Oath Breaker

by Michelle Paver; Geoff Taylor

  Not far from the Den, Wolf found a small Still Wet, and cooled his sore pads in the mud. He waded deeper and washed the stink of the Bright Beast off his fur. When he got back to the Den, he scented a change. The taillesses were getting ready to move. Wolf decided to follow and keep a close nose on the pack-sister. Then maybe Tall Tailless would come too.

  Two Lynx hunters ran into camp, breathless and sweating, and spoke to the Leaders in a flurry of hand speech. Renn tried and failed to follow what was going on.

  Wolf had gone, but the ravens were playing in the pine tree, hanging by their talons from the auroch horns, then dropping almost to the ground before soaring and swooping around for another turn.

  The young man cast them hostile looks, but the old man shrugged. "They're ravens; they like games. And trickery."

  Renn wondered if that was meant for her.

  "Here," he said. "You might as well take this, although I can't let you have any arrows."

  To her astonishment, he held out her bow. It had been cleaned and oiled, the bowstring freshly waxed.

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  "Thank you," she said.

  He grunted. "It's a good bow, and you've taken care of it. Unlike some." He shuddered in sympathy for all mistreated bows. "But the string's frayed. Give me your spare and I'll replace it."

  Renn hesitated. "This isthe spare string," she lied.

  He peered at her through the tangle of his brows.

  Had he laid a trap for her? Or was he telling her to use what she had? She was about to ask why he'd given it back when the young man ran over to them. "It's decided," he told the old man. "We're breaking camp." "Where to?" said Renn. He ignored her, but the old one gave her a regretful look. "I'm sorry," he muttered as he hobbled away. Renn barely had time to sling her bow over her shoulder before her wrists were tied and a blindfold was pulled over her eyes. 192

  TWENTY-FOUR

  After the darkness of the beaver lodge, daylight . blinded Torak. Blinking, spitting out lake water, he clung to a branch. It was sooty; his hand came away black. The air was hazed with bitter brown smoke.

  Scrambling onto the piled branches of the lodge, he cast about. Dimly, he made out charcoal hills jagged with dead trees. Nothing else. He sank to his knees. Renn. Wolf. How could they have survived?

  If there had been a single bird in the sky, he would have broken his promise to the wind and spirit walked

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  to find them. If there had been a single tree left alive on the slopes ...

  Behind him, something sneezed.

  The foal lay in a sprawl of spindly legs. It looked as startled as Torak by its sneeze.

  Gently, he stroked its mane, and it blinked at him through long lashes. He felt a spark of hope. If a foal could live through the fire, maybe Wolf and Renn had too. Talking to the foal in an undertone, he untied his belt and looped it over its neck. It wobbled to its feet and swayed. Then it threw down its head and coughed. After a short struggle, he got it into the water, and together they struck out for the shore.

  They'd hardly made it to the shallows when a shrill whinny rang out. The foal gave an answering whinny, startlingly loud, and tugged at the rawhide. Torak released it, and it wobbled toward a black shape moving among the trees. Mother and foal nuzzled each other; then the foal ducked under her belly to suckle. Torak made out more horses. The lead mare turned and gave him a penetrating stare--and in that moment, he knew what to do.

  Feverishly, he took the last of Saeunn's root from his medicine pouch and crammed it into his mouth. If Wolf or Renn were anywhere in this devastation, who better to sense them than prey?

  The other horses sidestepped and tossed their heads,

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  uneasy at his nearness, but the lead mare stood her ground. Swiveling her ears, she listened to his moans as the cramps took hold. She lowered her head and watched him clutch his belly, falling to the ground in a cloud of ash ...

  ... and through her horse eyes, Torak stared at the body which lay twitching and frothing at the mouth.

  For the first time in his life, he felt the ceaseless vigilance of prey. He twisted one ear to listen to the human kicking at cinders, and flicked back the other to catch the nicker of a mare chivvying her foal. One eye scanned the shore for hunters, the other the slope above, while his horse nose told him the movements of every member of the herd.

  The mare's souls were surprisingly strong, but very fearful, and although Torak wanted her to canter up the hill, she refused. She was a wise horse, she knew it was best to avoid anything strange, and sinceeverythingwas strange, she wouldn't budge. Her herd had been through the terrors of the fire, and now they found themselves in this black Forest where there was no grazing and only the water smelled the same, so she would stay near that.

