Watt-Evans, Lawrence - Annals of the Chosen 01 (55 page)

The
deer
thrashed,
and
tried
to
pivot,
to
get
at
Breaker,
but he
leapt
nimbly
away
and
thrust
his
sword
into
the
beast's flank
yet
again.

He
could
see
that
its
eyes
were
already
clouded
over,
its movements
unsteady,
its
left
foreleg
stiff
and
unresponsive, but
still
it
came
at
him;
he
did
not
need
the
Seer
to
tell
him that
the
Wizard
Lord's
magic
was
driving
the
dying
creature far
beyond
its
nature.
Any
ordinary
deer
would
have
fled
or fallen
long
since.

He
dodged
again,
and
once
again
thrust
his
sword
into
the doomed
animal,
this
time
aiming
a
fierce
slash
just
behind the
shoulder,
to
cripple
it—by
rights
it
should
already
be dead,
he
knew,
and
the
Wizard
Lord's
magic
was
keeping
it alive,
but
could
even
the
Wizard
Lord
force
it
to
move
severed
muscles?

The
deer's
leg
collapsed
beneath
it,
and
it
fell
on
its
side, panting,
its
flank
heaving,
blood
pouring
from
every
wound, but
its
head
still
turned,
its
gaze
still
fixed
on
Breaker.

He
had
had
quite
enough;
he
jammed
his
right
foot
onto one
of
the
antlers
to
hold
the
poor
thing
down,
and
used
his sword
to
chop
off
its
head.

It
took
three
blows,
and
when
it
was
done
Breaker
was spattered
from
toe
to
waist
with
blood,
mud,
and
gore,
and dark
blood
drenched
his
rain-soaked
sleeves
to
the
elbow. He
was
shaking,
whether
from
the
cold
rain
or
the
aftereffects
of
the
fight
he
wasn't
sure,
and
the
deer's
body twitched
for
several
seconds,
as
well.

"Are
you
all
right?"
the
Leader
asked.

Breaker
didn't
answer;
he
did
not
think
he
could
speak
yet without
his
voice
shaking
even
more
than
his
hands.
He swallowed,
and
blinked
rain
from
his
eyes.

He
had
just
killed
a
deer,
he
realized.
He
wasn't
a
hunter, hadn't
been
blessed
by
the
priests,
hadn't
said
the
necessary prayers.
He
fell
to
his
knees
in
the
mud,
bloody
sword raised.

"Oh,
ler
of
this
land,
spirit
of
this
deer,
spirits
of
all
the creatures
I
have
offended,
I
beg
your
forgiveness!"
he
called, and
his
voice
did
not
shake
at
all.
"I
acted
in
haste,
I
acted
to defend
myself,
and
if
I
have
wronged
the
ler,
I
ask
that
you instruct
me
in
how
I
can
atone!"

"We
don't
have
time
for
this,"
the
Leader
said.
"We
still need
to
clear
the
path,
and
there
may
be
more
animals."

"Hear
me,
Erren
Zal
Tuyo!"
the
Speaker's
voice
called.

Startled,
Breaker
turned;
the
Speaker
was
leaning
out
the wagon's
door.

"The
ler
of
the
deer
and
the
land
say
you
have
done
no wrong,
that
your
acts
freed
the
deer's
spirit
from
enslavement,
that
it
is
the
Wizard
Lord
who
wrongs
the
land
with his
storms
and
distortions.
Go
about
your
business!"