Read Online The Sword And The Pen by Elysa Hendricks - Free Book Online
Authors: Elysa Hendricks
Ads: Link
but the wizard touched my knee.
"Relax! You're safe. I promise."
The warmth of his hand and the soothing tone of his voice eased my trepidation. I let myself relax. Whatever else he might have done, my wizard hadn't yet lied to me. Until he did, I'd give him my trust--at least in this.
*** *** ***
The SUV had great suspension; it flew smoothly over and down the bumpy gravel drive. Remembering Seri's response to the garage door opening and her first sight of the SUV made Brandon smile. It probably wasn't kind of him to enjoy her discomfort, but damn, he'd had his own share of surprises these last twenty-four hours. It felt good to turn the tables.
Her fictional world had only the simplest machines. Nothing powered by gas or electricity. She seemed to act in accordance with this. Either she was a great actress, or completely cuckoo. He supposed that changed none of his previous conclusions.
Once on the main road, he pressed down on the accelerator. The SUV responded with a gratifying burst of speed.
As he drove, he worried. He'd decided to take her to the new shopping mall that had opened about an hour's drive away. Though he didn't spend a lot of time in town, he knew the people of Council Falls were curious about him. Bringing Seri into town would only stir their interest.
Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her reaction to riding in a car. At first Seri sat frozen, her hands clutching the armrests. After a few miles, he could see her start to calm down and enjoy the journey. When he opened the sunroof, she raised her face and let out a small gasp of amazement.
"Relax," he told her. "It'll take us about an hour to get there."
"Where are we going?"
"To a mall."
"What is this. . .mall?"
"A place to shop--a marketplace."
She let out a small groan and turned her attention to the passing countryside.
He'd always reveled in the sense of power driving this oversized SUV gave him, though he was also a bit embarrassed by that. Out of the corner of his eye he watched myriad expressions flash across Seri's face: fear, excitement, acceptance, amusement, incredulity. Usually with people he felt the need to talk, to fill the void, but with Seri the silence in the car was comfortable. He allowed himself to quietly enjoy it. Few other cars shared the two-lane country highway stretched out ahead and behind them. Seri studied each as it passed by.
After a while, she turned to look at him. "This carriage appears much larger and more powerful than the others."
Just then, an 18-wheeler came roaring around a bend and toward them. Seri's eyes widened and she grabbed an armrest. Despite Brandon's SUV's size, it rocked as the semi whooshed by.
He tried to hide his grin. "There are bigger things on the road."
She released her grip on the armrest and twisted toward him. "You find my rational alarm amusing, Wizard?"
"You've got to admit, this whole situation has its funny side."
"I admit nothing," she said, but he could hear laughter lurking in her husky voice.
He couldn't stop giving a chuckle. When she herself let out a laugh, the tension he'd been holding inside since her appearance eased out of him. His sense of the absurd had been one of Wanda's major complaints: She hadn't understood his need to see the funny side of the world and himself. But without humor, he couldn't cope. Laughing kept everything manageable.
He wondered why humor had rarely found its way into his writing. Perhaps because Serilda's world was grim and dark, a place where emotions were a luxury. Was this a reflection of his own barren inner life? Had it been a place to release and slay his mental demons?
He'd always loved the world and the characters he'd created, but lately he'd found himself wanting and needing more, in both his writing and in his life. At times his fictional world seemed so real he feared he'd end up like his mother, totally neurotic, or like is grandmother, disconnected from reality. Or maybe like his father he'd just
"Relax! You're safe. I promise."
The warmth of his hand and the soothing tone of his voice eased my trepidation. I let myself relax. Whatever else he might have done, my wizard hadn't yet lied to me. Until he did, I'd give him my trust--at least in this.
*** *** ***
The SUV had great suspension; it flew smoothly over and down the bumpy gravel drive. Remembering Seri's response to the garage door opening and her first sight of the SUV made Brandon smile. It probably wasn't kind of him to enjoy her discomfort, but damn, he'd had his own share of surprises these last twenty-four hours. It felt good to turn the tables.
Her fictional world had only the simplest machines. Nothing powered by gas or electricity. She seemed to act in accordance with this. Either she was a great actress, or completely cuckoo. He supposed that changed none of his previous conclusions.
Once on the main road, he pressed down on the accelerator. The SUV responded with a gratifying burst of speed.
As he drove, he worried. He'd decided to take her to the new shopping mall that had opened about an hour's drive away. Though he didn't spend a lot of time in town, he knew the people of Council Falls were curious about him. Bringing Seri into town would only stir their interest.
Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her reaction to riding in a car. At first Seri sat frozen, her hands clutching the armrests. After a few miles, he could see her start to calm down and enjoy the journey. When he opened the sunroof, she raised her face and let out a small gasp of amazement.
"Relax," he told her. "It'll take us about an hour to get there."
"Where are we going?"
"To a mall."
"What is this. . .mall?"
"A place to shop--a marketplace."
She let out a small groan and turned her attention to the passing countryside.
He'd always reveled in the sense of power driving this oversized SUV gave him, though he was also a bit embarrassed by that. Out of the corner of his eye he watched myriad expressions flash across Seri's face: fear, excitement, acceptance, amusement, incredulity. Usually with people he felt the need to talk, to fill the void, but with Seri the silence in the car was comfortable. He allowed himself to quietly enjoy it. Few other cars shared the two-lane country highway stretched out ahead and behind them. Seri studied each as it passed by.
After a while, she turned to look at him. "This carriage appears much larger and more powerful than the others."
Just then, an 18-wheeler came roaring around a bend and toward them. Seri's eyes widened and she grabbed an armrest. Despite Brandon's SUV's size, it rocked as the semi whooshed by.
He tried to hide his grin. "There are bigger things on the road."
She released her grip on the armrest and twisted toward him. "You find my rational alarm amusing, Wizard?"
"You've got to admit, this whole situation has its funny side."
"I admit nothing," she said, but he could hear laughter lurking in her husky voice.
He couldn't stop giving a chuckle. When she herself let out a laugh, the tension he'd been holding inside since her appearance eased out of him. His sense of the absurd had been one of Wanda's major complaints: She hadn't understood his need to see the funny side of the world and himself. But without humor, he couldn't cope. Laughing kept everything manageable.
He wondered why humor had rarely found its way into his writing. Perhaps because Serilda's world was grim and dark, a place where emotions were a luxury. Was this a reflection of his own barren inner life? Had it been a place to release and slay his mental demons?
He'd always loved the world and the characters he'd created, but lately he'd found himself wanting and needing more, in both his writing and in his life. At times his fictional world seemed so real he feared he'd end up like his mother, totally neurotic, or like is grandmother, disconnected from reality. Or maybe like his father he'd just
Similar Books