  But the alien souls in her marrow were making her restive. She snorted and rolled her eyes, and the worried herd did the same.

  In the battle of souls, Torak overcame her. Kicking up his hind hooves, he broke into a canter. With effortless

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  strength his four legs hammered the earth. Such power, such speed! He felt a surge of wild joy as he thundered up the hill, and his herd came thundering after him. At the top he halted, puffing and blowing. The ashen wind played in his mane, cooling his sweaty neck. He flared his nostrils to catch the scents. Almost at once, he caught the scent of a wolf.

  The mare shivered, remembering sharp fangs biting her flanks. Torak forced her to stay where she was. Then he heard it: a long, wavering howl.I am seeking you.... It wasn't Wolf.

  The disappointment was so great that he lost control of the mare's spirit, and she wheeled and crashed down the slope. Blundering through the bemused herd, she raced back to the safety of the water.

  She skittered to a halt in a cloud of ash. She smelled the meaty breath of humans. She smelled that some bore the skins of bats, others the tails of horses. She was startled, but not frightened. Of all the hunters in the Forest, people never threatened her.

  It was Torak who was afraid. He saw his human body lying defenseless on the ground. The hunters saw it too.

  He saw them crunch toward him over the brittle earth, their tattooed faces merciless. He saw a Forest Horse hunter prod his body with the butt of his spear. Another kicked him in the ribs. Dimly, he felt the kick.

  Now they were crowding around him, kicking, 196 beating. With a jolt, he was back in his body, and pain was opening inside him. He moaned. Something struck his head. In his last glimmer of awareness, he sent a silent howl to Wolf. Sorry, pack-brother, sorry I couldn't find you. Sorry, Renn. 197

  TWENTY-FIVE

  Renn was jostled and dragged till she lost track of . time. Sometimes they carried her; sometimes they tossed her in a dugout. Once they fed her food and water. She smelled charred corpses, and knew they'd entered the wasteland. It seemed endless, but at last they were back among hooting owls and rustling leaves. Suddenly, her wrists were untied, the blindfold torn off; and she stood blinking in a glare of firelight. It was night. She saw torches staked in a vast ring. She caught the tang of pine, the murmur of a river. The Aurochs and Lynx had pitched their camp to one 198

  side of the ring of fire. At its center rose a scarlet tree. Root, trunk, branch, leaf--all had been painted red with earthblood. An entire living tree was being offered, to draw the World Spirit into the Deep Forest.

  Someone pushed her forward, and she found herself beside a sputtering torch. To her amazement, she saw not only Aurochs and Lynx gathered here. On the other side of the ring of fire, there was asecondcamp and a shadowy throng, bristling with axes and spears. One of them moved closer to the light, and she saw that his beard and lips were stained green, his face tattooed with leaves. His long green hair was braided with horsetails, and his headband was brown. Renn couldn't believe it. The Forest Horse Clan was camped not an arrowshot away from their deadly enemies.

  Among the Forest Horses, others flitted, half seen in the moonlight. Their mantles were the color of nigh
t; a web of charcoal lines obscured their faces. Renn saw thorny black tattooes on their chins. Bat Clan.

  The two sides faced each other across twenty paces of smoky torchlight. Arrows were nocked to bows. Hands flexed on axes and spears. At the roots of the scarlet tree, Renn made out a huge figure in flowing robes and a glaring mask crested with horsetails. Her skin crawled. Thiazzi. His long sleeve hid his mutilated hand, but in the other he held a heavy staff incised with burned spirals.

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  "See what I bear," he told the clans in the sonorous tones Renn had last heard in the Far North. "I, the Forest Horse Mage, bear the speaking-staff of the Auroch Clan." The Aurochs stirred in alarm.

  "The Auroch Mage," Thiazzi went on, "is known for being wise and just. I have talked with him in his prayer shelter. In token of trust, he has given me his staff." Doubtful headshaking among the Aurochs. What trickery was this?

  As the Forest Horse Mage approached the Auroch Leader, they aimed a thicket of spears at his chest. Thiazzi never flinched. "To honor that trust, I return the staff to his clan." With a bow, he proffered it to the Leader.

