Hawkmoon (The Hawkmoon Chronicles) Read Online Free PDF

over her spectacles.“ You have caused your family severe embarrassment. “
    “You mean I have embarrassed my stepmother…. “
    “The King is our patron…”
    “The King is a dotard, manipulated by a promiscuous and conniving woman.” Kerris raised her eyebrows.
    “Kerris, I am not one of your novices. This place has been a place of safety and healing for which I will always be grateful. Now I must return to the world”.
    “My dear child, if I have troubled you on your last morning with us I am sorry. I brought up the matter of your family in the hope that you might be reconciled with your father. I took the liberty of telling him of your plans to leave the Keep…” Mira stared at her.
    ”Be calm. I told him that you wished to engage on a period of travel. I asked him to tell no one… especially not the Queen.” Sitting in a wicker chair the Matriarch drew her cloak against the chill of the morning.
    “We speak plainly to each other and I will do so now. It was natural that you would seek a refuge to heal from what happened to you. The consequence was that you gave your step mother a clear field and I have to tell you that she has not been idle. She has accomplished great harm. She tolerates no power she does not control. To all intents and purposes the army is disbanded. The Rangers continue to operate as do we, but the Realm is in grave peril. She has done more to bring this to pass than anyone. If I didn’t know better I would say she is an agent of the Enemy. Where before she moved in secret now she works openly.
    Yesterday we had a courier from the Royal City. She brought this.” Kerris handed her a travel bag. Inside was a pouch heavy with gold and a folder of documents.
    “These are travel passes.  As far as the court of Tsubodai, should you be minded. “ Kerris  rose to her feet. “ I have much to attend to. Can we discuss  this further before you leave?”
    “I have something you need to see.” Mira stepped into her rooms. Kerris  followed  closing the  door. Taking a key she unlocked a bureau from  which she removed  a volume.
    “This is the library’s copy of al Jiddah’s ,Study of The Science and Artefacts of The Ancients.Six copies are known to exist . We know the location of five. One is with the Elves, one is held by the Dwarves and one, as you know is in my  father’s library at the Royal City. Witch’s Keep has two”
    Mira opened the volume at the last page.  On the inside of  the  rear cover  was an indented hollow from which something had been removed. Mira held up a leatherbound notebook “I found this hidden in the  cover of the book in Special Collections.” It is a supplement written  by al Jiddah   before he died. There is a period of thirty eight years between the book and the supplement. He claims to have located a site containing machines built by the Elder Races.”
    Kerris examined the smaller book… “Rumours were  common with  Arcanists.  Pottering about looking for artefacts of the Old Science and then hiding the evidence.” Kerris went to the door. “I want to bring Celestine  to see this.. “
    “I think this is best kept to ourselves.”
    Kerris  returned and sat . “Explain.”
    “There are revelations here”. Mira indicated the notebook, “that could either save untold lives or lead to the most destructive wars the Land has ever known. Simply being in possession of it is deadly”
    “Then we must be rid of it.  I take it you are familiar with its contents?”
    “Only the foreword”.
    “Read the rest and destroy it.”
    “That is impossible. The foreword is in Common Tongue. The rest is in an Elvish Script that no one in the Keep is  familiar with .Al  Jiddah must have  stood high in their counsels  to learn a script known only to their  senior magicians”.
    “Then  take it to the Elves”.
    “That would be a problem. I have read the foreword. He has placed an enchantment on it so that the first person to read it