Arbiter (The Arbiter Chronicles Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

for this. “Yes,” he finally said. “Allow. The Reaper was banished from this world centuries ago. I think he might be trying to make you his way home. But you weren't supposed to be able to see him in the first place. Why could you?”
    “I ask myself that question every day,” replied Rae. She shook her head. “I don't know,” she said. “I didn't know this could happen.”
    “You wouldn't know,” said Cathel, shaking his head. He said nothing, his green eyes fixed on the corner of the room, before he turned towards her. “Come with me,” he said.
    “Where?” asked Rae, following him towards the door.
    “We're going to interrupt the meeting of the masters,” said Cathel. He grabbed onto her wrist, leading her out into the hallway. “This changes things.”
    “I can walk on my own,” said Rae, snatching her hand out of his grip. Cathel glanced at her but said nothing. He didn't attempt to reach for her hand again. “Where's the meeting?” she asked.
    “The top of the tower,” he replied.
    “We're taking the stairs?” asked Rae, glancing up at the spiral staircase that they seemed to be heading towards.
    Cathel glanced at her, shaking his head. “Not quite,” he said.
    He led her over to one of the tapestries on the walls. Now that Rae saw it, she realized that she had seen one just like it on the previous floor. The tapestry was blue, with a long winding tower embroidered on it in silver thread. As Cathel reached it, he stretched out a hand, and the silver thread began to glow, the tower shining with a soft light.
    “This is going to feel a little strange,” he warned, glancing back at Rae. “Hold on to me, and when we get there, let me do the talking.”
    Rae was about to argue, but she decided against it. She didn’t want to know what the consequences of not following his instructions would be, considering she had no idea how this magic worked. She placed her hand on his arm, holding him as lightly as possible without breaking the connection between them. Cathel glanced down at her once to make sure she was secure, before stepping into the tapestry and taking her with him.
    At once, her world dissolved into silver light. The light swelled around the both of them, pushing them upwards. The magic coursed through her, leaving an indescribable feeling in its wake. Rae felt light, like she could sprout wings and take flight at any second. Almost too soon, the feeling ended, and she felt solid ground beneath her feet again. She closed her eyes as the light around her began to fade.
    The two of them appeared inside a small circular chamber, lit by several large windows that surrounded it. A group of people sat behind a long table that spread in a half-circle directly in front of the tapestry. Rae had the feeling that they were talking to each other as they arrived, but with their arrival, a hush settled over the room, and every eye turned towards them. One man, a strict-looking older man with white hair and a pair of glasses resting on the bridge of his nose, turned towards them.
    “Cathel, what is the meaning of this?” he asked.
    Cathel stepped forward, bowing from the waist towards him. “My apologies, Master Alyan,” he said, straightening up. “I was speaking with our guest. She admitted a few things that I believe change the situation somewhat. I wished to share these things with the masters, before the group could come to a decision.”
    The man, Alyan, frowned, folding his hands over each other on the tabletop.
    “Very well,” he said. “If the gathering permits it, my former student will speak.”
    “You have my thanks,” said Cathel, turning towards the gathering. “Masters, the girl is under a geis to find Kaeltharin within a year, or to forfeit her life.”
    “And who placed this geis on her?” asked one of the masters, a woman with dark hair and sharp, piercing gray eyes. “There are no Ivali in the Daylight Realm.”
    “There is one,” said Cathel. “The geis was