Beneath the Thirteen Moons Read Online Free PDF

zabbaroot with another took far more trust than most people were willing to give, much less someone like her.
    Mahri’s only comfort lay in the thought that this was a root-induced dream, albeit of the highest caliber. “You want the impossible,” she replied.
    The circle of light they stood in began to shrink. The native eyed it with alarm and grabbed the taller woman’s forearms. Not impossible. You… the half.
    The light now encompassed only Mahri, the native’s grip had loosed and disappeared into the blackness. “The half of what?” she demanded into the growing abyss.
    The answer in her mind tickled faint as a whisper. The other half… of his soul.

Chapter 3
    M AHRI OPENED HER EYES WITH A SCREAM IN HER throat that couldn’t be voiced. The noise that did come from her mouth sounded like a fair imitation of Jaja’s squeaky chatter and made her snap her lips shut, swallow hard against the sandy feel of her tongue. Her eyes flew open onto daylight, and she became aware of the rhythm of the water beneath her and a body that felt bruised all over. And felt an amazed gratitude that she seemed to be alive.
    She tried to tense her muscles to sit up. Nothing happened. They wouldn’t—or couldn’t—respond; useless strings that now sufficed just to hold her bones together. Mahri lay immobile with what felt like swamp fever, watched the interlaced tree branches above, the shafts of sunshine that managed to filter through the canopy, and hungrily eyed the krizm vines that dangled their swollen globes of stored water from the night’s rain.
    She couldn’t see him, but heard a whistled tune, knew that Prince Korl guided their passage through the channel by the unnecessary splashes from his inept paddling. They’d be better off if he just let her boat drift. Her mouth opened to ask for water when she realized that the Royal wouldn’t know a krizm vine from a dedo, would most likely pluck a pink globe instead of the red, accomplishing what the coma had not.
    But thank the-thirteen-moons for the mind closeness of her pet. Jaja must have felt her need for his sweet little face appeared above her, brown eyes huge with concern, then the blessed relief of wetness flowed into her mouth, down her parched throat. When she’d had enough Mahri managed to turn her cheek into her pet’s hand, rubbing skin to scale in a silent thank you.
    “So, the water-rat wakes,” drawled the Royal.
    Mahri gritted her teeth at his patronizing tone. The brief flare of anger allowed her to lift her head and she gasped at the result, her vision red with the pain that pulsed through her skull.
    I’m proud to be a water-rat, she reminded herself.
    “You’re lucky to be alive,” he continued. “That much root would’ve downed many a Master Seer I know.” He dropped the paddle and turned, his face in direct contrast with the voice, for his forehead narrowed in concern as he studied her.
    “You’ve still got a nasty lump on your head, but I’ve Seen to your shoulder and, er, chest.” His face reddened and Mahri fought back a smile. “The effects of the overdose, well, there’s nothing I can do about that. But it looks like time ought to heal you.”
    He crouched beside her and Mahri stared in mute wonder. His eyes sparkled with root, eyes that glowed the palest green that she’d ever seen, their color and large, round shape making them jump out from the rest of his face, impaling her with their brilliance. She couldn’t look away.
    “I thought about tying you up,” he continued, his face reddening again, “just to return the favor. But you’ll be too weak to give me much trouble anyway.”
    Mahri could only stare and listen to that strangely deep throaty voice, unaware of the words he spoke, only responding to the feeling that shivered through her at the sound of it. Her heart thudded erratically and fish-fins fluttered through her stomach and she wished he’d keep talking forever.
    The Royal’s mouth continued to move and she