Read Online Eye of the Labyrinth by Jennifer Fallon - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jennifer Fallon
Tags: Fiction
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think?”
“Cute? Are you mad, Eleska? He’s a moron! I’d rather marry poor Eryk here, than have Panka Droganov waking up next to me every morning for the rest of my life!”
“I’ll marry you if you want, Mellie,” Eryk offered, as he sat down beside her, his heart almost bursting to hear her make such a declaration.
Mellie laughed. “Why thank you, Eryk, that’s very nice of you to offer. There you go, Eleska. I’m going to marry Eryk, you’re going to marry Dirk, and Reithan is going to marry Tia. That rounds it out quite nicely, don’t you think?”
Mellie and Eleska continued to chatter away, but Eryk was no longer listening to them.
Mellie wants to marry me,
his heart sang. He surreptitiously moved the carving around behind him, determined to stay up all night if he had to, just to have it finished in time.
And then in three days’ time, he would give it to her at the Troitsa Festival. It would be her betrothal present and they could tell everyone they were going to get married ...
“Are you listening to me, Eryk?” Mellie demanded.
“What? Thorry ... I was thinking ...”
“I asked you if you’re coming up to the house for dinner tonight, now that Dirk’s home.”
He shook his head. “I’ll see him later. I’ve got thome ... I mean something ... I have to do.”
“I’ll tell Mama you’re coming by tomorrow then,” Mellie said, climbing to her feet. She looked over the delta and smiled. “You’ve got the best view from up here. No wonder you like it so much.”
Eryk stared up at her, his eyes shining with happiness. “The most beautiful thing in the world,” he agreed.
And she wants to marry me ...
Chapter 9
It was later that afternoon that Dirk rowed across the bay to the small beach beneath the goat track leading up to Neris’s cave. He scrambled up the path to the ledge, and was a little surprised to find the madman sitting cross-legged in the cave’s entrance, apparently engrossed in a diagram he was making. The ledge was stifling, the bare rock reflecting the heat of the second sun like a cooking stone.
“Hello, Neris.”
The madman did not acknowledge his presence. As he drew closer, Dirk saw that he was sketching a series of concentric circles on a scrap of parchment that looked as if it had been torn out of a rather expensive book.
“I have a present for you.”
“I’m busy,” Neris replied without looking up.
“Fine. I’ll just give these books to Alasun down in the schoolhouse then, shall I?” Dirk replied, turning away.
Neris scrambled to his feet and hurried after him. “Books? What books?”
“Just some books I found in the Kalarada markets, but if you’re too busy—”
“Give them to me!”
Dirk was tempted to demand that Neris say “please,” but decided against it. The madman snatched the books from him, hurried back into his cave and knelt on the rocky floor, shuffling through the pile.
“Have you seen Tia yet?” Neris asked as he flicked through the pages, hungry for anything new to relive the tedium.
“Oh, yes,” Dirk replied with feeling, sitting himself down on the floor in front of the madman. “She said she’d be over to visit you later. After I’m gone.”
The madman’s eyes narrowed cannily. “Why does she hate you so much?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’re lying.”
Dirk shrugged. “All right, I’m lying. But it’s still none of your damn business.”
“Why won’t you tell me? Don’t you trust me with your little secret?”
“Why should I?” he asked with a smile. “You won’t trust me with yours.”
“That was very good, Dirk.” Neris chuckled. “Is that your strategy now—you tell me your secret and I tell you mine? Two years and you still haven’t had any luck, eh? You’re persistent, I’ll give you that much.”
“I’m persistent? I think you hold the honor for that, Neris.”
“Don’t get snippy at me, boy, just because you can’t outwit me.”
“Actually, I was referring to
“Cute? Are you mad, Eleska? He’s a moron! I’d rather marry poor Eryk here, than have Panka Droganov waking up next to me every morning for the rest of my life!”
“I’ll marry you if you want, Mellie,” Eryk offered, as he sat down beside her, his heart almost bursting to hear her make such a declaration.
Mellie laughed. “Why thank you, Eryk, that’s very nice of you to offer. There you go, Eleska. I’m going to marry Eryk, you’re going to marry Dirk, and Reithan is going to marry Tia. That rounds it out quite nicely, don’t you think?”
Mellie and Eleska continued to chatter away, but Eryk was no longer listening to them.
Mellie wants to marry me,
his heart sang. He surreptitiously moved the carving around behind him, determined to stay up all night if he had to, just to have it finished in time.
And then in three days’ time, he would give it to her at the Troitsa Festival. It would be her betrothal present and they could tell everyone they were going to get married ...
“Are you listening to me, Eryk?” Mellie demanded.
“What? Thorry ... I was thinking ...”
“I asked you if you’re coming up to the house for dinner tonight, now that Dirk’s home.”
He shook his head. “I’ll see him later. I’ve got thome ... I mean something ... I have to do.”
“I’ll tell Mama you’re coming by tomorrow then,” Mellie said, climbing to her feet. She looked over the delta and smiled. “You’ve got the best view from up here. No wonder you like it so much.”
Eryk stared up at her, his eyes shining with happiness. “The most beautiful thing in the world,” he agreed.
And she wants to marry me ...
Chapter 9
It was later that afternoon that Dirk rowed across the bay to the small beach beneath the goat track leading up to Neris’s cave. He scrambled up the path to the ledge, and was a little surprised to find the madman sitting cross-legged in the cave’s entrance, apparently engrossed in a diagram he was making. The ledge was stifling, the bare rock reflecting the heat of the second sun like a cooking stone.
“Hello, Neris.”
The madman did not acknowledge his presence. As he drew closer, Dirk saw that he was sketching a series of concentric circles on a scrap of parchment that looked as if it had been torn out of a rather expensive book.
“I have a present for you.”
“I’m busy,” Neris replied without looking up.
“Fine. I’ll just give these books to Alasun down in the schoolhouse then, shall I?” Dirk replied, turning away.
Neris scrambled to his feet and hurried after him. “Books? What books?”
“Just some books I found in the Kalarada markets, but if you’re too busy—”
“Give them to me!”
Dirk was tempted to demand that Neris say “please,” but decided against it. The madman snatched the books from him, hurried back into his cave and knelt on the rocky floor, shuffling through the pile.
“Have you seen Tia yet?” Neris asked as he flicked through the pages, hungry for anything new to relive the tedium.
“Oh, yes,” Dirk replied with feeling, sitting himself down on the floor in front of the madman. “She said she’d be over to visit you later. After I’m gone.”
The madman’s eyes narrowed cannily. “Why does she hate you so much?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’re lying.”
Dirk shrugged. “All right, I’m lying. But it’s still none of your damn business.”
“Why won’t you tell me? Don’t you trust me with your little secret?”
“Why should I?” he asked with a smile. “You won’t trust me with yours.”
“That was very good, Dirk.” Neris chuckled. “Is that your strategy now—you tell me your secret and I tell you mine? Two years and you still haven’t had any luck, eh? You’re persistent, I’ll give you that much.”
“I’m persistent? I think you hold the honor for that, Neris.”
“Don’t get snippy at me, boy, just because you can’t outwit me.”
“Actually, I was referring to
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