Read Online First Comes The One Who Wanders by Lynette S. Jones - Free Book Online

School of Sky."
    "What about Jayram?"
    "I think he’s still content to do King Darryl's bidding."
    "And I thought the crafters would leave each other alone," remarked Leilas sarcastically, thinking back on what the masters had taught her concerning the crafter schools.
    "Jayram's reasons for helping Darryl are still clouded," Joshuas accepted her point reluctantly. "But there are some crafter's who believe the powers aren’t as balanced as the Council of Sky believe them to be. There’s a lot about the world that the masters at the School of Sky have missed because they choose to stay within the walls of the school. It’s easy to be misled when you don't venture into the world and rely on others for the news."
    "All the masters have to do is call the mists and look around," Leilas argued with him. "They know what’s going on."
    "The mists can lie. They didn't know that the School of Land was going to attack," Joshuas jabbed back. "The Council has been content to let people like me tell them what is happening, and not every crafter is as honest with them. Many have their own reasons for sharing information with the masters and for withholding it. The Council has been remiss in not keeping a better eye on the balance of power."
    Leilas wanted to argue with him, but knew she was venturing into a part of the Crafter's Guild about which she knew very little. She'd spent her time learning the craft. Learning how to play the game of politics associated with the Guild hadn't been of any interest to her. She'd always assumed she’d avoid that arena. Listening to the politics of her father's kingdom as she was growing up had been more than enough for her.
    Many crafters lived their whole life and never had to worry about what the Council did or didn't do and how the powers were distributed throughout the earth.
    "I hope you're right about Darryl. I hadn't envisioned spending the rest of my life as a fugitive."
    "We never know what will be accorded us in this life." Joshuas headed back for his mount. "We simply deal with what comes our way, one day at a time."
    "That’s an interesting philosophy for someone who deals in centuries instead of years."
    "It's kept me alive this long."
    "And how long has that been?"
    "Master Joshuas was an old master when I was a child," Queen Daina spoke softly, interrupting their conversation for the first time. "Even then, the Menas couldn't remember how old he was."
    An odd disappointment settled in Leilas' chest as her mother spoke. She wasn't sure why, and decided she’d have to explore it when she had more time. Cringing at the thought, she steeled herself against the voice in her mind, but it did not come.
    "Are you ready to begin?" Joshuas mounted his horse and turned in his saddle. "We go up, you go down."
    "I'll do my best." Leilas handed her reins to Brenth and mounted.
    "That should give us some breathing room and me time to come up with a better solution." Joshuas urged his horse into motion, while Leilas closed her eyes and began creating a completely different scene in her mind.

CHAPTER 3
     
    The two wolves sniffed at the edge of the stream, then crossed over and sniffed on the other side. "They crossed over," said the first.
    "Yes, and then crossed back. Master Jayram says they have continued along the grove."
    The first wolf, a large gray-black male, sniffed along the trail that wound through the forest then he came back and sniffed on either side of the stream. "They went across and up. They didn't continue along this trail."
    The second wolf dropped his nose to the ground and sniffed along the forest trail then he came back to the stream. Slowly, his form began to change. The wolf shimmered and blurred and soon a man was standing where the wolf had been. The man was wiry, dark, and appeared to be in his late twenties. A gold clasp that identified him as a master crafter from the School of Land held the top of his gray-black cloak together. "I need to talk to Master Jayram before