Lords of the Seventh Swarm Read Online Free PDF Page A

the priesthood many times. Perhaps, Orick thought, this was a fight—the first fight they’d had—and Gallen was telling Orick that the time had come for Orick to leave. But no, Gallen spoke with a tone of both surprise and reverence. In the past, he’d always seemed amused by Orick’s interest in the priesthood. Now Gallen seemed astonished by it, and he took it seriously. Gallen was simply acknowledging a side of Orick that he’d never really appreciated. Orick said softly, “I would that all men were priests, devoting themselves to God.”
    Gallen studied Orick, perplexed. “I … I’ll consider what you’ve said.”
    Gallen reached down absently and ruffled Tallea’s fur, patting her snout. He was lost in thought as he stalked off back into the ship, his black robes flowing out behind him, his head bent. The doors to the ship closed off quickly as he entered, swallowing him.
    Tallea watched him leave, then grumbled, “I wish he wouldn’t do that!”
    “Do what?” Orick asked.
    “Pat my nose like I was some damned hunting hound!”
    Orick stared at her, his mouth opened in surprise. He always liked it when humans patted his snout or scratched behind his ear.
    “I was a grown woman, swinging a sword in battle, before he ever got out of diapers!” Tallea said, then she growled in disgust, a throaty rumble.
    “Gallen’s a good lad. It’s not disrespect he’s showing you,” Orick apologized.
    Tallea shook her dark head, wagging it broadly from side to side, and she was so angry that tears formed in her eyes. She turned and began heading into the ship.
    “Really,” Orick said, “he’s just being affectionate!”
    “Well maybe I don’t want his affection!” Tallea said, turning on him so fast that Orick thought she’d bite him.
    “Halloo there,” Orick said. “You don’t have to act like you’ve got a tick on your butt. What’s eating you?”
    “What’s eating me?” Tallea asked. “Nothing—Everything!”
    “Everything? Really? Everything?” Orick said. It was true that they didn’t have a home, that the dronon were chasing them, that they were camped for the night on an alien world filled with monsters. But far from everything was wrong. At least they were alive.
    “You—this is not what I had planned …” Tallea said in exasperation. “I didn’t come here to be patted like a dog, and have people making fun of my clumsiness!”
    She spun and bolted for the ship; the door hardly had time to whisk open before she reached it. Orick hurried after her, unsure why she’d broken into tears.
    Tallea ran into her stateroom, jumped up on the bed. The door to her room began to slide closed in front of Orick’s nose. Tallea shouted, “Lock!” but Orick leapt through before the door shut. The lock snicked into place behind him.
    Tallea made whining noises, little barks, as bears will when they cry, and she turned her back.
    “Well now,” Orick said, climbing up on the bed, nuzzling her ear with his snout. He licked it just a bit. “Sure, it must be hard to go from being human to being a bear, but you always struck me as a woman who was mostly gristle and sinew. All good things have their price. At least you’re not one of those funny-looking human varmints without any hair anymore …” He hoped she’d laugh, but Tallea just sniffled.
    Orick let the silence stretch uncomfortably, until at last Tallea said, “Did I make a mistake, Orick?”
    “A mistake? How could it be wrong for a human to finally get a pelt like the rest of the mammals?”
    Tallea snickered, turned her brown eyes to him. There were tears in them. “Did I misunderstand something, Orick? I thought you loved me.”
    “Well … I do!” Orick protested. “How could I not love you?”
    “I thought you would love me—in the same way a man loves his wife.” The sentence was clipped, the words uninflected, yet Orick knew there was a depth of emotion hidden beneath those words. He licked her ears gently with