enchanting.” He looked at Yadin and lifted an eyebrow, “We’d been hungry for quite a while, so when Pell brought us food and taught us a new way to hunt,” he grinned, “we really liked that.”
Yadin blinked, “Wait, I thought you said that this Pell was a boy, just into his growth spurt.”
“He’s grown all right!” Exen snorted. “He was skinny, scrawny, and clumsy. A little tall for his age, but still, you know, he still seemed small. Now he’s taller than anyone else in the Aldans. He’s muscular too, and carries a healthy amount of fat that’ll help get him through the winter.”
Yadin digested that as they walked in silence for a minute or two. Then, he said, “Pont claims that the boy called on an evil spirit to cast boulders down from a mountain. He says the boulders killed your headman and the headman’s son?”
Exen also walked without saying anything for several beats. Then he sighed, “Yeah, that’s true. The headman’s son was my friend, but… he was a… a bad person.” Exen glanced off into the distance, “He did a lot of awful things. He and his father led the hunts for the Aldans and recently those hunts were almost all failures.” He patted his stomach, “That’s why we’re so thin.”
“Awful things?”
“Yeah,” Exen sighed, “ terrible things… He killed a boy from another tribe… For nothing, really. I think just… just because he could. The boy was smaller than Denit… kid never had a chance. And he forced a young girl to have sex with him. Caught her alone on a trail near a trading place the day we were leaving so’s he wouldn’t get caught. Denit was always bullying someone who was smaller than he was. Denit bullied Pell when Pell lived with us…” Exen paused for a moment, then continued quietly, “Denit was merciless. He’s the biggest reason Pell was cast out of our tribe.”
Yadin looked over at Exen, “Did you try to stop Denit?”
Looking ashamed, Exen shook his head. In a small voice, “I was afraid. Afraid Denit would turn on me .”
Yadin mulled this over as they kept walking. He said, “So you don’t think this Pell is controlled by the spirits?”
Exen grinned at this, “I think he controls the spirits. Did you know a giant wolf follows him wherever he goes? It does his bidding too.”
Yadin shrugged doubtfully.
Exen said, “And the spirits teach him things. Amazing things!”
Yadin was feeling stunned. When Pont had talked about a wolf doing the boy’s bidding, Yadin had scoffed at the very idea. Somehow, he believed it more from this Exen than he had from Pont. After a moment, he said, “What kinds of things have the spirits taught him?”
“A new way to hunt! And a way to preserve meat so it doesn’t go bad.”
Thinking of the meat he’d brought with him, meat which had tasted pretty bad when he’d eaten it for lunch, Yadin thought the second thing Pell had learned sounded most interesting. “So does he perform some mystical ceremony to preserve the meat?”
“No! Anyone can do it. He just has to teach you how!”
Stunned by this possibility, Yadin’s gaze wandered ahead. He saw some people on a ledge in front of an escarpment. His eyes wandered over it, noticing a couple of goats up on the steep slope above the ledge. The escarpment was generally the pale color of limestone, but the area behind the people on the ledge was a much browner color. He frowned. It almost looks like they’ve smeared mud on that part of the hillside.
Yadin turned to Exen, “Why’s the rock a different color behind the people there?”
Exen grinned, “That’s another thing the spirits taught Pell.”
“What,” Yadin snorted, “to cover the hillside with mud?”
“Wait ‘til you’re there, you’ll see.”
Yadin suddenly stopped, “I’m not sure I should go any farther. You don’t seem to be enspelled, but until I’m sure, I don’t want to get close enough to this Pell that he might have his spirits take me
Yadin blinked, “Wait, I thought you said that this Pell was a boy, just into his growth spurt.”
“He’s grown all right!” Exen snorted. “He was skinny, scrawny, and clumsy. A little tall for his age, but still, you know, he still seemed small. Now he’s taller than anyone else in the Aldans. He’s muscular too, and carries a healthy amount of fat that’ll help get him through the winter.”
Yadin digested that as they walked in silence for a minute or two. Then, he said, “Pont claims that the boy called on an evil spirit to cast boulders down from a mountain. He says the boulders killed your headman and the headman’s son?”
Exen also walked without saying anything for several beats. Then he sighed, “Yeah, that’s true. The headman’s son was my friend, but… he was a… a bad person.” Exen glanced off into the distance, “He did a lot of awful things. He and his father led the hunts for the Aldans and recently those hunts were almost all failures.” He patted his stomach, “That’s why we’re so thin.”
“Awful things?”
“Yeah,” Exen sighed, “ terrible things… He killed a boy from another tribe… For nothing, really. I think just… just because he could. The boy was smaller than Denit… kid never had a chance. And he forced a young girl to have sex with him. Caught her alone on a trail near a trading place the day we were leaving so’s he wouldn’t get caught. Denit was always bullying someone who was smaller than he was. Denit bullied Pell when Pell lived with us…” Exen paused for a moment, then continued quietly, “Denit was merciless. He’s the biggest reason Pell was cast out of our tribe.”
Yadin looked over at Exen, “Did you try to stop Denit?”
Looking ashamed, Exen shook his head. In a small voice, “I was afraid. Afraid Denit would turn on me .”
Yadin mulled this over as they kept walking. He said, “So you don’t think this Pell is controlled by the spirits?”
Exen grinned at this, “I think he controls the spirits. Did you know a giant wolf follows him wherever he goes? It does his bidding too.”
Yadin shrugged doubtfully.
Exen said, “And the spirits teach him things. Amazing things!”
Yadin was feeling stunned. When Pont had talked about a wolf doing the boy’s bidding, Yadin had scoffed at the very idea. Somehow, he believed it more from this Exen than he had from Pont. After a moment, he said, “What kinds of things have the spirits taught him?”
“A new way to hunt! And a way to preserve meat so it doesn’t go bad.”
Thinking of the meat he’d brought with him, meat which had tasted pretty bad when he’d eaten it for lunch, Yadin thought the second thing Pell had learned sounded most interesting. “So does he perform some mystical ceremony to preserve the meat?”
“No! Anyone can do it. He just has to teach you how!”
Stunned by this possibility, Yadin’s gaze wandered ahead. He saw some people on a ledge in front of an escarpment. His eyes wandered over it, noticing a couple of goats up on the steep slope above the ledge. The escarpment was generally the pale color of limestone, but the area behind the people on the ledge was a much browner color. He frowned. It almost looks like they’ve smeared mud on that part of the hillside.
Yadin turned to Exen, “Why’s the rock a different color behind the people there?”
Exen grinned, “That’s another thing the spirits taught Pell.”
“What,” Yadin snorted, “to cover the hillside with mud?”
“Wait ‘til you’re there, you’ll see.”
Yadin suddenly stopped, “I’m not sure I should go any farther. You don’t seem to be enspelled, but until I’m sure, I don’t want to get close enough to this Pell that he might have his spirits take me
Similar Books
