The Hills of Home (The Song of the Ash Tree Book 2) Read Online Free

smell of cooking meat made Raef salivate. But he remained patient, knowing that undercooked meat could upset his underfed stomach. He judged them ready when the exterior had grown black and crispy. The first bite burned his tongue, so hot he nearly spit it out, but the taste of the meat was sweeter than any mead Raef had drunk and he chewed with abandon, finally giving in to the hunger he had held at bay since awakening on the beach.
    The pile of bones at Raef’s feet grew until he stripped the last bit of flesh from the third rabbit’s leg. Thirsty now, Raef gulped down handfuls of water from the pool and then leaned back against the cliff wall. The sun was warm on his bare chest and the sleep that had evaded him that night crept back like a shadow stealing across his mind. Raef let his eyes close. There was much to do, questions that needed answering, but for the moment he let himself be content with no longer feeling hungry.
    If he slept, he did not know, but a shadow that was not sleep came between him and the sun. Raef opened his eyes.
    The silhouette above him was lithe and lean and that of a man. At first, the brilliant sun that threatened to spill out from behind his head masked his features, but as Raef’s eyes adjusted he saw a pair of pale grey eyes in a bronze, sun-browned face. He blinked, drowsy from sun and food.
    “You are a man.” It was not a question but there was curiosity there. His voice was low and cool. Raef said nothing. “And a warrior.” He leaned down and stretched out an arm until he could touch the fresh scar that ran down from Raef’s left shoulder and then the burned scar across Raef’s right side. Raef flinched and knew he should back away from the stranger, but his arms were heavy at his sides. The nearly colorless eyes drifted to the rings on both of Raef’s arms and then his fingers slid up to Raef’s ribs. There was no mark there, Raef knew, but he found the damaged bones with ease. “You have pain here.” He withdrew his hand and pushed back the long, pale hair that had fallen over his shoulder. “You should sleep.” And Raef did.

    When he awoke, the stranger was gone and for a time Raef was not certain he had not dreamed of the visit. Though he had a man’s shape, his hair, skin, and eyes marked him as something other than what Raef knew, something from the stories he had learned as a child. Raef shook that from his mind. He had a hill to climb.
    As Raef reached the top of the hill that fed his waterfall, he discovered it was a false summit. A much higher, rockier peak reared above and to the south, but the distance Raef had traveled was enough, for the view below him revealed much. His ribs had protested the entire climb and he knew he could not have gone much further. Sinking down on the rocky earth, Raef studied the land.
    The world was green and full of life, a world on the brink between spring and summer. A pair of narrow lakes hiding between steep hills to the east sparkled in the sun. Beyond, more hills, more trees. To the south, the peaks grew more rugged, though none were true mountains, and tall, thick-trunked trees dominated their slopes. Their bark was dark, nearly black and Raef was sure each leaf stretched across a distance greater than his height. A flurry of wings drew Raef’s gaze in time to see a flock of birds emerge from the hillside below him. Up, up they rose, pumping their wings hard and fast until they reached a draft of air. Then they soared up the hillside, sweeping higher, silent now, a rush of orange, black, and sharp beaks. They passed over Raef’s head and disappeared down the western slope, a final confirmation of what Raef’s heart had already known. The unfamiliar birds, the peculiar trees, the green land when it should be winter. And above all, the stars whose names he did not know and the bronze-skinned stranger. He had crossed the boundary of Midgard. He knew not how or which of the nine worlds he now gazed upon, but he knew he had