Call of Sunteri (Keepers of the Wellsprings Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

bobs her head at me again. She’s looking at me with an odd expression. Nobody has looked at me that way before. It takes me some time to realize what it is. Pride. She’s proud of me.
    The interview goes on for a while, but not as long as I expected it to. When he’s through with his questions, Nessa dismisses me. I go out to find Saesa milling nearby. When I close the door behind me, she presses her ear to it and beckons me close.
    “Don’t you want to know what they’re saying about you?” she whispers.
    “Not really,” I whisper.
    “Oh, Tib. Come on.” She beckons me again, and I lean against the door to listen.
    “I’m sure you understand our hesitation,” Master Rendin is saying. “He is Sunteri, after all. After the last one we accepted…”
    “Of course,” Nessa says. There’s the tinkling sound of silver on a cup as she stirs her tea. “I’m certain you’ll make the right decision for all those involved.
    “They’re talking about Viala,” Saesa whispers. “She was Sunteri. She went bad. The Academy has been under close scrutiny since then.” The name causes my head to go light and fuzzy. I cling to the door. Close my eyes. The image assaults me. My sister sitting among the red blossoms, her black hair fanned out by the breeze, the book on her knee.
    “What happened to her?” I manage hoarsely.
    “Nobody knows,” Saesa replies. “She disappeared. Rumor says she was stripped, but there’s no proof of it. It’s actually caused a lot of trouble lately.”
    I shake my head slowly, unable to focus on anything even as Saesa keeps talking. Viala. The name echoes through my mind and along with it the image of my sister riding away with the Sorcerers. The roots. The trees. The dust.



Chapter Three: Mevyn
    Tib
 
    “Climb the wall.”
    Yes, climb the wall. It feels good to scale it to the top, up to the ledge that overlooks the ravine. I found this place on my own. It’s a secret place, tucked away past the spires of the palace. Hidden by the thick trees of the forest park. The wall plunges on the other side to a river three stories down. It’s dark. I can’t see the waterfall from here, the one that drains into the sea behind the palace. I can hear it, though. Peaceful and soothing. This is my favorite place now. My own. I didn’t even tell Saesa about it, though I’ve been coming here for a couple of days.
    I dangle my feet over the edge. Wait. Listen. The air in front of me shimmers like it did beside the Mage. A figure emerges, pale and gaunt and only as large as my hand. His eyes are black but bright at the same time. Everything else is faded. Pale skin, yellow-white hair, faded blue pants. Reddish stubs at his back where his wings once were. Almost colorless. I press myself back against the arch. My heart races. I grip the stone, ready to climb down. Ready to run.
    “Stay.”
    Yes, stay. His voice is in my mind and also in the air around me. Stronger than it has been. He drifts closer to me and our eyes meet. Link. I know him. I trust him. This is Meyvn. We’ve been through things together. Many things. Roots and sand. Towers and flames. Ships. Nessa’s manse.
    “ There, ” he says, both in my mind as always and also aloud. I remember him now, though he’s changed a little. His skin has more color to it. He seems stronger. Not skeletal as he has been at the trees or on the ship. How am I remembering all of this now? I wonder. Where have these memories been?
    “It’s typical to have confusion,” Meyvn says. “Don’t be alarmed. You remember me now, hm?”
    Memories surface and fall away in my mind. I see a time when he was nearly dead. Almost all bones. A shadow of what he had been. Dancing around my root prison. Shouting orders about Nan and Zhilee. Zhilee, little sister. He defended her. Kept the others away. What happened to her? I can’t remember. He’s right. I’m so confused.
    “You…” I whisper. The white figures of my nightmares flash before me. “You