  Even Renn had to acknowledge his bravery. If things went wrong, he would fall transfixed by twenty spears.

  With a wary bow, the Auroch Leader took the staff, and Thiazzi stepped back. Slowly, the Aurochs lowered their spears.

  Renn watched him return to the scarlet tree, where he addressed both sides.

  "For a moon," he told them, "I have fasted in the sacred grove, and the Auroch Mage has fasted in his prayer shelter. To both of us the same vision has been sent." He raised his arms. "We must fightno longer!Auroch. Forest Horse. Lynx. Bat. Red Deer. We mustunite!"

  Gasps of amazement. Hands fluttered in urgent speech.

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  What is he after? wondered Renn. She could understand why a Soul-Eater might wish for strife, but why...

  "We must unite," repeated the Mage, "against agreater foe!"

  In the hush that followed, one could have heard the wingbeats of a moth. All eyes were on the masked Mage prowling the scarlet tree.

  "Many winters ago," he began, "the clans turned their backs on the True Way."

  People hung their heads. Some of the Aurochs scratched their faces to reopen their wounds.

  "They were punished," said the Mage. "Whole clans died out. Roe Deer. Beaver. Oak. Since then, more evils have assailed the people of the Deep Forest.Allhave been caused by outsiders--by unbelievers who spurn the Way."

  That's not right, thought Renn.

  "Three winters ago," said Thiazzi, his voice swelling like the wind in the pines, "an Open Forest trickster duped the Red Deer into sheltering him, then repaid them by creating the demon bear."

  People hissed and shook their fists.

  "Two summers ago, the people of the Open Forest sent the sickness and the tokoroths ..."

  No we didn't, thought Renn. It was the Soul-Eaters!

  "... and only our vigilance kept them from the True Forest."

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  Axes were shaken in triumph, spears beaten on shields. Rapt painted faces drank it in.

  "The winter before last, the Ice clans sent hordes of demons to invade us. Last spring, the Otters tried to drown us in a flood."

  This is all lies! Renn shouted in her head.

  "This spring, outsiders stole our children and sent the great fire to destroy us. They failed!"

  The shield rattling intensified.

  "Until now, we have onlyresisted!But now ..." He swept around the ring of torches. "Now we mustfight! Allevils come from outsiders! They seek to destroy us because we follow the Way, but we of the Deep Forest-- theTrueForest--we shall unite! We shall rise and crush the Open Forest!"

  The roar that burst from every throat shook the pines and hammered the stars.

  "Cast off your headbands!" bellowed the Mage. "Embrace your Deep Forest brothers and unite against the outsiders!"

  In a frenzy, headbands were torn from brows. Auroch ran to embrace Bat, Forest Horse touched foreheads with Lynx. Beneath the scarlet tree, the Mage watched from behind his painted mask.

  Suddenly, he raised both arms for silence.

  People shrank back behind the torches.

  "Never forget," said Thiazzi in a voice of subtle

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  menace, "that the malice of outsiders is sleepless." He paused. "I bring proof. I bring you the very menace itself: the Open Forest spy who sought to destroy us by releasing the great fire."

  Three men bore a bundle into the ring and threw it at the feet of the Mage.

  Renn made out a struggling figure entangled in a net. She bit back a cry.

  The figure groaned.

  It was Torak.

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  TWENTY-SIX

  The net was wrenched open, and Torak staggered to his feet. He stood with legs braced, hands tied behind his back. Renn saw blood on his face and bruises on his chest. She saw how he swayed.

  Raising his head, he looked straight at her. His eyes widened. She mouthed his name, but he frowned.Stay out of this.

  "On your knees." A Forest Horse woman put her spear to his back and forced him down. She had a mistrustful face tattooed with holly leaves, and green lips tight with anger. A horsetail cascaded over her hair, and

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  Renn guessed she was the Leader. She bowed low to her Mage.

  Thiazzi accepted the homage in silence, but Renn caught the glint of eyes behind his mask, and thought, He's enjoying this.

  "Mage," said the Leader. "Here is the evil one who tried to destroy the True Forest. I've seen him before. Two summers ago, we caught him trying to poison us with the sickness."

  "I was seeking the cure," said Torak. He sounded spent.

  "We should have hanged him then," said the Leader. "We should make good the mistake."

