own
species."
"I must tell
you the rules before you break one."
"And then
they'll try to ram spears through my gut?"
"Yes. You are
not allowed in a house, and you must not speak to any of these
women, or touch them. You may not eat with them, and it seems you
must provide your own food."
He nodded as
if it was no more than he expected. "They're a hospitable bunch,
but I don't mind hunting as long as we're here, and we're not going
to be here very long."
"Oh?" Tassin
raised her chin. "I would like a rest from travelling, and they're
good to me."
"Bully for
you. I'm the one who'll have to sleep outside and maybe get
attacked for some minor, probably imagined, infraction of the
rules. I don't enjoy being glared at and spat on."
She frowned.
"No, of course not. Perhaps you could camp in the forest until I'm
ready to journey on."
"Well, at
least one of us will be comfortable."
"It will only
be for a short while, I promise."
Sabre looked
pensive, his brow band sparkling in the gloom. "A few days, no
more. If you want to settle down here, you can count me out. These
women may have once had a genuine gripe against men, but they're
too hostile for my liking."
Shizana
returned with a haunch of slightly burnt meat, which she gave to
Tassin, who passed it on to Sabre. They followed the huntress to a
hut, where she bowed to Tassin and bestowed a final glare upon
Sabre before departing.
Sabre
inspected the meat. "I wonder if this is edible. It looks like they
threw it in the fire, maybe they pissed on it for good
measure."
Tassin
hesitated. "You think they would do that?"
"I wouldn't
put it past them."
She glanced
inside the hut. A fire burnt in a stone hearth, a pile of bedding
lay in one corner and a pottery jug stood on a low table. She held
out her hand. "I will wash and heat it for you."
He gave it to
her, and she entered the hut, where he unthinkingly followed.
"Get out!" she
whispered. "You are not allowed in here."
"Oh,
right."
Sabre
retreated and opened the pack, arranging his blankets outside the
wall. Tassin washed and heated the meat, then sat with him while he
ate it.
Between
mouthfuls, he said, "I'll stay here tonight, and tomorrow I'll find
a comfortable spot in the jungle. I'll show you where I am, then
I'll stay there. If you don't appear within the next week, I'll
leave. I'm not hanging around here like an unwanted dog."
Tassin nodded.
"I don't blame you. They're not being very nice to you."
"That's the
understatement of the century."
"Will the
cyber let you leave?"
He looked away
with a frown. "I don't know."
Tassin pitied
him, but hoped it would not. She did not want him to leave.
Chapter Seven
The cyber's
flashing warning light woke Sabre from a deep sleep, and he opened
his eyes to find a spear point centimetres from his face, aimed at
one eye. He squinted, trying to focus on the sharp bone tip in the
bright morning sunlight. Realisation hit him like a bucket of cold
water, and he jerked back, banging his head on the wall.
A slender girl
stood over him, her brows knotted in a thunderous scowl, the spear
gripped in white-knuckled hands. Her expression was half resolved,
half scared, but her weapon did not waver from his eye. A spear
through the eye was as fatal to a cyber as anyone else, and Sabre
tensed, ready to defend himself. The girl was about Tassin's age,
her face innocent of paint, and Sabre hoped he would not have to
hurt her. He turned his head slowly, forcing the girl to shift her
target to his ear.
"Tassin," he
called.
The young
Andaron tensed further. Her nostrils flared and her eyes glittered.
Sabre was surprised she had not tried to kill him in his sleep,
only inexperience kept her from it now, he surmised. There was no
reaction from within the hut, and Sabre cursed Tassin's heavy
sleep.
"Tassin!"
The girl's face twisted as if his shout had pushed her over
the edge, and she drew back the spear, preparing to ram it into his
ear. Sabre's hand flashed up to grip it
species."
"I must tell
you the rules before you break one."
"And then
they'll try to ram spears through my gut?"
"Yes. You are
not allowed in a house, and you must not speak to any of these
women, or touch them. You may not eat with them, and it seems you
must provide your own food."
He nodded as
if it was no more than he expected. "They're a hospitable bunch,
but I don't mind hunting as long as we're here, and we're not going
to be here very long."
"Oh?" Tassin
raised her chin. "I would like a rest from travelling, and they're
good to me."
"Bully for
you. I'm the one who'll have to sleep outside and maybe get
attacked for some minor, probably imagined, infraction of the
rules. I don't enjoy being glared at and spat on."
She frowned.
"No, of course not. Perhaps you could camp in the forest until I'm
ready to journey on."
"Well, at
least one of us will be comfortable."
"It will only
be for a short while, I promise."
Sabre looked
pensive, his brow band sparkling in the gloom. "A few days, no
more. If you want to settle down here, you can count me out. These
women may have once had a genuine gripe against men, but they're
too hostile for my liking."
Shizana
returned with a haunch of slightly burnt meat, which she gave to
Tassin, who passed it on to Sabre. They followed the huntress to a
hut, where she bowed to Tassin and bestowed a final glare upon
Sabre before departing.
Sabre
inspected the meat. "I wonder if this is edible. It looks like they
threw it in the fire, maybe they pissed on it for good
measure."
Tassin
hesitated. "You think they would do that?"
"I wouldn't
put it past them."
She glanced
inside the hut. A fire burnt in a stone hearth, a pile of bedding
lay in one corner and a pottery jug stood on a low table. She held
out her hand. "I will wash and heat it for you."
He gave it to
her, and she entered the hut, where he unthinkingly followed.
"Get out!" she
whispered. "You are not allowed in here."
"Oh,
right."
Sabre
retreated and opened the pack, arranging his blankets outside the
wall. Tassin washed and heated the meat, then sat with him while he
ate it.
Between
mouthfuls, he said, "I'll stay here tonight, and tomorrow I'll find
a comfortable spot in the jungle. I'll show you where I am, then
I'll stay there. If you don't appear within the next week, I'll
leave. I'm not hanging around here like an unwanted dog."
Tassin nodded.
"I don't blame you. They're not being very nice to you."
"That's the
understatement of the century."
"Will the
cyber let you leave?"
He looked away
with a frown. "I don't know."
Tassin pitied
him, but hoped it would not. She did not want him to leave.
Chapter Seven
The cyber's
flashing warning light woke Sabre from a deep sleep, and he opened
his eyes to find a spear point centimetres from his face, aimed at
one eye. He squinted, trying to focus on the sharp bone tip in the
bright morning sunlight. Realisation hit him like a bucket of cold
water, and he jerked back, banging his head on the wall.
A slender girl
stood over him, her brows knotted in a thunderous scowl, the spear
gripped in white-knuckled hands. Her expression was half resolved,
half scared, but her weapon did not waver from his eye. A spear
through the eye was as fatal to a cyber as anyone else, and Sabre
tensed, ready to defend himself. The girl was about Tassin's age,
her face innocent of paint, and Sabre hoped he would not have to
hurt her. He turned his head slowly, forcing the girl to shift her
target to his ear.
"Tassin," he
called.
The young
Andaron tensed further. Her nostrils flared and her eyes glittered.
Sabre was surprised she had not tried to kill him in his sleep,
only inexperience kept her from it now, he surmised. There was no
reaction from within the hut, and Sabre cursed Tassin's heavy
sleep.
"Tassin!"
The girl's face twisted as if his shout had pushed her over
the edge, and she drew back the spear, preparing to ram it into his
ear. Sabre's hand flashed up to grip it
Similar Books
