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Back West of Eden Save as PDF
Chapters (69)
  1. PROLOGUE: KERRICK
  2. BOOK ONE
  3. CHAPTER ONE
  4. CHAPTER TWO
  5. CHAPTER THREE
  6. CHAPTER FOUR
  7. CHAPTER FIVE
  8. CHAPTER SIX
  9. CHAPTER SEVEN
  10. CHAPTER EIGHT
  11. CHAPTER NINE
  12. CHAPTER TEN
  13. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  14. CHAPTER TWELVE
  15. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  16. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  17. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  18. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  19. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  20. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  21. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  22. CHAPTER TWENTY
  23. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  24. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  25. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  30. BOOK TWO
  31. CHAPTER ONE
  32. CHAPTER TWO
  33. CHAPTER THREE
  34. CHAPTER FOUR
  35. CHAPTER FIVE
  36. CHAPTER SIX
  37. CHAPTER SEVEN
  38. CHAPTER EIGHT
  39. CHAPTER NINE
  40. CHAPTER TEN
  41. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  42. CHAPTER TWELVE
  43. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  44. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  45. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  46. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  47. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  48. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  49. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  50. CHAPTER TWENTY
  51. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  52. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  53. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  54. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  55. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  56. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  57. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  58. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  59. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  60. CHAPTER THIRTY
  61. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  62. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  63. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  64. THE WORLDWEST OF EDEN
  65. YILANÈ
  66. TANU
  67. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  68. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  69. About this Title

All of the might, the science, and the energy of the Yilanè would then be united behind a single idea. Destroy the ustuzou. Wipe all trace of them from the face of the earth. Mount a crusade that would sweep them away like the blight, the obscene disease that they were.

A crusade that could have but a single leader.

Vaintè saw her destiny at last.

CHAPTER EIGHT

The air was so still beneath the tall trees that the cold fog hung there, unmoving. This chill silence was broken only by the dripping of water from the leaves, the distant calling of a bird. A rabbit hopped cautiously from under a bush and began nibbling at the thick grass in the clearing. It stopped suddenly and sat up, ears turning to listen, then disappeared in a single frightened bound.

The heavy, slow footsteps were like the sound of distant thunder, coming closer. The creaking of leather bindings could now be heard and the loud rustling of wooden poles being dragged across the forest floor. Moving silently ahead of the column of mastodons, two hunters appeared at the edge of the clearing, eyes searching, spears ready. Although they were wearing fur robes and leggings, their arms were bare and beaded with moisture. Other hunters came from under the trees and advanced across the clearing. Then the first mastodon appeared, a great hump-backed bull. His trunk reached up and broke a branch from a tree; he stuffed the leaves into his mouth as he walked, chewing them contentedly.

One by one the other mastodons emerged from the forest, the poles of the travois they pulled cutting deep grooves into the soft loam. The women and larger children walked between them while another party of hunters brought up the year. The Tanu were on the march that never ended.

It was late afternoon before they reached the campsite at the bend in the river. In the dark twilight the first snow was already swirling down through the trees. Ulfadan looked north and sniffed the cold wind.

“Early,” he said. “Even earlier than last year. The snow will be as thick here in the valley as it will be in the mountains. We must talk of this tonight.”