Read Online Schism: The Battle for Darracia (Book 1) by Michael Phillip Cash - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Michael Phillip Cash
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lady.”
“ My lady,” the Quyroo cackled back, revealing broken yellow teeth before curtsying. “My good prince, you call a Quyroo ‘my lady’?”
“ Be she Quyroo or Darracian, any friend of my mother, the queen, is my lady.”
“ Oh, oh, oh. You are a good’un.” She laughed. “Tulani, he is a good’un.”
Tulani smiled at her grandmother. “He is the prince, Greanam. Prince V’sair, this is my grandmother, Bobbien, who should never travel this deep into the Fells.” Tulani frowned; she had thought she would be alone with the prince here.
V ’sair moved forward, taking the old woman’s hand and kissing her wrist gallantly.
“ Does the young meat taste as good as the old ‘un?” the woman asked coyly.
“ Greanam,” Tulani hissed, to which her grandmother laughed heartily, her great belly shaking up and down.
V ’sair watched in silent fascination. He had many Quyroo servants and had met both male and female Quyroos but never had seen one as old or heavy as Tulani’s grandmother.
“ Tulani, what brings you to out to this part of the Fells in the darkness?” She turned a gimlet eye on her granddaughter. “You are too close to the eastern provinces. Fly at night, the wysbies do. Danger for you young’uns!”
“ I could say the same to you, Greanam,” Tulani retorted, wondering what the old besom was up to. She was a canny old thing, with roots and plants dangling from her belt, her bright eyes missing nothing.
“ My mother, the queen, has need of more ointment—Glacien ointment. Do you have any?” V’sair volunteered.
Bobbien looked at her granddaughter ’s full lips and the boy’s flushed face. Oh, she had interrupted something here, for sure, but what could her good friend be about? Tulani was not to be used like a slattern woman. Though their fortunes had changed, she was in the line of the Nost women, the women of the sun. Tulani was a treasure and had been hidden by both the queen and Bobbien many years ago; she could not be thrown away as a pawn. The girl was as royal as the prince. She narrowed her gaze at her defiant granddaughter, who boldly stared back.
“ Yes, she has need of your salve. She sent me on a mission.” Tulani thrust out her bottom lip, just on the edge of disrespect.
She has been away too long , the older Quyroo thought. She is forgetting herself and behaving without Quyroo dignity.
“ A mission?” Bobbien raised her eyebrow.
“ Yes, Greanam.” She paused then continued, “a mission with the prince.”
The air was thick, and V ’sair felt as though he had missed a part of the conversation. He watched the power struggle and felt the tension between the two women.
“ A mission with the prince,” Bobbien repeated slowly, absorbing the idea. “I must think on this a bit. Beware the eastern provinces and the wysbies,” she warned, as she scratched her matted head and, with a speed that belied her age, threw the hemp from her staff toward a branch and swung out of their view instantly.
“ That was strange,” V’sair stated, looking at the empty spot. “What are the wysbies she spoke of?”
“ You know not of wysbies?” Tulani asked suspiciously.
“ I rarely come to the Desa. Who are they?”
“D emons disguised as insects. They can be annoying. They sting, nothing more.”
“ She left because she’s afraid of them?”
“ Bobbien is afraid of nothing. She left to contact your lady mother. She doesn’t believe us.”
“ What. Believe me? I am the prince,” V’sair replied incredulously.
Tulani laughed, her face shining in the light of the many moons. “I think here you are just V’sair. Are you hungry?”
V ’sair thought about that. He hungered. He had hungered to test the Fireblade for so long; now he felt the stirrings of a new hunger. He took her hand and whispered, “Yes, Tulani. I hunger.”
Chapter 9
Bobbien moved with agility through the branches despite her advanced age. She
“ My lady,” the Quyroo cackled back, revealing broken yellow teeth before curtsying. “My good prince, you call a Quyroo ‘my lady’?”
“ Be she Quyroo or Darracian, any friend of my mother, the queen, is my lady.”
“ Oh, oh, oh. You are a good’un.” She laughed. “Tulani, he is a good’un.”
Tulani smiled at her grandmother. “He is the prince, Greanam. Prince V’sair, this is my grandmother, Bobbien, who should never travel this deep into the Fells.” Tulani frowned; she had thought she would be alone with the prince here.
V ’sair moved forward, taking the old woman’s hand and kissing her wrist gallantly.
“ Does the young meat taste as good as the old ‘un?” the woman asked coyly.
“ Greanam,” Tulani hissed, to which her grandmother laughed heartily, her great belly shaking up and down.
V ’sair watched in silent fascination. He had many Quyroo servants and had met both male and female Quyroos but never had seen one as old or heavy as Tulani’s grandmother.
“ Tulani, what brings you to out to this part of the Fells in the darkness?” She turned a gimlet eye on her granddaughter. “You are too close to the eastern provinces. Fly at night, the wysbies do. Danger for you young’uns!”
“ I could say the same to you, Greanam,” Tulani retorted, wondering what the old besom was up to. She was a canny old thing, with roots and plants dangling from her belt, her bright eyes missing nothing.
“ My mother, the queen, has need of more ointment—Glacien ointment. Do you have any?” V’sair volunteered.
Bobbien looked at her granddaughter ’s full lips and the boy’s flushed face. Oh, she had interrupted something here, for sure, but what could her good friend be about? Tulani was not to be used like a slattern woman. Though their fortunes had changed, she was in the line of the Nost women, the women of the sun. Tulani was a treasure and had been hidden by both the queen and Bobbien many years ago; she could not be thrown away as a pawn. The girl was as royal as the prince. She narrowed her gaze at her defiant granddaughter, who boldly stared back.
“ Yes, she has need of your salve. She sent me on a mission.” Tulani thrust out her bottom lip, just on the edge of disrespect.
She has been away too long , the older Quyroo thought. She is forgetting herself and behaving without Quyroo dignity.
“ A mission?” Bobbien raised her eyebrow.
“ Yes, Greanam.” She paused then continued, “a mission with the prince.”
The air was thick, and V ’sair felt as though he had missed a part of the conversation. He watched the power struggle and felt the tension between the two women.
“ A mission with the prince,” Bobbien repeated slowly, absorbing the idea. “I must think on this a bit. Beware the eastern provinces and the wysbies,” she warned, as she scratched her matted head and, with a speed that belied her age, threw the hemp from her staff toward a branch and swung out of their view instantly.
“ That was strange,” V’sair stated, looking at the empty spot. “What are the wysbies she spoke of?”
“ You know not of wysbies?” Tulani asked suspiciously.
“ I rarely come to the Desa. Who are they?”
“D emons disguised as insects. They can be annoying. They sting, nothing more.”
“ She left because she’s afraid of them?”
“ Bobbien is afraid of nothing. She left to contact your lady mother. She doesn’t believe us.”
“ What. Believe me? I am the prince,” V’sair replied incredulously.
Tulani laughed, her face shining in the light of the many moons. “I think here you are just V’sair. Are you hungry?”
V ’sair thought about that. He hungered. He had hungered to test the Fireblade for so long; now he felt the stirrings of a new hunger. He took her hand and whispered, “Yes, Tulani. I hunger.”
Chapter 9
Bobbien moved with agility through the branches despite her advanced age. She
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