The Broken World Book One - Children of Another God by T C Southwell Page A

a Wish?"
    "No, this is
part of the clan bond. Within a clan, small favours are earned with
comforts. There's no need for a Wish. As I recall, you asked for
help and transportation as the clan bargain, and this is help.
Protection was your Wish."
    "What's the
difference?"
    He sighed. "Not
a lot, except I can break clan bond at any time, but not until your
Wish of protection has been fulfilled."
    "So if I never
need your protection..."
    He shot her a
smile. "That's unlikely, or I wouldn't have granted it."
    Chanter healed
her ankle, and she wondered afresh at this strange man who would
not lift a finger to save a person in trouble. Afterwards, she
crawled into the tent, where he joined her for a while to share his
warmth, propped up on one elbow as before, and she fell asleep
snuggled close to him. She woke later alone, and waited for his
return. Each time he was there when she fell asleep, and in the
morning she woke to find him lying beside her. He did not stay
long, and it seemed that her longing for greater intimacy was
doomed, since he could only spend a short while lying on the
ground.

 
     
    Chapter Six
     
    Two days later,
they entered the lowlands' warmer climes. Broad belts of woodland
dissected rolling meadows that herds of grazing beasts populated.
An occasional herder's hut stood at the edge of a forest, smoke
curling from its chimney, but for the most part the land was wild.
Wagons and horsemen traversed the roads, so Chanter avoided
them.
    In the middle
of the third day, a sprawling city came into sight ahead, on the
banks of a mighty brown river. A chequerboard of cultivated fields
surrounded it, divided by low stone walls and tended by brown-clad
peasant farmers. Chanter stopped, and Talsy slid from his back,
pulling off the bag. A surge of Earthpower transformed him back
into a man, and he gazed at the city.
    "I'm not going
in there," he said.
    "We need a
bridge to get to the other side," she pointed out. "And besides, I
have to buy provisions. I can hunt for meat, but we need flour,
salt, sugar and tea."
    He shook his
head. "I don't need a bridge, nor do I need to be beaten and spat
on, then thrown into a Pit."
    "But I may need
your protection."
    Chanter eyed
her. "Why would you need protection in a city?"
    "There are
thieves and... bad men. It isn't safe for a woman to travel alone
in a city."
    He glanced at
the sky, reminding her of his wild inclinations, and her father's
words returned to haunt her.
    "You could
become the stallion. Who would know?"
    "Everyone. The
woman in the woods wasn't fooled, was she?"
    "You can't
change your eyes, can you?"
    He shook his
head.
    "Surely they
can't harm you? You can simply fly away if they try."
    "I might not
see them coming."
    Talsy sighed
and gazed at the greatest obstacle they had yet encountered. Her
people, a dire threat. An idea came to her. "What about if you came
as a bird and watched over me from the sky? Then you'd be
safe."
    He looked
uneasy. "Not from arrows."
    "Don't leave
me," she pleaded.
    "If they catch
me, they'll throw me in a Pit."
    "I won't let
them. I'd rescue you somehow."
    The Mujar did
not appear to hear her. "The Pits are living death. We can't escape
them, nor can we die."
    Tears stung her
eyes. "Even if I had to come down there after you, I wouldn't let
you stay in a Pit."
    He looked
startled. "You'd do that?"
    She nodded,
unable to speak past the lump in her throat.
    Chanter said,
"I've granted you the Wish of protection, so I'll come as a
bird."
    Talsy wanted to
hug him. He had not intended to leave her, only voiced his doubts.
He picked up the bag and set off towards the city, keeping his eyes
down. When the people they encountered on the road gave him hard
looks, he stopped and dumped the bag.
    "I shouldn't go
any closer. There was a time when Mujar could live in the cities,
but not anymore."
    "Okay."
    "I'll see you
on the other side. I'll be watching."
    Again she
fought the urge to hug him. He took a few light steps and leapt
into the