Read Online Spellscribed Tales: First Refrain by Kristopher Cruz - Free Book Online
Authors: Kristopher Cruz
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of it.
"Either way, Joven lost. Are you still going to insist he be a guardian?" Talen asked. "Guardian of what? Nothing?"
"Talen!" Leona exclaimed.
"Talen's right." Balen spoke, interrupting Leona. "We're done. We did what we needed to, and he should put his effort into rising in the military. There's still great glory to be earned in the army. We could use you, brother."
"We can discuss this later!" Daelen snapped, interrupting what was likely to become a heated conversation. "Let's get Joven home to rest. He can choose for himself what he wants to do when he recovers."
The two brothers nodded and Leona helped Joven to his feet. The walk home would take awhile with him hobbling on an injured leg, but it felt even longer in Joven's mind. All that time and effort to prepare, and in the end, he’d failed at the last possible moment. He was no guardian.
* * * *
Joven slept fitfully that night. The fight playing over and over again in his head, and he was plagued with doubt. Perhaps he had been too easy on his rival. He shouldn't have hesitated when he’d had the chance. Maybe he’d needed to go all out in the beginning, like Korvos had.
He awoke to the sound of his bedroom door opening. In the dark, he couldn't see anyone, but he heard breathing and his aching body tensed.
"You awake?" Talen’s voice echoed quietly in the darkness.
Joven's head fell back onto his pillow. "Am now." he responded. "What's going on?"
Talen stepped inside and closed the door. He heard his brother quickly and efficiently light a lantern, the flickering light blossoming throughout the room.
"I'm sorry you lost." Talen said, hanging the lantern on an iron wall hook. "I know it was really important to you."
Joven sat up in bed, sighing. "Thanks."
Talen appeared pensive in the flickering lantern light.
"Talen." Joven stated. "What's bothering you?"
"You know it's not your fault, right?" Talen answered. "You didn't fail because you were weak."
"I know, brother." Joven replied. "My sword broke."
Talen frowned. "Yeah. It broke." he said, distracted.
Joven studied his brother. This behavior was grossly out of character for him. "Are... you all right?" Joven asked.
Talen glanced up from the floor to look him in the eyes. "Yeah." he said, weakly waving the question away with a hand. "I'm fine. Just... tired."
"Well, that's what happens when you're slinking about in the middle of the night." Joven quipped.
Talen weakly smiled. "True. I just wanted a chance to see you in private before... well, before everything changes."
"Everything changes?"
"You know, before you start whatever it is you're going to do."
"Right."
Talen tapped the broken sword on the night stand. "Sorry about your sword." he said. Talen stood, blew out the lantern, and left. Joven sat in the darkness, trying to figure out what the conversation meant.
"The hells was that?" he muttered, flopping back down into bed. He wasn't an idiot, but analyzing a conversation like that was not a skill he possessed. He sighed and drifted back off to sleep.
Talen was gone when he woke up that morning. Not just out of the house, but completely gone. Most of his personal effects and property had been packed up and he’d slipped out in the middle of the night. He had left no warnings with anyone else, but some of his behavior now made a little more sense.
"I don't get it." Balen said, sitting at the family dining table. "This is our family home. We've held it for hundreds of years. Why would he leave?"
Daelen and Leona were quietly arguing in the hall on the other side of the hearth fire. Joven shook his head and sighed. "I don't know." he said. "He didn't tell me he was leaving last night."
Balen growled. "I'm going to find him." he stated. "And smack him into next week."
"I didn't know you were into the business of holding back." Joven replied with a grin. "If you really tried, you could probably land him somewhere into next season.
Balen shrugged. "He's family. He
"Either way, Joven lost. Are you still going to insist he be a guardian?" Talen asked. "Guardian of what? Nothing?"
"Talen!" Leona exclaimed.
"Talen's right." Balen spoke, interrupting Leona. "We're done. We did what we needed to, and he should put his effort into rising in the military. There's still great glory to be earned in the army. We could use you, brother."
"We can discuss this later!" Daelen snapped, interrupting what was likely to become a heated conversation. "Let's get Joven home to rest. He can choose for himself what he wants to do when he recovers."
The two brothers nodded and Leona helped Joven to his feet. The walk home would take awhile with him hobbling on an injured leg, but it felt even longer in Joven's mind. All that time and effort to prepare, and in the end, he’d failed at the last possible moment. He was no guardian.
* * * *
Joven slept fitfully that night. The fight playing over and over again in his head, and he was plagued with doubt. Perhaps he had been too easy on his rival. He shouldn't have hesitated when he’d had the chance. Maybe he’d needed to go all out in the beginning, like Korvos had.
He awoke to the sound of his bedroom door opening. In the dark, he couldn't see anyone, but he heard breathing and his aching body tensed.
"You awake?" Talen’s voice echoed quietly in the darkness.
Joven's head fell back onto his pillow. "Am now." he responded. "What's going on?"
Talen stepped inside and closed the door. He heard his brother quickly and efficiently light a lantern, the flickering light blossoming throughout the room.
"I'm sorry you lost." Talen said, hanging the lantern on an iron wall hook. "I know it was really important to you."
Joven sat up in bed, sighing. "Thanks."
Talen appeared pensive in the flickering lantern light.
"Talen." Joven stated. "What's bothering you?"
"You know it's not your fault, right?" Talen answered. "You didn't fail because you were weak."
"I know, brother." Joven replied. "My sword broke."
Talen frowned. "Yeah. It broke." he said, distracted.
Joven studied his brother. This behavior was grossly out of character for him. "Are... you all right?" Joven asked.
Talen glanced up from the floor to look him in the eyes. "Yeah." he said, weakly waving the question away with a hand. "I'm fine. Just... tired."
"Well, that's what happens when you're slinking about in the middle of the night." Joven quipped.
Talen weakly smiled. "True. I just wanted a chance to see you in private before... well, before everything changes."
"Everything changes?"
"You know, before you start whatever it is you're going to do."
"Right."
Talen tapped the broken sword on the night stand. "Sorry about your sword." he said. Talen stood, blew out the lantern, and left. Joven sat in the darkness, trying to figure out what the conversation meant.
"The hells was that?" he muttered, flopping back down into bed. He wasn't an idiot, but analyzing a conversation like that was not a skill he possessed. He sighed and drifted back off to sleep.
Talen was gone when he woke up that morning. Not just out of the house, but completely gone. Most of his personal effects and property had been packed up and he’d slipped out in the middle of the night. He had left no warnings with anyone else, but some of his behavior now made a little more sense.
"I don't get it." Balen said, sitting at the family dining table. "This is our family home. We've held it for hundreds of years. Why would he leave?"
Daelen and Leona were quietly arguing in the hall on the other side of the hearth fire. Joven shook his head and sighed. "I don't know." he said. "He didn't tell me he was leaving last night."
Balen growled. "I'm going to find him." he stated. "And smack him into next week."
"I didn't know you were into the business of holding back." Joven replied with a grin. "If you really tried, you could probably land him somewhere into next season.
Balen shrugged. "He's family. He
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