Read Online Suriax by Amanda Young - Free Book Online Page A

Can I get you
anything else?”
    The woman reminded him of Frex. He felt the
strange urge to help her, but what could he do? If they were in
Suriax, he could offer to kill the man, but that was illegal here.
He thanked her for her time and the food and left her a substantial
tip. She and her grandson would have to figure out a solution to
the problem on their own. Right now he needed to take care of his
own problems.
     
    * * *
     
    “There is bread in the pantry.”
    “Thank you.” Marcy went to retrieve the bread
and started making dinner. Thomas’ friends had a small, one bedroom
home near the wall that bordered the Therion River. They were a
young elf and human couple with two small children. The elven woman
smiled and cut vegetables beside her, making small talk. She was
very friendly, and Marcy wondered what Thomas told them about their
situation. She would never want to put them at risk, but since no
one knew Thomas was the one helping them, it was unlikely anyone
would search out his acquaintances. A little girl came running into
the kitchen and grabbed on to the woman’s legs.
    “Mamma, I’m hun’ry,” the girl said.
    She patted the girl’s head and smiled
affectionately. “Dinner will be done soon. Here, take some bread.”
The girl giggled and ran off with her prize. The woman laughed and
turned back to the food.
    “You have a beautiful family,” Marcy
commented, feeling slightly jealous. “Are you two bonded?”
    “Yes, for almost ten years.” She looked off
dreamily.
    “I’ve never understood doing that, giving up
half your life for someone. I mean . . . it’s a big decision, but I
can see you two really care about each other.” She hastened to add,
afraid of insulting her host.
    The woman laughed. “It’s okay. I get that all
the time. Before I met Bradley, I felt the same way. But when you
find true love, you realize you would rather spend a few hundred
years with him than seven hundred without him. Given the choice, I
would make the same decision again.”
    “You have to catch the ball,” Thomas called
from outside. He and Bradley ran across the yard, throwing a small
hollowed out gourd they were using as a ball. Running along side
them was Brad and Veronica’s older boy, Max. He picked up the ball
from the ground and looked at it for several moments before
dropping it again. Brad went to grab it, but the boy kicked it
through the man’s legs before he could lay a hand on it. The sound
of laughter filled the air. Marcy smiled.
    “How long have you two been together?”
Veronica asked.
    “Hmm, what? Me and Thomas? Oh, we’re not . .
.”
    “You aren’t? I’m sorry, it’s just that the
way you look at each other, I assumed.”
    “We just met. We’re helping out a mutual
friend with his uncle. That’s all.”
    “If you say so.” Veronica scooped up the
pieces of the vegetables she was cutting and put them in the stew
pot.
    “What do you mean by ‘the way we look at each
other?” Marcy asked, unable to help herself.
    “Honey, Thomas doesn’t look at you like a
stranger, and there was something in your eyes just now, too.
Besides, that awkward silence between you when you arrived speaks
volumes. No one can make you quite as angry as someone you care
for. You may have just met, but there is definitely something
there.”
    “Hey, Max asked for some bread,” Thomas
leaned in the back door. His hair was disheveled from their play.
Marcy felt her face flush and looked away. Veronica handed him the
bread and they exchanged a few words, but Marcy wasn’t listening.
Thomas was handsome, and he did save her from the guards, but could
she really have feelings for him? She chanced a glance up and saw
him staring at her. He looked away quickly, mumbling something to
Veronica and going back outside. They cooked in silence after that,
Veronica allowing her to brood on her thoughts.
    Marcy didn’t say much throughout dinner. She
was so distracted she didn’t even notice when everyone