Death Weavers Read Online Free PDF Page B

not,” Sando said. “I’ll bind it. But in return you will need to keep our arrangement secret.”
    â€œWait a minute,” Cole said. “That seems weird. I want to check with my friends before I make any deals.”
    Sando shook his head. “This bargain is not with a group. That gets hazy. This offer is for you and only you, good now or never. The secrecy protects me. Some unscrupulous death weavers use their power to bind and command echoes. You are no death weaver. If you can’t talk about me to anyone, no death weavers will interfere with our bargain. Just like you, I deserve to protect myself.”
    â€œWill you give me a minute to think?”
    â€œBe my guest, young sir. No need to rush.”
    Cole folded his arms. Mira and his friends had come here to find information that might lead them to Destiny, and this was a chance to get it. What if one of the others had already learned what Sando would tell him? Or worse, what if somebody else already had a better lead?
    Then again, what if the others had learned nothing? Delivering a ringer didn’t sound too bad, especially since Sando pledged to serve only him until it happened. The echo seemed knowledgeable and friendly. Who knew when his help might come in handy?
    Hunter had warned not to make binding oaths and to be careful about striking bargains. This wasn’t a binding oath, and the bargain seemed innocent. Even if one of the others discovered a better lead, Sando’s requirement was simple, and the echo could prove useful in other ways.
    â€œAll right,” Cole said. “How do we make it official?”
    â€œVery good, young sir,” Sando said, his head bobbing. “We will make quite a team—I’m sure of it. You still have the ringer you tried to give me?”
    Cole hadn’t returned it to his pocket yet. He held it up.
    â€œSet it down and tell me that it belongs to me,” Sando said.
    Cole placed the small silver hoop on the dirt in front of Sando. “This ringer is now yours.”
    Leaning forward, the beggar waved his hands over the silver ringer, fingers fluttering. “If you take up the ringer again, Cole, you will hold it on my behalf. You will keep the ringer until I designate a recipient. In return, I will tell you about a place Destiny Pemberton visited where you can pick up her trail, though doing so is your task, not mine. You will keep our arrangement secret, including my identity, and I pledge to serve you and only you until I ask you to deliver the ringer. While the ringer is in your possession, it will be bound to you, and to me, so as not to go missing before the conclusion of our arrangement.”
    Sando stopped speaking but kept stirring the air with his hands.
    â€œWhat now?” Cole asked.
    â€œIf you agree to these terms, pick up the ringer,” Sando said.
    â€œWhat if we don’t find Destiny’s trail?” Cole asked.
    â€œThen you owe me nothing for flawed information. The binding will not hold.”
    â€œWhat if I mess up?” Cole asked. “What happens if I tell about you?”
    â€œIf I hold up my end, you won’t be able to dispose of the ringer until I say so, and you won’t be able to tell anyone about me.”
    Cole hesitated. “That sounds like I’ll be bound. Are you sure this isn’t a bound oath?”
    â€œA bound oath would have a punishment for breaking your word,” Sando said. “This binding will simply hold you to what you promised if I keep up my end. And it holds me to what I promised if you keep up yours.”
    â€œSounds like it will control me.”
    â€œControl you?” Sando cried with a laugh. “You will have to keep the ringer, and you won’t be able to tell my secret. Otherwise, you will be in full control of yourself. If you don’t mean to keep the agreement, you shouldn’t make it. I intend to fulfill my part and hold you to your