Heir of Scars I: Parts 1-8 by Jacob Falling Read Free Book Online Page A

respectfully, then disagreed with Preinon. “ Their Hunters are useless in the forest, Watelomoksho . They would not even find us to slay us. ” The Aesidhe had no word for soldier or warrior — only Hunters.
    Preinon nodded a moment before answering, “ It is true. But see what we have seen when we run. Walk to the edge of the forest, and see what the Others have done. Walk to the edge of the forest, and know that the edge is closer each day. Where the Others march, they bring the plains with them, and they steal the dwindling edge of the forests and the feet of the mountains for walls and devices of war . They have no understanding. ”
    “But you are Other ,”The Hunter said, a little foolishly. “ You can speak their language. You must can give them understanding .”
    He did not mean his words as an insult, as many in the circle seemed to consider it, if their wordless responses were any indication. Preinon himself seemed to give the young man’s words real consideration.
    Adria knew he was neither insulted, nor did he consider the idea worthy of any real merit, not anymore. He was considering what the words indicated about the young Aesidhe Hunters who had not yet seen enough of the enemy to understand the nature of their threat, who had not stood with him at Palmill the season before.
    Finally, again nodding, he placed his hands together in a motion of confidence, of conclusion.
    “ The Others do not fight to survive.” Preinon said. “They do not fight to protect their families or to gather food for them. They fight because they are told that they are closer to the spirits than we are, and they believe it to be so. They fight because they believe they are stronger than the People, and so they believe the People must be punished for our weakness. The Others are filled with their own words, and will never hear ours .”
    A strange argument, Adria thought, but it will make some sense to them. How do you explain the religion of the Sisterhood? How do you explain an invisible unnamed god for whom legions of men will raise swords and spears? How to explain such blind faith and will to violence? They would burn their own villages, out of such blindness.. .
    And the young warrior seemed to understand, now — if not the words themselves, then the wisdom they signified. Preinon had been born among the Aeman and could speak their tongue. He had chosen to become an Aesidhe and could count himself among the greatest of their Hunters, foremost among the Runners. He knew both worlds well, and the Aesidhe who knew him understood his word on such matters to be Truth.
    “ It is true ,” many around the circle, young and old, responded to his words, and the disagreement was ended.
    When the final scout spoke, his news seemed to most of the gathering to be of less consequence than even the barest speculation of war. He brought word from the city of Windberth, the capital and heart of the Kingdom of Heiland, though it lay against the Werdstan Mountains of the far north.
    “ The Others hold a celebration for the son of their chief Hunter ,” the young Aesidhe spoke. “ He has been given his name as a Hunter and is being sent as a messenger to a great nation to the East. He will travel across the ocean to search for missing friends .”
    Adria’s eyes flitted to Preinon, who was some distance away. He was watching her as well — to gauge her reaction to the news. She wished at first that he had spoken to her of this before the council.
    Others took their turns discussing this news as they did any other trivial news of the king’s diplomatic affairs — for, of course, this news was not meant for them. One Aesidhe made a morbid jest, even, about the coming of age of a Hunter of the Others being a matter of traveling to another nation to kill their People and take their land.
    But as trivial as it seemed to most of the Aesidhe gathered, it was by no means trivial to Adria, to her uncle, or to the girl who lay asleep in her