Bound by the Mist (Mists of Eria) Read Online Free PDF Page A

“I have been busy, Father, as we all have been. We are full on all fronts with the enemy at hand, not to mention the issue of the fading magic.”
    Mild irony infiltrated his tone, for his father appointed him many posts to oversee, which kept him busy from daylight to dusk. What did his father expect? Relian didn’t mind the responsibilities, and normally, sleep would only be a small issue, even with the long hours he kept. Though he didn’t need a lot of rest, he still needed some. His forays into the dream world kept him from getting the proper amount. This all affected his mood negatively. While he could hide this from most, his father, damn him, would sense something amiss.
    His father’s blonde eyebrows snapped together, frustration turning his eyes black. Talion waited for him to offer up more information. Relian snorted to himself. Well, his father could wait forever. “With your leave, my lord.”
    Relian slightly bowed his head in deference and walked away before his father could dismiss him. The rude gesture wouldn’t be lost on the king. No, his father was quite astute and would watch him unrelentingly now. But by the Mystics, he couldn’t bring himself to care.
    ***
    Cal dropped down on her bed. Somehow, she’d made it back to her humble disco-era room, and for once she didn’t mind its decor. She needed to sleep. It didn’t matter how freaky her dreams got, because she couldn’t function anymore. Her manager at work had let her off early because she “looked frazzled.”
    Just enough light trickled in from the hallway for the mirror across the room to confirm that. Hair mussed up, dark circles under her eyes. Yeah, like death heated up in hell one too many times. She winced. Frankenstein had nothing on her. Even her friends said so. Well, not the last part about looking like Frankentein, but the hell part, yes.
    Instead of heading straight home as she should’ve, she’d caught up to some movie-going friends. She hated the prospect of telling them the truth, so she didn’t. Had the manager needed her? No, of course not. Customers had been sparse. If her friends bought that story, she couldn’t tell, but they didn’t inquire further. Really, she probably hadn’t fooled anyone, given the way she trailed behind the small group like a zombie scenting flesh.
    She crossed her arms over her chest. To make matters worse, she declined the invitation to go bowling after the movies. Her friends agreed with her decision, the nerve of them. They never discouraged a good time.
    Pulling down her comforter haphazardly, she snuggled into her waiting blankets and watched the ceiling fan whirl over her head. Did any of her friends think she was on drugs? A bark of humorless laughter erupted at that thought. No, she was too goody-two-shoes for that. They probably believed she lost what little sanity she’d clung to in the last few months. And they didn’t even know of her past. Thank god. Well, except Maggie, and she only knew a little bit of it.
    Now that she was in bed, the normally lumpy mattress felt so good, she couldn’t move. Her sneaker-clad feet hung over the bottom edge of the bed. She didn’t want to get the bed dirty, so she would jump into the shower and fresh clothes later.
    Her eyes fluttered closed. No one would see her right now, anyway. Maggie was out, so she had the place to herself. The recent happenings in her life were still secret, and for the moment, she’d given up trying to find an answer. Dead ends were all she hit. The Mists of Avalon bookstore was mysteriously closed every time she walked past. Even if it were open, would she have the heart to go inside? The woman’s words, especially her parting ones, still rang in her ears.
    As she started to fall sleep, she let the silence drift over her, glad she was finally alone.
     

 
     
     
     
    Chapter 4
     
    Relian was finally alone.
    After a full day of meetings and military trainings, he could relax even if he didn’t sleep. He sat