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Back West of Eden
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

“We watched the river—but they came by land. First a dust cloud bigger than anything we had ever seen. There were murgu, they could not be counted, running fast, heavy feet, death-stick murgu on their backs. The murgu also rode another kind, bigger, faster, scouting ahead. When we ran they saw us. Killed Sigurnath. I went into the river, holding my breath, as long as I could. Swimming deep, with the current. When I came up they were gone. I stayed in the water a long time.”

The sammadars hurried up while he was talking, while more and more hunters gathered silently to listen. The torchlight flickered across their grim faces.

“When I came out of the water they were gone. I could see the dust of their passing in the distance. They went very fast. I followed their track, wide as a river through the trampled grass, marked with much dung of the murgu. Followed until the sun was low and I could see that they had halted by the river. Then I stopped too and went no closer. The margalus has said that they do not like the night and do not go about then. Remembering this I waited until the sun had set. As soon as it was dark I circled far to the east so I would not pass near them. I did not see them again. I ran and did not stop, and I ran and I am here. Sigurnath is dead.”

He dropped back onto the ground, exhausted again by the effort of speaking. What he had said struck terror into the listeners’ hearts for they knew that death was striding close.

“They will attack,” Kerrick said. “Soon after dawn. They know exactly where we are. They plan these things carefully. They will have stopped for the night just far enough away not to be observed, yet close enough to strike in the morning.”

“We must defend ourselves,” Herilak said.

“No! We must not stay here.” Kerrick spoke the words quickly, almost without thought; they were driven from him by a strong emotion.

“If we leave they will attack us while we move,” Herilak said. “We will be defenseless, slaughtered as we run. It will be better to remain here where we can make a stand.”