Read Online The Ivory Road: A Walk in the Sand by Siobhan Muir - Free Book Online
Authors: Siobhan Muir
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there’s any way to convince you if you haven’t seen it by now. Please, Brandon, I really need your help if I'm going to survive here. I’ll even pay you for your expertise.”
“No need for that.” He waved her off. “Call it an exchange for your help getting across the desert. Ahmad and I would never have made it without you. I’ll teach you what I know about sword fighting for the remainder of our trip across the Karobis.”
“Thank you.” Some of her concern drained from her shoulders and she rolled the joints to loosen them. “Speaking of which, what are you going to do after we make it to Ros Torach?”
He shrugged. “I’ll go wherever the adventure takes me. I plan to sell the items I liberated from the Knalish vault, then who knows? I usually don't make future plans until I get to my destination because I don't know if I will even make it there. The world's too unpredictable.”
“Liberated, good word.” She shook her head as a cheeky grin creased his lips. “Won’t the treasure be hard to sell? I mean, I’m sure everyone’s heard the vault has been breached. Won’t people turn the items down once they’re recognized?”
Brandon shot her a thoughtful look. “You have unexpected depths, Iliana.” She snorted and rolled her eyes. “I was careful to choose only general things, like cutlery, place settings, and loose coins and jewels, pieces that could come from anywhere. The Knalish have been collecting a long time, from a lot of places.”
He picked up the sword and looked the blade over carefully. “And you?” He glanced back at her. “What are you going to do when we reach Ros Torach?”
She scratched her side with one hand and grimaced. “The first thing on my list is a bath. After that, I don't know. I have a very specific skill set and it doesn’t seem to be useful here. But I have no idea how to get home. Hell, I don’t even know how I got here. As of two days ago, I’ve blown off my commitments and no one wants to work with a diva. So, I don’t know.”
“Have you been an actress all your life?” Brandon asked as he sheathed the sword. “Isn't there something you’re good at besides pretending?”
“Wow, don’t sugar-coat it for me. Tell me how you really feel.” She tried to shrug off the hurt at his words, but she couldn’t avoid all of it. “You must hate actors.”
“I hate insincerity. Be who you are, honestly.”
She barked a laugh. “This from the man who steals for a living. Do you feel the same about being honest with the Knalish authorities in regard to your recent acquisitions?”
He scowled and she shook her head. “Yeah, sometimes it’s better to keep the truth to yourself. Acting is really nothing more than developing a persona for each situation to play a role. Where I’m from, I get paid to do this, but sometimes you have to do it for other reasons.”
“Like what?” He raised a dubious eyebrow.
“Protection, mostly. To have a sense of self different from what the world sees.” She smiled at his frown. “For example, Ivory, my stage persona, is far more flamboyant and gregarious than Iliana, the real me. The world expects her to be that way, but it’s not the way I live most of the time. It’s just a costume or a role I put on.” She dropped her gaze to her hands, nicked and roughened by the hardships of travel through the desert. “It’s easy to get lost in it sometimes. I’ve been doing this since I was right out of high school. I’ve never had to try my hand at other trades.” Maybe it’s time to learn something new. “It’s a scary prospect to be in a world I don’t know, without practical skills.”
“And you're a woman,” Brandon pointed out helpfully.
“Thanks, I had some doubt about that.”
“No, I only meant that it's a man's world and—”
“I know what you meant.” She held up her hand. “My world is the same. I really wish people didn’t view women as being less than men.”
“I didn’t say
“No need for that.” He waved her off. “Call it an exchange for your help getting across the desert. Ahmad and I would never have made it without you. I’ll teach you what I know about sword fighting for the remainder of our trip across the Karobis.”
“Thank you.” Some of her concern drained from her shoulders and she rolled the joints to loosen them. “Speaking of which, what are you going to do after we make it to Ros Torach?”
He shrugged. “I’ll go wherever the adventure takes me. I plan to sell the items I liberated from the Knalish vault, then who knows? I usually don't make future plans until I get to my destination because I don't know if I will even make it there. The world's too unpredictable.”
“Liberated, good word.” She shook her head as a cheeky grin creased his lips. “Won’t the treasure be hard to sell? I mean, I’m sure everyone’s heard the vault has been breached. Won’t people turn the items down once they’re recognized?”
Brandon shot her a thoughtful look. “You have unexpected depths, Iliana.” She snorted and rolled her eyes. “I was careful to choose only general things, like cutlery, place settings, and loose coins and jewels, pieces that could come from anywhere. The Knalish have been collecting a long time, from a lot of places.”
He picked up the sword and looked the blade over carefully. “And you?” He glanced back at her. “What are you going to do when we reach Ros Torach?”
She scratched her side with one hand and grimaced. “The first thing on my list is a bath. After that, I don't know. I have a very specific skill set and it doesn’t seem to be useful here. But I have no idea how to get home. Hell, I don’t even know how I got here. As of two days ago, I’ve blown off my commitments and no one wants to work with a diva. So, I don’t know.”
“Have you been an actress all your life?” Brandon asked as he sheathed the sword. “Isn't there something you’re good at besides pretending?”
“Wow, don’t sugar-coat it for me. Tell me how you really feel.” She tried to shrug off the hurt at his words, but she couldn’t avoid all of it. “You must hate actors.”
“I hate insincerity. Be who you are, honestly.”
She barked a laugh. “This from the man who steals for a living. Do you feel the same about being honest with the Knalish authorities in regard to your recent acquisitions?”
He scowled and she shook her head. “Yeah, sometimes it’s better to keep the truth to yourself. Acting is really nothing more than developing a persona for each situation to play a role. Where I’m from, I get paid to do this, but sometimes you have to do it for other reasons.”
“Like what?” He raised a dubious eyebrow.
“Protection, mostly. To have a sense of self different from what the world sees.” She smiled at his frown. “For example, Ivory, my stage persona, is far more flamboyant and gregarious than Iliana, the real me. The world expects her to be that way, but it’s not the way I live most of the time. It’s just a costume or a role I put on.” She dropped her gaze to her hands, nicked and roughened by the hardships of travel through the desert. “It’s easy to get lost in it sometimes. I’ve been doing this since I was right out of high school. I’ve never had to try my hand at other trades.” Maybe it’s time to learn something new. “It’s a scary prospect to be in a world I don’t know, without practical skills.”
“And you're a woman,” Brandon pointed out helpfully.
“Thanks, I had some doubt about that.”
“No, I only meant that it's a man's world and—”
“I know what you meant.” She held up her hand. “My world is the same. I really wish people didn’t view women as being less than men.”
“I didn’t say
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