Read Online Blood Witch by Thea Atkinson - Free Book Online Page B

didn't mean it. She pulled her arms across her chest. So
many times beneath the Carrion's hand had she wished it. Dreamed it
when she passed out, begged for it when she'd psyched as much
moisture as she could from the cavern and still there was too much
to pull from him.
    She felt Yuri's
hand on her shoulder. "He will stay there until you decide." He
snuffed with finality and turned from her. In seconds he was out of
sight, lost in the darkness before she felt Yenic behind her
again.
    "Let's get out of
here."
    She couldn't speak
to him either, she was so filled with conflicting thoughts and
emotions. Not knowing who to trust: her father who'd always used
her, or this boy who pretended to love her and lied to her. Knowing
she was now being given permission to kill again, but only by her
choice, when she'd always just been ordered to do so. Ordered, but
never wanting to take life. The flood of thoughts were enough to
get her feet moving by way of escape from them.
    She was just
seeing the far-off light of the iron bars when she realized Gael
was still there, a hunched form next to the stone he'd settled
against.
    Yuri must have
passed right by him and Gael, obviously feeling guilty about having
led Alaysha into the mountain face, had opted to stay hunched next
to the wall.
    "Gael?" she said,
testing her voice.
    No response nor
movement came from the pile of leather and boots.
    "Gael?" She said
again, and Yenic brushed past her to put his hands on the man's
shoulders.
    "Oh no," he
murmured.
    No? Oh no? That
couldn't be good. "Yenic? What's wrong?"
    He stood from his
squat at Gael's side and pointed down at the man's throat. It took
a few moments, a few steps, and a close examination to see a tiny
quill jutting from just behind Gael's ear.
    "What is it?" She
didn't truly want to know the answer.
    Yenic folded his
arms across his chest, exasperated. "Aedus," he said.

Chapter 6
    It took the two of them to stretch Gael out into the
sunshine beyond the doors. By the time they had dragged him through
the iron gates and lain him flat, Alaysha was both out of breath
and weak. It had taken all of her command of herself to work
without giving in to the still lingering pain of her injury.
    Yenic pulled the
quill and passed it to Alaysha who inspected it. Porcupine. Hollow
and empty. She shrugged at Yenic. "I don't understand." She leaned
over and listened at Gael's mouth again. Yes. Breath. Shallow, as
though he was sleeping but not quite under enough. "He's
alive."
    "Of course he is.
Do you think Aedus a murderer?"
    An old woman with
a basket of onions strolled by and, seeing the witch and a man
staring down at what was obviously one of Yuri's soldiers, gave
them an abrupt wide berth.
    "We should get him
out of sight," Yenic said. "We don't want to make people
nervous."
    "How long will he
be out?"
    Yenic pursed his
lips, thinking. "The last batch had me out for a couple of
hours."
    "A couple of
hours? You?" Alaysha stared at him. "Last batch?"
    He shrugged one
shoulder deferentially. "She found a new pastime while we were
searching for Edulph."
    It sounded like
there was much more background, but it also didn't seem the time to
talk about it. Instead, Alaysha gave her attention to Gael. "So if
he's out for a couple of hours, we need to get him out of
sight."
    Yenic said nothing
but gave her an I-told-you-so look.
    "Yes," she
answered. "That's what you said, I know." She scanned the area of
the curtain, searching for a good spot to put him, and finding
none, stated the obvious. "Why don't we just bring him to his
sister? Is not as though we've done anything wrong."
    Simple enough,
except she was already aching from the exertion of dragging him
into the sunlight. She hoped Yenic would come up with a better
plan.
    Yenic reached for
Gael's feet. "If you say so, but you take the head part. I don't
want to be anywhere near that mouth if he wakes up." He lifted.
Grunted. Alaysha reached beneath Gael's shoulders and when she
tried to heft him,