Seventeen
Cathal didn’t try to stop Nyle. The other brethren followed him, and Cathal reeled off their names as they did so. Ap Owen, Car, Galvyn, Shaela and Brikita. They all wore cloth, some tighter than others. And they all gave Cathal a wide berth, almost like a sign of respect.
But they followed Nyle. Because they yearned for the hunt.
Cathal felt that yearning within himself too, and knew the hunt would be glorious. It would be exhilarating to follow the traces to their sources. He imagined the rush of blood hitting the back of his throat, the warmth flooding into his body, the glow spreading to his extremities.
But he would not rush in. The others in this place were people, with names. They shared a past with him, and with Nyle, and with the others.
He could not destroy what he
