Elvenblood Read Online Free PDF Page B

or more. But there
had been
a second Wizard War, and the ranks of the high were decimated by the failure of battles and policy. Lord Tylar had been waiting, ready to pounce, and pounce, he had.
    But the girl had made every elven lord painfully, fearfully aware that the day of the halfbloods was
not
passed, that there had been halfbloods born, smuggled off, and hidden in the wild lands all along. The secret was out, and now, with the wizards out of reach, the elves were assuaging their fear by searching for those halfbloods they
could
punish for merely existing.
    In the abstract, of course, he could not blame them. How could any of them feel anything other than fear for people who had not only the elven magics to call on, but the forbidden magics of the human slaves, magics kept in check only by the controlling collars locked around the necks of all slaves as soon as they were old enough to be trained?
    In the abstract—well, there was nothing abstract about
his
situation, that was the problem. And it was all the fault of one flame-haired girl.
    He could not bring himself to hate her—after all, she probably had as little control over her situation as he had over his—
    But I wish she could have appeared in someone else's lifetime. Or at least, 1 wish she could have appeared after I found some way to dispose of Lord Tylar and was securely Lord Treves myself…
    A cold thought, that, but inescapable. He had been forced to watch the humiliation of his mother and sister for far too long.
Lord
Tylar had never shown him so much as a single instant of affection; he was another prized possession, no more, and no less. But Lord Tylar's cruelty to the possessions he no longer prized was more and more pointed, and he no longer prized Lady Viridina. It had occurred to Lorryn recently that he and Rena were not the only vehicles for alliance-by-marriage. There
was
Lord Tylar himself.
    Not while Lady Viridina was alive, of course, but—
    But elven women are notoriously fragile, and once Rena is wedded and out of the manor, and I am packed up to one of the liege men for more lessons in the management of an estate, there would be no awkward witnesses.
    Except for human slaves, of course, but they were easily silenced.
    If this had occurred to Lorryn, it had certainly occurred to Lord Tylar. Lorryn had seen the elven lord eyeing his wife with a light in his eyes that Lorryn did not particularly like, of late. So without saying anything to his mother, he had begun planning ways to turn the tables on her husband, and make him the "disposable" one.
    All those plans had been overturned by the advent of the Elvenbane, of course.
    He flung himself down on the bed, all interest in his book long lost. Oh, if only she could have appeared some other time!
    Well, she had no choice, and neither did he. Now his plans were much different. Now they were concerned with his survival. Somehow he was going to have to negotiate this difficult time, until the older elves lost some of their fear and stopped looking for halfbloods in their own ranks.
    His stomach turned over as he thought of the consequences awaiting him if they found him.
Or else
—
I'm going to have to plan something more basic. How to get away, and where to flee. Considering the number of times I've had to feign illness to avoid exposure lately, maybe I had better begin planning an escape right now, while I still have the leisure to
plan
it
.
    Chapter 2
    THE SLAVES DREW their "mistress" to her feet, and led her over to the floor-to-ceiling mirror to survey their handiwork for herself. Rena stared at the reflection in the mirror and felt her stomach churn with dismay. The effect of hair, gown, jewelry, and cosmetics was just as dreadful as she had imagined.
    No
, she decided after a moment more of contemplation.
It isn't as bad as I imagined. It's worse
.
    Both gowns were of silk, the undergown lighter in color and weight than the overgown. They were supposed to create a flowing line, as if