Requiem for the Wolf by Tara Saunders

Author:Tara Saunders [Saunders, Tara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fantasy
Goodreads: 33630014
Publisher: StormChild Books
Published: 2016-12-27T00:00:00+00:00

The hills around Caislean weren't like home. Everything was harder here; sharper, more stark. Like the North might be, if ever she got to see it.

The stories told of gem-fanged nathair dripping venom from iridescent scales, and the Bean Gruaige who stole babies and ate them raw. Excitement moved in Sionna at the thought she might soon know the truth of it for herself.

Cú vaulted over trickling rivulets that careered blind-eyed towards the sea, and rolled in hanks of marram grass good for nothing save scratching. It lightened Sionna's burden to watch him play.

Would Breag's people let the cub stay? And if she found a way to escape, could she take him and Laoighre with her?

She followed a crumble-edged trickle further into the hills for no reason except that she could. No choice but go back, not really, but for now a soft-fingered breeze played with the hem of her tunic and a blackbird bubbled from the scrub. Just to one more patch of wetgrass, then back to her duty.

"Look what's turned up on our mountain." The voice from behind Sionna was nasal and sounded barely old enough to be broken.

She turned slowly, dread liquefying her bones to uselessness. There were two of them, both in army blues. The innkeeper, she thought at first, confused. No, this man had broader shoulders. Shorter legs. The same face, though, and the same flat eyes.

Not that she needed that much to know she was in trouble. The tilt of the leader's head, the plant of the taller one’s boots, told her all she needed to know.

"Is it for us, do you think?" The stretch of a smile, but not for her.

Neither bothered to meet her eyes. She wasn’t a person, not here. Which meant that they didn’t have to be.

"Be a shame to let it go to waste." The short one reached for her. Certain. How could she object, a girl, powerless?

Sionna knew what to do. Go deep, hold on until it was over. Breathe in, out. Abide. Time enough for licking wounds later. Her arms slumped to her sides, waiting, her blood a conch-shell of timelessness in her ears.

For no reason a picture formed in her mind; Breag. Hair tightly braided, the cub he didn't want leaned heavy on his leg. Fighting. Going on.

“No.” Her voice shook, but she forced the word out.

“Oh, I think yes, sweetness.” The tall one grabbed her arm and sank pointed fingers into the meat of her bicep.

“No!” The word burst from her chest, trailing streamers of knuckle-white agony. Tears of fear and rage hid the soldiers for a moment, then brought them back doubled.

Sionna squirmed free. She dug an elbow in the tall one’s ribcage. A smile bared her teeth.

Thank you, Breag.

There were two of them, the soldiers. It didn’t take long.

The tall one grabbed her arm again, grinding the bones of her wrist until she whined in pain. His smile was a rictus now. Something hit her in the face, hard, and she groaned as her nose exploded.

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