Read Online Breakaway: Clan of the Ice Mountains by C.S. Bills - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: C.S. Bills
Tags: childrens adventure
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and his back exploded in fire as vicious claws tore through his flesh. Then, nothing...
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A ttu awoke to a sharp pain radiating up his back diagonally from his hip to his shoulder. He was lying on his stomach, but when he struggled to sit up, pain shot across his back. A cool hand eased him back onto the furs he was lying on and gently held him there. Attu took in a few shallow breaths to stop his rising nausea. The pain was overwhelming, but as he concentrated on breathing, the hot fire of it eased a bit, and he could think. He could feel the hand on his shoulder, and it steadied him, helped him to endure the pain.
Attu looked up, expecting to see his mother, Yural, resting her hand against him. Instead, he was surprised to see a girl about his own age, kneeling next to him, one hand firmly held against his uninjured shoulder, the other resting on a pouch in her lap.
Her skin was dark, and yet her eyes were light, almost the color of a new hide, light brown flecked with gold, large for a Nuvik and slanted upwards, with brows that slanted up as well. They made her look mischievous. She was wearing her hair loose, not braided, and its velvety blackness fell across her face as she leaned toward him, continuing to press her cool hand on him. He suddenly felt his nakedness under the furs covering his lower body. He looked away, feeling his face redden.
“You must not try to get up again,” the girl said. “I have to treat the bear wounds on your back or you will get the fever.”
She reached into the small pouch she was holding, pulled out a gooey brown paste and rubbed it on Attu’s back. The paste stung as it touched open flesh, and it was all Attu could do not to cry out. This was what had awoken him. He wished he’d stayed unconscious.
“I know. It hurts.”
That was his mother’s voice, and he raised his head enough to see her looking at him from behind the strange girl. Yural’s lips were a tight line in her face, her arms clenched across her body.
“Rika says the salve will heal you, will pull out the bad spirits that cause the fever. She’s a healer.”
Attu couldn’t tell if his mother was trying to reassure him or herself with this knowledge.
“Meavu?” he managed to ask, his throat so dry he could hardly speak. “Shunut?”
“They’re safe,” his mother said. “Meavu’s shoulder is bruised, and Shunut has a large bump on his head, but he’s come back from the Between. You saved them both.”
“And the beast?”
“Dead. I-”
“The ‘beast’ as you call it,” Rika interrupted his mother, “was an Ice Bear.” She shook her head. “Now, lay back and be quiet. I must finish tending your wounds.”
Attu rested his head on the furs. He must be hearing things. The ice bear was a spirit being, like trystas. It did not exist in the world of the living...
Rika began the gentle motion of salve spreading again. Attu peeked at her through half-closed eyes. Her face was impassive, her touch gentle, but still he felt a fine sheen of sweat break out across his upper lip and forehead as he forced himself to endure the pain of her ministrations without flinching away. Each touch was agony.
This can’t be happening, Attu thought. It’s not real. I’m probably dreaming. Mother is tending my wounds and I’m dreaming it is this girl, this Rika, instead.
Or, he thought, perhaps my spirit has left my body. Perhaps I’m dead. No, that doesn’t make any sense, for Mother is here. I’m just confused, that’s all... the pain... ice bear... this strange girl... like a dream... but the pain is real, and if that wasn’t an ice bear, then what was that monster?
Attu’s head was pounding in rhythm with the pain throbbing in his back. He couldn’t think. He gave up trying.
“He is brave,” the girl named Rika said to his mother, and Attu tried to listen again, to hear this girl’s words. It was as if he were listening from another room, however, the pain dulling his
––––––––
A ttu awoke to a sharp pain radiating up his back diagonally from his hip to his shoulder. He was lying on his stomach, but when he struggled to sit up, pain shot across his back. A cool hand eased him back onto the furs he was lying on and gently held him there. Attu took in a few shallow breaths to stop his rising nausea. The pain was overwhelming, but as he concentrated on breathing, the hot fire of it eased a bit, and he could think. He could feel the hand on his shoulder, and it steadied him, helped him to endure the pain.
Attu looked up, expecting to see his mother, Yural, resting her hand against him. Instead, he was surprised to see a girl about his own age, kneeling next to him, one hand firmly held against his uninjured shoulder, the other resting on a pouch in her lap.
Her skin was dark, and yet her eyes were light, almost the color of a new hide, light brown flecked with gold, large for a Nuvik and slanted upwards, with brows that slanted up as well. They made her look mischievous. She was wearing her hair loose, not braided, and its velvety blackness fell across her face as she leaned toward him, continuing to press her cool hand on him. He suddenly felt his nakedness under the furs covering his lower body. He looked away, feeling his face redden.
“You must not try to get up again,” the girl said. “I have to treat the bear wounds on your back or you will get the fever.”
She reached into the small pouch she was holding, pulled out a gooey brown paste and rubbed it on Attu’s back. The paste stung as it touched open flesh, and it was all Attu could do not to cry out. This was what had awoken him. He wished he’d stayed unconscious.
“I know. It hurts.”
That was his mother’s voice, and he raised his head enough to see her looking at him from behind the strange girl. Yural’s lips were a tight line in her face, her arms clenched across her body.
“Rika says the salve will heal you, will pull out the bad spirits that cause the fever. She’s a healer.”
Attu couldn’t tell if his mother was trying to reassure him or herself with this knowledge.
“Meavu?” he managed to ask, his throat so dry he could hardly speak. “Shunut?”
“They’re safe,” his mother said. “Meavu’s shoulder is bruised, and Shunut has a large bump on his head, but he’s come back from the Between. You saved them both.”
“And the beast?”
“Dead. I-”
“The ‘beast’ as you call it,” Rika interrupted his mother, “was an Ice Bear.” She shook her head. “Now, lay back and be quiet. I must finish tending your wounds.”
Attu rested his head on the furs. He must be hearing things. The ice bear was a spirit being, like trystas. It did not exist in the world of the living...
Rika began the gentle motion of salve spreading again. Attu peeked at her through half-closed eyes. Her face was impassive, her touch gentle, but still he felt a fine sheen of sweat break out across his upper lip and forehead as he forced himself to endure the pain of her ministrations without flinching away. Each touch was agony.
This can’t be happening, Attu thought. It’s not real. I’m probably dreaming. Mother is tending my wounds and I’m dreaming it is this girl, this Rika, instead.
Or, he thought, perhaps my spirit has left my body. Perhaps I’m dead. No, that doesn’t make any sense, for Mother is here. I’m just confused, that’s all... the pain... ice bear... this strange girl... like a dream... but the pain is real, and if that wasn’t an ice bear, then what was that monster?
Attu’s head was pounding in rhythm with the pain throbbing in his back. He couldn’t think. He gave up trying.
“He is brave,” the girl named Rika said to his mother, and Attu tried to listen again, to hear this girl’s words. It was as if he were listening from another room, however, the pain dulling his
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