Read Online Into the Wind by Shira Anthony - Free Book Online Page A

Ian’s crew nearly six months before.
    “You must have hit your head,” the boy said. “If you need some help, I can—”
    “I’m fine,” Taren snapped.
    “Suit yourself.” He watched in silence as Taren dressed in the gray linen trousers and slipped the simple tunic over his head.
    “What’s your name?” Taren studied the boy a bit more carefully as he pulled his long hair from his face and knotted it at the base of his neck.
    “Brynn.”
    “I’m Taren.” He no longer used the name he’d taken from his former master. Borstan Laxley had never owned him, never loved him as a son even though Taren had wished he had. He’d once asked Vurin his parents’ family name, but Vurin had explained they had none: only Ea who lived amongst humans took a second name. Perhaps if he and Ian handfasted, he might take Ian’s family name, but for now “Taren” was good enough for him.
    Ian. Why was it he remembered Ian and the Phantom so clearly but nearly everything else seemed to blur in his memory?
    “Taren. What kind of name is that?”
    Taren shrugged. “The name my parents gave me.”
    “You’re not from here. Do you come from the Eastern Lands?”
    “Raice Harbor.” Taren chuckled. The thought that the boy might think him exotic amused him.
    “You sailed here, then.” Brynn seemed pleased to have come to this conclusion.
    “Aye.”
    “Where’s your ship?”
    A fair question. “I don’t know.” Taren wondered if Brynn might have news of the Phantom , but he decided to wait until he was sure of the boy’s intentions to ask.
    Brynn raised a pale eyebrow. “Why are you here?”
    “You ask a lot of questions.”
    “Does that bother you?” Brynn’s eyes shone with a silent challenge.
    Taren couldn’t help but smile. The boy had twice the gall of Fiall and none of his self-control. “No. It’s refreshing.”
    “But you haven’t answered my question,” Brynn pointed out.
    “I’m looking for someone.” He’d remembered this and saw no reason to withhold the truth. He might learn something to help them find the rune stone. And if Vurin was correct….
    “A woman?” Brynn’s smirk was charmingly naïve.
    “A man.”
    “Oh. I see. You prefer men.”
    Perhaps not so naïve . Taren laughed at the boy’s audacity. “I’m interested in speaking with him, not bedding him. Perhaps you’ve heard of him? The pirate Odhrán?”
    “ Him ?” Brynn raised his chin and smiled outright. “Of course I’ve heard of him. I know him well.”
    Taren chuckled. “Indeed. And you must be one of his trusted crew.”
    Brynn’s expression was one of obvious indignation. “He prefers to remain hidden, so I run errands for him from time to time. There are plenty of men around these islands who would like to see him dead.”
    “Another reason to be skeptical of your claim,” Taren said as he sat down on a large rock and crossed his arms over his chest. “How do you know I’m not here to kill him?”
    The boy shrugged. “You have no weapon.” He pulled a knife from the waist of his pants and pointed the blade at Taren. “For a man who is here to kill a dangerous pirate, you’re far too trusting. I could have killed you ages ago.”
    “You watched me when I was asleep?”
    Brynn ignored Taren’s question. “I can take you to him.” He stood up and brushed a few strands of hair from his eyes.
    “Take me?” Taren hadn’t considered that the boy might actually know the location of Odhrán’s hideaway. He’d intended to return to Ian and the Phantom as quickly as possible, but now he hesitated.
    “You worried about your shipmates?” Brynn asked.
    Taren jumped up, excited by the thought that Brynn might know of his crewmates’ fate. “What do you know of them?” he demanded, knowing he sounded desperate but too worried to care.
    Brynn swung his arms at his sides and pressed his lips together. “I know there was a battle not far from Cera. One of the ships sank. The other, the Phantom , is in