Blood Ties Read Online Free PDF Page A

who stood in his way or offered any manner of opposition. And those early decisions, Finn? They were the exact same kinds of decisions that our new and supposedly far more benevolent leader made. The exact same. The fact is, Finn, that when you’ve been touched by great darkness—as we both know has been the case with our beloved ruler—there’s no going back. It’s impossible to determine when it will assert itself once more. So if you don’t think that our new ruler could easily head down the same path and wind up the exact same way as our old one, then you are sadly mistaken.”
    â€œI have a hard time believing that,” I said. “I was there early on in the quest that brought our ruler to the throne. I saw the heroism close-up.”
    â€œYes.” And Page nodded as if I had just proven her point. “And because of that closeness, you developed a loyalty. Loyalty is commendable, up to a point. Unfortunately, it can also blind you to what people are becoming and makes you useless in making sure that their actions don’t lead to disastrous consequences. You become insulated, a part of the bubble. I can’t afford to let that happen, Finn. I have to remain on the outside, a watchdog on behalf of the people. I know the potential of what can happen because I’ve seen what happened before, and I’m not going to allow others to suffer for it because I let down my guard.”
    â€œEven if others don’t agree with you? I mean”—and I gestured around the room—“obviously they don’t. You’re the only one here. The last member of the Resistance.”
    â€œThey’ll be back.” She sounded confident. “If and when things start to deteriorate, trust me, they’ll be back.”
    â€œYou do allow for an ‘if,’ I see.”
    â€œWell of course. I mean, come on, Finn, do you think . . . ?”
    â€œDo I think what?”
    She looked away from me then. It seemed more like she was talking to herself than to me. “Don’t you think I wouldn’t like to be wrong? Don’t you think I wish that Bowerstone and Albion and all the lands beyond get to be all peaches and cream, and people like Reaver wind up left in the dust as we march along a path to a happier and brighter future? I would love that.”
    â€œWould you?”
    â€œWhy wouldn’t I?”
    â€œBecause,” I said more sharply than I should have, “then you won’t feel like you’re needed so much. I think you’d rather be right and miserable than wrong and happy.”
    Another woman might have been taken aback at the accusation. Page just stared, then shrugged. “Maybe that’s true. I don’t know. I guess we’ll just have to find out, won’t we?”
    There was something in the way she said “we” that caught my attention. We had become friends immediately and always danced delicately around the prospect of being more than that. But now . . . ?
    â€œActually, I’m going,” I said. It burst out of me rather more than I would have liked, but there it was nevertheless. “So I’m not sure how much of a ‘we’ there is since I am, in fact, going. As I said.”
    â€œAs you said,” she echoed. No one played her cards quite as close to the vest as Page did. “May I ask why?”
    â€œIt’s just . . . it’s time,” I said. “Despite whatever you may think, despite whatever outside vigilance you feel needs to be maintained against our ruler, just because you didn’t like some of the decisions that were made—”
    â€œIt’s more complicated than that.”
    â€œI’m sure it is. Anyway, I came to Bowerstone with a purpose, and that purpose has been served. So I just think that it’s best if I go elsewhere now.”
    â€œReally?”
    â€œReally.”
    â€œAll right. Well, then”—and she shrugged as if