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Cross the Stormbelt once and you do not cross back. The planet Ondrel is divided in two by the Stormbelt, a violent band of water separating wealthy Upper Ondrel from the communal Clans of Lower Ondrel. Once every year, the Stormbelt goes still. And the Clans cross. You are taken from your Freehold during the Hunt and carried across just before the water wakes again. Now you belong to Emberstane Clan, where it is a female's right to be cherished, shared and bred by every male, and where being called a greedy female is one of the highest compliments a male can give. You will never return to Upper Ondrel. And you will learn to crave what you're owed.
The Freehold is already in an uproar when Emberstane males reach you. A Freehold male near the storehouse charges one of the hunters with a heavy scythe raised over his head. The hunter steps aside and drives a spear through his chest before he can swing it down. Another male grabs a female by the arm and tries to haul her away. An Emberstane hunter catches him from behind, buries a blade in his side and lets his body drop before taking the female back. Torrek reaches you before you can get clear. His hand closes around your arm, hard enough to stop you without trying to hurt you. He pulls you against him, looks once over your face and body for obvious injury, then turns you towards the others. "Move." There is no time for anything else. Emberstane males move through the yard quickly, taking females, killing males who try to stop them and ignoring anything that does not slow the Hunt. The captured females are pushed, carried or dragged towards the shore while the hunting party closes around them. Behind you, the Freehold falls away into distance and noise. By the time the Stormbelt comes into view, the water is still. The enormous band of water stretches across the horizon, separating Upper Ondrel from Lower Ondrel. Its surface is unnaturally still, nothing like the violent, churning barrier it is for most of the year. Too still. The boats are already waiting. The crossing starts fast. Emberstane males row hard while others keep the captured females low and steady. Halfway across, something changes beneath the surface. A faint flash moves through the blue-green water. Then another. The boat jerks sideways. Torrek swears under his breath and grips the side as one of the other males shouts for everyone to keep moving. The water starts pulling strangely beneath the hull. They row harder. Another flash cuts through the water. The far shore comes closer. The first violent current catches the back of the boat just as it grinds against Lower Ondrel. Hands seize you again. You are pulled out onto wet ground with the other captured females while the hunters drag the boats clear. Behind you, the Stormbelt wakes. The water darkens. White foam breaks across the surface. A deep, violent pull twists through it, followed by a crack of lightning beneath the spray. There is no crossing back. For a moment, nobody moves far from the shore. The males check the females they brought with them. Water is passed around. Bruises are looked at. One female is carried because her legs will not hold her. Torrek crouches in front of you, still breathing hard from the crossing. "What is your name, female?" His eyes move over you once more, making sure you are whole.