Read Online Echoes of Silence by Elana Johnson - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Elana Johnson
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my head now. Bonded magicians who disliked each other usually meant one thing: They’d only bonded to gain power. They didn’t love magic, didn’t want to use it to heal the lands the way the magicians of Relina had intended, or bring relief to the weary the way the weavers of Relina did, or introduce calmness into the chaos the way the ancients expected mages to do.
They simply wanted to possess as much power as possible and climb the ranks in the High King’s court. If magicians didn’t act as Bo and Gibson did, they were imprisoned. Living in the Prince’s suite surely outranked the dungeon.
Since magicians couldn’t choose who they bonded with, I didn’t need to cast a song to know why Bo and Gibson had paired up. They were bonded magicians simply to advance their careers—and yet they were enemies. Dangerous now screamed through my mind as I scratched out answers on parchment.
#
An hour later, with my stomach rumbling and my nerves raw from the silent interrogation of Bo and Gibson, I walked toward the exit. The desperation to leave clouded my thoughts, but when Gibson leaned in close enough for me to smell his breath, I seized on the threshold.
“If I find that you have lied in the slightest, girl, you will have me to answer to.”
His breath smelled like he had eaten raw meat for breakfast, and I had no doubt that he would hunt me to the edges of the lands if it meant he could advance to the next level.
A vein of tension stretched between us, his eyes growing angrier. I struggled with what to say, though Gibson clearly waited for something.
He motioned to the door, a fast flap of the hand that said Get out now! I fumbled for the door handle behind me, and when I found it, I spilled into the hallway.
I stood there for a moment, collecting my thoughts. I expected Matu to emerge from behind the tapestry and take me to lunch. When he didn’t, every instinct told me to find a way out of this place. I’d taken three steps down the hall when someone came up the spiraled ramp.
Castillo appeared, his arm linked with a platinum-haired beauty with her head thrown back in silent laughter. As they advanced, she whispered in his ear, her lips much too close to his, and his face showed a hint of a blush while his eyes sparkled with laughter.
“Here you are, Athe—oh, Echo. You’re done early.” He disentangled himself from the exotic Athe and glanced nervously over his shoulder before meeting my gaze again. “Has Matu not met you?”
“As you can see,” I said, trying to decipher this raging storm inside my chest and the guilty hint in Castillo’s eyes.
Something churned in my stomach, that same something that had made me trust him in the market just yesterday. The magic between us felt like a physical link, like it could become a bond. I took a step toward him, dangerous hope beating in my chest.
He shook his head, a clear warning that an exchange in mixed company could prove fatal. I forced my feet backward, my mind reeling from the possibility of bonding with Castillo.
#
“Free for the rest of the day” turned into a nightmare. Castillo dropped off his giggling girlfriend and made a hasty exit. I barely knew him, but I somehow felt abandoned in my moment of greatest need.
Much to my relief, Matu showed up moments later to escort me to lunch. He didn’t say anything as an explanation for his tardiness, and he didn’t offer me his arm. I didn’t want to take it anyway, but it still felt like a personal slight. The suffocating storm inside my chest hadn’t lessened, and I couldn’t identify the true cause of it: A possible bond with Castillo, or seeing him with another girl hanging on his arm.
As Matu and I reached the bottom of the ramp, a chorus reached my ears, weak at first, wafting like a feather carried on a warm summer current. It stirred into a haunting melody of sadness mingled with hope. A magical song meant to infuse comfort into the soul of one and encourage dying in another. In
They simply wanted to possess as much power as possible and climb the ranks in the High King’s court. If magicians didn’t act as Bo and Gibson did, they were imprisoned. Living in the Prince’s suite surely outranked the dungeon.
Since magicians couldn’t choose who they bonded with, I didn’t need to cast a song to know why Bo and Gibson had paired up. They were bonded magicians simply to advance their careers—and yet they were enemies. Dangerous now screamed through my mind as I scratched out answers on parchment.
#
An hour later, with my stomach rumbling and my nerves raw from the silent interrogation of Bo and Gibson, I walked toward the exit. The desperation to leave clouded my thoughts, but when Gibson leaned in close enough for me to smell his breath, I seized on the threshold.
“If I find that you have lied in the slightest, girl, you will have me to answer to.”
His breath smelled like he had eaten raw meat for breakfast, and I had no doubt that he would hunt me to the edges of the lands if it meant he could advance to the next level.
A vein of tension stretched between us, his eyes growing angrier. I struggled with what to say, though Gibson clearly waited for something.
He motioned to the door, a fast flap of the hand that said Get out now! I fumbled for the door handle behind me, and when I found it, I spilled into the hallway.
I stood there for a moment, collecting my thoughts. I expected Matu to emerge from behind the tapestry and take me to lunch. When he didn’t, every instinct told me to find a way out of this place. I’d taken three steps down the hall when someone came up the spiraled ramp.
Castillo appeared, his arm linked with a platinum-haired beauty with her head thrown back in silent laughter. As they advanced, she whispered in his ear, her lips much too close to his, and his face showed a hint of a blush while his eyes sparkled with laughter.
“Here you are, Athe—oh, Echo. You’re done early.” He disentangled himself from the exotic Athe and glanced nervously over his shoulder before meeting my gaze again. “Has Matu not met you?”
“As you can see,” I said, trying to decipher this raging storm inside my chest and the guilty hint in Castillo’s eyes.
Something churned in my stomach, that same something that had made me trust him in the market just yesterday. The magic between us felt like a physical link, like it could become a bond. I took a step toward him, dangerous hope beating in my chest.
He shook his head, a clear warning that an exchange in mixed company could prove fatal. I forced my feet backward, my mind reeling from the possibility of bonding with Castillo.
#
“Free for the rest of the day” turned into a nightmare. Castillo dropped off his giggling girlfriend and made a hasty exit. I barely knew him, but I somehow felt abandoned in my moment of greatest need.
Much to my relief, Matu showed up moments later to escort me to lunch. He didn’t say anything as an explanation for his tardiness, and he didn’t offer me his arm. I didn’t want to take it anyway, but it still felt like a personal slight. The suffocating storm inside my chest hadn’t lessened, and I couldn’t identify the true cause of it: A possible bond with Castillo, or seeing him with another girl hanging on his arm.
As Matu and I reached the bottom of the ramp, a chorus reached my ears, weak at first, wafting like a feather carried on a warm summer current. It stirred into a haunting melody of sadness mingled with hope. A magical song meant to infuse comfort into the soul of one and encourage dying in another. In
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