Read Online A Turn of Light by Julie E Czerneda - Free Book Online Page B

her, then yawned toothily. “Not,” she said dryly, “if it means a man who wants mice for supper.”
    Wainn chuckled. “You have a good heart.”
    Good or not, it felt empty. She offered the toad a toe to rub its chin against. “All I want is to see more of the world,” she said gloomily. “Why is that wrong?”
    “I thought you wanted to marry a toad,” he said, looking confused.
    Jenn burst out laughing. Birds chirped in answer and a late beam of sun found its way through the apple trees to sparkle on the fountain. “I can’t believe I bothered Wen with such nonsense.” She lost her smile. “I guess I was desperate. You can’t visit Wen alone. I can’t choose my life alone. I’m sure Poppa won’t let me leave Marrowdell without a husband.” She patted his hand; it still clutched his hat. “And you, dear fellow, are spoken for.”
    “‘Spoken for?’”
    She touched the concerned furrow between his brows. “Wen likes you.”
    “Yes.” His puzzlement faded, replaced by a dazzling smile. “I’m a good listener.”
    “You are indeed. Let me know when you want to visit again. I’ll come if I can.” Jenn looked along the road to the mill, thinking of her father working when he should be home, eating his supper alone if he had any appetite left. Her fault. She’d best go and make amends. He could never stay angry at either of his daughters; it wasn’t fair to leave him unhappy. Then she would spend time with her aunt, as much as she could. “I have to go. Good night.”
    Wainn stood and offered his hand to help her to her feet, a courtly gesture as natural as his muddy bare feet. Hers, Jenn thought ruefully, were no better. She might be wearing black stockings.
    “My uncle has a book,” Wainn informed her as he released her hand. “A book about changing one thing into another.”
    From nonsense to instruction?
    She shouldn’t encourage this, Jenn told herself, fighting a surge of hope. Not in herself or Wainn. “It’s not possible.”
    “Wen said if anyone could do such a thing, it would be you.”
    The sunbeam disappeared. Silence made a wall around them until a bee buzzed past on her way to the hives. One of Kydd Uhthoff’s bees. Not the lesser of the two brothers, Jenn reminded herself. Not in knowledge. In Avyo, Kydd had been in the midst of studies at the university when his family was exiled. What those studies had been, no one said, but his keen dark eyes had a way of looking through a problem—or person.
    If anyone here could have a book to help her, it would be Kydd.
    Wainn nodded as if he’d followed all this. “I can ask him for the book for you, if you like.”
    If anyone here would immediately want to know why she was borrowing that particular book, it would be Kydd. He was curious to a fault—and, like his brother, a close friend of Radd Nalynn. Jenn swallowed. “Leave that to me, Wainn. I’ll visit your house tomorrow.” If it was on one of the many shelves, she should be able to borrow it with no one the wiser. Dusom was always glad to share, especially if a former student took interest in reading. “What’s the title?”
    “It’s not in the house. It’s in a hive. All the Mellynne books are in the hives. The books from Ansnor are in the hives too. Uncle says they make good winter coats for our bees.”
    Books from Mellynne? Ansnor? Who would . . . Jenn closed her mouth and took Wainn’s sleeve, tugging him with her. “Show me.”
    The main orchard nestled in the lee of the cliff behind Marrowdell, protected from wind, exposed all day to the sun. There were six more apple trees where the road split in the village center to go around the fountain. At this time of year, every branch bent under its load of ripening fruit, tempting the milk cows on their way to the shed and driving Wainn’s old pony to feats of inventiveness at the latch. Or, as now, to lean his head over the gate to nicker plaintively about his lack of apples, hairy lips working as if to summon