Reckoning Read Online Free PDF Page A

it will be one night at a time and I’ll be accompanying her.”
    “ Accompanying?” I asked, perturbed.
    “ Who’s the better fighter here?” he asked.
    I didn’t answer, knowing it was him.
    Everyone sat in stunned silence with all eyes on Eran. Then Rufus spoke and it seemed to relax the mood.
    “ Sounds like a bloody good idea to me,” he said with a carefree shrug. “Betta’ than sleepin’ in strange beds…”
    “ Or eating processed foods…” added Felix with a nod.
    “ Or wearing yourself down until you can no longer fight,” Eran supplemented with a lift of his eyebrow towards me.
    Ezra leaned back in her chair, reserved. “While I can’t share everyone else’s enthusiasm, I suppose if you need to continue this…mission of yours…” she said trying to identify exactly how to characterize what I was doing without acknowledging the insanity of it. “I suppose that is the best approach.”
    I was now the only one who had not agreed to this arrangement and my inclination was still to argue against it. Agreeing would mean that Eran would be coming with me and therefore endangering himself.
    Knowing what I was thinking, he leaned towards me and explained in a lowered voice, “With the type of Fallen Ones you’ll begin to engage, you will need eyes in the back of your head. Since you don’t have them, I will be yours and yours will be mine. You want to do this alone…I understand. But that is at the risk of failing in your objective. The goal far outweighs the means in achieving it.” He let me ponder this for a moment and then a smile crept up. “Besides, knowing how well you handle yourself in defense, I have a feeling you’d actually be interested in learning a good offense.”
    “ I’ve been doing well on my own…offensively,” I reminded him.
    “ You have,” he said, “and that’s how I know you would do well sweeping a room or clearing a house, planning an offensive strategy, divide and distraction techniques-”
    “ All right,” I cut him off. “All right. We both know you are a better fighter.”
    In fact, Eran was a brilliant fighter. Being an expert in warfare of all kinds, having led his army through large-scale battles with Fallen Ones, and having personally hunted our enemies, I couldn’t have asked for anyone better.
    He was still waiting for my answer so I gave him the best one I could agree to. “I’ll think about it.”
    Immediately, the tension in the room dropped, shoulders relaxed, they began to smile. Ezra took another beignet and joyfully bit in to it, despite the odd taste of succotash embedded in the pastry.
    I was happy to make them feel better with my acknowledgement but I meant what I said. When the time came again to hunt, I would make the decision at that moment; I would try to invite him. If I decided against it, he would need to abide by my choice. On the flip side, if he were to come with me and his life were in direct risk at any time, I would end the hunt and return to the life of a solo hunter.
    Eran knew this, based on his expression and the fact he was still analyzing my feelings. Yet, he’d won a small victory today and decided against pushing anything further.
    After breakfast, Felix and Rufus left for The Square, knowing that Eran and I would follow shortly. As Ezra disappeared in to her office and behind a mountain of paperwork, Eran and I went about getting showered and dressed for the day.
    Standing just inside my room, I did a cursory overview of the things I had acquired during the months I’d lived here. Prior to my life in New Orleans, I’d traveled with my aunt so often that our lifestyle didn’t allow for anything more than a few pieces of clothing and, only recently, a bed. Since I’d landed here the articles I’d collected that had been so important before now seemed borderline frivolous.
    A full-length standing mirror was set just to my left and I realized I hadn’t seen my reflection since I’d last stood in front of it.