Fable: The Balverine Order (Fable) Read Online Free PDF Page B

you going?”
    â€œEast.”
    â€œAnywhere east in particular?”
    â€œIt is said,” Thomas informed him, “that the true spirit of Albion resides in the lands to the east. Supposedly you can still see Heroes there if you look very closely. I’m going to go see for myself.” He hesitated, and then his jaw tightened. “There’s nothing here for me anymore, James. I don’t belong here. I need to see things that are greater than anything I’ve ever experienced outside of my books.”
    â€œBalls,” said James, and was inwardly pleased when he saw Thomas blink in surprise at the response. “This isn’t about books, or narrow-mindedness, or even the true spirit of Albion. This is about balverines. Even more, it’s about the balverine that killed your brother.”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œYes, it is. You want to find the one-eyed thing, assuming it still exists, and you want to kill it and cut its head off and shove it in your father’s face, and say, ‘See? See here? I wasn’t lying all those years ago.’ ”
    â€œIf I did that,” said Thomas with resignation, “my father would claim it was some sort of trick. Or the head of some sort of singular freak of nature. He would never, ever accept what I presented him as fact. There’s no proving anything to him.”
    â€œThen why—?”
    He thumped his fist into his own chest. “I need to prove it to myself. I have to see at least one of the damned things with my own eyes. For the past ten years, I’ve had nothing but my father and my mother openly disbelieving me, disputing me, dismissing me . . .”
    â€œYou must be running out of words beginning with ‘dis.’ ”
    â€œThis isn’t a joke, James.”
    â€œI’m sorry. But isn’t maybe part of it that you’re starting to wonder if perhaps they weren’t right? That you were a scared child with an overactive imagination and a guilty conscience who built a simple wolf into something that it wasn’t.”
    Slowly, Thomas nodded. “Yeah. And I just . . . I need to know, James. I need to know, and this is the only way I’m going to find out.”
    â€œAre you planning to come back?”
    â€œI really don’t know.”
    â€œThen you’re not leaving me much of a choice.”
    The comment appeared to take Thomas off guard. He looked askance at James, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. “What exactly do you mean by that?”
    James walked over to Thomas and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “The truth is, Thomas, the only part of my life that’s remotely worthwhile is being associated with you. So the idea of not seeing you for the rest of my life just isn’t acceptable to me.”
    Thomas visibly tensed. “So you’re going to try and stop me?”
    â€œHell no. I’m going with you. What?” And he laughed. “Do you really believe I’m going to remain behind in this piss hole of a city while you’re off adventuring in the lands of the east? Don’t be ridiculous.”
    â€œJames . . . it could be dangerous. I’m of age; you’re not. It’s not fair to ask you to . . .”
    â€œYou’re not asking me to do anything,” James pointed out. “I’m telling you what I’m doing. Besides, you need me.”
    â€œI really don’t. I won’t lie, James; you’ve been a good friend. But there are some things”—and his voice deepened, taking on a manly tone—“that I just have to do alone. Good-bye, James.” He shook James’s hand firmly, turned away, and started walking.
    â€œThomas,” James called after him.
    With a faint sigh of exasperation, Thomas turned, and said, “What?”
    â€œThat way is north.”
    Thomas tried to laugh dismissively, but then he looked uncertain. “You’re sure?”
    James chuckled. “Thomas . .