City of Demons Read Online Free PDF Page A

stopped her forward motion and retreated to her station behind her “master”. She appeared to be grinding her teeth. Her blue eyes were blazing, and her blond hair, so typical among Southerners, shook in its braids.
    â€œSalick,” said the seated man, his good hand still raised, “Mistress Allaina is from the North, and has—or so it is said at the tavern—lived isolated upon this farm since she came south.” He looked a question at Garet’s mother. She gave a brief nod, and Garet was surprised to see that she was also angry. The old man continued, “It is neither surprising nor disrespectful that she is unaware of our traditions...or of how to speak in such a situation.”
    The older woman blushed slightly, barely noticeable against her dark complexion, but Salick’s fair skin turned dark red and Garet thought Master Mandarack’s comments were more for her benefit than for his mother’s. Having no other place to put her anger, the girl glared once more at Garet, but he had already returned to his mother’s side, his attention back on Mandarack.
    â€œI spoke to your husband.” Was that slight twist of his lips a judgement? “And he claimed to have killed the demon himself. Indeed, that is what we first heard in the tavern.” His hand rose again, this time to forestall Allaina’s protest, which was accompanied by the rapid banging of Allia’s spoon on the table. Mandarack patiently waited for the noise to end. “After a moment’s speech with him, it was obvious that he was claiming another’s due.” The man’s eyes, grey as a threatening cloud, shifted to Garet. “But I think the one who did the deed is in this room.”
    Garet felt his mother’s hand grasp his own and, with that encouragement, he stepped forward.
    â€œMy lord,” he spoke as loudly as he could, “I killed the beast,” and here his voice faltered, “but I don’t know how...”
    Salick looked at him with open surprise, but Mandarack only nodded his head as if he had expected the demonslayer to be a skinny, ragged boy not yet seventeen.
    â€œDemons destroy people by fear as much as by claw or beak, lad. Only those who can bear that fear become Demonbanes. Were you not afraid?” The pale eyes held him and demanded an answer.
    Garet swallowed. “Yes, my lord, I was as afraid as the rest of my family.” He would not mention Allia’s courage or her role in defeating the demon. He needed to find out their interest in him before he would risk his sister.
    The old man raised the cup and took an appreciative sniff of the contents. “Mint, and strawberry leaves; a refreshing drink, Mistress.” He fixed Garet with his pale eyes again. “Lad, if you were as ‘afraid as the rest of your family’, you would be dead, and I would now be hunting the beast through these dark hills. Were you afraid in,” he paused to find the right words, “a true proportion to the danger the demon represented?”
    Garet thought for a moment before answering. “I feared it more than I thought I should, at least, when I had time to think about it.” He swallowed and continued, “But I thought it was only because I was a coward.” For some reason it became extremely important not to look at the young woman standing across from him.
    Mandarack shook his head. “You are no coward,” he said firmly. “A demon’s power is that it makes men and women fear it more than is...necessary. Much more.” He took another sip of tea. “Any of you, well almost any of you,” his lips twitched into a slight smile at Allia who lifted her spoon threateningly in response, “could have killed such a small demon as was described at the tavern.” He glanced over Garet’s shoulder. “Your mother herself could have dispatched it with one good blow from that pot.”
    Garet barely kept