Fearless by Jennifer Jenkins

Author:Jennifer Jenkins [Jenkins, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fantasy, young adult, teen, romance, science fiction, survival stories
ISBN: 9781946700247
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC
Published: 2017-10-02T07:00:00+00:00

Zo, Ikatou, Talon, Raca, and Poi gathered around a long table with Murtog seated at the head. The upper body of a large Kodiak bear was mounted to the wall above his head. Deep blue gems gleamed from the dead creature’s eye sockets and its arms extended as though it would love nothing more than to rip Zo’s limbs from her body before devouring the rest of her whole.

Zo shivered, unable to pull her gaze from the morbid creature, its beautiful eyes refracting the torchlight of the private room.

The company had been given the chance to soak in the chief’s private hot springs that morning. A large Kodiak woman had attended both Raca and Zo, slathering a black, silky mud onto their bodies and faces before allowing them to rinse in an equally warm, freshwater bath. They were given new clothing adorned with fine gems and expensive cloth while their own was washed. Everything they gave Zo was too large. When Raca’s clothing fit to perfection, the woman shrugged and explained, “They were made for a child.” Both Zo and Raca had laughed.

Now as the dishes from their morning meal were being cleared, Zo marveled at the positioning of those at the table. Raca sat at the chief’s right and Zo sat at his left. The seating arrangement had been intentional and Zo couldn’t help but notice the chief’s attention to Raca. Though he spoke barley a word throughout the course of the meal, Zo caught him casting curious glances at the girl when she wasn’t looking.

Murtog clasped his oversized hands on the table and in his rumbling voice said, “Tell me of this blood oath and why you’ve come.”

Ikatou opened his mouth to speak, but with a simple raised hand, Murtog silenced him. “Not from you.” He turned to Zo. “The healer will speak.”

Where to begin? And why did she have to be the one to tell the story? Then an idea struck her. She’d never spoken about what happened the day her parents died, but standing in Murtog’s room, feeling his grief and mourning, Zo knew that was the story Murtog needed to hear.

She took a deep breath. “The first time I heard the battle call of a Ram horn was at the age of twelve. We lived with a large and powerful pack on the outskirts of the Valley of Wolves. At the sound of the deadly horn, my mother insisted I climb inside a woven basket and handed me my sleeping little sister, making me promise to stay hidden no matter what I heard before closing the lid.

“The holes of the basket were large enough to peek through. I witnessed my father’s murder at the door of our hut as he tried to defend us. I remember hugging my sleeping sister to my chest as my mother was beaten and dragged from the room.” Zo’s voice caught, but she knew she had Murtog’s attention. The bear chief gripped the edge of the table with white, shaking hands.

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