Read Online Phoenix in Shadow - eARC by Ryk E Spoor - Free Book Online
Authors: Ryk E Spoor
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impressive. Three-elemental cleaning is a pretty fancy trick, instead of just doing the usual selective displacement.”
“Elemental’s a lot easier for us Toads, usually, and I figured fire for heating the water, water for the cleaning, air for drying. You already had enough earth in there.”
“Ha! Indeed.” He picked up one of the finished outfits. “Looks like it worked pretty well to me.” He sniffed. “Smells like there might be food waiting outside somewhere, too.”
“Then get dressed and let’s go!” The little Toad, of course, didn’t really have to dress, and even his miniature pack and items tended to conceal themselves magically. You had to look carefully to notice he was carrying anything.
A few minutes later they found their way to a small dining hall; Kyri was just sitting down, her hair and a change of clothing showing that she, too, had taken advantage of their host’s amenities. The blue hair cascaded over her brown shoulders in sky-colored waves, with the white flash over her forehead like a cloud drifting in the vault of heaven. She is gorgeous , Tobimar thought. Beautiful and strong as...
At that point it suddenly dawned on him— really dawned on him—where his thoughts were leading. Sand and dust...that could be a complication. I don’t know what her thoughts are on the matter, but we don’t have time to follow the path of Learning the Other. Don’t know what her people’s traditions are, either.
He shook himself mentally. This certainly isn’t the time. She can’t be bothered by my attentions when perhaps the whole world is at risk. Focus! Pay attention to what is now . Dismissing the distraction—as much as he could, which was far less than he wished he could manage—he returned his attention to the dinner.
The Spiritsmith was at the far end of the table—as was common with Ancient Saurans and Dragons and their kin, his eating area was well separated from the rest, as their diet and manner of eating was often...unsettling to others. Tobimar sat down and, after examining the several dishes available, selected a blaze-and-honey style mixed flashfry, one of his favorite types of food. He didn’t recognize all the vegetables in this particular recipe, but the meat smelled like hopclaw...and there was some sort of seafood in it too. He seems to live here alone. Must have some very interesting food preparations charms and devices, or he’s a very good cook.
“Sir...can you tell me something?”
The Spiritsmith looked up from his platter, and swallowed the ten-pound chunk of meat his teeth had just torn from the boar’s leg. “Perhaps. What is it you wish to know?”
He wasn’t quite sure how to phrase it. “Well...as I said, Khoros taught me—not just how to fight, but how to use this...internal power of mine. And a lot of other little things, ranging from philosophy and logic to theory of magic. I always rather liked him, even if he could be pretty maddening in the way he preferred to answer a question with another question and force you to figure it out yourself.
“But...everyone else who’s known him seems almost, I don’t know, afraid of him. They talk about him manipulating people, using them, and then they seem really careful about telling us anything at all. What do you know about him? Is he...well, not on our side somehow?”
The Ancient Sauran gave another of the snarling sighs and took another bite from the raw meat. Finally he raised his head again. “It is...not that simple a question, and thus the answer you seek is not simple either.
“How much evil must a man do in the name of good before he is, himself, no longer a good man?”
Kyri looked troubled. She said, “You can’t do evil deliberately and remain good.”
“You are a child of direct faith.” The draconic Spiritsmith smiled—in a manner that was probably meant to be tolerant, perhaps even fond, but the sharp teeth covered with fresh blood made it disquieting. “Then how much good
“Elemental’s a lot easier for us Toads, usually, and I figured fire for heating the water, water for the cleaning, air for drying. You already had enough earth in there.”
“Ha! Indeed.” He picked up one of the finished outfits. “Looks like it worked pretty well to me.” He sniffed. “Smells like there might be food waiting outside somewhere, too.”
“Then get dressed and let’s go!” The little Toad, of course, didn’t really have to dress, and even his miniature pack and items tended to conceal themselves magically. You had to look carefully to notice he was carrying anything.
A few minutes later they found their way to a small dining hall; Kyri was just sitting down, her hair and a change of clothing showing that she, too, had taken advantage of their host’s amenities. The blue hair cascaded over her brown shoulders in sky-colored waves, with the white flash over her forehead like a cloud drifting in the vault of heaven. She is gorgeous , Tobimar thought. Beautiful and strong as...
At that point it suddenly dawned on him— really dawned on him—where his thoughts were leading. Sand and dust...that could be a complication. I don’t know what her thoughts are on the matter, but we don’t have time to follow the path of Learning the Other. Don’t know what her people’s traditions are, either.
He shook himself mentally. This certainly isn’t the time. She can’t be bothered by my attentions when perhaps the whole world is at risk. Focus! Pay attention to what is now . Dismissing the distraction—as much as he could, which was far less than he wished he could manage—he returned his attention to the dinner.
The Spiritsmith was at the far end of the table—as was common with Ancient Saurans and Dragons and their kin, his eating area was well separated from the rest, as their diet and manner of eating was often...unsettling to others. Tobimar sat down and, after examining the several dishes available, selected a blaze-and-honey style mixed flashfry, one of his favorite types of food. He didn’t recognize all the vegetables in this particular recipe, but the meat smelled like hopclaw...and there was some sort of seafood in it too. He seems to live here alone. Must have some very interesting food preparations charms and devices, or he’s a very good cook.
“Sir...can you tell me something?”
The Spiritsmith looked up from his platter, and swallowed the ten-pound chunk of meat his teeth had just torn from the boar’s leg. “Perhaps. What is it you wish to know?”
He wasn’t quite sure how to phrase it. “Well...as I said, Khoros taught me—not just how to fight, but how to use this...internal power of mine. And a lot of other little things, ranging from philosophy and logic to theory of magic. I always rather liked him, even if he could be pretty maddening in the way he preferred to answer a question with another question and force you to figure it out yourself.
“But...everyone else who’s known him seems almost, I don’t know, afraid of him. They talk about him manipulating people, using them, and then they seem really careful about telling us anything at all. What do you know about him? Is he...well, not on our side somehow?”
The Ancient Sauran gave another of the snarling sighs and took another bite from the raw meat. Finally he raised his head again. “It is...not that simple a question, and thus the answer you seek is not simple either.
“How much evil must a man do in the name of good before he is, himself, no longer a good man?”
Kyri looked troubled. She said, “You can’t do evil deliberately and remain good.”
“You are a child of direct faith.” The draconic Spiritsmith smiled—in a manner that was probably meant to be tolerant, perhaps even fond, but the sharp teeth covered with fresh blood made it disquieting. “Then how much good
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