Call of Kythshire (Keepers of the Wellsprings Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

too flippant about his training. Magic must be heavily disciplined. The more he rebels against his teachers, the more he risks endangering himself and those around him. I stare at the white of his shirt and imagine the tendrils of Mage Mark one day swirling and peeking up above the collar.
    “No.” I say firmly, and slide the door into his fingers. He doesn’t move his hand or even flinch.
    “Not even that they were talking about the King’s Quest? They think they know what it’ll be.”
    “I can wait and hear it later, when it’s proclaimed.” Honestly, I’m dying to know what they think it’ll be, but I won’t risk my best friend’s conscience and training. If he wants to defy his master, he can do it without my involvement.
    “Fine.” Rian concedes, but he keeps his hand in the door, blocking it. “Tell me what happened with Dacva. I won’t say a word.”
    “You promise?” I drop my hand from the latch. He nods.
    I know I can tell Rian anything and he’ll understand, and so I share everything that happened in Dona’s room, even the part where I contemplated using the pillow to suffocate Dacva. He reacts as I knew he would, not with judgment but with a bemused shake of his head. I recount Dacva’s accusations that our guild was too righteous to kill him, and his seeming desire to die. When I get to the part when he drank the entire draught, Rian lets out an astonished gasp and starts to speak, but I flash him a look and he closes his mouth.
    “After Dacva drank the draught, Brother Donal showed up. He said Dacva would probably be violently sick, but he’d live through it. He also said they’d decided to heal him thoroughly and send him home. Then he sent me away. I thought about going back to the hall but I don’t know...” I shrug, remembering my confusion after that. Honestly, I’m still not sure how I feel about what happened. Is it wrong to hate someone even after you begin to understand the source of their pain? Mum tells me hate is a strong emotion fed by ignorance. But the more I learn about Dacva and all of Redemption, the harder I find it to sympathize with them. “I’m not angry at Mum and Da anymore, though. I understand why Da helped.”
    Rian reaches through the hatch and takes my hand to squeeze it reassuringly. His hand is warm and soft in mine, and I’m suddenly aware of how much my own is sweating, and how rough the calluses from my training must feel to him. I’m also aware of his eyes on me, watching me with a mix of concern and something else, an intensity I’ve started to notice more and more from him lately. I find myself wishing the wall would disappear so we could be closer, and I look away from the hatch in the direction of my window. The feeling is new, and I’m not sure about it.
    Outside in the courtyard just below my window, a ring of steel on steel announces my father has started his day at the forge. The steady clang as he hammers is calming and familiar. I think about how angry I was with him last night and I feel a little guilty. It takes a strong person to stand up to adversity and offer kindness to someone you don’t even like. Stronger than I am.
    “I’d better get to breakfast,” I say after a stretch of awkward silence.
    “Mm.” He agrees wordlessly, drawing his hand back through to his own side.
    “I’ll see you later?” I ask. He ducks away for a moment and I hear a scratching. I peek through to find him writing something on a page. “That’s cheating!” I say, but he rolls his eyes at me, pushes the parchment through the hatch, and waves before closing up the door. I catch the sheet as it drifts to the floor. His handwriting is hard to decipher. I imagine how it must infuriate my uncle, who constantly impresses on me the importance of legible handwriting. For a moment I wonder if Rian does it just to annoy him. I wouldn’t put it past him. I chuckle to myself as I smooth the note and read what he has scrawled:
    You’re too nice. I would