Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta Read Free Book Online

of about fifty exiles. Finnikin led the way down, clutching onto branches as he slid toward the flat narrow bank where the tents were pitched.
    Two of the exiles, a man and a woman, came forward to meet them. As usual, there was a moment's distrust in their eyes. Despite the distance between camps, the exiles had heard stories of what had taken place in other kingdoms and were aware of their own vulnerability. In their travels, Finnikin and Sir Topher had often come across the same exiles year after year, but these people were unfamiliar. They had obviously kept themselves well hidden.
    Sir Topher made his introductions, and the man stared at Finnikin. Then he nodded and extended his arm, bent at the elbow, fist clenched. The greeting of Lumateran River people.
    "Son of Trevanion," the man acknowledged.
    Finnikin raised his arm in a similar way and clasped the other man's hand.
    "We lived on the river as children, when Trevanion returned to defend it," the woman explained. "My name is Emmian, and this is my husband, Cibrian."
    It did not surprise Finnikin that the Lumateran River people had taken charge of the exiles here, as they had in many of the other camps. Along with the Monts, they had been the toughest of their people.
    "Your mother's kin were from the Rock, Finnikin," Cibrian said.
    Finnikin nodded. "I spent most of my childhood there, with my great-aunt, except when my father was on leave."
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    "Have you crossed their paths on your travels? I have a sister wed to the shoemaker of the Rock."
    "I remember him well," Finnikin said with a smile. "But we have encountered few from the Rock Village. We think that most stayed when the elders gave the order. I doubt that any of them left the kingdom unless they were in the square that day."
    "It is hard to say whether that is a blessing or a curse," Emmian said quietly.
    Cibrian led them to the rest of his people, and Finnikin exchanged nods of acknowledgment with a group of exiles his own age. Seeing them made him think of Balthazar and Lucian, imagining the lads they would have grown up to be.
    A sprinkle of rain began to fall, and they followed Cibrian to his dwelling. The exiles were well equipped. Their tents were made of tough horse hide; there were plenty of provisions and even a few goats. Finnikin suspected that some of the exiles had found work in the nearest village. The children seemed healthier than most camp children, and he wondered if there was a healer among them.
    "We have been lucky this spring to have received the benevolence of Lord August of the Flatlands, an acquaintance of yours, I hear," Cibrian said to Sir Topher. "He requested that we look out for the son of Trevanion and the king's First Man."
    Sir Topher exchanged a glance with Finnikin. "Why is it that Lord August finds himself in Charyn when he belongs to the Belegonian court?" he asked.
    "Palace business. He was on his way home when he paid us a visit. He asked that you pass through the Belegonian capital if you were in these parts."
    "It is our intention to travel south into Sorel," Sir Topher said.
    "He was very definite in his request, sir."
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    Emmian and Cibrian's tent was large. Two children, no more than eight or ten, lay in the corner. They soon scampered across the space to join their parents. Finnikin watched Emmian gather them against her, her fingers lingering on their arms. These children were loved. He looked over to where the thief of Sarnak sat in a huddle of hate alongside the novice and could not help but make a comparison.
    The little girl was looking at him with wide eyes. "Can you tell us the story of Lady Beatriss and Captain Trevanion?" she asked.
    The adults stiffened, their expressions a mixture of alarm and guilt. Finnikin remembered how much Lumaterans enjoyed a romance. He had grown up hearing over and over again the story of the young king who went riding through the mountains and encountered a wild Mont girl who captured his heart. He had not realized that