Lazette Gifford - Quest for the Dark Staff 06 by Freedom & Fame

Author:Freedom & Fame [Freedom & Fame]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-06-03T20:59:45+00:00

Chapter 4

Etric watched the actions of the three with a spell on the tip of his mind, ready to act if he thought it would help. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know what to trust—

The silence had gone on too long, and then he suddenly knew when Tabor destroyed the curse. He saw it in Abby and Tabor—the immediate change in Aubreyan’s face, and pain in Tabor’s that he hadn’t expected.

By the time Etric came around the table, still ready to help, Tristan had already healed some of Tabor’s wounds, and their new ally had regained consciousness. He did not look well.

Etric reached out, startling Tabor.

“I won’t hurt you, but I do have magic as well. I can help Tabor.”

“Why?” Tabor asked, his face damp, his chest still bleeding.

“Because you are one of us now,” Etric said. “But then, you have helped us before. You told me to shoot that creature that came from your father’s realm, didn’t you?”

“What?” Crystal said, startled.

“Back on Taru,” Etric said. He put a hand very softly on Tabor’s shoulder. He still looked oddly afraid. “In those last moments—”

“Braith,” Tabor said. “He would have cast—but I wasn’t really certain you understood what I said. I had thought, perhaps, it was only wisdom on your part.”

“I would never have fired into the heart of such magic. I have two deaf crewmen, Tabor. I read lips very well.”

“Ah.” He leaned his head back. “Careful. Don’t waste magic now. We may still have need of it soon.”

“No waste,” Etric said. He whispered a little magic that eased the pain away from Tabor, and helped him to rest, at least. Peaceful, even with the pain still there in his body. Tabor had suffered a great deal, and silently.

Etric drew his hand back and looked at Abby and Tristan—and stopped again, shocked at the change. He never would have thought that there had been something wrong with Abby before this. Considering the war he fought, it had seemed only natural that he should be reserved.

But now—now his eyes showed concern. He and Tristan both looked years younger.

“I’m glad to see you two again,” Etric said, smiling at Abby’s look of pleasure. “I must be mad to think so, but I am glad. And Tabor—he’s really working with us?”

“Oh yes,” Abby said. He reached out and touched Tabor’s hand, as though testing to make certain he could. “He could not lie to me, not on the level where we worked. He saw more of me than I did of him, but still—”

“Yes,” Tristan said. He dropped suddenly into the chair behind Abby, looking worn again. “I can still feel it there, too. He’s not lying. He’s working with us. Gix never trusted him, and I think he knew for a long time that he would never do any better with the demon. But that’s not why he came to us. It would have been as easy for him just to walk away, to disappear. He didn’t have to bring us the Kiya.

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.