Clover Autrey Upon Eagle's Light (pdf)

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Emlen's voice hushed to a ragged whisper as her hand slipped
from his abdomen, leaving a velvet soft trail of red across his
torn breeches like a faint moan that travels on the wind.
Lifting a weak bloody hand toward her, Ammah's stomach
convulsed in another surge of pain, intensifying. He tried to
call Emlen's name, ask for her aid, for her compassion, her
comfort, but he didn't have the strength to both speak and
clench his jaw against the consuming savage tide.
Emlen stood. Stepped back, almost running into the stiff
bear. Her eyes locked with Ammah's. She was so young, so
confused, afraid.
Through the haze of red pain, he could see her mind
working, the last tender part of her resolve turning to stone
as in one fervent instant her decision was made. And once
made, she would not step back from it.
The knowledge sliced through Ammah like the edge of a
blade. His reyn seemed to harden within and became
impossibly heavy, dragging him down into a cold dark cavern.
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Upon Eagle's Light
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Her outward expression became controlled, determined,
lips rigid, as Emlen clenched her fists, turned her back on him
and strode purposefully away.
Shock and fear stormed through Ammah, clenching his
abdomen even harder, more fiercely. Emlen! She just walked
away. She left him. She left him? Left Kele's fragile and torn
body untended. Emlen! Terrible pain roared through his
weakening body across his bleeding stomach as he rolled,
screaming, to his knees and began to crawl across the soft-
needled forest floor.
Everything became a muted dreamlike blur, but he had
somehow reached his pack and found his herbs, needle, and
sinew, and with shaking slippery blood soaked hands, he had
fought back the blackness coming for him and sewn his own
stomach together. Hours later, or perhaps days, he pushed
Kele's torn body into his pack and dragging it with him, began
to crawl out of the forest.
* * * *
Shocked, he sat back against the slick bars and ran a
shaking hand through his hair, wishing he could so easily
push the memories away. "Dear Koric."
"Koric won't show his face here," Rustus mocked.
Ignoring him, Ammah crouched and pressed his face
against the bars. "Em " He choked back the name.
Swallowed. "Emlen?"
He heard a sharp intake of breath. She, too, moved closer
and the sight of her bruised round face compressed the
breath in Ammah's chest. She was thinner and paler, but the
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Upon Eagle's Light
by Clover Autrey
uncompromising sternness remained about her large golden
eyes. Her dark hair was matted and tangled around her round
face. A lump formed in Ammah's throat.
"Who are you?" Her slender fingers curled weakly about
the bars. "How do you know me?"
A dull ache throbbed at Ammah's temple. "You don't
recognize me?"
"No, I ... there's something about ... but, it couldn't be ...
Ammah...?" Her voice wavered on a sigh. Her eyes squeezed
shut. "Ammah. I believed you were ... dear light."
She believed he was dead, that's what she had left unsaid,
died where she had left him, her mate, bleeding and torn hip
to navel from wounds taken from the bear he had shoved her
out of the way from. Stunned, Ammah couldn't tear his eyes
away from her. He needed air, gulped it like water through a
closing throat. Her thin hands slipped down the bars as
though she hadn't the strength to stay upright.
Ammah stared at her, muscles rigid, expecting the anger
and hurt of betrayal he'd carried around his heart for years to
surface. Because of her, to prove himself different from her,
he'd never left another person defenseless and hurt. As she
had done to him. Not once had he just walked away. Even
when he could do nothing, he stayed. Remained, gave
comfort when the final shudder of death took hold. And each
time he remembered the way she had looked when she
turned away. And how he had felt at that moment. So hurt
and lost and afraid. And abandoned. He thought he hated her,
by all rights he should, but far different emotions emerged.
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Upon Eagle's Light
by Clover Autrey
As he looked at her through the glistening bars, he saw an
Eaglekin who'd been raised to honor nothing but strength and
worthiness and to despise, even fear any form of weakness,
especially in one's self. Fleeing from him as he lay dying and
wounded and suffering the grief from the death of his true-
bonded as well as the shock from the abrupt disconnection of
their reyn, was born out of Emlen's deep abiding fear of
weakness and innate powerlessness to never fail.
He'd witnessed Hydeia cling to the same hurtful
indoctrinations, yet even so, despite the pride and
stubbornness augured into her from birth, when it came down
to it, Hydeia threw off the cloying cloaks of wrongful
teachings and embraced life, regardless of strength, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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