Bonds of Vengeance Read Online Free PDF Page A

Fating, about what I saw in the stone. The night I left she pretended to be hurt that I was leaving her, but I could tell there was more to it than that. I just chose not to see it for what it was.”
    “You were in love.”
    “That’s a poor excuse.”
    Tavis started to argue, but quickly thought better of it. Grinsa expected a great deal of himself, more than was fair, it sometimes seemed to the young lord. If the gleaner had decided to blame himself for the woman’s betrayal, there was little Tavis could do to talk him out of it. And since he had never been in love, Tavis could hardly claim to be knowledgeable on the subject. Instead he walked and waited for Grinsa to continue.
    “I’d always known that I would have to find Cresenne eventually. She serves the conspiracy and she may know something about the Weaver who leads it. But I had hoped to put this off as long as possible. I wanted to find Shurik first, and since his death I’ve hoped that my sister could find out what I might otherwise have to learn from Cresenne. I didn’t expect to see her this soon, and certainly not under these circumstances.”
    He didn’t want to ask, but there seemed little choice. “Now that she’s here, what are you going to do?”
    The gleaner shrugged. “I don’t know.”
    “Do you still love her?”
    “I’d be a fool if I did.”
    Tavis grinned. “That does nothing to answer my question.”
    Grinsa actually laughed. “I don’t suppose it does.” His smile gave way to a grimace that told Tavis all he needed to know. “I don’t know if I can love her after what she’s done. But I am still . . . drawn to her.”
    “Does she know that you’re—?” He stopped himself, searching the ward for Kearney’s guards.
    “Does she know the extent of my powers?”
    “Yes.”
    “I never told her, but I think she’s reasoned it out by now. It’s one of the reasons she called for me today, maybe the only reason. She needed my healing magic.”
    “I expect that she called for you because you’re the child’s father. Whatever else lies between you, nothing can change that.”
    The gleaner smiled and put his hand on Tavis’s shoulder. “Thank you. You may be right. But still your question raises an interesting point. If she knows I’m a Weaver, she’s a danger to me, to Keziah, and to our hopes of defeating the conspiracy.”
    “Maybe now she can be turned from their cause.”
    “You mean because of the baby.”
    “I’m sorry, Grinsa,” Tavis said, retreating quickly. “I wasn’t implying that we should use your daughter as—”
    “It’s all right, Tavis. Before this is over, we may have to think in such terms. For now, though—for tonight—I’d just like to think of Bryntelle as my babe, and nothing more.”
    “Of course.”
    They both fell silent, though Grinsa gave no indication that he was ready to return to the herbmaster’s chamber.
    “There’s more on your mind,” the gleaner said at last. “I can always tell.”
    Tavis was eager to tell him of his conversation with Kearney, but this didn’t seem to be the time.
    “It’s nothing.”
    The Qirsi halted, forcing Tavis to face him. “I don’t believe you. Just speak and be done with it.”
    “All right.” He took a breath. “The duke came to the chamber during Cresenne’s childbirth. We spoke briefly, and he suggested that if she is or once was a part of the conspiracy, and if she had anything to do with arranging Brienne’s murder, she might be able to prove my innocence.”
    Tavis saw the gleaner’s jaw tighten, but his expression remained the same, and when he finally replied, his voice was even and low. “The duke makes an interesting point. What is it you’d have me do?”
    “I don’t know. First, we need to learn all she knows about what happened in Kentigern.”
    “I already intended to ask her about that, along with a host of other matters. What then?”
    He shrugged. “If it turns out she knows something of the plans to