Chapter 5

Bronson swallowed the mouthful of raw tuber, his expression unchanging. He didn't even flinch.

A minute passed. The only sound was the crackling of the central fire.

Five minutes. He stood like a statue of rock and muscle, his breathing even, his gaze steady.

Ten minutes. Chelsea's face began to pale. "The poison... it must be slow-acting," she whispered to no one in particular.

After half an hour, the only sign of any effect was a slight furrow in Bronson's brow, a barely perceptible tightening of his stomach muscles as the raw starch began its work. He showed no signs of poisoning.

The Chieftain's eyes, which had been narrowed with suspicion, now blazed with a new light. Hope. He slammed his bone staff on the ground. "The spirits have blessed us! It is not poison!"

A wave of stunned murmurs turned into a roar of elation. The crowd's gaze shifted from the man to the pile of tubers, their fear instantly replaced by ravenous hunger.

Shaman Gifford's face was a mask of thunderous disbelief. He could not argue with the living proof before him. He let out a disgusted snort, turned, and stormed away, his authority shattered.

Chelsea, seeing her plot crumble, bit her lip until it bled and melted back into the crowd, her eyes burning with hatred.

"The debt is paid," the Chieftain boomed, fulfilling his promise. "Abigail is free. And Bronson is now a warrior of the Silverfox Clan!"

The Chieftain nodded to a nearby guard. The man hurried forward, respectfully offering Bronson a simple, cured leather loincloth and a standard-issue bone knife, the traditional marks of a recognized warrior. Bronson took them without a word, quickly securing the hide around his waist and sliding the knife into the makeshift belt.

A wave of relief so powerful it made her dizzy washed over Abigail. Her knees buckled, and she would have fallen if Bronson hadn't reached out and steadied her with a firm hand on her arm.

The Chieftain pointed at the dead boar. "Warrior Bronson, this is your kill. How will you distribute it among the clan?"

Bronson didn't hesitate. He looked at Abigail, then pushed the entire, massive carcass toward her. "It is hers," he declared to the tribe. "Her property. She will decide."

A collective gasp went through the clan. In a time of famine, a whole boar was a treasure beyond price. A king's ransom. And he had just given it all to her.

Abigail looked at the faces around her. The hungry children hiding behind their mothers' legs, their eyes wide and desperate. The gaunt, hollowed-out expressions of the elders. A plan formed in her mind, a modern strategy for a primitive world. This was her chance to seize power-not with force, but with food.

"Tonight," she announced, her voice clear and strong, "I will use these tubers and this boar to cook a feast for the entire clan."

A ragged cheer went up, though some still looked doubtfully at the pile of "mud roots."

Abigail immediately took charge. "You," she said, pointing to two strong beastmen, "bring the great stone pot. The one for the festival water."

She walked to the boar, then looked at Bronson, a challenge in her eyes. She had no butcher's tools. She raised an eyebrow at him, a silent request.

A slow, rare smile touched the corner of Bronson's mouth. He understood. He held up his right hand, and with a soft snikt, five long, lethally sharp tiger claws extended from his fingertips.

Bronson's claws, guided by Abigail's knowledge of anatomy, became brutally efficient tools. He tore through hide and sinew with a terrifying speed and accuracy, separating meat from bone along perfect seams a stone knife could never follow. The watching warriors stared in awe, their respect for his power deepening into fear.

"Water!" Abigail commanded. "And fire!"

The giant stone pot was filled, and the choicest cuts of bone and fatty meat were thrown in. Abigail, rummaging in the small leather pouch she'd salvaged, pulled out a few wild herbs she'd recognized and gathered on her way back-plants similar to wild onion and ginger. She crushed them with a rock and tossed them into the pot to cut the gamey smell.

Next, the tubers. She had the women of the tribe help, showing them how to scrape away the tough outer skin with sharp stones, revealing the pale, yellowish flesh within. They were cut into large chunks.

As the water heated, a grey, scummy foam rose to the surface of the pot. Abigail took a large wooden ladle and patiently skimmed it all off. The clanspeople watched, confused. To them, this was a waste of precious fat and blood.

But then, the smell began to change.

As the herbs released their fragrance and the fat rendered, an aroma began to drift from the pot. It was a smell none of them had ever experienced before-not the usual rank, bloody scent of boiled meat, but a deep, rich, savory perfume that made their mouths water.

The elders who had been scoffing at her for mixing precious meat with mud roots fell silent, their noses twitching, their eyes wide.

Abigail watched the milky-white broth bubble and roll. The time was right. She tipped the massive pile of prepared tubers into the pot, covered it with a heavy wooden lid, and settled in for the long, slow simmer.