Read Online ZYGRADON by Michelle L. Levigne - Free Book Online Page A

fought not to cry. His first thought was that
he had been discovered and would be sent home. His second was to wonder what he
was doing so far from his bedroll with his knife in his hand, and why the older boys sat
on him.
    * * * *
    "Blood magic," Afron Warhawk grunted, and scowled as he stared at
Mrillis.
    Le'esha clenched her fists to fight the need to wrap her arms around the boy.
She wanted to shake him until his eyes rattled. She fought to swallow the words that she
feared would escape in a shriek, demanding to know why he had hidden his dreams
from her for so long.
    It was part of the Nameless One's enchantment, she suspected, that Mrillis had
been unable, not just unwilling, to tell them. And perhaps the boy, for all his brilliance,
didn't quite understand the danger he had been in.
    She had needed to drain massive amounts of imbrose from the
Threads to cleanse Mrillis from the taint of blood magic that clung to him. She had
fought to help him remember the dream that had nearly destroyed him. She still found it
hard to breathe when she thought of the near-disaster that struck at them tonight. She
was thankful for the vigilant servant boys, who had awakened when Mrillis went
sleepwalking, drew his knife and nearly slit his own throat.
    Breylon and Graddon met with the Warhawk to explain the ruckus at the edge
of the camp. Lyon stood guard over Le'esha as she cleansed the boy of the poison that
sucked on his soul like leaches. Now, the six were alone in the Warhawk's tent.
    The Nameless One had struck too close to their hearts, with a fierceness they
should have expected. That was the harshest blow of all, she suspected. She and
Graddon and Breylon had been smugly sure that they had kept Mrillis safe. Tonight had
proven just how wrong they had been. Worse, they shouldn't have simply expected their
enemy to attack. They should have worked to prevent it. From this moment, they could
not afford to simply watch and build protections. They needed to act, not just react.
Tonight, they had to decide, and quickly.
    "Can we use the boy as bait?" the Warhawk asked, after sitting long in silence,
studying Mrillis.
    "Bait?" slipped from the boy's lips before he could stop himself. He took a step
back, so he pressed up against Le'esha's knees. Only she and the Warhawk sat. Le'esha
rested a hand on Mrillis' shoulder. The boy shivered from more than the cold.
    "The Nameless One wants to get his hands on you, boy. Didn't you know that?"
Lyon said, his frown deepening.
    "Because of my father." Mrillis turned enough to see Le'esha. "I don't understand
why he wants to get revenge on me for something my father did."
    "Is that what you think?" She tried to smile, tried to understand how a boy's
mind worked. "No, my dear. The Nameless One wants you . Many visions and
prophecies, the Nameless One wishes to fulfill or to prevent. He suspects you are
involved in many of them, and he wishes to... simplify the future, by eliminating
you."
    "Me? What can I do?"
    "What use is a piece of iron ore until it's been mined and smelted and
hammered a thousand times?" the Warhawk said, his grim expression brightening a little.
"A wise man steals or destroys the raw metal before it's made into weapons to use
against him." He looked around the tent, meeting Breylon's, Graddon's and Le'esha's
gazes before turning to his brother. "Do you think we can use the boy as bait? Draw out
our enemy, make him act before he's ready?"
    "I think we can," Lyon said slowly. He moved around so he stood at the
Warhawk's side, and went down on one knee. He met Mrillis' gaze, and narrowed his
eyes as he studied the boy. "The question is whether we should. If it's right and wise.
What sort of magic hold does he have on the boy?"
    "The Nameless One has a son," Graddon said. "That much our spies and visions
have showed us. The visions and prophecies speak of two boys. Either two futures for
the same boy, or two boys with two futures to choose from."
    "We think--we fear--the Nameless