Read Online Tower of Trials: Book One of Guardian Spirit by Jodi Ralston - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jodi Ralston
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would weaken it.” Guard felt he should add something encouraging here. “You did well to obey me. We won the Trial.”
“That is . . . that is true, Perce. It seems it was the best way. None of those dreadful monsters were inside the walls.” Lydia rubbed at her arms through her layers as she spoke. “So there is no need to get upset over it. There are worse things to get our backs up, and we are done with those monsters and that monstrous maze. You are not—you’re safe. We’re safe.”
“And we succeeded,” Guard added.
Perce turned to her, grasping her forearms, not noticing her wince at the tenderness. “He was wrong to use us so, Lydia. Wrong! Don’t you get it? We should’ve stayed together the entire time. There was no reason why we couldn’t have.”
“My reasoning was sound. I needed focus, not distractions.” Their cries for comfort and their demands about other needs might have tugged on his human emotions. If he had given in to that, he would have failed. He needed to be like a spirit—strong—and he had been. Why couldn’t they see that? Guard shook his head. Because they are human. “I had planned the wall tunnel after the first attempt, but I needed the second run to make certain, to be sure of the nature of the tunnels, and to see the change in pattern of the retrievers, if any. And it was well I did, for they grew more effective after each reset.”
“Oh, yes,” Lydia said, rubbing her arms once more. “Faster and stronger.”
But her companion would have none of it. “The paths shared walls, didn’t they? You could have darted us from one to another, with little risk out in the open, thanks to your trick. Eventually, we would have found the exit. If you were a gentleman, you wouldn’t have made her go through it three times. Once was enough. That second time we could have traveled the inner route, safely, to the exit.”
“But I think that would have been cheating, Percy,” Lydia said softly, looking down.
“I am not a gentleman, Shalott. I solved the maze the way a spirit would, by studying the make of the weapons, observing the behavior of the adversary, making sure of my goal—”
“Without a thought to her and her fears. Dammit, she told you she was afraid—she could have gone with you!”
“A very human way of thinking.”
“And you are one.” The angry gray-eyed gaze raked him up and down. Then stopped. The male scoffed. “Partly. Cambion. ”
“To my regret, but fortunately, my regret is destined to be short-lived.” Guard turned to Lydia, who was looking away from them, huddled over with cold. “And so will the weaknesses that now hinder you, Seeker.” So it was with Purgatory’s ghosts, too. Their shortcomings had held them back from the straight path to the Garden, which was why it was essential to push past weaknesses and failures now, to focus on the successes and the goals. “The first step is already done, Seeker. Two more and you will be with your shade.”
“And now he wants us to move on to the next ordeal! We are human. We nearly died. Give us a moment, if you please! Humans need time to catch their breath.” The male went to Lydia, cooed something emotional at her, and discovered by touch her bruises. “Blasted monsters! Forgive my language, dearest.”
Lydia nodded but stepped back until her back touched a somewhat smooth area to the Tower wall. Her companion followed and fussed.
Good thing it was not the male tested. He would learn nothing; he was just along for the Trial, part of it anyway. Lydia, Guard suspected, has already learned something valuable about herself. So he hoped, but her face was downturned; he could not see her expression.
But she was . . . quieter.
Too quiet.
Maybe it was the cold.
Maybe it was something worse.
“Is your moment over? It would be best not to linger between The Crypts. Doubt can enter your hearts then.”
“But not yours, eh?” But the male sighed and pulled Lydia against his side with
“That is . . . that is true, Perce. It seems it was the best way. None of those dreadful monsters were inside the walls.” Lydia rubbed at her arms through her layers as she spoke. “So there is no need to get upset over it. There are worse things to get our backs up, and we are done with those monsters and that monstrous maze. You are not—you’re safe. We’re safe.”
“And we succeeded,” Guard added.
Perce turned to her, grasping her forearms, not noticing her wince at the tenderness. “He was wrong to use us so, Lydia. Wrong! Don’t you get it? We should’ve stayed together the entire time. There was no reason why we couldn’t have.”
“My reasoning was sound. I needed focus, not distractions.” Their cries for comfort and their demands about other needs might have tugged on his human emotions. If he had given in to that, he would have failed. He needed to be like a spirit—strong—and he had been. Why couldn’t they see that? Guard shook his head. Because they are human. “I had planned the wall tunnel after the first attempt, but I needed the second run to make certain, to be sure of the nature of the tunnels, and to see the change in pattern of the retrievers, if any. And it was well I did, for they grew more effective after each reset.”
“Oh, yes,” Lydia said, rubbing her arms once more. “Faster and stronger.”
But her companion would have none of it. “The paths shared walls, didn’t they? You could have darted us from one to another, with little risk out in the open, thanks to your trick. Eventually, we would have found the exit. If you were a gentleman, you wouldn’t have made her go through it three times. Once was enough. That second time we could have traveled the inner route, safely, to the exit.”
“But I think that would have been cheating, Percy,” Lydia said softly, looking down.
“I am not a gentleman, Shalott. I solved the maze the way a spirit would, by studying the make of the weapons, observing the behavior of the adversary, making sure of my goal—”
“Without a thought to her and her fears. Dammit, she told you she was afraid—she could have gone with you!”
“A very human way of thinking.”
“And you are one.” The angry gray-eyed gaze raked him up and down. Then stopped. The male scoffed. “Partly. Cambion. ”
“To my regret, but fortunately, my regret is destined to be short-lived.” Guard turned to Lydia, who was looking away from them, huddled over with cold. “And so will the weaknesses that now hinder you, Seeker.” So it was with Purgatory’s ghosts, too. Their shortcomings had held them back from the straight path to the Garden, which was why it was essential to push past weaknesses and failures now, to focus on the successes and the goals. “The first step is already done, Seeker. Two more and you will be with your shade.”
“And now he wants us to move on to the next ordeal! We are human. We nearly died. Give us a moment, if you please! Humans need time to catch their breath.” The male went to Lydia, cooed something emotional at her, and discovered by touch her bruises. “Blasted monsters! Forgive my language, dearest.”
Lydia nodded but stepped back until her back touched a somewhat smooth area to the Tower wall. Her companion followed and fussed.
Good thing it was not the male tested. He would learn nothing; he was just along for the Trial, part of it anyway. Lydia, Guard suspected, has already learned something valuable about herself. So he hoped, but her face was downturned; he could not see her expression.
But she was . . . quieter.
Too quiet.
Maybe it was the cold.
Maybe it was something worse.
“Is your moment over? It would be best not to linger between The Crypts. Doubt can enter your hearts then.”
“But not yours, eh?” But the male sighed and pulled Lydia against his side with
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