Frozen Prospects Read Online Free PDF Page B

anyone I've ever met when it comes to those who have the
great luck of being part of her family."
    Sensing
he might finally get answers to some of the questions building
inside him, Va'del plunged ahead. It had become obvious that the
three were more than just companions.
    "You're
all married?"
    "Yes.
I'rone and Betreec for many years, and then I joined them later. I
know it's not something you'd be used to, but among the Guadel such
groupings are typical."
    The
idea of such a marriage was almost more than Va'del could
comprehend, but he chose to continue with a more conventional line
of questioning.
    "How
do the spheres work?"
    Jasmin
smiled once again, and Va'del realized those smiles somehow warmed
her pale blue eyes. "That's quite the question. You
knew, I assume, that Sara could do unusual things."
    Va'del
nodded. "Yes, healer magic."
    I'rone
shook his head from where he was examining harnesses. "Magic
is magic."
    Jasmin
seemed almost as startled by the interjection as Va'del, but she
nodded to her husband and continued. "There are those as would
argue magic isn't the proper name for it all, but he's right, it all
flows from the same source. Healing, is just one aspect of a larger
whole."
    The
slender Guadel had pulled a small gemstone of her own from a pocket
somewhere while she was talking and placed it in a hollow in
the center of the cave floor. Pausing for a second in
concentration, Jasmin smiled as the stone suddenly started to glow.
    I'rone
handed his wife a basin filled with snow, to which she some
water before placing it over the depression. "Those
with the innate ability to perform magic, like Sara, Betreec and I,
can, with great effort, eventually alter the nature of precious
stones so they tap into the same place we touch to perform the
wonders you would call magic."
    Va'del
nodded absently, not sure that he understood everything he'd just
been told, but satisfied to let it simmer in his mind before asking
for further clarification. "Why am I here?"
    Jasmin
looked at Betreec for a second before answering. "Va'del, just
like not everyone has the ability to learn to become a healer, not
everyone has the ability to become a Guadel like I'rone. You do,
which is why you're here. We hope to be able to train you to
one day help protect the People."
     
     

Chapter 4
     
    Va'del
had been more than a little shocked at Jasmin's declaration that he
might one day end up a Guadel. A few days previous, the idea of
becoming as terrifying as I'rone would have scared him more than
just about anything else. He no longer felt that way though. He'd
come to realize the Guadel were all human,
even I'rone. Va'del was
convinced I'rone wouldn't have enjoyed cutting down Jas'per and the
others, but however much he might have regretted the deed later, it
had been obvious he'd been ready to kill whomever he needed to.
    Betreec
gently cleared her throat, and Va'del realized his attention had
wandered from the book he was supposed to be reading.
    The
older woman looked at him with a smile. "I know reading about
the laws surrounding the villages and their interaction with the
Guadel isn't the most exciting past time, but the knowledge you'll
find in there is vitally important to the People as a whole, and us
as Guadel specifically."
    Jasmin
looked up from where she had been sitting motionless against the
gray rock wall of the way cave for the last half cycle and winked at
Va'del. "You may never be the legal scholar I'rone is, but I
think if you give it a chance, you may find it all more interesting
than you would have guessed."
    Not
likely, this is dryer even than the stuff I had to read back home.
    The
twinkle in Jasmin's eyes combined with her next comment almost made
Va'del wonder if she was reading his mind again. "Trust me on
this one, you just need to read it with the aim of understanding how
the laws all work together to protect the rights of the
villagers—from each other, from the Guadel, and most importantly
from their