Read Online Protector Of The Grove (Book 2) by Trevor H. Cooley - Free Book Online
Authors: Trevor H. Cooley
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“Jhonate, I share everything with you and yet you tell me so little about yourself. I have known you for three years and we have been betrothed for almost a year of it. Why is it then that, until yesterday, I didn’t even know your brothers’ names?”
“I . . .” She took a few steps backwards. “I have reasons.”
“That’s what you always say when I bring up your family.”
“She really hasn’t told you about her family?” Hilt asked.
“Very little,” Justan said. “And a lot of what I know I heard from other people.”
“There are many reasons,” she said. Please do not push me on this .
“Fine!” Justan threw his hands up and walked back to his cot. He started strapping his swords back on.
“Where are you going?” Jhonate asked.
“I think I’ll start with a run.” He tossed his quiver over his shoulders and grabbed his bow. “And then maybe I’d do some archery practice. I wouldn’t want to get rusty since evidently, as I learned yesterday, I should have my Jharro bow with me at all times.”
He walked back past them and towards the open doors.
Jhonate felt his anger and watched him leave with concern. I love you , she sent.
Yeah, and I love you too , he replied as he jogged away.
“He has . . . never reacted to me this way,” she said.
“Really? So this was your first argument?” Hilt said with a low chuckle.
“We have disagreed in the past,” she said. “But this feels different.”
“I don’t blame him for being angry,” Hilt said, then shook his head. “What am I saying? I’m angry with you, too.”
“With me?” she asked.
“Yes, with you! Can’t you see that I’ve been quite literally sticking my neck out for you? I’ve been doing everything I can to prepare Xedrion to meet Edge and now I find out that you haven’t been doing your part?” He threw his hands up in disgust.
“I have been waiting for him to be ready,” Jhonate explained. “He has taken longer than I expected.”
“Ready how? You don’t think he can handle your culture? What are you afraid of?”
“You misunderstand me,” Jhonate said. “There are some things he must learn on his own. Yntri Yni told me this himself the first time he met Justan. The more I tell him about the grove, the more chance there is that I could disrupt his bond with our tree.”
Hilt folded his arms. “Are you saying there’s something wrong with his bond to the bow? I thought those bonds were permanent.”
“They are, but they must be done in a certain manner,” she said. “Justan did things out of order. He bonded with his bow, but he never communed with his tree.”
“And why does that matter?” Hilt said
“It matters because his bond with our tree is incomplete. I can feel it whenever he talks to me through the rings we wear. There is a discordance.” She had been speaking to her tree each night, begging her to reach out to him, but the tree had not responded. Perhaps the distance was too far.
“Alright.” Hilt rubbed his forehead. “So Edge needs to ‘commune’ with the tree his bow came from, but Yntri says you can’t tell him about it.”
“Yes.”
“So you take this to mean that you can’t discuss your family or culture with him?” Hilt asked incredulously. “I don’t see how those two things are related.”
She frowned at him as if his mind were slow. “My people guard the grove. Any questions about our culture leads to questions about the trees. Besides, you know how my father is. Telling others too much about my people is treasonous in his mind.”
“I think your logic is faulty here, Jhonate. Edge is your betrothed.”
“I am acting upon the information Yntri Yni has given me,” she explained. “Justan needs to seek out our tree on his own. Father will not accept him as a Jharro wielder until this happens.”
Hilt sighed. “Look, I’ll try to give him as much time as I can. We’ll take the southern route. Just promise me that you’ll get together with
“I . . .” She took a few steps backwards. “I have reasons.”
“That’s what you always say when I bring up your family.”
“She really hasn’t told you about her family?” Hilt asked.
“Very little,” Justan said. “And a lot of what I know I heard from other people.”
“There are many reasons,” she said. Please do not push me on this .
“Fine!” Justan threw his hands up and walked back to his cot. He started strapping his swords back on.
“Where are you going?” Jhonate asked.
“I think I’ll start with a run.” He tossed his quiver over his shoulders and grabbed his bow. “And then maybe I’d do some archery practice. I wouldn’t want to get rusty since evidently, as I learned yesterday, I should have my Jharro bow with me at all times.”
He walked back past them and towards the open doors.
Jhonate felt his anger and watched him leave with concern. I love you , she sent.
Yeah, and I love you too , he replied as he jogged away.
“He has . . . never reacted to me this way,” she said.
“Really? So this was your first argument?” Hilt said with a low chuckle.
“We have disagreed in the past,” she said. “But this feels different.”
“I don’t blame him for being angry,” Hilt said, then shook his head. “What am I saying? I’m angry with you, too.”
“With me?” she asked.
“Yes, with you! Can’t you see that I’ve been quite literally sticking my neck out for you? I’ve been doing everything I can to prepare Xedrion to meet Edge and now I find out that you haven’t been doing your part?” He threw his hands up in disgust.
“I have been waiting for him to be ready,” Jhonate explained. “He has taken longer than I expected.”
“Ready how? You don’t think he can handle your culture? What are you afraid of?”
“You misunderstand me,” Jhonate said. “There are some things he must learn on his own. Yntri Yni told me this himself the first time he met Justan. The more I tell him about the grove, the more chance there is that I could disrupt his bond with our tree.”
Hilt folded his arms. “Are you saying there’s something wrong with his bond to the bow? I thought those bonds were permanent.”
“They are, but they must be done in a certain manner,” she said. “Justan did things out of order. He bonded with his bow, but he never communed with his tree.”
“And why does that matter?” Hilt said
“It matters because his bond with our tree is incomplete. I can feel it whenever he talks to me through the rings we wear. There is a discordance.” She had been speaking to her tree each night, begging her to reach out to him, but the tree had not responded. Perhaps the distance was too far.
“Alright.” Hilt rubbed his forehead. “So Edge needs to ‘commune’ with the tree his bow came from, but Yntri says you can’t tell him about it.”
“Yes.”
“So you take this to mean that you can’t discuss your family or culture with him?” Hilt asked incredulously. “I don’t see how those two things are related.”
She frowned at him as if his mind were slow. “My people guard the grove. Any questions about our culture leads to questions about the trees. Besides, you know how my father is. Telling others too much about my people is treasonous in his mind.”
“I think your logic is faulty here, Jhonate. Edge is your betrothed.”
“I am acting upon the information Yntri Yni has given me,” she explained. “Justan needs to seek out our tree on his own. Father will not accept him as a Jharro wielder until this happens.”
Hilt sighed. “Look, I’ll try to give him as much time as I can. We’ll take the southern route. Just promise me that you’ll get together with
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