People of the Earth by W. Michael Gear Read Free Book Online

wonder."
                   "You go too far!" Brave Man stood, reknotting the thong that held his breechclout. The muscles
rolled under his smooth skin. Then he started for Wind Runner, fingers
grasping—only to come up on the sharp point of a dart.
                   "Don't." Wind Runner smiled, the
action in no way belying his deadly intent. "And, yes, I'll skewer you
without a second thought. I think you'll thank me for this one of these
days."
                   "I thought you were my friend."
                   "I am. But sometimes a friend has to do
more than sit back like a raven on a stump. Something's happened to you over
the last couple of summers. You've been changing, spending too much time in
your head. You were about to make a fool of yourself, and I couldn't call
myself a friend and let you do it."
                   Their gazes locked, hot, bristling. White Ash
watched them, paralyzed by the intensity of the moment. Like two opposing
forces—light and dark, or water and fire—they faced off. Wind Runner, the man
she'd come to love for his kindness and calm manner, poised to kill Brave Man,
the frightening young warrior whose exploits had saved the White Clay more than
once. Driven by the voices that now whispered in his mind, Brave Man was deadly
in combat, wily in the hunt.
                   Brave Man broke, crashing off through the
willows, feet thumping the earth as he ran. Wind Runner sucked a deep breath as
he stared after him.
                   White Ash began to shake. She leaned against a
cotton-wood trunk to brace herself, rubbing nervous hands along her arms.
"You have no idea of how glad I am to see you."
                   "You have no idea of how glad I am that
he ran off!"
                   She grinned at him then, still weak-kneed.
"Why are you here?"
                   Wind Runner blushed slightly, lowering his
eyes. "Because I love you . . . and wouldn't see you hurt."
                   She pinned him with her startled gaze, lifting
a hand to her mouth. "What?" Love me? Is it true? Could it be? Too
many times in the recent past she'd caught herself watching him, staying near
in the hope that he'd smile at her, or laugh with her over some trifling thing.
Now her soul stirred, happiness seeking to supplant the terror inspired by
Brave Man.
                   He smiled shyly and looked up at the yellowing
leaves overhead. "You heard me. I love you. And I can't have you. You're
my father's brother's daughter. It would be incest."
                   She blinked. "But I'm not White
Clay!"
                   He lifted a desultory shoulder. "I know.
But it's still incest to the White Clay. You're just like my sister. A sister
and brother don't marry, don't couple."
                   "But I wasn't born White Clay!"
                   "Are you trying to talk me into something
I might regret?"
                   She gasped and shook her head. "No. I was
... I mean, I . . ."He winked at her then, a mischievous twinkle in his
eyes. A warm illumination, like a shaft of light, shot through her. Her pulse
quickened.
                   "Come on, let's get you back to Sage
Ghost before my foolish friend loses all of his senses again." Then, under
his breath, he added, "Or I do."
                   "Don't, not now. Not after what Brave Man
just tried to do. I couldn't . . . wouldn't want it that way. Not with the fear
and disgust so fresh in my mind."
                  He turned, eyes wide, mouth coming open as his
color drained. "White Ash, please, never tempt me. It would be disastrous
for both of us. Think about what people would say. Think about how it would
affect the Power. Incest . . ." He winced. "Nothing is as terrible as
that. Nothing. As much as I love you, I couldn't. It would destroy us."