Azaria Read Online Free PDF Page A

of the consequences of her earlier actions. He wondered if it would be enough to keep her mouth shut. He also wondered how much she’d witnessed. The abnormal nature of the sacrifice ritual they had earlier performed had been emotionally traumatic for him. He worried it could be devastating for his young daughter.
    "Yes, Az'ban!" Quzo said, the first to answer as usual. "I will win all the games!"
    "'Yes, father!' Quzo." Zephia scolded. "How many times have I told you to show the proper respect for your father?"
    Despite the rebuke, Azaria smiled at his enthusiasm. Her brother wasn't old enough to play the games she knew he was referring to, much less to win them. "I'm sure you can, my son," her father said, looking down proudly. "But for now the games will be played by the hunters and you will watch and learn."
    "Aaahhhha," Quzo half-protested, knowing intuitively this was an argument he wouldn't win. Annoying as he could be, Azaria adored her little brother, who could count four full winters. His hair was straight and a deep dark brown, much like her father's and hers. To his mother's frustration, he insisted on wearing it short, just past the ears, an unusual cut which set him apart. The unorthodox style earned him a good amount of hectoring from the other children, but he'd always borne the harassment defiantly. Azaria had never understood her little brother's obsession with his hair.
    "And you, Azaria?" her father asked, looking down at his plate filled with meat.
    Azaria looked directly at him now, noticing he didn't meet her eye. Juice from what was left of the boar's liver dripped down his large hands. She wished he would look up at her, but knew she'd probably look away as soon as he did.
    "Very much, father," she replied. "Mother promised to help me with my outfit tonight."
    Before her father could reply, Quzo abruptly blurted out, striving to keep the attention centered on him, "'Zaria wants to kiss Dogahn at the Feast!!"
    "Quzo!!" Zephia immediately scolded him.
    "Be quiet, you dung thrower! I DO not! " Azaria nearly screamed, wondering where he’d obtained his information. He must have overheard Daneel questioning me , she guessed, thinking back to a conversation she'd had with her best friend several suns ago. Azaria had recently developed an interest in boys – one in particular - but wasn’t interested in admitting it to anyone, especially not her father.
    "Look at 'er face!!" Quzo laughed, pointing at her reddening complexion and rolling over, holding his side laughing. Despite the scolding it was clear he was very happy with himself.
    "That's enough food for you, Quzo," Zephia said, having had enough of him. "Go down to the river and fetch some water for cleaning."
    "But I'm still hungreee!!!" Quzo whined, his mood taking an abrupt turn.
    "If you were hungry, you would’ve been eating instead of torturing your sister." Recently she'd been thinking they should start holding the boy more accountable for his disturbances. This seemed as good an opportunity as any to teach him a lesson. But she didn't want him going hungry either. "You can take your meat with you," she added.
    Azerban was well aware Dogahn was very close to his daughter, but was still taken aback by his son's exclamation of her romantic interest. He recovered quickly however. After all, Dogahn was an honorable young man, was developing into a brave hunter and would probably do well at the junior games. Perhaps his hearth didn't have as much status as he would’ve liked, but Irizahner, Dogahn's father, was a strong, proven hunter who'd recently been taking more initiative in organizing hunts. Their hearth was gaining status. With just a little imagination, he could see the boy would be a natural target of attraction for his daughter.
    He was also not completely naive to his daughter's emotional state, and didn't wish to add to her discomfort, despite his current irritation with her. Without looking up he stated flatly, "Hmmph, Dogahn. He's a