Read Online The Outlaw King: The Line of Kings Trilogy Book One by Craig Saunders - Free Book Online Page B

majestic, through the trees. He did not
know if he could trust these witches, or what they had in mind, but he had a
feeling they already knew too much.
                ‘Before
I tell you more – you already know much about me – did you see my father die?’
                ‘Aye,
boy, I did. I heard his last words. They were for me and me alone, before you
ask. Now what beast did you see?’
                There
was nothing for it. Gard and Molly wouldn’t understand, it was beyond their
imagining, but perhaps this old lady would know something that could shed light
on that last night with his father.
                ‘I
saw a boar.’
                This
seemed to please the old woman. ‘It is as it should be. The boar is a wily
animal, fierce and proud. I thought as much, but I needed to hear it from your
lips. Do you know why the boar came to your aid?’
                ‘No,
I do not. Do you know?’
                ‘Aye,
I do.’
                ‘Then
why?’
                ‘That,
as so many other things, is part of your passage to manhood. Your father
understood. He would have seen the boar, too, but only as a child. For now the
boar is your protector. Do nothing to anger it, or it will leave you. When you
become a man, as your father taught you, you will need it no longer.’
                Tarn
sat silently for a while. Mia watched him, and he looked away from her gaze. He
wanted his thoughts to be his own.
                Three
witches, two he trusted, but thought, perhaps, that the old witch was too
powerful to trust. He could feel the power in the old woman, and it troubled
him. He closed his eyes as he spoke. He did not want her peering into his soul.
The old woman said nothing, nor moved. She just watched him.
                ‘Did
you know my father?’
                ‘Man
and boy, young Tarn. As I knew his father before him, and as I will know you.
You and I will be friends, Tarn, for I need you as much as you need me.’
                ‘How
could you need me?’
                ‘You
will be a powerful man, and one day you will understand. Know this, though.
There is much I cannot tell you, for you are not yet that man, and all children
must grow without knowing the future. If you knew your future, you would become
a pale man. You would not live and grow, you would merely follow one path, and
that path is fraught with danger for a soul. A soul must be given room to grow.
It must be given choices. That is your quest, none other. Grow and become a man
without my interference. But I can give you one gift now, and that is why I
brought you here. But first, ask your questions, and I will answer those which
will not harm you.’
                ‘You
knew my father’s father?’
                ‘I
did.’
                ‘Where
did they come from?’
                ‘They
came from Naeth, but you already knew that. Choose your questions more
carefully, boy. You are not stupid.’
                Tarn
nodded. Taught to respect his elders, he took no offence when chided.
                ‘Why
was my father hunted?  Was he a criminal?’ Tarn watched her, hoping to learn
what he could from her expression, if her answer should prove false.
                Tulathia
smiled then, and when she smiled Tarn knew there was no evil in her. Finally,
he relaxed a little. He was still afraid, but now he was afraid of what she
might tell him, not of the woman before him. But he knew fear. It was
beguiling, sent by Madal to test the race of man. He would not be swayed by its
charms, ever.
                Tulathia
countered with a question of her own.
                ‘Do
you think him a criminal?’
                ‘He
was a good father. I always thought he was hunted for a mistake. Perhaps