Read Online Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell by Brandon Sanderson - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Brandon Sanderson
Ads: Link
turned back to Silence, and her weathered face was covered in droplets of water from the crashing surf below. “The God Beyond sent us. It’s part of the plan.”
“It’s so easy for you to say that, isn’t it?” Silence spat. “You can fit anything into that nebulous plan . Even the destruction of the world itself.”
“I won’t hear blasphemy from you, child.” A voice like boots stepping in gravel. She walked toward Silence. “You can rail against the God Beyond, but it will change nothing. William was a fool and an idiot. You are better off. We are Forescouts . We survive . We will be the ones to defeat the Evil, someday.” She passed Silence by.
Silence had never seen a smile from Grandmother, not since her husband’s death. Smiling was wasted energy. And love . . . love was for the people back in Homeland. The people who’d perished from the Evil.
“I’m with child,” Silence said.
Grandmother stopped. “William?”
“Who else?”
Grandmother continued on.
“No condemnations?” Silence asked, turning, folding her arms.
“It’s done,” Grandmother said. “We are Forescouts. If this is how we must continue, so be it. I’m more worried about the waystop, and meeting our payments to those damn forts.”
I have an idea for that, Silence thought, considering the lists of bounties she’d begun collecting. Something even you wouldn’t dare. Something dangerous. Something unthinkable.
Grandmother reached the woods and looked at Silence, scowled, then pulled on her hat and stepped into the trees.
“I will not have you interfering with my child,” Silence called after her. “I will raise my own as I will!”
Grandmother vanished into the shadows.
Please. Please.
“I will !”
I won’t lose you. I won’t . . .
Silence gasped, coming awake and clawing at the floorboards, staring upward.
Alive. She was alive!
Dob the stableman knelt beside her, holding the jar of powdered silver. She coughed, lifting fingers—plump, the flesh restored—to her neck. It was hale, though ragged from the flakes of silver that had been forced down her throat. Her skin was dusted with black bits of ruined silver.
“William Ann!” she said, turning.
The child lay on the floor beside the door. William Ann’s left side, where she’d first touched the shade, was blackened. Her face wasn’t too bad, but her hand was a withered skeleton. They’d have to cut that off. Her leg looked bad too. Silence couldn’t tell how bad without tending the wounds.
“Oh, child . . .” Silence knelt beside her.
But the girl breathed in and out. That was enough, all things considered.
“I tried,” Dob said. “But you’d already done what could be done.”
“Thank you,” Silence said. She turned to the aged man, with his high forehead and dull eyes.
“Did you get him?” Dob asked.
“Who?”
“The bounty.”
“I . . . yes, I did. But I had to leave him.”
“You’ll find another,” Dob said in his monotone, climbing to his feet. “The Fox always does.”
“How long have you known?”
“I’m an idiot, mam,” he said. “Not a fool.” He bowed his head to her, then walked away, slump-backed as always.
Silence climbed to her feet, then groaned, picking up William Ann. She lifted her daughter to the rooms above and saw to her.
The leg wasn’t as bad as Silence had feared. A few of the toes would be lost, but the foot itself was hale enough. The entire left side of William Ann’s body was blackened, as if burned. That would fade, with time, to grey.
Everyone who saw her would know exactly what had happened. Many men would never touch her, fearing her taint. This might just doom her to a life alone.
I know a little about such a life, Silence thought, dipping a cloth into the water bin and washing William Ann’s face. The youth would sleep through the day. She had come very close to death, to becoming a shade herself. The body did not recover quickly from that.
Of course,
“It’s so easy for you to say that, isn’t it?” Silence spat. “You can fit anything into that nebulous plan . Even the destruction of the world itself.”
“I won’t hear blasphemy from you, child.” A voice like boots stepping in gravel. She walked toward Silence. “You can rail against the God Beyond, but it will change nothing. William was a fool and an idiot. You are better off. We are Forescouts . We survive . We will be the ones to defeat the Evil, someday.” She passed Silence by.
Silence had never seen a smile from Grandmother, not since her husband’s death. Smiling was wasted energy. And love . . . love was for the people back in Homeland. The people who’d perished from the Evil.
“I’m with child,” Silence said.
Grandmother stopped. “William?”
“Who else?”
Grandmother continued on.
“No condemnations?” Silence asked, turning, folding her arms.
“It’s done,” Grandmother said. “We are Forescouts. If this is how we must continue, so be it. I’m more worried about the waystop, and meeting our payments to those damn forts.”
I have an idea for that, Silence thought, considering the lists of bounties she’d begun collecting. Something even you wouldn’t dare. Something dangerous. Something unthinkable.
Grandmother reached the woods and looked at Silence, scowled, then pulled on her hat and stepped into the trees.
“I will not have you interfering with my child,” Silence called after her. “I will raise my own as I will!”
Grandmother vanished into the shadows.
Please. Please.
“I will !”
I won’t lose you. I won’t . . .
Silence gasped, coming awake and clawing at the floorboards, staring upward.
Alive. She was alive!
Dob the stableman knelt beside her, holding the jar of powdered silver. She coughed, lifting fingers—plump, the flesh restored—to her neck. It was hale, though ragged from the flakes of silver that had been forced down her throat. Her skin was dusted with black bits of ruined silver.
“William Ann!” she said, turning.
The child lay on the floor beside the door. William Ann’s left side, where she’d first touched the shade, was blackened. Her face wasn’t too bad, but her hand was a withered skeleton. They’d have to cut that off. Her leg looked bad too. Silence couldn’t tell how bad without tending the wounds.
“Oh, child . . .” Silence knelt beside her.
But the girl breathed in and out. That was enough, all things considered.
“I tried,” Dob said. “But you’d already done what could be done.”
“Thank you,” Silence said. She turned to the aged man, with his high forehead and dull eyes.
“Did you get him?” Dob asked.
“Who?”
“The bounty.”
“I . . . yes, I did. But I had to leave him.”
“You’ll find another,” Dob said in his monotone, climbing to his feet. “The Fox always does.”
“How long have you known?”
“I’m an idiot, mam,” he said. “Not a fool.” He bowed his head to her, then walked away, slump-backed as always.
Silence climbed to her feet, then groaned, picking up William Ann. She lifted her daughter to the rooms above and saw to her.
The leg wasn’t as bad as Silence had feared. A few of the toes would be lost, but the foot itself was hale enough. The entire left side of William Ann’s body was blackened, as if burned. That would fade, with time, to grey.
Everyone who saw her would know exactly what had happened. Many men would never touch her, fearing her taint. This might just doom her to a life alone.
I know a little about such a life, Silence thought, dipping a cloth into the water bin and washing William Ann’s face. The youth would sleep through the day. She had come very close to death, to becoming a shade herself. The body did not recover quickly from that.
Of course,
Similar Books
