished.
The golden-skinned man reappeared and fell to his knees, his head
bowed. His long hair hid his face as he sagged forward onto all
fours.
     
    Chanter sat
back on his haunches and clasped the throbbing ache in his chest,
blood oozing between his fingers. The few moments of utter
powerlessness and agony had frightened him. Never had he been cut
off from all the Powers, even Dolana. The girl's arrow had made him
helpless, trapped within his mind. Her words had been a meaningless
gabble, muffled and slurred, and his sight had darkened and
blurred. As the ache receded, he raised his head to look at the
Lowman girl. The bloody arrow she had pulled from his chest was
notched in the bow again, aimed at his heart. He raised his hands
and spread them in a gesture of appeasement and reassurance.
    "Gratitude."
    Her eyes
wavered. "For pulling out the arrow?"
    He nodded.
    "I need help.
You were about to leave me."
    "Wish."
    She slumped,
lowering her bow. "Any funny stuff and I'll shoot you again,
understand?"
    He inclined his
head. "Wish."
    "Take me to my
father's house."
    Chanter studied
her. It was a small wish for such a great service, even though the
fact that she had shot him in the first place diluted his gratitude
somewhat. Still, without her help he would have been trapped as a
wounded bird, unable to change or escape. She had shown mercy by
releasing him from the arrow’s terrible effect, instead of leaving
him to suffer. Her blue-green eyes shone with the feral fear of a
survivor born into a harsh world and used to its dangers, but
afraid to die. Blonde hair escaped the untidy plait down her back
and straggled around her face, which was pinched and blue with
cold. A Lowman male, he mused, might have thought her pretty, with
her small nose and large eyes, generous mouth and firm chin.
    Shivers racked
her, and she tugged at the front of her fur jacket, which was
missing the thong that held it closed. Odd how Lowmen felt the
cold, he reflected. With so little Crayash to warm them, they even
died of it. He picked up a handful of snow and rubbed it on his
wound, stiffening with a soft grunt as Shissar's healing power
swept through him. The pain ebbed quickly, for the wound was
slight, and he rose to his feet and stepped towards her, intending
to carry her as she had asked. Her eyes glinted, and she raised the
arrow, forcing him to retreat. He gazed at her in confusion,
cocking his head to one side. How was he supposed to help her if
she would not let him near her?
    The girl eyed
him, looking uncertain and distrustful. "If you hurt me, I'll stick
you with this."
    Chanter nodded,
and she lowered the arrow.
     
    The Mujar
approached Talsy and knelt to slide his arms under her knees and
back. He picked her up as if she was weightless, and she wound her
arms around his neck, the arrow poised close to his skin. Up close,
his matt skin glowed with health and his hair, although tangled,
appeared freshly washed.
    He glanced at
her, his breath steaming. "Which way?"
    "Oh." Talsy's
cheeks warmed with embarrassment at being so enraptured as to
forget this simple necessity. She pointed. "Over there."
    The Mujar
strode across the clearing and entered the forest, moving with a
smooth gliding gait that hardly jolted her leg. His feet made no
sound, and the frozen undergrowth seemed to part before him and
close behind. He gazed ahead as if she did not exist. A thousand
questions clamoured in her mind, and she asked the most pressing
one.
    "What would
have happened if I hadn't pulled out the arrow?"
    "I would have
stayed a