Descent Into Darkness (Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

he bent over in his chair to rub at it. Looking up he caught Azalea frowning at him and shaking her head. She had kicked him! Ean sat fuming, rubbing at his leg while Azalea spoke.
    "Excuse my brother. He gets a bit over protective. He often forgets that he's just a poor village boy while I've had much more experience out in the world. I've been trying to teach him to respect his elders, but as I've said, he is quite the hardhead."
    Waving her off, the old man returned to his stew. "It's nothing. That's good that your brother is protective." Then Ean heard him say under his breath, "And even better that you don't listen to him."
    Ean was done. If the fool man wanted to try and "take advantage" of his sister, let him try. It would serve him right if she drained every last drop of his life...
    Flashes of his nightmares ran through his mind. Torture, corruption, murder...
    He couldn't let her kill him, regardless of how little he thought of the man. He would not even entertain the thought. Ean would just have to have a talk with Azalea before anything happened. She had promised to listen to him after all.
    "All ready!" Dotain said, interrupting Ean's thoughts. "I'm sure you'll like it. It's a family recipe. A rabbit stew with a few secret ingredients."
    Grasping the pot with a towel, the old man carried it over and set it down in the middle of the table. Producing three bowls and a set of spoons from a nearby cupboard, he distributed the utensils and began dishing out the stew.
    Ean's mouth watered as Dotain poured some stew into a bowl in front of him. He had been so worried about what Azalea might do that he hadn't realized how hungry he really was. Stirring around the contents with his spoon, it was easy to pick out the bits of rabbit meat, and the potatoes were a staple food in his village of Rottwealth. While his stomach growled he studied the flecks of oniony greens as they floated at the top. Not many people knew that onions could thin the blood; he had used them as a remedy often enough on sick patients. The peppery black herbs smelled similar to Balalur, an herb useful for fighting off colds. He had never thought to add it as seasoning to a stew before.
    "This smells wonderful!" Azalea said, clapping her hands together excitedly. "I've never had rabbit stew before."
    Ean couldn't help but laugh. "I know soup isn't your usual meal. Are you sure you can handle it?"
    The look she shot him could have curdled milk.
    "I don't understand where the sarcasm is coming from, brother. Why, only just this morning you were harping on me to try new things. Would you prefer that I go back to my usual menu? It would be a simple matter of..."
    "No," Ean said vigorously. "My apologies. Go ahead and fill up on the stew. Lots and lots of stew. Only the stew."
    Azalea's green eyes scrunched in merriment as her lips curled back in victory. It annoyed him the way she took such pleasure in seeing him squirm.
    "Yes," Dotain encouraged, the real meaning of their conversation lost to the man. "Eat up. Plenty here. Enjoy."
    Dotain pulled his own bowl closer and sprinkled something into it. He stirred the contents around before bringing a spoonful to his mouth. He took two more mouthfuls before he noticed Ean and Azalea staring at him. "What?" he mumbled.
    Ean spoke first, more curious than anything else. "What did you put in your stew?"
    "Just some spices, nothing special, just adds a little kick to the flavor is all." Keeping his eyes down, Dotain continued to shovel spoonfuls of stew into his mouth.
    Moving closer to the man, Azalea reached over to put a hand on his arm. "I like a little kick in my food as well. Can I have some spices to put in mine?"
    "No!"
    Both Azalea and Ean were taken back a bit by the sudden outburst. Dotain had an annoyed expression as he looked at Azalea, but it quickly turned into one of embarrassment.
    "Sorry, I...that was the last of my spices. I'm sure you wouldn't have liked them anyway. Just give the food a try, I