Clash (The Arinthian Line Book 4) Read Online Free PDF Page B

weren’t exactly best friends, but Leera no longer went out of her way to needle Haylee, an accomplishment in itself. Haylee, for her part, had developed a grudging respect for Leera, even occasionally asking for advice on arcane matters.
    The Singh home was at the far end of the village, shaded under large pines. It was a two-story affair made of brick and mortar, with ornately carved shutters in the curving Tiberran style.
    Bridget was about to knock on the door when they heard shouting from within.
    “The one-legged witchling will not pick Panjita’s flower petals while reciting some heathen verse!”
    “Mother, stop it!” It was Panjita Singh’s daughter, Priya, and she sounded exasperated. “That’s a flower Chaska gave her. It’s her flower.”
    “While things are inside this home, they belong to Panjita. Things will be respected, especially living things. And Priya will not speak to her own mother in such a scandalously callous way. This is Panjita’s home, and if witless bags of earwax cannot fathom such a simple concept, they can find another home to drool in. And how many times must Panjita insist on not hearing that grotesquely inflated savage’s name! They’ll see him from Blackhaven if he gets any larger—”
    “He is not a savage!” Haylee cried.
    Leera snickered, whispering, “But he is kind of … fat.”
    “ Leera Jones ,” Bridget said.
    “That’s two in the space of an hour. Come on, admit it, Bridge, Chaska’s widened a step or two. It’s not like it’s hard to spot.”
    “You’re incorrigible, Leera, really.”
    “That was pretty mean,” Augum had to add.
    Leera crossed her arms. “You two are no fun.”
    Augum sighed. Not too long ago, Chaska was beefy strong. Now, he had filled out, even grown a belly. Augum suspected it was a number of factors, not that they were any of his business—Chaska was struggling with the stress of living with his father even though Henawa culture dictated he should be living on his own now that he had completed his nemana, a spiritual quest signifying his ascent to adulthood. It did not help matters that his father did not approve of Haylee in the least, insisting Chaska find a proper Henawa woman.
    For Chaska’s part, it also wasn’t easy being in love with someone like Haylee, who tended to go on about buying a giant house with servants, or dressing in fancy clothes, or obsessing about getting revenge on Robin, something she insisted a decent man would do for her. And then there was her leg, which she constantly complained about.
    “Not true at all, Ms. Singh!” Haylee went on within the house. “He is a sweet, caring—”
    “Maybe we should go,” Bridget said.
    Augum rapped at the door loudly. “Nonsense, we need to save her.”
    Leera rolled her eyes. “Here it comes.”
    “Who is the imbecile knocking at Panjita’s door at this frightfully late hour! It better not be the son of that dastardly devil! WHY IS THAT GANGLY DEMON OF AN UNSUITABLE REACHING FOR THE DOOR AS IF HE OWNED THE PLACE—”
    The door yanked open, revealing a flushed Jengo. “Uh, sorry, bit of, well, you know—”
    “You two want to come train?” Augum asked as if nothing untoward was going on within. He had grown up with so much chaos at the Penderson farm this drama was minor in comparison.
    “I’d love to, but, uh, I’m going to stay inside and try to comfort Ms. Singh. She’s a little upset about Tiberra falling to the Legion.”
    “Good luck with that,” Leera muttered.
    “I’m game,” Haylee said through gritted teeth, swiftly hobbling by with a cane, already wearing her burgundy apprentice robe. She was used to training late with them and had probably expected their arrival.
    “Good luck, you four,” Jengo said, gently closing the door as Ms. Singh began shouting about Jengo trying to engulf her house with his evil “unsuitable” presence.
    “You all right?” Bridget asked as they walked.
    “Believe her nerve,” Haylee muttered to