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

damaged our sacred bond but could not sever it-the Moon Goddess does not grant Rejection easily, and his heart was too full of guilt for the words to hold. Still, he left me for dead, taking his widowed

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

unfolded it to reveal a pendant of polished obsidian, carved in the shap

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