Wolf's-own: Weregild by Carole Cummings Read Free Book Online Page A

advanced another awkward step upward. “You knew that leg was infected and you went anyway. Stupid. It was stupid , Fen."
    "Yeah, yeah,” he muttered then snorted again and went silent.
    Umeia turned her wrath on Malick. “I'd ask what you were thinking, but I suspect you weren't thinking at all. At least not with the big brain. If you even have one."
    "It wasn't my fault!” Malick protested. “It was his decision. He was going to go, one way or another. What did you want me to do—drug him and tie him to the bed?"
    " Yes ,” Umeia snapped as they cleared the top step to the third floor and started down the hall to the attic stairs. It was creeping up on the small hours, the doors to the rooms all shut and their occupants occupied. With any luck, no one would poke a head out. Umeia didn't want to have to drag Shig down here, not after she'd just gotten everyone dried off and settled in upstairs. “I don't think you understand how serious this is, Malick. Magic doesn't work on him, which means I can't fix this. All I can do is what a surgeon would do. He could lose the leg or die."
    " His choice,” Malick replied, voice tight.
    "Pfft,” Fen put in, stumbling again, and growling when it drove him too snugly into Malick.
    "And it no doubt suited your purposes,” Umeia bit back. She shook her head when Malick narrowed his eyes at her over Fen's head. “Save it, I don't want to hear it. Just get him upstairs before that brother of his has an apoplectic fit."
    Speaking of whom....
    "I thought I told you not to come downstairs,” Umeia hissed.
    Joori stood up from the bottom step of the attic stairs as they approached, eyes glittering in the low lamplight from the sconces, narrowed at Malick, mostly, suspicious and distrustful, but softening a little when they landed on Fen. “You all right?” he asked softly.
    "Fine,” Fen told him, though Umeia didn't miss how he stared at the toes of his boots instead of his brother.
    "He's always ‘fine',” Malick put in, sardonic, “except for the trail of blood behind us, anyway,” then he moved to push past Joori and up the stairs.
    Joori merely angled himself into a firmer obstacle. “I'll take him,” he told Malick, eyes narrow little slits now, jaw clenched in very clear malice as he shoved his arm between Malick and Fen.
    "I've got him,” Malick growled back, slanting his stance to block Joori's attempted coup and bully past him, jostling Fen into Umeia and nearly knocking her sideways, while Fen hissed in apparent pain. Like Fen was a bloody wishbone, and they were going to snap him in two to see who got the bigger piece.
    Umeia's teeth tightened. “How about I take him while you two whip ‘em out and start measuring?"
    They stared at her, both of them, like they had no idea why she'd be pissed off, which pissed her off more. Fen just topped it off with, “Let go. I can do it myself."
    Umeia almost did, just to spite them all.
    " You ,” she snapped at Joori, “go up and tell Yori I need my bag then take the sheets off his bed so we don't foul them.” She turned to Malick. “ You —get a better hold and take more of his weight before he takes us all down.” And then to Fen. “ You —shut up and start hobbling. You're heavier than you look, and if I go tumbling and break a leg, I'll beat you with my crutch."
    They all shut their mouths and did as she'd said, which was good, because Fen really was heavier than he looked; Umeia's shoulder was going numb and her balance was chancy, with him pointedly hanging mostly on her rather than Malick. Fen might look lean and rangy, but he was apparently all dense, compact muscle under the angles and sharp lines.
    Yori trotted down as they reached the third step, sparing no more than a sympathetic shrug of her shoulders to Umeia then a smirk at Malick as she bounded past them without a word. “Tell Samin to hurry it up while you're down there,” Umeia said over her shoulder. She'd sent him down to bring up tea and