Blazing Earth Read Online Free PDF Page A

he wanted to face down or set on the villagers or others under his hand, so Tolan had acquiesced. Even though the feeling of dread filled him now with Geoffrey’s reference to the generations before him there.
    â€œWe will meet you in the village, Tolan. And bring along whatever tools or accoutrements you need.”
    â€œMy lord, what will we be doing?”
    Bordan gasped at Tolan’s question and looked as though he would strike out at him, but Tolan needed to understand what this journey was about and how to hide his true gift from others.
    â€œBring along whatever you need to test the soil. To find obstructions beneath the surface. I am searching for hidden st . . .”
    Lord Geoffrey stopped and glanced around them, over both of his shoulders and back to the doorway as though someone might be listening. That was not what made Tolan nervous. What made his skin crawl and his stomach heave was the word that the nobleman hesitated on.
    St . . .
    Stones.
    Hidden stones.
    Tolan fought to keep his reaction off his face. He knew the stories and the legends about these lands, passed down from a time when the pagans held sway and the Christians had not yet arrived. The stories about those who built and carved the huge circles of stones that lay across the Salisbury Plain for miles in all directions. None of those were hidden, though some lay partially out of sight due to the overgrowth of weeds and other plants.
    He also knew about the other stones, the ones rarely known or spoken about. He knew their origin and their purpose and he knew, most importantly, of his duty to them. He clenched his jaw, trying to regain his control before he said something he should not. Pulling in a deep breath and easing it out, he nodded at Lord Geoffrey. “Very well, my lord. I will gather my tools and be ready.”
    His agreement seemed to break Lord Geoffrey’s consternation and the man nodded and waved him off now. Tolan turned to go, knowing he must make other arrangements before he could leave and that there was little time. It took all his control not to break his pace and run from the keep back to his house. He urged his horse to move faster than he would usually and Tolan refused to stop even when several of those known to him called out as he rode by.
    His first stop, though, was at the cottage of Githa and Durwan and arrange for them to see to Kirwyn while he was gone. Though a young man, Kirwyn could care for himself in most situations, but Tolanwould be more at ease if he knew someone was looking after his son. Once Githa had been told, he went to see Thea. As was her custom, she was not at home but out visiting with those who needed her attention.
    He laughed then as thoughts of her and the night they’d shared made his body begin to react in a way that he had neither the time nor the possibility of acting on now. But he would seek her out on his return and they would speak. There were many matters they needed to discuss and he would not allow her to push his questions and concerns away. Tolan gathered up a tunic and a few other supplies and searched for Kirwyn in the fields.
    When he reached the fields, Tolan sought out some tools from the storage building there. With his only intention to pacify Lord Geoffrey in this, he gathered a hoe and a measuring stick and a spade. He had no idea of what the lord would ask him to do, but these simple tools would handle many possible situations. After securing them to his horse, he rode to the field that was being worked this day to find Kirwyn.
    His son stood in the midst of the other young men working there, but he seemed so much older than them. Kirwyn would have Tolan’s height and breadth, but he carried his mother’s fairer coloring. Tolan prayed that the boy had inherited the same strong connection to the earth and its power as he himself had. Soon, on the next anniversary of his birth, Kirwyn would be of age to assume his place amongst