Read Online Sworn To Raise: Courtlight #1 by Terah Edun - Free Book Online Page A

clockwork.
    Ciardis gave Teachene a grin and patted the bed. They’d become fast friends over the past few weeks.
    “Sephrane, I get. She’s got a intense laundry situation, that one. I swear the last pile that woman brought over was taller AND wider than me” said Teachene. “But Prima?”
    Ciardis quickly filled her in on that morning’s events.
    Teachene set the box of soft cakes on the bed between them and they proceeded to divvy up the spoils. Ciardis went for the delectable caramel rolls—soft cake drizzled with sweet honey and caramel sauce—because they reminded her of winter back home. Teachene preferred the brown ginger cakes for their hint of sweetness and overall snap.
    “I saw you dancing with Lord Damias in the solar today,” Teachene said.
    Ciardis groaned aloud before Teachene could utter another word. “No, I didn’t mean it that way. You’re not so bad. I mean…you’re getting better!” Teachene said. “Sailor’s honor.”
    “You mean I only stepped on his toes three times and tripped him once, right?”
    “Yeah,” admitted Teachene with a wry grin, “That about covers it.”
    Ciardis rolled her eyes and popped another morsel into her mouth. Through the mouthful of cake, she said, “I don’t know how they expect me to memorize all those dances by the Patron Hunt! I’m going to look like a bumbling fool, I just know it!” Sulkily, she muttered, “Why can’t they just hire a copier to instill it in me?”
    “You know why,” said Teachene sternly. “A skill like dancing costs ten thousand shillings, because they can’t just give you one dance—it must be all of them. Besides, there are only two copiers in all of Sandrin presently, and neither of them can dance worth anything.”
    “What? How did Sephrane pass her Patron Hunt if she couldn’t dance?”
    “Well, technically she can dance to music—it’s just not up to the skill of her sword dancing,” Teachene explained. “The Companion’s Guild decided in her pre-Hunt interview that she should stick to the swords, since her prospective Patrons all professed an interest in the subject.”
    “Right,” Ciardis murmured.
    “You, on the other hand,” said Teachene as she playfully lobbed some popped corn kernels in Ciardis’s direction, “don’t have a primary or a secondary talent to rely on and must learn what you can before the Hunt starts.”
    “That’s not true!” argued Ciardis. “I can make a mean snow cone!”
    “Snow cone? What’s a snow cone?”
    After Ciardis explained the treat, Teachene burst out laughing and didn’t stop for a full five minutes. Ciardis sat glaring at her, her legs crossed as she leaned back against a bunch of pillows. “It’s a serious talent,” she said stiffly.
    “Uh huh,” said Teachene, still chuckling. “Do you see any snow around here?”
    Ciardis rolled her eyes. “Maybe one of my prospective Patrons will be a Winter Lord or a Weathercaster. I am a Weathervane, after all.”
    “You know your abilities to enhance will extend beyond the capacity to increase weather-related magic,” Teachene pointed out.
    “I know,” said Ciardis, “But my ancestor’s book makes the ability to enhance weather sound pretty awesome.”
    Teachene sighed and said, “I also hoped to have a patron who hailed from my homeland in the Summer Isles, but most of the Patrons come from these or nearby lands. Now, time to get down to business. Who’s that cute guy down the hall?”
    At this, Ciardis burst out laughing herself. “Terris? You have a crush on him, don’t you? I knew it!”
    “Maybe,” said Teachene with a little giggle as she twisted some of her braids around a finger, “He’s so cute! I can’t help it. Blond hair, blue eyes, tight physique.”
    Ciardis shook her head. “What a pair you two would make, with your dark skin and his fair skin.”
    Teachene grinned. “You know it!”

 
    Chapter 6

    L ater that night, Ciardis sat alone at her desk, studying. She had to catch