Bastial Energy Read Online Free PDF Page B

harder it was to lose the feeling of breathlessness, so she forced herself toward other thoughts—a trick she’d learned early on.
    Brady was next on her mind. She still didn’t understand why she was upset with him, and that just frustrated her more. He’s just another man in a bar, she tried to tell herself. A man who just so happens to be attending the Academy, with his girlfriend, and you kissed him. Her hands came over her face, and she moaned into them despairingly.
    This is his fault, argued a different voice. He flirted back with me. He never said he had a girlfriend. He was talking to a prostie. That, at least, gave her enough comfort to take her hands off her face.
    Reela and Steffen were next in her thoughts. Knowing she would see them tomorrow eventually calmed her enough to pass into sleep.

 
     
     
    Chapter 6: Keep Back
    CLEVE
     
    Cleve had delayed moving in as long as possible, and now classes were beginning the next morning. Even though he had to face the psychic and see the awkward chemist again, he was at least somewhat relieved to distance himself from Terren’s messy kitchen.
    Cleve’s uncle didn’t care for variety in his meals. He had eggs and toast in the morning, meat and rice in the evening with a beer to wash it down. If Terren ate lunch, it usually was cold soup while seated on the grass of Warrior’s Field.
    It was the system Terren developed and it worked for him, so Cleve never interfered or complained. He didn’t like to cook, so he ate what Terren made, but he didn’t consider soup to be a meal, so he just skipped lunch. While everyone else was eating midday, Cleve was deep in Raywhite Forest where he could hone his skills without the chance of being seen.
    He had to be especially cautious when he wanted to train with his bow, and he still couldn’t figure out how he’d let a chemist sneak up on him. His mother and father were killed eight years ago, and bows were outlawed shortly after. His solitary visits to train in Raywhite Forest began then. Cleve’s bow had belonged to his father, Dex, before being presented to Cleve on his eighth birthday.
    During their lessons as a child, Cleve’s father had made it clear that the bow was more than just a weapon. It was a dedication. Respect for the weapon was just as important to learn as skill. Even after Dex died, Cleve still could hear his father’s voice giving tips when he missed his mark or laughing with excitement when he made a difficult shot. It was Cleve’s only way of thinking about his father without pain.
    Terren cautioned Cleve to leave the bow behind when he moved. No one would search the headmaster’s house, and it was dangerous to try and transport the outlawed weapon. Cleve agreed with Terren’s reasoning and would have been concerned if his uncle had mentioned nothing of it, but he was taking the bow with him regardless. To leave it would be leaving a piece of himself behind.
    Cleve packed it in his leather bag big enough to fit a small man. With the outlawed longbow, a quiver, a one-handed sword, and five throwing knives, the bag could barely close. Cleve wasn’t exceptional with throwing knives and would always prefer the bow in a ranged fight, but he had to keep up appearances. Throwing knives were the new bow, and it was expected of any decent warrior to be at least somewhat skilled with them. His quarterstaff couldn’t fit with all else, but he needed to make two trips for the rest of his stuff, so he would carry the quarterstaff in the open during his second trip. He liked the feeling of the weapon in his hands anyway.
    When he first entered his new house, he readied a fake smile and told himself to be as nice as he knew how, expecting Steffen and the others to be there. Instead, he found no one home. He let out a sigh of relief and took a quick look around. It was similar to Terren’s house, except the kitchen was larger, and there were four bedrooms instead of two.
    Terren’s house was positioned at