Read Online SanClare Black (The Prince of Sorrows) by Jenna Waterford - Free Book Online
Authors: Jenna Waterford
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began to walk away from the shore. He wasn’t going to wait for the next horrible thing to just happen to him.
Nylan had made it half -way up a steep bluff when a hand belonging to the mind he’d already sensed reached down, caught his wrist, and hauled him up.
A woman straightened to tower over him, her face impassive. “Your Highness.” She nodded in lieu of a bow.
He lifted his chin, keeping his face as expressionless as he could.
She tilted her head to one side, studying him. Her looks were entirely unremarkable, and Nylan thought this might be on purpose—she did not want to be remembered by her victims.
“ What do we do now?” He pretended again to be unafraid.
She raised an eyebrow and gave a small nod of —
A pproval? Nylan wasn’t certain. Her mind had the fuzzy, impenetrable feel he’d only encountered before from older Sensitives and wizards. He could sense her but could not read her. It felt odd, as if his ears were stopped up.
“ We rest. It is too dark to go on, and the way is difficult. But first,” and she held out her hand, “Give me the bread and water.”
Nylan ’s shoulders drooped in defeat as he obeyed, then followed without resisting as she led him back to a small fire she’d already started. There, she fed him, after a fashion, with the rest of his own stale bread and water before she ordered him to sleep. Because he could barely keep his eyes open, he again obeyed her.
He awoke to see Tresta, the largest of the two moons, hanging low in the sky, seeming to float on the water while Tamarath shone bright and nearly full high overhead.
He heard voices and turned to see that two men had joined the woman at the fireside. One of them noticed that he’d awoken and spoke more loudly, obviously meaning for him to hear every word.
“ Hazard duty, eh? This little piece is dangerous enough for hazard duty?”
The woman shrugged. “We’ll be careful not to harm him, but you know the stories. He’s a Voyavel. Vail’s Own Royalty, they are.”
The second man took a swig of something alcoholic, though Nylan could tell from the smell that it was not whatever the men on the ship had drunk. The second man wiped his mouth with the back of the hand clutching the bottle and said, “You can’t believe all that drivel. The tale-sayers will tell you whatever they like in order to take your coin. I think it’s all rot. His father didn’t even come looking for him. How valuable could he be?”
Nylan bit his lip and dropped his gaze to the fire. He would not cry in front of these coarse, rude men. I will not.
“ Valuable enough for me.” The woman’s lips curved into a sly smile.
“ Me, as well, miss,” the first man said. “Hazard pay’s more than I’ve ever seen all at once.”
Though they sa t across the fire from him and discussed him, they never quite treated Nylan as if he were anything more than an animal they tolerated. They brought out food from their packs and began to eat ravenously, but not one of them offered him so much as a taste.
“ Please.” He looked around at them all. “Please, may I have some water?”
They ignored him, the two men telling stories Nylan quickly recognized as being either very nasty or very cruel. The men found them all very funny, though, and roared with laughter, and the woman seemed amused, too, her smile mocking.
The men drank a great deal of ale and fell asleep a short while later, but Nylan watched the woman and could see she watched him, too. There would be no chance to go through their packs to see if he could steal some food. In spite of the bits of bread he’d had, he was so hungry now, the smell of the food and ale made him sick.
He finally managed to fall asleep for a few more hours, but it seemed only moments before the woman was shaking him awake. The sun had just gathered herself up from the horizon and had begun to float upwards behind them when they began what would turn out to be a very long walk.
After the woman
Nylan had made it half -way up a steep bluff when a hand belonging to the mind he’d already sensed reached down, caught his wrist, and hauled him up.
A woman straightened to tower over him, her face impassive. “Your Highness.” She nodded in lieu of a bow.
He lifted his chin, keeping his face as expressionless as he could.
She tilted her head to one side, studying him. Her looks were entirely unremarkable, and Nylan thought this might be on purpose—she did not want to be remembered by her victims.
“ What do we do now?” He pretended again to be unafraid.
She raised an eyebrow and gave a small nod of —
A pproval? Nylan wasn’t certain. Her mind had the fuzzy, impenetrable feel he’d only encountered before from older Sensitives and wizards. He could sense her but could not read her. It felt odd, as if his ears were stopped up.
“ We rest. It is too dark to go on, and the way is difficult. But first,” and she held out her hand, “Give me the bread and water.”
Nylan ’s shoulders drooped in defeat as he obeyed, then followed without resisting as she led him back to a small fire she’d already started. There, she fed him, after a fashion, with the rest of his own stale bread and water before she ordered him to sleep. Because he could barely keep his eyes open, he again obeyed her.
He awoke to see Tresta, the largest of the two moons, hanging low in the sky, seeming to float on the water while Tamarath shone bright and nearly full high overhead.
He heard voices and turned to see that two men had joined the woman at the fireside. One of them noticed that he’d awoken and spoke more loudly, obviously meaning for him to hear every word.
“ Hazard duty, eh? This little piece is dangerous enough for hazard duty?”
The woman shrugged. “We’ll be careful not to harm him, but you know the stories. He’s a Voyavel. Vail’s Own Royalty, they are.”
The second man took a swig of something alcoholic, though Nylan could tell from the smell that it was not whatever the men on the ship had drunk. The second man wiped his mouth with the back of the hand clutching the bottle and said, “You can’t believe all that drivel. The tale-sayers will tell you whatever they like in order to take your coin. I think it’s all rot. His father didn’t even come looking for him. How valuable could he be?”
Nylan bit his lip and dropped his gaze to the fire. He would not cry in front of these coarse, rude men. I will not.
“ Valuable enough for me.” The woman’s lips curved into a sly smile.
“ Me, as well, miss,” the first man said. “Hazard pay’s more than I’ve ever seen all at once.”
Though they sa t across the fire from him and discussed him, they never quite treated Nylan as if he were anything more than an animal they tolerated. They brought out food from their packs and began to eat ravenously, but not one of them offered him so much as a taste.
“ Please.” He looked around at them all. “Please, may I have some water?”
They ignored him, the two men telling stories Nylan quickly recognized as being either very nasty or very cruel. The men found them all very funny, though, and roared with laughter, and the woman seemed amused, too, her smile mocking.
The men drank a great deal of ale and fell asleep a short while later, but Nylan watched the woman and could see she watched him, too. There would be no chance to go through their packs to see if he could steal some food. In spite of the bits of bread he’d had, he was so hungry now, the smell of the food and ale made him sick.
He finally managed to fall asleep for a few more hours, but it seemed only moments before the woman was shaking him awake. The sun had just gathered herself up from the horizon and had begun to float upwards behind them when they began what would turn out to be a very long walk.
After the woman
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