Shadow's Son by Shirley Meier, S.M. Stirling and Karen Wehrstein ...

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Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html Megan slid out of the tent in time to hear the Thane-girl answer, "I followed you,khyd-hird. Zhymata said I could sail on any ship of the house, so I did and waited until you came down to Brahvniki. I knew you'd go to the Worm. I borrowed some of the money from the petty-cash box and left a note for Shyll, and came with a caravan to be safe." Shkai'ra reacted calmly, burying her hands in her hair and trying to tear out pieces. "Sheepshit, girl, that's nearly a thousandkylickz overland—you could have been raped, robbed, killed, skinned and eaten fifteen times. We said it was too riskywith us and you did itby yourself ?" Sova stood straight, hands on hips. "Yep." Shkai'ra stopped, as if she were hearing her own words. "Hai, youdid do it. You all right, girl?" "Yes, I am all right.You said you were thrown out into the snow with nothing but a bow and a knife at fourteen; I had money and things, and something almost happened once, but I only had to break his elbow and then he left me alone and I made it here and I'm fine." "Baiwun hammer me flat, you did." Suddenly Shkai'ra started laughing, dropping down into a crouch. "Megan, look who's here: our daughter." She laughed harder and pushed herself up with her hands on her knees. "Gods witness, I'm glad you did, daughter." "Sova—" Megan started, then closed her mouth. What was there to say? She touched the girl's shoulder, then hugged her, hard, thinking of all that could have happened.So much easier going into danger yourself, than watching someone you love do it . She'd noticed that, over and over, since she'd let herself love again. "Sova." Shkai'ra stood with her hands on her hips. "Three things. This—" she grabbed her and gave her a hug, "—is congratulations for making it here. That took guts and smarts. I'll show you how to make warrior braids tomorrow. This—" she hugged her again and planted a smacking lass on her forehead, "—is because I'm so fucking relieved you're all right, and because I missed you. Andthis —" she turned the girl around and kicked her behind, medium hard, enough to make her jump, "—is for disobeying orders and frightening the shit out of your mothers!" She was grinning when Sova turned around. "Your turn, co-mother." The Thane-girl seemed more apprehensive facing Megan.She knows who was in favor of her being here and who wasn't . "Come on," said the Zak. "I'll talk to you while we get a fire going and breakfast started." Shkai'ra rolled her eyes with that "here comes the lecture" look, then shrugged and rooted into the tent for a pan. Just then reveille sounded, the gong-beat and the call relayed over the camp in fluid Yeoli, "Rise and wi-i-i-i-in!" "I'll get some water," Shkai'ra said. "Back in a minute." "You know what could have happened?" Megan said. Sova nodded, shrugging, just like Shkai'ra.She doesn't; thank Koru, she didn't find out . "You understand why we're both angry?" "I figured you would be," the girl said, shrugging again. "Do youunderstand why?" Megan leaned forward, fixing her with a stare. "We thought you'd be better off at home. What would Shyll and Rilla have told us when we came back, if you'd disappeared somewhere on the way here? It would be worse than what happened to my son; at least I knew where to
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html start looking. We might never have known what happened to you, whether you were dead, alive or in chains somewhere, some pederast's slave…" Sova drew up, with a hardness Megan had never seen before; the girl had acquired it, it seemed, on this trip. "It would have been my choice. You're angry because you don't like me making my own choices. Besides, nothingdid happen to me. I did far riskier things to help you in the fight up the river, and you didn't mind." Megan closed her lips on a sharp answer. "Your choice to risk your life and health, when I and your other parents have before law agreed to protect you to the best of our ability till your age of adulthood?" she said levelly. "I could hit you, but that wouldn't be fair. I'd be hitting you because I was scared and angry. But I want you to promise me something." "What's that?" Sova said, more amenably. Shkai'ra came back with a bucket and plunked it down next to their hearthrocks, took out her tinderbox and struck sparks on the shavings, listening. "Think of what might happen. No one can stop you if you really decide to do something, but if you get into trouble, I'd like to be in a position to help you." "All right," Sova said breezily. "And first thing, you are going to write a letter home to Rilla and Shyu, apologizing. I'll put it in the packet I'm sending home." "I already wrote, I told you. I wrote, 'Sorry but it's something I have to do.'" Megan pursed her lips. "All right. But you're going to write to them saying you got here safely." To that the girl agreed. "Come on then, there's work to do before we march. Whatever possessed you to come at this hour?" "I only heard where you were when Sinanayi came in. She was on duty until now and I didn't want to have to try and find you on the march." "Good enough," said Megan, wondering who in Halya Sinanayi was. Shkai'ra had dug out the frying pan, a filch of smoked bacon, some eggs they'd bought from a farmer yesterday but hadn't had time to cook; most of them were unbroken. Another disciplined thing in this army: no stripping the country if you could pay. She started blowing at the kindling, then looked up. "Two hours to dawn," she said, then looked at Sova. "Megan said it better than I could," she said. "Nobody your age thinks they can get hurt until they do. A burned hand teaches more caution than a thousand words. You're going to see war here, look carefully." She shoved the stone a little closer to the fire, putting the pan across their surface, dropped in some lard from the jar and began slicing onions into it. "The way you managed was part luck, Sova; you only get so much good luck, don't use it when you don't have to. I want you to outlive me, and to see your children before I die. This is a war-camp, under discipline. If you break orders again, Iwill hit you, perhaps even flog you; that's the customary punishment here. For the same reason I've walloped you at weapons drill
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