Read Online Well of Tears (Empath Book 3) by Dawn Peers - Free Book Online Page A

to keep
the mood light. The ascent up the cliff to the Castle of
Sevenspells would be when the mood dropped, Quinn knew it. This was
still their time, and she was determined to see it all out. They
had perhaps only a few hours left together. They would go to bed,
and go to sleep. Then they’d be woken in the morning by Harn, and
he would drag her before Shiver for judgement. If there was one
person in their retinue that Quinn did want to use her ability on,
it was Harn. Even worse than Shiver, who could perhaps blame
lineage and fame gained in the Empath Wars for his egotistical
posturing, Harn was just a disgusting human being. Quinn had
daydreamed about making him walk off the path to a gruesome
plummeting death, though she knew that would be the same as signing
her own death writ. She did her best to try and avoid him, although
sometimes the man was just too in everyone’s face. He kept on
baiting Eden, pointing out that he was still a lord where his
brothers were princes, reminding him constantly of how fragile his
standing was with his father. Eden responded to this in the only
way he knew how—he’d ignored him. Eden confided in her that Harn
was a troublemaker, and always stirred up dissent between the
brothers and their father. Eden had learned how to handle him long
ago, and Harn hated that. It had become an escalating game between
them, and it was one that Eden was tired of playing. For her part,
Quinn hated it. She wished he didn’t have to play such games with
such people, but she’d lived her whole life in and around court,
and knew that he had no alternative.
    When a knock came at the door, they both
tried to stifle their laughter. Convinced that, after drinking too
much ale they were disturbing the rest of the inn, they thought
their muffled silence would make the intruder go away. When the
knock came again, Eden got unsteadily to his feet and staggered
across to the door. Eden only opened it an inch at first, but
opened it wide when he saw who stood there. River walked in, and
the boy looked embarrassed to be there. No, that wasn’t right.
River wasn’t a boy—he was older than Eden. Quinn had to keep
reminding herself of that. There was no real comparison between
them.
    “River! Are you okay? What are you doing
here?"
    “I heard you laughing. I felt lonely, so I
just thought I’d come and say hello.”
    Eden didn’t answer his brother, so unused he
was to this kind of gesture. River took this as a sign, and started
stammering with embarrassment. “I…I mean if that’s okay? I didn’t
mean to intrude?”
    Eden waved his hands, trying to stop himself
from laughing. “ River, don ’t worry. Come
and sit with us, you’ve only had Harn for company haven’t you? I’m
sorry we haven’t spoken much. It must have been miserable for
you.”
    “He’s not pleasant company, I have to
say."
    “Why did you accompany him?” This was from
Quinn, not Eden who already knew the answer.
    “My father’s not really one who takes no for
an answer. He was convinced that, if I didn’t go with Harn to Port
Kahnel, then Eden wouldn’t have come back. He thinks you might have
gone elsewhere."
    “Elsewhere? There is nowhere else.”
    “I mean to Vance. Father thought you might
have gone back to Everfell."
    “With Sammah there? I don’t think so."
    “Still, he didn’t want to take the risk,
that’s all. So he ordered me to come, because he knows you trust
me.”
    “Well, that was true enough. And it was nice
to see your face after being presented with Harn. That man alone
would have been enough to turn me on another road.”
    River smiled awkwardly, and Quinn couldn’t
help but explore the man’s feelings. She kept on thinking that
River was like her; or at least the girl she had been before her
experiences with Sammah, and in Farn. River was awkward and shy,
and inexplicably so. He was the son of a great lord, and second in
line to inherit the lands of Sevenspells. By all rights, he should
have been