The Storm Lord by M. K. Hume

Author:M. K. Hume
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atria Books

The Battle of World’s End

Chapter XV

BLOOD AND COURAGE

It is perfectly certain that the soul is immortal and imperishable, and our souls will actually exist in another world.

—SOCRATES, RECORDED BY PLATO IN Phaedo

Arthur spent several idyllic days out on the cliffs snaring rabbits with Blaise’s traps, while Eamonn filled his days with the men of the village as they fished in the bay.

Arthur saw his skin begin to brown in the spring sunshine, and he gained a boy’s enjoyment from pitting his muscles against the cliffs, climbing up faster and faster as his confidence grew. He achieved some measure of success with the women of the village by presenting them with rabbits, wild fowl, and a too-curious fox in its spring coat. He also became adept at catching and tethering wild goats in a makeshift pen for the boys to tame and milk. These young lads spent most of spring and summer away from the village as they tended their sheep and a small herd of prized cows. In his daily explorations, Arthur found that there were caves aplenty farther up the coast, where the paths to the sea were kinder and fresh water was plentiful. The additional wild goats he found in this area were very welcome as a new source of milk, hides, and wool.

The young man found that killing the wild creatures he caught was far harder than destroying an enemy in battle. Naturally softhearted, Arthur experienced a bone-deep sadness when he was forced to inflict suffering on an animal, but he accepted that such animal husbandry was necessary. Only Maeve could fully understand this squeamishness in her brother, reckoning that men were able to comprehend why death came to claim their lives, while beasts could only suffer in dumb silence.

Sometimes, his hunts were especially profitable for the villagers, and these occasions became a cause célèbre for the whole village.

While clearing his trapline, Arthur stumbled across a deer in a small expanse of woodland and managed to bring it down with a bow and arrow. Because the carcass was too large to carry, the young man was forced to butcher the deer where it fell and carry the meat and hide back down to the village in well-planned stages.

The women exclaimed over the meat and the internal organs, while the hide was carried off to be stretched and aired on a frame. Even the hooves provided a sticky substance that had a variety of uses when they were boiled, and the bones could be carved for utensils, hooks, and other weapons. The small horns were especially prized.

Maeve also applied the skills learned from her mother, augmented by some of the herbal remedies contained in Myrddion’s scrolls. Arthur grinned ruefully when he remembered how he had pored over those same scrolls to learn the secrets of his father’s warcraft and Myrddion’s strategic genius, while his mother memorized every casual reference she’d heard from her son of Myrddion’s healing lore. Here, Maeve could put the knowledge learned so long ago to some practical use.

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