The Bonemender's Choice by Holly Bennett

Author:Holly Bennett [Bennett, Holly]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: JUV000000
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Published: 2007-08-31T20:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINETEEN

TURGA STARED MOODILY into the purple depths of his goblet. The wine had not lifted his black spirits; it was hard to imagine anything that would.

Bad enough that his profits leaked away with each day the auction stayed closed. It could be weeks, even months that he had to keep those children. And they had to stay healthy and strong—he couldn’t just toss them into a basement dungeon and feed them scraps, not if he wanted a decent price at the end. Then that idiot Rhus had tipped the scales toward disaster by destroying a third of his merchandise. Turga could only pray he hadn’t done worse.

He should never have hired the man, cousin or no. That was Turga’s first mistake—letting family obligations outweigh good judgment. And they should have left Rhus behind in Baskir when he didn’t promptly obey the callback. Second mistake. The man was worthless, a turd on Turga’s heart.

Through the narrow window, Turga could just see the crude outbuilding tucked against the wall where Rhus was locked in isolation. There he would live or die as the Veil decreed. Better for him he should die, thought Turga, than face my justice. He hoped the ravenous worm who devoured the unworthy dead made a particularly unpleasant end to all men who knowingly spread their sickness. The thought of Rhus tramping all over his compound with a burning head and raw throat goaded Turga into impotent fury.

Turga had been in the midst of lambasting Rhus for the death of the slave boy when he noticed the man was swaying on his feet. He eyed him sharply. Was that hangdog stance and slick pallor merely fear of the punishment to come, as Turga had assumed? As if in reply, Rhus slowly crumpled to his knees. His throat worked as he swallowed slowly. A string of saliva escaped his mouth and hung in a glistening thread.

“The Hewer take you, what is wrong with you?” Turga had taken three hasty steps backward before the words were out of his mouth.

Rhus shrugged, armed his mouth dry and offered a brief ghastly smile. “Guess the Veil caught up with me. Sorry, boss. I was hoping it was just a sore throat.”

Turga would have the shed torched and Rhus inside it once he died. Maybe even if he didn’t die. That was the first cheering thought he’d had all day.

MATTHIEU NEEDED HER, she knew that. She could feel him watching her now, knew his stricken worried eyes had hardly strayed from her huddled form in the two days since Luc’s death. She needed to pull herself together for his sake.

But if she turned from the wall, she had nowhere to look that wasn’t a reminder of what had happened. Luc’s empty cot, the chain snaking away from its leg. Bloodstains where he had lain with the life gushing out of him. He had kissed her, and now he was dead. Madeleine wished she were dead as well.

“Maddy, please. You’ve got to eat.” Matthieu’s hand on her shoulder was steady, his voice gentle and coaxing.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.