that he did not want to work against the Hunter. It was only that he did not wish to do so from within the walls of a town.
“Stay here and safe? You are a coward, then.”
“I am the coward? When I live with the animals that you say you wish to save? When I live in the forest you say you will protect from your father?”
Dofin flushed. “If you wish to protect the forest and the animals, you must come with me and work against my father.”
“I will do what I choose to do,” said Jens.
“Alone?” said Dofin. “You are a fool.”
“A fool to whom you owe your life,” said Jens.
Dofin lowered his head. “I will give you a reward if you come into town. Coin from my father’s treasury.”
“What use would those be to me here, in the forest?” Jens said, thinking they would be stolen in any case.
“I must give you something,” said Dofin.
“Then go on your way and tell no one about me,” said Jens through clenched teeth. “That is surely one gift you can offer me.”
“As you wish,” said Dofin, and he seemed to bow and step away. But in one swift movement, he had turned back and flung himself behind Jens, grabbing his armsand pushing him to his knees.
Jens did not struggle. “Do you plan to carry me all the way back to the town?” he asked. “I do not think you will get very far.”
“I will do whatever it takes to defeat my father,” said Dofin, angrily. “And I think that you are necessary for that. You have no magic of your own, but you do not hate it. If I can show to the others in the town that they do not have to be afraid of the forest nor of the aur-magic—I can take away his power. Please,” he added grudgingly.
Jens sighed. He found himself admiring Dofin. And yet he still did not want to go back to Tamberg-on-the-Coast with him. It seemed the wrong way to fight one who killed aur-magic, by giving up the forest and all that aur-magic was about.
With one breath, he threw all his weight forward, so that Dofin flipped over his back and landed on the ground, stunned and groaning in pain.
“Coward,” he whispered again, lifting his head to meet Jens’s eyes.
“I will fight my way. You fight yours,” said Jens.
Then the she-bear that had been chasing after Karl came rushing back to the tree. It sniffed the air between the two, then growled and stepped toward Dofin, threatening him with a low rumble.
The bear’s claws caught Dofin on one side, but they did not dig deeply into him.
Dofin yelled and retreated, throwing his hands up asif trying to ward her off. Liva growled once more, and that was all Dofin needed to flee back to the south.
The bear turned back to Jens.
He had never seen Liva like this before, but he was not afraid. “Thank you,” he said. It seemed ridiculous that he was standing here, speaking to a bear. But he did not feel he had any right to demand that she should change her form to human. If she wished it, she would have to choose it on her own.
Her face shimmered and shifted. For a moment Jens went absolutely still. Then he saw her bear features change into the fine human features. The small nose he loved, the stark cheekbones, the shining eyes that were the part of her that he could see most clearly, no matter what form she wore.
“Ha!” he said, out of pure joy. “Liva.”
She looked down at herself and blushed, and he turned away, offering her one of his outer skins.
“I thought I heard someone who needed help. There was a change in the aur-magic, and I followed it here.”
“Oh,” said Jens. He wanted to put a hand out to her, to touch her face, to feel the softness of her human skin. But then what? He did not know what to do. The rules of his village did not work here.
Would he offend her if he came too close? Was she interested in him at all?
“I left my village,” he said, as though she had not figured that out already. He had to fill the uncomfortablesilence somehow. “I didn’t belong there anymore. Never did belong there, I
“Stay here and safe? You are a coward, then.”
“I am the coward? When I live with the animals that you say you wish to save? When I live in the forest you say you will protect from your father?”
Dofin flushed. “If you wish to protect the forest and the animals, you must come with me and work against my father.”
“I will do what I choose to do,” said Jens.
“Alone?” said Dofin. “You are a fool.”
“A fool to whom you owe your life,” said Jens.
Dofin lowered his head. “I will give you a reward if you come into town. Coin from my father’s treasury.”
“What use would those be to me here, in the forest?” Jens said, thinking they would be stolen in any case.
“I must give you something,” said Dofin.
“Then go on your way and tell no one about me,” said Jens through clenched teeth. “That is surely one gift you can offer me.”
“As you wish,” said Dofin, and he seemed to bow and step away. But in one swift movement, he had turned back and flung himself behind Jens, grabbing his armsand pushing him to his knees.
Jens did not struggle. “Do you plan to carry me all the way back to the town?” he asked. “I do not think you will get very far.”
“I will do whatever it takes to defeat my father,” said Dofin, angrily. “And I think that you are necessary for that. You have no magic of your own, but you do not hate it. If I can show to the others in the town that they do not have to be afraid of the forest nor of the aur-magic—I can take away his power. Please,” he added grudgingly.
Jens sighed. He found himself admiring Dofin. And yet he still did not want to go back to Tamberg-on-the-Coast with him. It seemed the wrong way to fight one who killed aur-magic, by giving up the forest and all that aur-magic was about.
With one breath, he threw all his weight forward, so that Dofin flipped over his back and landed on the ground, stunned and groaning in pain.
“Coward,” he whispered again, lifting his head to meet Jens’s eyes.
“I will fight my way. You fight yours,” said Jens.
Then the she-bear that had been chasing after Karl came rushing back to the tree. It sniffed the air between the two, then growled and stepped toward Dofin, threatening him with a low rumble.
The bear’s claws caught Dofin on one side, but they did not dig deeply into him.
Dofin yelled and retreated, throwing his hands up asif trying to ward her off. Liva growled once more, and that was all Dofin needed to flee back to the south.
The bear turned back to Jens.
He had never seen Liva like this before, but he was not afraid. “Thank you,” he said. It seemed ridiculous that he was standing here, speaking to a bear. But he did not feel he had any right to demand that she should change her form to human. If she wished it, she would have to choose it on her own.
Her face shimmered and shifted. For a moment Jens went absolutely still. Then he saw her bear features change into the fine human features. The small nose he loved, the stark cheekbones, the shining eyes that were the part of her that he could see most clearly, no matter what form she wore.
“Ha!” he said, out of pure joy. “Liva.”
She looked down at herself and blushed, and he turned away, offering her one of his outer skins.
“I thought I heard someone who needed help. There was a change in the aur-magic, and I followed it here.”
“Oh,” said Jens. He wanted to put a hand out to her, to touch her face, to feel the softness of her human skin. But then what? He did not know what to do. The rules of his village did not work here.
Would he offend her if he came too close? Was she interested in him at all?
“I left my village,” he said, as though she had not figured that out already. He had to fill the uncomfortablesilence somehow. “I didn’t belong there anymore. Never did belong there, I
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