Read Online The Order War by L. E. Modesitt Jr. - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: L. E. Modesitt Jr.
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winter hasn’t quite gone.”
“Old man? Hardly.” Justen laughed.
“He’s setting us up for something, Justen. You need more wood split?”
“Well, it wouldn’t hurt if you did some before you left. Of course, I wouldn’t ask that as soon as you got here.”
“But he couldn’t wait to make sure we know.” Justen seated himself on the padded stool nearest the stove. Unlike Gunnar, for him, the internal order-mastery necessary toraise his body heat to ward off the cold was work. And the heat of the stove was always relaxing.
“Watch the fire for me, Justen, while I start in on dinner?” Horas closed the heat-stove and eased toward the kitchen.
“I’d be happy to.”
Gunnar settled into the old rocking chair that had been their grandmother’s, the one she had rocked in while she told them all the stories about Creslin and Megaera, and even the near-mythic tales about Ryba and the Angels of Darkness and the Demons of Light.
Justen smiled, recalling her words: “It’s real enough if people believe…The truth behind the words is what matters, child.”
Elisabet’s steps on the polished hardwood floors broke Justen’s reverie. His sister carried two steaming mugs.
“Thank you.” Both brothers spoke simultaneously.
“Justen, will you play Capture with me until dinner?” Elisabet looked at the floor.
“Aren’t you supposed to help Father?”
Gunnar slid out of the rocking chair. “I’ll go help. Maybe by now, he’ll let me in on just how he does it.”
“Gunnar cooks almost as well as Father.” Elisabet brought the board to the low game table and drew up a stool. “Wait. I forgot my cider.”
While she retrieved her mug and set out the board and the tokens, Justen rose and added several already-split chunks of wood to the fire in the stove. Then he took the small broom and swept the wood dust and splinters into the dustpan and emptied them into the stove before carefully relatching the door.
“White or black?” Elisabet sat with her back to the stove.
“You can have black,” he offered.
“Goody!”
Justen set his token in the right rear three-token lattice.
“Gunnar says not to bite on that.” Elisabet placed her first token on the left point of her main lattice.
Justen dropped a token in the other four-point lattice on Elisabet’s side of the board.
Elisabet added a second token on the other point of her lattice.
Justen added his second token in the three lattice and dropped the third to complete it.
Elisabet edged another token into the main lattice, right in the center.
Justen frowned, then set a white stone in the other far-side three lattice.
Elisabet pursed her lips, looking at Justen’s completed small lattice, but added another token to her centerpiece. “One more…”
Justen shrugged and sipped the hot cider. “This tastes good.”
“Thank you.” Elisabet placed another black token.
They alternated placing tokens until Justen had four lattices, all the threes and fours.
Elisabet put the seventh token in her first twelve and grinned, adding five more stones to complete it and then using the bonus to complete the second twelve.
Justen added a token to the nine block, while Elisabet concentrated on the single seven.
Token followed token.
“I’ve got the four!”
Justen grinned. “You certainly do.”
Elisabet used the capture bonus to cut off the rear three.
“That fire feels good.” Cirlin stepped into the parlor from the porch.
“I beat Justen! I beat him, Mother!” Elisabet bounced from her stool.
“Aren’t you supposed to help your father with dinner?”
“Gunnar said he’d do it. I don’t often get to play Capture with Justen or Gunnar anymore. And I beat him!”
“She did,” Justen admitted. “She plays a lot like Gunnar does. Maybe all Air Wizards play alike.”
“I need to wash up,” Cirlin said.
Justen rose. “So do I.” He turned to Elisabet. “Since you won, you may have the honor of putting away the
“Old man? Hardly.” Justen laughed.
“He’s setting us up for something, Justen. You need more wood split?”
“Well, it wouldn’t hurt if you did some before you left. Of course, I wouldn’t ask that as soon as you got here.”
“But he couldn’t wait to make sure we know.” Justen seated himself on the padded stool nearest the stove. Unlike Gunnar, for him, the internal order-mastery necessary toraise his body heat to ward off the cold was work. And the heat of the stove was always relaxing.
“Watch the fire for me, Justen, while I start in on dinner?” Horas closed the heat-stove and eased toward the kitchen.
“I’d be happy to.”
Gunnar settled into the old rocking chair that had been their grandmother’s, the one she had rocked in while she told them all the stories about Creslin and Megaera, and even the near-mythic tales about Ryba and the Angels of Darkness and the Demons of Light.
Justen smiled, recalling her words: “It’s real enough if people believe…The truth behind the words is what matters, child.”
Elisabet’s steps on the polished hardwood floors broke Justen’s reverie. His sister carried two steaming mugs.
“Thank you.” Both brothers spoke simultaneously.
“Justen, will you play Capture with me until dinner?” Elisabet looked at the floor.
“Aren’t you supposed to help Father?”
Gunnar slid out of the rocking chair. “I’ll go help. Maybe by now, he’ll let me in on just how he does it.”
“Gunnar cooks almost as well as Father.” Elisabet brought the board to the low game table and drew up a stool. “Wait. I forgot my cider.”
While she retrieved her mug and set out the board and the tokens, Justen rose and added several already-split chunks of wood to the fire in the stove. Then he took the small broom and swept the wood dust and splinters into the dustpan and emptied them into the stove before carefully relatching the door.
“White or black?” Elisabet sat with her back to the stove.
“You can have black,” he offered.
“Goody!”
Justen set his token in the right rear three-token lattice.
“Gunnar says not to bite on that.” Elisabet placed her first token on the left point of her main lattice.
Justen dropped a token in the other four-point lattice on Elisabet’s side of the board.
Elisabet added a second token on the other point of her lattice.
Justen added his second token in the three lattice and dropped the third to complete it.
Elisabet edged another token into the main lattice, right in the center.
Justen frowned, then set a white stone in the other far-side three lattice.
Elisabet pursed her lips, looking at Justen’s completed small lattice, but added another token to her centerpiece. “One more…”
Justen shrugged and sipped the hot cider. “This tastes good.”
“Thank you.” Elisabet placed another black token.
They alternated placing tokens until Justen had four lattices, all the threes and fours.
Elisabet put the seventh token in her first twelve and grinned, adding five more stones to complete it and then using the bonus to complete the second twelve.
Justen added a token to the nine block, while Elisabet concentrated on the single seven.
Token followed token.
“I’ve got the four!”
Justen grinned. “You certainly do.”
Elisabet used the capture bonus to cut off the rear three.
“That fire feels good.” Cirlin stepped into the parlor from the porch.
“I beat Justen! I beat him, Mother!” Elisabet bounced from her stool.
“Aren’t you supposed to help your father with dinner?”
“Gunnar said he’d do it. I don’t often get to play Capture with Justen or Gunnar anymore. And I beat him!”
“She did,” Justen admitted. “She plays a lot like Gunnar does. Maybe all Air Wizards play alike.”
“I need to wash up,” Cirlin said.
Justen rose. “So do I.” He turned to Elisabet. “Since you won, you may have the honor of putting away the
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