Mist's Edge (The Broken Lands #2) - T.A. White Page 0,75

it had the ability to restore soldiers to the ranks, when otherwise they’d be consigned to the grave,” Shea said before she could stop herself. Once the words were out, she was committed, and she met his gaze with an impassive one of her own.

Daere turned her body so she was half facing away, saying so only Shea could hear. “Well said. Now don’t push him any further. You’re not the one who will pay the price for his anger.” Daere’s eyes slid to the girl being led away by the other women.

Shea dipped her chin just slightly to show Daere she understood.

Van studied her, his face thoughtful as he pulled at one lip. “That is a fair point, but ultimately irrelevant. You have to win the battle before you have the luxury of treating your wounds. Only after you have been victorious, can the healers treat those unlucky or unskilled enough to be caught by their enemies’ blade. Without the first, you cannot have the second.”

Shea bit her tongue on the response she wanted to give him. His argument was flawed and shortsighted. Yes, winning the battle to then be able to treat your wounded was necessary, but how would you win the next battle or the battle after that if half your force was fighting off infection from non-mortal wounds. Eventually you’d run out of men with which to fight and you would lose.

Not to mention, luck had as much to do with surviving a battle as skill.

Chirron met her eyes from next to Van and shook his head once. Shea almost thought she’d imagined the movement because in the same motion he turned to speak to Braden who observed Shea and Van with a watchful expression on his face.

“General, have you been able to figure out the answer to the question I asked you earlier?”

The question came out of nowhere for more than Shea it seemed, because Braden blinked at the smaller man for a moment before responding, “I’m afraid I don’t have a working theory for how the tree supports the weight of its trunk and branches without collapsing.”

“It’s largely hollow,” a regal looking woman said, stepping up next to the headman. Ilyra had black hair threaded through with white that was pulled back from her face in an elegant knot. She wore the brightly colored garments of the other villagers. “Most of the soul trees are. I believe it allows them to grow to their immense height without being crushed under their own weight.”

“Fascinating,” Chirron said. He did look fascinated. “I would love to discover more about these amazing trees you call home.”

She inclined her head. “I would be happy to share all I know over dinner.” To Fallon and the rest, she said, “If you’ll follow us, we will lead you to the feast.”

“Lead on, lady. My Telroi tells me your feasts are the stuff of dreams,” Fallon said.

Amusement dawned on her face. “High praise indeed from a pathfinder who has traveled most of the known world.”

“It’s only the truth, Ilyra,” Shea said, stepping up to Fallon’s side. “I’ve visited many villages and can honestly say that none of their people have quite the same touch as your cooks.”

“Then it would be a travesty to keep you and your guests from our feast any longer. If you’d follow me.”

Ilyra spun on her heel, her bare feet padding over the well-worn bark of a tree branch that could host three Trateri sleep tents set right beside one another. The path she chose followed the branch back to the trunk, the ground sloping down more and more the closer they got to the center of the tree.

She led the group to one of the village celebration spaces, a large chamber carved into the base of the trunk. The chamber had grown as the trunk aged and showed at a glance just how old Airabel was. The ceiling arched high above them in elegant whirls that followed the grain of wood. The villagers had carved sculptures into the knots, providing columns of intricate artwork as high as the eye could see.

“Your home is breathtaking,” Daere said, her voice hushed with wonder.

Shea glanced at the woman beside her, realizing this was probably the first time she’d been in the trunk. Shea had been part of the negotiations when Fallon first made contact simply because she had a history with these people and wanted to make sure they didn’t end up destroyed because of a simple miscommunication or an