Read Online Azurite (Daughter of the Mountain Book 1) by Megan Dent Nagle - Free Book Online

shock of Evangeline’s uncompassionate response was written all over the herald’s face, but he clamped his mouth shut, gave her a look of disbelief, then grabbed his fellow traveler by the arm.  They turned to exit the council room and return back to Rienne with Evangeline’s reply.  The Queen knew her actions would anger Leonardo, but in truth she didn’t care.  The plights of Rienne were not her concern, especially when Samaria’s own troubles were so much more concerning.

 
    Chapter 3
     
    Zora Winnser, daughter of Queen Evangeline, sat curled up by a crackling fire in one of Mizra’s numerous libraries.  Her feet were tucked comfortably underneath her, and a shawl was wrapped around her shoulders to ward off the cold of the fortress.  Each of the library’s four walls supported artistically designed bookcases that housed thousands of books on an infinite amount of subjects. 
    Because Zora was not born of pure royal blood, Queen Evangeline refused to give her daughter the supportive, nurturing relationship a parent and child should have.  She tried to make up for it, however, by giving Zora the best Samarian education possible. The Queen had tutors brought in from all over the Realm to teach the young woman, ever since she could remember.
                  “You may be a bastard, Zora, but you still represent the privileged Winnser name. I won’t have an imbecile for a child.”  That was what the Queen always told her.
    Normally, the children of the royal Winnser bloodline would have been well taught in Samarian politics, commerce, and cultural customs, but Zora’s baseborn status kept the Queen from doing such things.  To her, Zora’s existence was an embarrassment.  So instead, Zora read every book she could possibly get her hands on to make up for the priceless experiences she was missing out on as Queen Evangeline’s bastard child. 
                  A loud knock at the open, doublewide doorway leading into the library interrupted Zora’s reading.  She jumped slightly then swung her head around to meet the noisy intruder. 
    “Milo!” she cried when she sighted her tutor, and friend, waiting in the doorway.  A huge smile unfolded on her young face as she watched the elderly man wobble his way into the library attached to his cane.  He smiled back, small dimples forming on his wrinkled cheeks.  He had a parcel wrapped in brown paper nestled in the crook of his arm.  Zora eyed it curiously as the old man took a seat on the sofa across from her.
                  “Taking a break from my lesson plans I see,” he commented, nudging his head towards the book of folklore on her lap.  Zora immediately closed it and put it to the side, feeling a little bit embarrassed for reading something so frivolous under her teacher’s eye.
                  “I completed all the readings and figure exercises you assigned me,” Zora replied quickly.  “I assume you’ll want to quiz me on them?”  Surprisingly, Milo shook his head.
                  “Not today.  Instead, I picked up something at the market that I think you’ll appreciate.” Milo handed the parcel over to her with another charming smile.  Zora took it from him cautiously, unaccustomed to receiving random gifts of kindness.  As she tore open the thick brown paper, her expression went from surprise to elation.
                  “Milo,” she began, eyes wide, “where on earth did you find this?”  Carefully, she ran her fingers over the embossed title of the leather bound tome then opened up the large book, receiving a whiff of dust in return.  The pages were yellowing and in some places torn, but the content was still intact.
                  “I bought it from a peddler on his way up from Trisdag,” Milo said.  “He had scores of journals, papers, and encyclopedias with him.  I spent hours rummaging through them all.  Got some good stuff