"Tara K. Harper - Wolfwalker 2 - Shadow Leader" - читать интересную книгу автора (Harper Tara K)

me many things," he returned soberly.
The look on his face . . . the way his hand gripped his sword
. . . Dion's eyes shadowed, and she turned away from the pain
of his memory. One of his girl cousins had died from a raider's
sword not three ninans before. And a merchantтАФanother of
Aranur's friendsтАФhad died that way, as well. Neither the speed
of Aranur's sword nor the edge of his will had been able to save
them. Nor the healing skill of Dion's hands. She stared at the
man, but her eyes did not see. There were ghosts in her past,
too, that haunted her skills, souls whose faces were both old
and young. She could not carry his ghosts, as well.
The wolf nudged her hand and whined softly.
"Come on," Aranur said harshly. "Let's go."
Chapter 2



Question of the elders at the Test of Abis:
If you took Danger And distilled it And
drank it, What would it taste like?


An hour later, Aranur and Dion had found fresh signs of
Aranur's uncle, Gamon, and the others. The wolfwalker was
leading. With Hishn to send her Gamon's scent, Dion moved
quickly, glancing and choosing trails unerringly while the tall
man behind her kept a keener watch for scouts. Dion's gaze
was distant, as if she were sensing the trails more through the
gray wolf than her own eyes, but it sharpened when the sound
of a twig snapping brought her up short. It was only a fleeing
treecat, and Aranur shrugged wryly. Hishn, who snorted at the
two humans' alarm, trotted on ahead, and Dion smiled briefly.
The Gray One was getting hungry, and the treecat had been a
reminder that hunger was a drive that could not be ignored. The
wolfwalker promised Hishn a hunt in half an hour or less.
Hishn, looking longingly after the treecat, whined softly and
paralleled the healer along the trail.
A few meters later, Dion paused and chose one of the paths
that forked before her. She had been right; Gamon had taken
the group along the rocks to hide their prints, then across a
clearing and into the forest on the other side. The tips of the
grass were still bent back from their passage. Aranur jogged up
beside her, and she pointed to one side where they could cross
the same expanse without leaving as many marks.
 Hishn, taking the chance to join them and cadge a petting,
nudged Dion's hand. The tracks are fresh, she offered. I can
smell Gamon's sweat.
Dion scratched the wolf's ears absently. And I can smell his
temper from here. He and Rhom are not going to be happy
about carrying our packs this far without us.