Ever Fire Read Online Free PDF Page B

may seem. Wars have waged around it so frequently and yet, here it stands. Through time and chaos, nothing has undone it. What do you think Shade? Nice digs, don’t cha think?” His slang made her smile and think of the high school kids back home. His jokes were a welcomed change from the glumness of Dylan.
    “It’s pretty amazing. Is this where Prince Lotinar resides? It’s absolutely breathtaking,” Shade said.
    “No, he lives in the Great Horned Castle right smack in the middle of the Santiran City. This is his summer home, the farthest south his borders reach of the northern realm of Faerie,” Soap responded.
    Shade nodded at his brief geography lesson. She remembered the extensive Faerie maps she had studied on the way to the Santiran Fountains, and the ones stolen from Ursad. They looked nothing like the maps of earth that regular humans possessed. The world was much more massive and larger in land than anyone could imagine. A huge chunk of it belonged to the world of Faerie. She wondered how upset the rest of the world would be if they discovered this huge chunk of untaxed lands. Probably not too happy at all , Shade thought.
    “Hey Shade,” Soap’s softened voice broke through her thoughts. She turned toward the Faerie Warrior and smiled at his twinkling emerald eyes.
    “Yes Soap. What’s up?”
    He squirmed for a moment and sighed, looking around the great hall they were walking through before answering her. “What’s going on between you and Dylan? I mean, well, I was going to ask you if you wanted to, um, hang out more often…” He breathed in deeply before continuing. “It’s just that, Dylan seems to be your jealous boyfriend attachment lately. I don’t want to interfere if you guys are together or anything.” They had come to a stop just outside a doorway. Soap’s voice was just above a whisper so only she could hear his questions.
    Shade felt her cheeks flush as she watched him stumble over his request. She knew that he liked her, but it hadn’t occurred to her that he wanted to be an item. Her eyebrows rose in surprise as she studied his face. She spotted Dylan a ways behind them, making sure he wasn’t within earshot.
    “You mean like girlfriend-boyfriend? I–I really don’t know Soap.” Shade watched his face fall in disappointment as he turned back towards the rest of the group.
    “Soap wait, I just didn’t expect that. Um, I love to hang out with you. You’re a ton of fun. I just don’t think I should have a boyfriend right now, even Mister Jealous. We’re not together like that. I’m not seeing him at all, if that’s what you thought. He just feels like being an overprotective bossy pants. Plus the blood bind keeps us together. You know that.” Shade felt a twinge of denial in her words but shrugged it off.
    This made Soap smile and glance back at her, pleasantly surprised. “Well, I’m glad to hear that. At least I’m in the running, I guess. Especially since the stuff I’ve heard going on with the Teleen Clan about all this.”
    It was Shade’s turn again to be shocked. “What did you say? What do you mean? What’s going on at the Teleen Caverns?”
    Shade stared at him as he pressed his lips together. He looked like he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “Uh, well. I thought you knew,” Soap stuttered. “It’s just, I heard through the grapevine that there would be some Teleen males coming to Guildrin to court you. You being all Teleen fire-resistant and all, you’re eligible bachelorette number one to them. That’s why I thought that maybe you chose Dylan already. He would be the best choice out of all of them to pair off with. I, um–I thought you wouldn’t want to be with a half-breed Teleen Changeling like me.” Soap stared ahead of them, his face still as he retreated into himself; his face glum.
    Shade stared at him, her mouth agape as the shock rippled across her face. Remembering what Dylan had mentioned in the oubliette about the