Melting the Ice Witch Read Free

some sort of strengthening spell, under his breath. Six adult dogs could easily pull a full sled, but they would have a much harder time of it without Lor giving a hand. 
    Kam found a spot on one of the sleds and took a firm handhold. Lor climbed into the steering platform moments later and took up the reins and whip. With a howl, the sleds moved out, followed by three hunting dogs. Two of the men were supporting falcons on one arm.
    The ice wastes were cold and windy, but still beautiful. A mixture of snow, ice, and frozen earth covered the ground as far as the eye could see in every direction. To the northeast lay a mountain range and there were gentle slopes and hills the further they moved into the foothills of the mountains where fresh game was most likely to be found.
    Kam actually enjoyed hunting, even though he wasn't really allowed to participate in the gory parts. The twang of bowstrings, the baying of the hunting dogs, and the cry of the hawks as they pounced made his blood sing. The only true drawback was the wind, which blew hard, cold, and lonely across his face, leaving his skin burned, lips chapped, and his soul aching for company.
    Lor stayed by the sleds, letting the more experienced hunters do their work. Every once in a while, Kam would see Lor gesture and the ice packing onto the sides of their sleds would suddenly melt, or a man who had fallen into a snow bank would suddenly be dry. It was amazing, seeing real magic put to real purpose. Kam had been in awe of it from the very first day he had been living with the clan, and that hadn't changed.
    There was no fanfare, no sparkles or chanting, but hunting trips were inherently deadly and Lor used magic every trip to keep the hunters safe. Kam did understand the dilemma facing the clans after seeing just how much Lor's powers were needed. If the clan had two or three witches they could send out two or three hunting parties. With that much more meat available, it would be safer to have more children.
    But Lor also did much around their simple camp. He kept the winds from blowing over the tents during a storm, kept the vital central fire burning even when sleet soaked the wood, and thawed food when it was too frozen to cook. With just the one witch the clan was barely holding on. With more, they could hunt more often, have less to fear from the elements, and survival would not be a question any longer.
    Kam wasn't a witch, however, no matter how often Lor pulled him aside to test him, and there wasn't anything he could do to benefit the clan aside from lending his physical abilities whenever they were needed. So on hunting trips when the men were occupied with catching game and Lor was busy keeping the men alive, Kam watched after the sled dogs and the bags. He was the one to wrap the freshly caught game in heavy tarps to keep predators from smelling the kill on the wind. His work was just as vital as Lor's, but he accomplished it without magic.
    The sun was just heading into descent when the hunters began to trickle back to the sleds for the last time. Kam helped lift their kills onto the sleds and secure them for the ride home. The last hunter, a man named Lenny, returned swearing unhappily.
    "Lost him," Lenny grumbled with a sad sigh. "Hit a wind gust and dropped, couldn't find him." The hunting dog with Lenny sighed as well, looking sad. It took Kam a moment before he remembered that Lenny was one of the men who had trained a falcon to hunt. He didn't have the beautiful bird with him.
    Kam bit his lip as he passed out carefully packaged lunch portions to all the hunters and the animals. They would eat before heading back to camp; they needed to be home before dark or no one would survive the trip. When Kam set out the packet for the dog that had lost his hunting partner, the animal whined and barely nibbled on his portion. Kam agreed with him, the bird was probably still alive, just hidden behind one of the many hills. Lenny had stayed fairly close to the