Soul Eater Read Online Free PDF Page B

peace."56Renn studied the "kill." "Better," she said.The shadows were turning blue, and the wind had gone into the north, leaving a light breeze wafting snowflakes over the carcass. Torak said, "The ravens will be flying home to roost. If they come, it won't be before first light."Renn shivered. "It doesn't seem possible, but according to Fin-Kedinn, there are white foxes out here, so we'll have to stay awake to keep them off the carcass.""And we can't have a fire, or the ravens will smell it."Renn bit her lip. "You do know that you can't have anything to eat? To go into a trance, you need to fast."Torak had forgotten that. "What about you?""I'll eat when you're not looking. Then I'll make the paste for loosening your souls.""Do you have what you need?"She patted her medicine pouch. "I gathered a few things in the Forest."His lip curled. "You planned this."She didn't smile back. "I had a feeling I might need to."The sky was darkening, and a few stars were glinting. "First light," murmured Torak. It was going to be a long night.Torak huddled in his sleeping-sack, and tried to stop shivering. He'd been shivering all night, and he was sick57of it. Peering through the slit in the snow cave, he saw the half-eaten moon shining bright. Dawn wasn't far off. The sky was clear-and ravenless.In one mitten he clutched a scrap of birch bark containing Renn's soul-loosening paste: a mixture of deer fat and herbs, which he was to smear on his face and hands when she gave the word. In the other he held a small rawhide pouch fastened with sinew. What Renn called a "smoke-potion" smoldered inside. He'd asked what was in it, but she'd said it was better not to know, and he hadn't insisted. Renn had a talent for Magecraft, which for reasons she never went into she tried to ignore. Practicing it put her in a bad mood.His belly rumbled, and she nudged him with her elbow. He refrained from nudging back. He was so hungry that if a raven didn't come soon, he'd eat the squirrel.A thin scarlet line had just appeared in the east, when a black shape slid across the stars.Again, Renn nudged him."I see it," he whispered.A smaller shape glided after the first: the raven's mate. Wingtip to wingtip, they wheeled over the kill-- then flew away.Some time later, they came back for another pass, flying a little lower. At the fifth pass, they flew so low that Torak heard their wingbeats: a strong, rhythmic wsh wsh wsh.58He watched their heads turn from side to side, scanning the land below. He was glad he'd buried the gear beside the snow cave, which Renn had made into a featureless mound, with only a slit for air and observation. Ravens are the cleverest of birds, with senses sharp as grass.Yellow fire spilled over the edge of the world, but still the ravens circled, spying out the "kill."Suddenly one folded its wings and dropped out of the sky.Torak slipped off both mittens, to be ready.Silently the raven lit down on the snow. Its breath smoked as it stared at the shelter. Its wingspan was wider than Torak's outstretched arms, and it was utterly black. Eyes, feathers, legs, claws; like the First Raven herself, who woke the sun from its winter sleep, and was burned black for her pains.This raven, however, was more interested in the squirrel, which it approached at a cautious, stiff-legged walk."Now?" mouthed Torak. Renn shook her head.The raven gave the carcass a tentative peck. Then it hopped high in the air, landed--and flew off. It was checking that the squirrel was really dead.When the carcass didn't move, both ravens flew down. Warily they walked toward it.59"Now!" mouthed Renn.Torak smeared on the paste. It had a sour green smell that stung his eyes and made his skin prickle. Then he unfastened the pouch and sucked in the smoke-potion."Swallow it all," Renn whispered in his ear, "and don't cough!"The smoke was bitter, the urge to cough almost overwhelming. He felt Renn's breath on his cheek. "May the guardian fly with you!"Feeling sick, he watched the big