The Hunter Victorious Read Online Free PDF

abrupt cutting motion, signaling him to silence. Braldt frowned and settled
     back into the shadows to listen.
    “But this one, this Carn, is an outsider,” cried a voice from the midst of the crowd. The crowd pulled aside as though unwilling
     to be singled out by the king, to be suspected of disagreeing with him.
    But Otir Vaeng merely smiled, a grimace that held no intent of humor. “Carn is an outsider, that is true, but his belief in
     the old gods is strong and true.”
    “How can this be so?” challenged the voice from the crowd. The king turned to see who had dared to defy him andhis eyes glittered as the crowd drew back, revealing a heavyset older man, white-haired and bent in stature but not in resolve.
     He took no notice of the crowd’s fear, but leaned on a stout cane and stared at the king. “How can this Carn believe in our
     gods?” he questioned in a reasonable tone. “He is not even from our world. One can scarcely imagine as to how he knows of
     our gods, much less puts his faith in them.”
    “Do you challenge my word, Saxo? I am your king; if I tell you something is so… it is so.”
    “You are my king, this I do not deny,” replied the old man. “And I have followed you these many years even when my heart and
     mind were troubled by our course of action. But what we have done in the past was necessary for our survival. This… this superstitious
     claptrap that you are reviving, setting in motion, is dangerous and I urge you to think about what it is that you are doing.”
    The mass of dark-robed figures pulled back farther, widening the gap between themselves and the old man, not wanting to seem
     as though they were any part of what he was saying. All eyes focused on the king, who stroked his beard and smiled coldly.
    “Superstitious claptrap, you say, Saxo? Do you then not believe in Odin and Freya and Thor? Do you dare to deny their existence?”
    “Come, come, Otir. Do not think that you can frighten me with that tone of voice,” Saxo said with a wearied motion of his
     hand. “You forget that I have known you since you crawled on the floor, your diaper dragging behind you. You cut your teeth
     on the hilt of my sword. Your father and I were lifelong friends and I his counsel general. You think to threaten me? I am
     too old for such threats and too old for this religious nonsense. What do you hope to accomplish with it? You have the loyalty
     of the people, although whether from fear or from lack of other options, I cannot say. Why do youneed to implement this foolishness and what role does this outsider play in your game?”
    A vein throbbed at the corner of Otir Vaeng’s temple and his teeth were bared as he tugged fiercely on his beard. For a moment
     it seemed that he would strike the old man down or run him through with his sword, so great was his anger. Then Carn stepped
     forward and placed his hand on the king’s arm, shaking him slightly as he whispered in his ear. Otir Vaeng shook his head,
     and Carn continued to speak with urgency. Finally the king nodded and stepped back. Carn stepped forward and addressed Saxo
     as well as the rest of the gathering.
    “It is true, I am not one of you. I am an outsider. Until recently, I did not even know of your existence, much less the existence
     of your gods. I come from a world that is far away in distance as well as in knowledge. All my life I have searched for a
     greater meaning for my life … for all life. I thought I had found it on my own world, but all it brought me was pain and suffering.”
     He gestured toward his horribly scarred face and hands, which had been burned by exposure to the intense heat of a volcano.
    “I Came to Valhalla by accident, or so I believed, but now I know that it was fate that delivered me here, fate that has brought
     me knowledge of Odin and Freya, Loki and Thor. These are the truths I have been searching for all my life.
    “I have learned that a man cannot live without the guidance of