Rise (War Witch Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

taken the time to better mend her top and now had free use of both hands once again. Not that the woman seemed to notice.
    “Can I ask you something?” Chara finally inquired, unable to stand the silence that had filled the clearing ever since the woman had packed away her armor, leaving her in a loosely fitting tunic, the same red as the armor.
    The woman waved her hand for Chara to proceed.
    “Can you speak?”
    The woman looked at her sharply, her eyes blazing for a moment with anger, but it faded quickly, replaced with a tired look. Rather than answer with a yes or no movement of her head, the warrior simply shrugged, as if to indicate that she didn’t know.
    Chara chewed her lip for a moment. “Do you have a name?”
    A clear no answer this time as the woman removed the rabbit from the spit and used her boot knife to quickly cut it in half, tossing one to her companion.
    Somewhat at a loss, Chara ate her rabbit, watching the strange woman curiously. A Blessed of Ramor with no name who wasn’t even sure if she could speak. It was odd. Regardless, the woman had saved her life at no small risk to her own, leaving Chara feeling as if she owed the woman a debt she couldn’t repay.
    As they turned in for the night, Chara found herself again contemplating the strange woman. The fireball she’d used clearly marked her as a mage, but her sword skill was that of a warrior. As she drifted off to sleep, Chara wondered for the first time if Ramor had priests and priestesses like other gods, and if the woman who’d saved her was a Cleric of the great War Wolf.
    Mostly, though, she was just glad that something had finally happened. Not a minor thing, either, but a Blessed, a servant of Heaven, saving her from Demon Seed. It didn't hurt any that she was stunningly beautiful, a detail Chara couldn't help but notice, and rather like.
    She was strong, she was kind, or at least, seemed to be, attractive and capable. She was everything Chara had been waiting for. Everything she’d ever dreamed of.
    Her last thought before sleep claimed her was to wonder if she liked girls.
     

Chapter Three
    “YOU’LL REALLY like my mother. She makes the best apple pie you’ve ever tasted. If we could keep them fresh long enough to make the trip to Adel, we’d sell them, but that’s three days, and well, you know how well a pie keeps for three days,” Chara said as the two walked down the wagon road.
    The warrior gritted her teeth and smiled. For the last eight hours, the girl had talked enough for the both of them. When the Hob-Goblin had come for her, she could’ve simply talked it to death.
    In the back of her mind, her Avatar, the living spirit of magic that resided intertwined with her soul and allowed her to cast spells, sang its agreement. Appearing to the warrior as a small, gray rabbit, its singing was the constant companionship she’d known since the day she’d stepped foot in the High World. The abode of the Gods had awakened it, and she’d never truly been alone since.
    “Watch out for my brother Daniel, though. He thinks all women find him irresistible. And, I mean, looking the way you do, you’ll be the most beautiful woman in the village, so he’ll really want to get your attention. Not that he’s a bad person or anything, but he has an overabundance of confidence, if you know what I mean. Of course, I’ve never heard any of the girls from the village complain about him, so maybe it really isn’t an overabundance after all.”
    The warrior stopped dead in her tracks and clapped a hand firmly over Chara’s mouth, ending the running monologue. Holding a single finger to her lips, she came as close as she could to begging.
    “Am I talking too much?” Chara asked when the warrior removed her hand. She was answered by a sharp nod of the woman’s head and a rather tired look.
    “My father says I do. Talk incessantly, I mean. He’s not the only one either. A lot of people say that. I guess it’s because I feel like