Winter in Eden by Harry Harrison Read Free Book Online Page B

me, I am through talking," Herilak said, turning and entering the tent and tying it shut behind him.
    Armun's temper washed away her fear.
    "Well I am not through!" she shouted so loudly that people turned to listen. "Come out, Herilak, and tell me everything that happened. There is more that I want to know."
    The hunter's silence drove her to fury and she pulled at the skins. But he had sealed them together tightly from the inside. She wanted to shout to him just what she thought of his actions—but desisted. It would only provide amusement for the onlookers. There were other ways of finding out the truth about what had happened. She spun about and the nearest hunters turned away to avoid her anger. After this she stamped away between the tents, toward those of Sorli's sammad, to find Sorli himself where he sat by his fire with some of his hunters, sharing the smoke from a stone pipe. Armun waited until all had smoked and the pipe was laid aside before she stepped forward. Her anger was still there, but well under control now.
    "I have heard of how long and hard the path was, Sorli. You and your hunters must surely be tired and in need of rest."
    Sorli waved a negligent hand. "The hunter who cannot walk the trail is no hunter."
    "It pleases me to hear that. Then the great hunter Sorli is not too tired to talk with Armun."
    Winter in Eden - Harry Harrison
    Sorli narrowed his eyes as he looked at her, feeling that he was somehow being trapped. "I am not tired."
    "That is good, because my tent is far distant in the snow and there is something there that I must show you."
    Sorli looked around for aid, but there was none. The pine was being lit again and none of the other hunters were looking his way. "All right, to your tent, but the day is late and there are things to be done."
    "You are very kind to a woman alone." She did not speak again until they had reached their destination and had entered the tent. She secured the flaps behind him, then she turned about and pointed to the sleeping infant. "That is what I wanted you to see."
    "The baby… ?"
    "Kerrick's son. Why did he not return with the rest of you to his son, his tent, return to me? Herilak will not speak of it and turns away. Now you will speak of it."
    Sorli looked about, but there was no escape. He sighed. "Give me water to drink, woman, and I will tell you. There is bad feeling now between Kerrick and Herilak."
    "Here, drink this. I know that—but you must tell me why."
    Sorli wiped his lips on the back of his sleeve. "The reasons why are hidden from me. I will tell you what happened. We burned the place of the murgu, and the murgu who did not die in the fire died also, I do not know why. They are murgu and therefore incomprehensible. Some escaped on a thing-that-swam. Kerrick talked with a murgu, would not let Herilak kill it. He let it escape. Then other murgu were found alive and these too Kerrick would not allow to be killed. Herilak was great in his anger at this and would not remain in that place and wished to leave at once. The road back was long, we knew that, so the decision was made to leave."
    "But Kerrick remained behind. Why? What did he say?"
    "He talked with Herilak, I did not listen, it is hard to remember." Sorli shifted uneasily on the furs and gulped down more water. Armun's eyes sparkled in the firelight, her temper barely under control.
    "You must do better than that, brave Sorli, bold Sorli. You are strong enough to tell me what happened that day."
    "My tongue speaks truth, Armun. Kerrick spoke of things that must be done in that place. I understood little. The Sasku seemed to understand, they remained when we left. We all returned with Herilak. We had done what we had come to do. The trail back was long…"
    Winter in Eden - Harry Harrison
    Armun sat with head lowered for a moment, then rose and unlaced the entrances. "My thanks to Sorli for telling me of these things."
    He hesitated, but she remained in silence. There was nothing he could