Read Online Lord of the White Hell book Two lotwh-2 by Ginn Hale - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ginn Hale
Tags: sf_fantasy
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physicality implied weakness of some kind. He could be exhausted; he could be injured. Studying him now, all his snarls and shouts, Kiram thought that a skilled swordsman would be wise to exploit the war master's quick temper to draw him out, make him overreach.
Not that Kiram was a skilled swordsman. Reminding himself of that, he averted his gaze from the war master's face and concentrated on the lesson. Firaj responded to the commands that Master Ignacio shouted across the arena and Kiram moved with his mount. He felt a certain pleasure at the thought that he was learning nearly as much from his horse as he was from the war master.
After Kiram had brushed Firaj down and spent a few minutes making much of the old gelding, he followed Nestor out of the stables.
Flecks of snow drifted lazily from the white afternoon sky.
Javier waited outside, apparently unperturbed by the cold, a dusting of snowflakes in his dark hair. "You certainly look smug, Kiram."
"He does, doesn't he?" Nestor agreed.
"I'm just relieved to be able to enjoy the day," Kiram replied. "And I'm looking forward to this evening."
Javier and he shared the briefest smile before Javier slyly averted his eyes.
"I'm not." Nestor gave the dormitory a particularly condemning glare. "Have you noticed what's been coming out of the kitchen lately? There's been no fresh meat in weeks and now even the sausages are beginning to look like cabbage and oats. It's going to be nothing but cabbage for the rest of the winter, I know it."
"Don't abandon all hope just yet, young Grunito" Javier looked more pleased with himself than usual as he spoke. "Supply wagons just arrived, and not only did it look like they were weighted down with sides of beef, but there were mail deliveries as well. Probably the last of the year."
"Anything from my mother?" Kiram asked.
"As always," Javier replied. He glanced to Nestor. "Are you game to help haul the damn thing up the stairs?"
"For more of those marzipan pears I'd haul the crate all the way to Anacleto." Nestor's face flushed with a strange excitement that bordered on lust.
The three of them muscled the creaking, wooden crate up the stairs to the tower room. Despite the dozens of other students gawking at them from the staircase, Nestor strode into Javier's room as if it were no different from any other room in the dormitory.
"Are you sure you should let them all see that?" Concern tinged Javier's voice. "If the holy father finds out you've been in here, you could end up spending your whole dinner reciting the prayer of Our Immaculate Father."
"If Kiram can face down a bear, then I figure I can manage the holy father," Nestor replied.
"I didn't really face down a bear so much as run away from it," Kiram corrected.
"You still faced it. You just had the good sense to run away right after that" Nestor shrugged. "In any case Holy Father Habalan wouldn't miss his own supper just to watch me pray."
"True enough," Javier agreed.
With the bulk of Kiram's tools now up in the room with them, they made short work of prying the crate open. As always they discovered bags of candies nestled amongst the packages Kiram's mother had sent. Javier found a silk satchel of hard toffee tucked between two bright winter scarves. Kiram handed out the foil- gilded almonds he found atop a sheaf of writing papers. Nestor sniffed out the marzipan pears before Kiram even had the small box open. Kiram handed the candies over to Nestor and then lifted out a pair of lined leather gloves. A note from his sister Siamak wished him warmth and thanked him for the Solstice gifts he'd sent, even though she hadn't been able to resist the temptation to open them early.
Alizadeh had sent a book of Bahiim texts to Javier and a silver quill pen for Kiram and a short note with a Solstice blessing that mentioned neither his meeting with the Circle of Red Oaks nor replied to any of Kiram's letters. Rafie had enclosed a variety of powdered medicines in case Kiram or any
Not that Kiram was a skilled swordsman. Reminding himself of that, he averted his gaze from the war master's face and concentrated on the lesson. Firaj responded to the commands that Master Ignacio shouted across the arena and Kiram moved with his mount. He felt a certain pleasure at the thought that he was learning nearly as much from his horse as he was from the war master.
After Kiram had brushed Firaj down and spent a few minutes making much of the old gelding, he followed Nestor out of the stables.
Flecks of snow drifted lazily from the white afternoon sky.
Javier waited outside, apparently unperturbed by the cold, a dusting of snowflakes in his dark hair. "You certainly look smug, Kiram."
"He does, doesn't he?" Nestor agreed.
"I'm just relieved to be able to enjoy the day," Kiram replied. "And I'm looking forward to this evening."
Javier and he shared the briefest smile before Javier slyly averted his eyes.
"I'm not." Nestor gave the dormitory a particularly condemning glare. "Have you noticed what's been coming out of the kitchen lately? There's been no fresh meat in weeks and now even the sausages are beginning to look like cabbage and oats. It's going to be nothing but cabbage for the rest of the winter, I know it."
"Don't abandon all hope just yet, young Grunito" Javier looked more pleased with himself than usual as he spoke. "Supply wagons just arrived, and not only did it look like they were weighted down with sides of beef, but there were mail deliveries as well. Probably the last of the year."
"Anything from my mother?" Kiram asked.
"As always," Javier replied. He glanced to Nestor. "Are you game to help haul the damn thing up the stairs?"
"For more of those marzipan pears I'd haul the crate all the way to Anacleto." Nestor's face flushed with a strange excitement that bordered on lust.
The three of them muscled the creaking, wooden crate up the stairs to the tower room. Despite the dozens of other students gawking at them from the staircase, Nestor strode into Javier's room as if it were no different from any other room in the dormitory.
"Are you sure you should let them all see that?" Concern tinged Javier's voice. "If the holy father finds out you've been in here, you could end up spending your whole dinner reciting the prayer of Our Immaculate Father."
"If Kiram can face down a bear, then I figure I can manage the holy father," Nestor replied.
"I didn't really face down a bear so much as run away from it," Kiram corrected.
"You still faced it. You just had the good sense to run away right after that" Nestor shrugged. "In any case Holy Father Habalan wouldn't miss his own supper just to watch me pray."
"True enough," Javier agreed.
With the bulk of Kiram's tools now up in the room with them, they made short work of prying the crate open. As always they discovered bags of candies nestled amongst the packages Kiram's mother had sent. Javier found a silk satchel of hard toffee tucked between two bright winter scarves. Kiram handed out the foil- gilded almonds he found atop a sheaf of writing papers. Nestor sniffed out the marzipan pears before Kiram even had the small box open. Kiram handed the candies over to Nestor and then lifted out a pair of lined leather gloves. A note from his sister Siamak wished him warmth and thanked him for the Solstice gifts he'd sent, even though she hadn't been able to resist the temptation to open them early.
Alizadeh had sent a book of Bahiim texts to Javier and a silver quill pen for Kiram and a short note with a Solstice blessing that mentioned neither his meeting with the Circle of Red Oaks nor replied to any of Kiram's letters. Rafie had enclosed a variety of powdered medicines in case Kiram or any
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