The Scourge by A. G. Henley

Author:A. G. Henley [Henley, A. G.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, Science Fiction, Horror, Fantasy, Young Adult, Adventure
Published: 2012-01-30T13:00:00+00:00

Kora and I walk back to the village. Apparently word got out that I was coming. People are milling around the gathering place, talking, but they grow silent as we approach. My fingers flutter nervously over my hair and dress.

“Mama!” Kora cries. “This is Fennel.” She presents me proudly.

Someone comes closer. Her voice is barely louder than a whisper when she speaks. “I am Arika.”

“Thank you for allowing Kora to show me around. I have a younger brother, and I know how hard it would be to trust him with a stranger.” I try to smile.

“What’s hard is stopping Kora from doing what she wants.” Arika sounds like she’s smiling, too. “I think she's decided that since she found you, you’re hers now.”

“I'm happy to have a friend,” I say.

“Welcome, Fennel,” Kadee says from somewhere nearby. “Come in.”

Following her voice, I step inside the shelter. The space feels open and airy, as if the roof is high above our heads. There’s a fire lit in the center, where something tantalizing is cooking. Kadee helps me find a spot to sit as others come in, taking seats around the fire. My stomach rumbles as a plate of food is placed in front of me.

“Rabbit stew, with fresh bread,” Kadee says.

I want to attack it, but at home we wait until all are seated with their meals before we eat. From the sounds around me, people are still getting settled. I clench my hands together in my lap.

“In Koolkuna, it’s customary to wait for the guest to begin eating, before we start,” Kadee says in a low voice.

Thankful for that particular convention, I take a bite of the stew. It’s hot and delicious. The rabbit meat is succulent, cooked in a rich, spicy gravy stuffed with potatoes, carrots, and onion. After days of cured meat, the simple, nourishing meal is more than satisfying. I don’t refuse seconds.

I listen to the conversations around me while I eat. I can’t understand them, but from the tone of their voices I figure they’re speculating about me. I hear lorinya often.

Their questions will start soon. I’m afraid to tell them what they’ll want to know—that is, everything about me and Peree, and how we came here. But we need the help of these people, and so far they’ve given it freely. So I eat, building the courage to be honest in the face of uncertainty.

I sop up the last of the gravy with my final bite of bread and put my bowl down. As I do, the conversations around me die. The logs settling into the flames are the loudest sound in the room.

“I’d like to tell you the story of the anuna,” a man says from the other side of the fire. His voice brings to mind an ancient tree, stooped and covered in folds of wrinkled bark and wispy leaves, but still holding its branches proudly.

Kadee says, “This is Wirrim, our Memory Keeper. He remembers and passes on the stories of the people.”

When Wirrim speaks again, his voice has changed.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.