Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 101336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
He scrunched his brow and got annoyed that he did. “That makes no sense. Animals do not speak.”
She almost grinned at the confusion on his face and the annoyance in his voice. They battled each other. But she had learned through the years that what people did not understand often confused and annoyed them.
She kept a soft smile as she said, “Everything speaks if you listen.”
“You talk nonsense.”
“Do I?” she asked with an inquisitive tilt of her head. “The sun rises, telling us it is morning. Sets, letting us know it is night. The clouds warn of rain, the air of snow. When squirrels grow fat they warn us of a harsh winter—”
“That is common knowledge,” he argued.
“Only to those who listen and learn from what they see. I see animals as friends. You see some of them as food and others to command and serve you.”
“And rightfully so.”
“I think differently, and the animals understand that and do not fear me for they know I will not harm them.”
Their conversation intrigued him, though others would think differently and condemn her for voicing such nonsense and even think her ability came from evil.
“Were you born with this strange skill and knowledge?” he asked, curious.
Sky’s smile grew as she shook her head. “I was not born with it. I acquired it through my years of observation, and it is not strange knowledge. It is there for anyone to learn if they simply watch and listen.”
“Some would consider it evil, the work of the devil.”
“If it were the work of the devil, would he not want to see the poor animal suffer and die?”
“That is a reasonable observation to consider.”
“Something else to consider… my affliction is the reason for my ability to understand animals more than most. My two sisters were my only friends. No one in the clan allowed their children to come near me. I realized soon enough that none of the other children would play with my sisters if I was around and I did not think that was fair. So, I would go into the woods and explore, and the animals began to make friends with me, not caring about my mismatched eye color. They showed me what others did not… kindness.”
He felt the need to remind her. “I am not kind.”
“I do not believe that. Kindness is a decision left to the person and the given situation.”
“Like a warrior who cannot pause to think of being kind when someone is about to run a sword through him,” Slayer reasoned.
Her smile faded and sadness surfaced in her eyes. “Aye, battle knows no kindness.”
“But a lass with mismatched eyes, through no fault of hers, is no reason to treat her unkindly.”
Her soft smile returned. “The young ones did not care. A young lad talked with me one day when I was alone drawing with a stick in the dirt. He asked what was wrong with my eyes. I told him I was born that way and he shrugged and began to draw in the dirt with me. It was not until his mum pulled him away and told him my eyes were evil and he was not to play with me that his opinion of me changed.” She sighed. “I may look different than others but that does not mean I am. I hurt and feel pain just like anyone else, but no one sees that or even bothers to look. They judge me simply because I look different from them and, therefore, will have nothing to do with me.”
He could only imagine the pain and ridicule she had suffered for her difference, and it caused him an unsettling pain in his heart. It was not fair. Either was the reason his father had chosen Sky for Warrand to wed. He had not spoken the truth when Sky had asked why a marriage was arranged between her and Warrand. His father had told him. He wanted to find a wife for Warrand who would not consume him with desire or one he could not possibly lose his heart to. He claimed that wives were more a hinderance than a benefit. He assumed Warrand would have no interest in a woman with two different colored eyes, nor would he find any passion with her. It was a cruel decision for both Sky and Warrand.
He now better understood why she possessed a gentle manner and why she kept to herself, and it hadn’t been by choice. Just as he had had no choice but to train endlessly as a warrior and join the Gallowglass as his father had demanded. He’d been raised to protect his brother and the clan. His father had gotten what he wanted from him. It was his only thought, only mission. It raged in him with a fierceness that made some think him insane. Even his father had seemed fearful of him at times. But Slayer had done whatever was necessary to honor his father’s word and see that Warrand would safely inherit the title and responsibility of Clan Ravinsher once their father was gone. No one ever expected it would be Slayer who claimed the title, least of all him.