Pokrewne

Start
Chelsea Handler Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang (epub
Brit Brinson [Dia of the Dead Dia of the Dead (epub)
Cody Goodfellow [Radiant Dawn Radiant Dawn (epub)
Cate Tiernan [Immortal Belove Immortal Beloved (epub)
C J Busby [Deep Amber 01] Deep Amber (retail) (epub)
Carl Ashmore [Time Hunters 01 The Time Hunters (epub)
Drew Hayes [Super Powereds 02 Super Powereds Year 2 (epub) i
Beth Harbison [Shoe Addict 02 Secrets of a Shoe Addict (epub)
Cara Lynn Shultz [Dark World The Dark World (retail) (epub)
Brian Lumley [Titus Crow 01] The Burrowers Beneath (retail)

[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.When he sucked in drool, it became clear he was thinking about the taste of Slugari meat.“Zeti,” Doe said.“Here’s my reply to Tenred.It tells them they can have one thousand Krepps as long as they agree to fight with us when our full army is ready.Give this to the pigeon handlers.Then get back to the Dajriks.”As always, Zeti did what Doe told her.Sleep was calling her by the time the day was over.As she approached her hut, she heard someone within.Expecting her father, she drew her sword.But when she peeled back the cloth covering the hut’s opening, she let out a breath when she saw it was Suba.The Krepp who’d been like a mother to her laughed nervously.“What kind of Krepps are you involved with that you enter your own hut with a weapon drawn?”Zeti sheathed her sword and smiled.“You’re here so late.Why aren’t you sleeping?”“I have something important to discuss with you.Will you swear you won’t tell anyone what I’m about to tell you?”“I swear.”Suba walked past Zeti and poked her head outside.“No one’s around,” Zeti said.“Everyone’s asleep.”Suba spoke with a low voice.“Not everyone.”The seriousness in her tone made Zeti uneasy.“What’s going on?”“Many of us are leaving the army, or tribe, or whatever this is that Doe and Haemon have created.”“But that’s treason.”Suba put her hand gently over Zeti’s mouth.“Keep your voice soft, young Krepp.Those words reaching the wrong ears could get me killed.”“I don’t want you to go,” Zeti said.“Come with us.About two thousand will be leaving with me.There are far too few wall guards to stop us.”“Doe will send his fighters after you.It’s dangerous to try leaving.”Suba had a sorrowful smile.“It sounds like you don’t want to come.”Zeti shook her head.“I don’t, and I don’t want you to go.”“I had a feeling, but I figured it was worth the risk to make sure.”She grabbed Suba’s wrist.“Why are you leaving?”“There are some Krepps old enough to have lived before Doe and Haemon came and all the tribes merged.They’ve convinced me and many others that life was better when we weren’t an army, when we were separate tribes of lower numbers.I’m sick of living here.Even if it means I never taste Slugari, I’d rather follow a Krepp than Doe and Haemon.”Zeti couldn’t comprehend the feeling.She’d begun to respect Doe in ways she never thought possible.He was the hardest working and strongest creature she’d ever come across.He was her leader—everyone’s leader—and he deserved to be.He’s going to bring us to the Slugari we crave.Zeti was confident.How can Suba not care about that?Suba unfolded a map of Ovira.“We’re going to be here, deep in Merejic.” She pointed to the northwestern edge of the continent.“They say there’s an abandoned Elven village there with buildings that are structurally superior to our huts, and there are plenty of animals to hunt.”“I shouldn’t know where you’re going.Why are you telling me this?”“In case you ever change your mind.Just don’t tell anyone we spoke.It’s best you pretend I never came to your hut.” Suba kissed Zeti on the forehead.“Goodbye.I must be going.”“All of you are leaving tonight?”“Yes, imminently.” Suba turned and parted the cloth shielding of the hut.She glanced back over her shoulder, waiting for Zeti, a pleading look in her yellow eyes.“I can’t,” Zeti said.Suba nodded.Then she was gone.Zeti rested on her bed, distraught as she realized she wouldn’t be sleeping much that night.Keenu was the only Krepp left that mattered to her.For the first time, she seriously considered asking him to be her seshar.She’d come to believe he was trying to help her when he’d offered to kill Paramar.She trusted him now.He was ten years her elder, but that wasn’t uncommon.Her biggest issue was that his pointed face was shaped somewhat like Zoke’s.It was an uncomfortable thought, though she didn’t know why.Perhaps because Zoke and I are more likely to fight against each other than be part of the same tribe again, and Keenu’s likeliness to brother to me only reminds me of this.She felt the tears coming when she thought of Grayol next.The image haunted her daily, her dead friend’s spiraling body slapping against the stone of the crumbling Tenred castle after the explosion.At least she didn’t miss her father, Ruskir.Never had an argument felt so healthy, so relieving.She regretted nothing she’d said or done to him.She only wished it had happened sooner.The next morning, everyone was talking about the “traitors” who’d abandoned the army during the night.Zeti had never seen so much spit in one day, though she wondered how many of the spiteful comments were exaggerated or even completely feigned.She had no idea Suba was so unhappy in the encampment.There had to be others.In the afternoon, while Zeti was carrying two sacks of oats over to feed the Dajriks, Keenu approached her.He hollered at a nearby Krepp to help her.“I don’t need it,” Zeti said.Keenu smiled.“I can tell you don’t, but Doe wants to see us right now.I’m sure it’s about what happened last night.”Hot fear filled Zeti’s chest.Would Doe ask her what she knew about those who’d left? If he found out she was lying…Zeti had a startling realization.I’m a traitor for not revealing their location, for not letting Doe know they planned to abandon us.I could die for this.Keenu noticed her worry.“What’s wrong?”“Nothing.”“Did someone close to you leave?”“I haven’t had a chance to check.” Luckily, Zeti had practiced lying to her father for many years.She knew she was good at it.Then Zeti realized she wasn’t following Keenu toward Doe’s quarters.“Where are we going?”“He wants us to meet him at the western wall.”This, Zeti liked even less.The Slugari was so large, it was rare to find him moving about the encampment.He must have a strong reason to be at the wall.At least Vithos isn’t here to tell if I’m lying.Still, her heart was racing.There was an audience of Krepps huddled near the wall.Doe spoke in a hushed tone to a few who were ranked high in the army.“What’s going on?” Zeti asked someone standing nearby.“It looks like he’s questioning many Krepps’ loyalty.”As Zeti and Keenu maneuvered through the crowd, she saw dead bodies scattered throughout.She recognized some of them as wall guards.In a panic, she looked for Suba, hoping not to find her.She didn’t get a chance to conclude her search before Doe called her over and pointed at the wall.“Stand there with your back against it,” he ordered.She obeyed, careful not to say a word until asked a question.“When did you find out that thousands of Krepps had abandoned the army, making themselves traitors?”Not only was Doe waiting for her answer, every nearby Krepp watched.There were hundreds of them in view.For a moment, she couldn’t speak.An onslaught of terror closed her throat, producing only one thought.I’m not prepared for this.“Answer me!”Zeti thought quickly.When would she have found out if Suba hadn’t told her?“This morning,” she answered.“I heard Krepps talking about it.”Doe’s silence made her second-guess her ability to lie.Could he tell her words weren’t true? She wondered how difficult it would be to jump over the wall and escape without being killed.Impossible, she realized.“Did you have any knowledge of the plan before they left?” Doe asked.“No.I didn’t know [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]