Thor

te in silence, savoring the taste of the roasted deer. For the first time in his life, h

on thoughtful. "Mother," he finally asked, his voi

the window, toward the distant mountains that mar

the unshakeable strength of forged steel. "W

s a curse in this house. In his mind, his father wa

tter edge to his voic

ay by the fire of my resolve. "We are going to take back what be

w Lycus had performed the ritual of Rejection, a sacrilege that severed our sacred bond, leaving me for dead with his widowed sister-in-law,

r, colder fury. The crime was far worse than simple abandonme

wrapped object. I unfolded it to reveal a pendant of pol

our bonding ceremony," I explained. "It is th

childish resentment burning out, replaced by a ma

ck's territory," I told him. "Tomorrow,

ilas. I spun a tale about a dying sister in a distant territory, ex

s, Silas didn't question it. He stamped the travel writ withou

and, a huge weight lif

all cache of dried food, a water skin, and a few sturdy tools. It was my old escape

mall game. We'll need to

peared into the trees with the fluid grace of a natural hunter. I wat

rest of the d

bolted woodshed and at Freya, who was huddled in

cabin door to last them a few days.

s. "Eat. Sleep. W

ame fire that consumed me. Our long jo