Read Online The Sorcerer's Concubine (The Telepath and the Sorcerer Book 1) by Jaclyn Dolamore - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jaclyn Dolamore
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Grau’s life as a willing servant and die with her soul redeemed. She imagined it would be a life of suffering, but this no longer felt true.
However, he seemed to question this path himself. It could only get them both in trouble.
S ometimes , all the eye could see were fields of brown grass, cut though with snaking streams, without a house to be seen. The roads had been built up above the fields, but they were mucky or washed out in sections and Grau led Fern very carefully.
This was the marshland.
“I grew up here,” he told her. “It isn’t to everyone’s taste.”
“I like it,” she said.
“I thought you might. Mountains and beaches get all the glory, but I always do my best thinking in the marshes.”
In the late afternoon, a week since they had left Nisa, Grau looked at the landscape ahead. A solitary building poked distantly above the sea of grass.
“Hmm,” he said, squinting. She had already come to realize that this was his favorite word. “That isn’t right. Where is the house? This is the right place, I’m sure of it. Fern, where is the house?” Occasionally, he spoke to the horse. “I always stop with the Marnow family on my way home and all I see is the barn. I hope nothing happened…”
It was getting dark when they reached the barn, and the cold rain was starting up again. Grau was shivering even in his wool coat. The house was leveled, stones scattered throughout the marshes, leaving a foundation and the remains of furniture and broken plates.
“I can’t believe it,” he said. “I hope they’re all right. They were such a nice family. At least we can still sleep in the barn.”
“Grau, you’re already cold! It’ll be worse tonight.” Thunder rumbled in the distance, and Velsa jumped.
“We get a lot of winter thunderstorms around here,” he said, rubbing her back. “They come off Idle Lake in the north. We need shelter, even if it’s shabby. Let’s take a look inside.”
He shoved open one of the large wooden doors with his shoulder. Within the barn were piles of hay that reached the rafters. The barn leaked in places, and some of the hay had molded. Grau sneezed.
“That’s unfortunate,” he said. “Still, we can create a little heat.” He dug in his pocket and produced a crystal, not a mere light-stone, but a proper crystal, clear and multi-faceted.
“A crystal…” She marveled at it a moment. Crystals helped to capture and magnify magic, but they were certainly more expensive than anything the girls could afford.
“Magic can be done without crystals, as you saw when I grabbed that fire at the inn, but it is much more difficult. The crystal will help channel the elements. This hay spent plenty of time in the sun, and it still has the sun’s power caught within it.”
He pointed the crystal toward the piles of hay, sweeping it across in an arc, several times. He breathed deeply, in time with the rhythm.
He stopped to show her how the crystal was growing warmer. She put her fingertips to the smooth surface, which now felt like it had been resting near a fireplace.
“Now, we throw the magic back into the hay.” He stepped forward forcefully, stomping the ground, and held the crystal outward. Steam rose from the hay in wisps, warming the air. He finished the magic with purposeful waves of his arms. The steam turned to clouds, so much that the room grew muggy.
Grau shrugged his coat off. “It won’t last long,” he said. “But it’ll have to do. It won’t be the nicest place we’ve ever slept, but we’ll be home tomorrow and have our clothes washed.”
She had some sympathy, now, for how the men who came to the House might not smell the best. It wasn’t always easy to stay clean while traveling. Her fingers had a gray tinge, and Grau, admittedly, was looking pretty haggard with his hair and clothing wet.
He had just stepped out to bring in Fern when she heard a cough above her head. Followed by some male voices speaking in a confused
However, he seemed to question this path himself. It could only get them both in trouble.
S ometimes , all the eye could see were fields of brown grass, cut though with snaking streams, without a house to be seen. The roads had been built up above the fields, but they were mucky or washed out in sections and Grau led Fern very carefully.
This was the marshland.
“I grew up here,” he told her. “It isn’t to everyone’s taste.”
“I like it,” she said.
“I thought you might. Mountains and beaches get all the glory, but I always do my best thinking in the marshes.”
In the late afternoon, a week since they had left Nisa, Grau looked at the landscape ahead. A solitary building poked distantly above the sea of grass.
“Hmm,” he said, squinting. She had already come to realize that this was his favorite word. “That isn’t right. Where is the house? This is the right place, I’m sure of it. Fern, where is the house?” Occasionally, he spoke to the horse. “I always stop with the Marnow family on my way home and all I see is the barn. I hope nothing happened…”
It was getting dark when they reached the barn, and the cold rain was starting up again. Grau was shivering even in his wool coat. The house was leveled, stones scattered throughout the marshes, leaving a foundation and the remains of furniture and broken plates.
“I can’t believe it,” he said. “I hope they’re all right. They were such a nice family. At least we can still sleep in the barn.”
“Grau, you’re already cold! It’ll be worse tonight.” Thunder rumbled in the distance, and Velsa jumped.
“We get a lot of winter thunderstorms around here,” he said, rubbing her back. “They come off Idle Lake in the north. We need shelter, even if it’s shabby. Let’s take a look inside.”
He shoved open one of the large wooden doors with his shoulder. Within the barn were piles of hay that reached the rafters. The barn leaked in places, and some of the hay had molded. Grau sneezed.
“That’s unfortunate,” he said. “Still, we can create a little heat.” He dug in his pocket and produced a crystal, not a mere light-stone, but a proper crystal, clear and multi-faceted.
“A crystal…” She marveled at it a moment. Crystals helped to capture and magnify magic, but they were certainly more expensive than anything the girls could afford.
“Magic can be done without crystals, as you saw when I grabbed that fire at the inn, but it is much more difficult. The crystal will help channel the elements. This hay spent plenty of time in the sun, and it still has the sun’s power caught within it.”
He pointed the crystal toward the piles of hay, sweeping it across in an arc, several times. He breathed deeply, in time with the rhythm.
He stopped to show her how the crystal was growing warmer. She put her fingertips to the smooth surface, which now felt like it had been resting near a fireplace.
“Now, we throw the magic back into the hay.” He stepped forward forcefully, stomping the ground, and held the crystal outward. Steam rose from the hay in wisps, warming the air. He finished the magic with purposeful waves of his arms. The steam turned to clouds, so much that the room grew muggy.
Grau shrugged his coat off. “It won’t last long,” he said. “But it’ll have to do. It won’t be the nicest place we’ve ever slept, but we’ll be home tomorrow and have our clothes washed.”
She had some sympathy, now, for how the men who came to the House might not smell the best. It wasn’t always easy to stay clean while traveling. Her fingers had a gray tinge, and Grau, admittedly, was looking pretty haggard with his hair and clothing wet.
He had just stepped out to bring in Fern when she heard a cough above her head. Followed by some male voices speaking in a confused
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