Betrayal Read Online Free PDF Page B

dipped them into the water bowl on his tray, picked up the accompanying napkin and set about cleaning his hands and whiskers. All of this gave him precious time to think.
    ‘You’ll forgive my frankness,’ he said finally.
    Jhon Gynt nodded. ‘I’d appreciate it.’
    Merkhud looked directly at Tor when he spoke.
    ‘I am aware that your son is sentient…Please, let me finish,’ he said as the boy’s parents gasped and he felt the shield around them tighten.
    Get out of here, physic! Torkyn snarled across the link.
    His mother was jabbering and his father was on his feet.
    ‘Let me finish, please. I’m not here on the King’s business and I am certainly no member of the butchers who go by the name of Inquisitor,’ Merkhud implored.
    Then more emphatically and directly at the boy. ‘Tor, you do not intimidate me so stop your threats. You do, however, amaze and reassure me. In you I see hope for us all.’
    ‘He speaks in riddles.’ Tor waved his hand as if to dismiss the ravings of an old man, but once again strengthened the shield around himself and his parents, terrified of what the sentient physic was capable of.
    Jhon Gynt’s normally gentle voice sounded suddenly commanding.
    ‘Physic Merkhud, forgive my son’s indiscretion…whatever he’s done. We don’t discuss Torkyn’s powerfor obvious reasons. That you bring it into the open so casually is very frightening for all of us after his lifetime of hiding it. Please say what you’ve come here to say. I fear this is no visit of chance.’ An icy look was sent towards his son to ensure he gave no further interruption.
    Merkhud nodded his head. ‘You are correct, Jhon Gynt. This is no social visit. I am sentient too.’ He allowed that to hang between the four of them for a moment. ‘And, like Tor here, the Power Arts I wield go strangely unnoticed by Goth and his merry band. I know not why.’
    He lied. He had to.
    ‘Until I witnessed your son use his powers to help that poor girl at Twyfford Cross, I had never met anyone else in my life whose magic was undetectable.’ Again he lied.
    The silence was heavy. He knew the boy’s parents had no clue if or when their son wielded his magic and felt sure they had forbidden him all of his life to use those skills. He took a deep breath, knowing this was the critical moment he had quested towards for so long and time was so short. He could not fail now.
    ‘With Tor’s consent—and yours, of course—I would like him to come to Tal and be my apprentice.’
    ‘At the Palace! Why?’ Ailsa shrieked, unable to contain herself.
    ‘By the light, man! Are you mad? It would be like giving him to Goth. We might as well paint a sign on his forehead that reads “bridle me”,’ Jhon Gynt bellowed in a rare show of rage.
    ‘No, Gynt, you’re not thinking. I’ve just told you that both your son and I can wield our power without detection. He will be safest at the Palace under my absolute protection. No one would dare touch him there, and no one will. I will teach him the healing craft. He will be my successor at the Palace: wealthy, respected and safe from the barbarians who roam this land. Who knows, perhaps it is Tor who will bring about change with me…’
    Merkhud stopped himself. He was excited, clutching at his one sparkling chance. Surely this boy was the One. He must not lose him.
    Come with me, boy , he whispered across the link. It was only then he saw the light shining in Tor’s strange blue eyes and knew he had won.
    ‘You want us to give you permission to take away our son—our only child?’ Ailsa Gynt’s tears were already flowing.
    ‘I am asking you to give him into my care and, at risk of being dramatic, to give him to the people of Tallinor.’
    ‘Physic, have you ever had a child? Do you know what it is to give up a son?’ Jhon Gynt’s voice was gritty with emotion.
    For a moment it felt as though the world had stilled. The sound of the storm outside seemed to fade to silence.