Read Online Dawnbringer: A Forgotten Realms Novel by Samantha Henderson - Free Book Online
Authors: Samantha Henderson
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lost forever, but in that brief contact, Fandour had sniffed out the dark one’s blood, a nexus between him, Fandour, and the Rhythanko
.
Time was long and until Fandour healed, there was little else to be done. He coiled about the memory of the blood, the nature, the taste, the smell, the tiny components of it
.
Fandour would not forget anything to do with that blood
.
A troubled expression on her face, Jandi sat silent as the green light of her Art faded. She turned the bracelet round and round between her fingers.
“You’d impress them back in Mulmaster,” said Gareth. “Why the glum look?”
She looked up at him, ignoring the hand he’d stretched out to help her up.
“I wish I knew more about how the Key was made, and the exact nature of the Power it taps into,” she said.
“Why? It did what you wanted.” He wiggled his fingers at her.
She seemed to see his hand at last and took it. He winced as she grasped his wounded finger tightly while pulling herself to her feet. She staggered, and he extended an arm to steady her.
“Are you unwell?”
She breathed deeply and raised her eyes to his.
“It’s just … I have a feeling I caused pain to something, to some entity or Power the Key is connected to.I felt a cry of pain, and more—despair. Something with no hope, and nothing to do but watch and plan for … for something. A chance to escape, to be free of the Key.”
“But you didn’t intend to hurt anybody.”
“No, of course not. But sometimes you can cause great harm, accidentally. When you were a sailor, and you had to fight a pirate, do you think you ever had to hurt … or kill … someone who was innocent? Because of the circumstances, or the tools of your trade, just in the course of business?”
Gareth turned away to look at the horizon, black starred silk against black velvet, and pulled on his gloves, for the mountain air was chilly. Neither he nor Ivor had told Jandi they’d served on Ping’s ship before they’d met her in Mulmaster.
Gareth found himself wondering if Ivor would tell her, now that she’d thrown her lot in with pirates.
“Yes, I suppose,” he said at last. “You can’t avoid stepping on every ant. And maybe you did injure something in using the Key, but it’s over now, and they’ll likely forget.”
“Yes, very likely.” Jandi’s voice told him she wasn’t so sure. She swayed again.
“Careful of the edge,” said Gareth, guiding her to a stone knob. She didn’t sit but leaned on it, still twisting the torque in her hand.
“Are you all right?” He glanced at the rock beneath their feet and wondered if he was imagining the ambient green glow that seemed to cling to the contours of the rough stone. “Did … did it work?” He tried not to sound too eager.
She nodded wearily. “It worked, possibly in more ways than we’ll ever know. But your palace is warded to you, and I wish you the joy of it.”
He looked at the dull metal she wound between her fingers like a snake. Tentatively he reached out for it.
“Shouldn’t I—shouldn’t I hold that?”
Startled, she looked at him, then down at the torque.
“Yes, of course,” she said. “But … do you mind if I hold it a while longer?”
Reluctantly he pulled back his hand.
“It’s drained me,” she said. “But now it’s over, I feel some of my strength return. And I’d like—I’d like to find out if it can give me any more information before you take it back.”
She looked down at it, brooding.
“I’d like to find out whom I’ve hurt. May I? Just for a while. I’ll give it back tonight.”
Suddenly Gareth longed for the brisk walk down and a slap of cool water on his face at the base of the Fist.
“Come on, then,” he said, taking her elbow. “Dinner and your sweetheart below, and then you can tinker with that Key as long as you like.”
Jandi made it down the rough-hewn stairway unaided, but Ivor persuaded her to mount the donkey for the short trek
.
Time was long and until Fandour healed, there was little else to be done. He coiled about the memory of the blood, the nature, the taste, the smell, the tiny components of it
.
Fandour would not forget anything to do with that blood
.
A troubled expression on her face, Jandi sat silent as the green light of her Art faded. She turned the bracelet round and round between her fingers.
“You’d impress them back in Mulmaster,” said Gareth. “Why the glum look?”
She looked up at him, ignoring the hand he’d stretched out to help her up.
“I wish I knew more about how the Key was made, and the exact nature of the Power it taps into,” she said.
“Why? It did what you wanted.” He wiggled his fingers at her.
She seemed to see his hand at last and took it. He winced as she grasped his wounded finger tightly while pulling herself to her feet. She staggered, and he extended an arm to steady her.
“Are you unwell?”
She breathed deeply and raised her eyes to his.
“It’s just … I have a feeling I caused pain to something, to some entity or Power the Key is connected to.I felt a cry of pain, and more—despair. Something with no hope, and nothing to do but watch and plan for … for something. A chance to escape, to be free of the Key.”
“But you didn’t intend to hurt anybody.”
“No, of course not. But sometimes you can cause great harm, accidentally. When you were a sailor, and you had to fight a pirate, do you think you ever had to hurt … or kill … someone who was innocent? Because of the circumstances, or the tools of your trade, just in the course of business?”
Gareth turned away to look at the horizon, black starred silk against black velvet, and pulled on his gloves, for the mountain air was chilly. Neither he nor Ivor had told Jandi they’d served on Ping’s ship before they’d met her in Mulmaster.
Gareth found himself wondering if Ivor would tell her, now that she’d thrown her lot in with pirates.
“Yes, I suppose,” he said at last. “You can’t avoid stepping on every ant. And maybe you did injure something in using the Key, but it’s over now, and they’ll likely forget.”
“Yes, very likely.” Jandi’s voice told him she wasn’t so sure. She swayed again.
“Careful of the edge,” said Gareth, guiding her to a stone knob. She didn’t sit but leaned on it, still twisting the torque in her hand.
“Are you all right?” He glanced at the rock beneath their feet and wondered if he was imagining the ambient green glow that seemed to cling to the contours of the rough stone. “Did … did it work?” He tried not to sound too eager.
She nodded wearily. “It worked, possibly in more ways than we’ll ever know. But your palace is warded to you, and I wish you the joy of it.”
He looked at the dull metal she wound between her fingers like a snake. Tentatively he reached out for it.
“Shouldn’t I—shouldn’t I hold that?”
Startled, she looked at him, then down at the torque.
“Yes, of course,” she said. “But … do you mind if I hold it a while longer?”
Reluctantly he pulled back his hand.
“It’s drained me,” she said. “But now it’s over, I feel some of my strength return. And I’d like—I’d like to find out if it can give me any more information before you take it back.”
She looked down at it, brooding.
“I’d like to find out whom I’ve hurt. May I? Just for a while. I’ll give it back tonight.”
Suddenly Gareth longed for the brisk walk down and a slap of cool water on his face at the base of the Fist.
“Come on, then,” he said, taking her elbow. “Dinner and your sweetheart below, and then you can tinker with that Key as long as you like.”
Jandi made it down the rough-hewn stairway unaided, but Ivor persuaded her to mount the donkey for the short trek
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