  People rattled spears on shields in violent assent.

  Renn threw herself forward, but two hairy paws held her back. "Stay silent," the old Auroch man hissed in her ear. "You'll only make it worse."

  Releasing her, he took the speaking-staff from his Leader and shambled forward. "But if we kill him," he said, "we break clan law.OurMage, the Auroch Mage, wouldn't sanction this."

  "To kill an unbeliever is to do good." Thiazzi's powerful voice filled the clearing. "And this is no ordinary unbeliever. See the scar on his chest where he tried to conceal his evil nature. See the tattoo on his brow. The mark of the outcast."

  205 This was too much for Renn. "He isn't outcast anymore!" she cried. "Fin-Kedinn took him back, all the clans agreed!" "The Deep Forest never agreed," replied the painted mask. "The Raven Leader sought to change clan law. Clan law cannot be changed." "Except by you," said Torak. "Be silent!" hissed the Forest Horse Leader.

  Torak raised his head and glared at Thiazzi. "You break clan law whenever you want. Don't you, Thiazzi?"

  Puzzled faces turned to the Mage.

  "Slaughtering hunters," Torak went on. "Murdering my father. My bone kin ..."

  "Silence!" shrilled the Forest Horse Leader. "How dare you insult our Mage!"

  "He's not your Mage," Torak flung back as he struggled to his feet. "He's a Soul-Eater."

  Howls of outrage from the crowd, but Thiazzi was triumphant. "By his own mouth he condemns himself! Here's proof of his wickedness!" "What'swrongwith you all?" thundered Torak.

  Trees stirred. Torches flickered. Even the Forest Horse Leader stepped back.

  With his scarred chest and glittering eyes, Torak looked terrifying--and exactly what Thiazzi had said he was. "Have you forgotten how tothink?"he bellowed at 206

  the crowd. "Doesn't it seem odd that your new Mage has suddenly grown so warlike? Can't youseethat he's not one of you?"

  Renn had never seen him so angry. His rage was like the freezing white fury of the ice bear, and it frightened her. It frightened the others, too. Thiazzi's laugh broke the spell. "See how desperate he is! He knows he is condemned!"

  Relief shuddered through the crowd. The Mage
had restored their certainty.

  "I've heard enough for judgement," declared Thiazzi. "An outcast in the True Forest is an insult to the World Spirit. This is why the Spirit stays away. The outcast must die."

  The wind got up. The red tree sighed.

  Renn stood aghast.

  Torak stared stonily at Thiazzi.

  "Although," said the old man, still holding the staff, "if this truce is to stand, the Auroch Mage must also agree."

  That brought his clan to their senses, and they watched to see how the Forest Horse Mage would respond.

  Torchlight played on the wooden face. Behind it, Renn sensed the racing thoughts. He wanted Torak dead, and soon. But if he snubbed the Aurochs, he risked a riot and the ruin of his plans.

  "Of course he must agree," Thiazzi said between his

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  teeth. "Tonight, the Auroch Mage keeps to his prayer shelter, as I shall keep to the sacred grove. Each clan shall paint a tree with earthblood. When both Mages return, and if we are of one mind, the outcast shall die."

  Torak woke to a raging thirst.

  Horsehair ropes constricted his wrists and ankles. His bruises throbbed, his head ached. Drifting in and out of wakefulness, he tried to work out where he was. A cramped shelter. Roots against his cheek ...

  He jolted awake. They had laid him beneath the scarlet tree. Soon they would hang him from it.

  He couldn't see how he was going to get out of this. How long did it take to paint a tree red? That was how long he had.

  He thought of Renn. She didn't look as if she'd been beaten, so maybe they would let her live. If only she didn't try to help him.

  And Wolf? He saw Wolf--if he was still alive--seeking him through the charred Forest. Lost, bewildered, howling for his pack-brother. Never getting an answer. Helpless, Torak slid into a blazing sea of thirst.

  Someone was holding his head, pouring water into his mouth.

  He coughed and spluttered. His tongue was swollen; he couldn't swallow. "Don't stop," he pleaded. It came out a meaningless mumble. 208

  Birch bark was rough against his lips, and a cool hand supported the back of his head. Water coursed down his throat, soaking into his flesh like a flood drenching suncracked earth.