A Turn of Curses Read Online Free PDF Page A

ground, the two feyquin standing watch, and Faldon's disappearance at night.
    She wished they could continue to Willowbrook that night. It couldn’t be far. She would bet no night mares would cause trouble for people behind locked doors.
    Sleep would be reluctant to come that night .
    * * *
    Selina awoke to a sound that irritated her. It shattered the odd dreams and continued with regularity until she opened her eyes and stretched.
    On the ground nearby lay the man without a name, his hands behind his head. The sound came from him, a snoring loud enough to rouse her in the middle of a thunderstorm, but the night was calm—far worse.
    She peered through the weak moonlight. On a nearby hilltop stood the shadow of one of the feyquin. The other stretched out on the ground, the dark mound of its body highlighted by the white of its leg and face markings—Dewel.
    Once again Faldon was nowhere to be seen. Where was the feyquin leader?
    The land fell quiet, except for the rustle of grass nearby.
    Selina looked aside at the stranger-without-a-name. Seeing him with the scraggly gray and black hair reminded her of Faldon.
    No. It couldn't be. Every fiber in her body hated Faldon's presence. This stranger intrigued her. She must be wrong. Had to be. Impossible!
    He finished his stretch and sat up.
    "Where'd you come from?" She tried to keep her voice hushed, but in the still of the night, her voice could have been a bugle.
    He said nothing, but watched her with a neutral expression.
    "Never mind. You're here. I suppose I'm stuck with you." Irritation grated in her voice almost as much as she intended.
    What she thought was a smile flashed across his face and vanished a moment later.
    Awkwardness warmed through her, despite the chill of the morning. "Who are you? Where were you yesterday? Why'd you come back?" Would he admit the truth she suspected?
    "Does it matter?"
    "Yes!" The sharpness of her reply rang out, and she slapped her hands to her mouth. Dewel lifted his head from the ground where he rested.
    The man's smile returned, a sparkle of amusement in his dark eyes highlighted by the lightening hues in the sky. "I am no one of concern, but I can't stay while Faldon is near."
    "Why do you help that brute?"
    A shadow passed over his face. "I was helping you—" He clamped his mouth and stood up facing the lighter horizon.
    "Helping?" She stood up with him, intending to pry answers out of him before he could leave again. Leave to transform. "Since you first appeared I've had nothing but trouble. How do I know it wasn't you that caused it?"
    He scowled at the horizon.
    "You don't even deny it. That proves it!" Proves that he was Faldon in disguise. Faldon, who caused all this trouble.
    "It proves nothing!" His retort startled her into quiet. "You have no idea the mess you've stepped into and no right to interfere."
    "I wasn't interfering! I didn't ask to step into any mess. I only came to heal the king of this land, who, as I understand, Faldon gave his support to." She crossed her arms with a self-righteous air. He couldn't deny the truth in her statement.
    He strode away without a word.
    "Where are you going?" She ran after him.
    "I have better things to do."
    "Like what? Why don't you answer my questions?"
    Without looking back, he lifted a hand and waved, a clear dismissal of her questions.
    Selina crossed her arms and glared at his receding back. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of chasing him down. Why couldn't he cooperate? She only demanded answers.
    He'd be back soon.
    Now, to eat. Her stomach rumbled, and she sat down. Her pile of fruit had grown. Selina looked up to catch the stranger, but he vanished into the woods. Maybe she had been too harsh.
    No. If he was Faldon, he deserved it.
    She ate quickly, glad for the juicy fruits, but needing something more to sustain her. She craved meat, but the stranger apparently didn't bother to hunt. Not surprising.
    When Faldon reappeared, Selina watched him. She said nothing.