Rital of Proof Read Online Free PDF Page B

carefully for some sign of recognition.
    "Really?" He stared back at her.
    "You don't remember?" Of course he would not remember such an insignificant incident in his childhood. Somehow, she was slightly disappointed, though.
    "Was it at my grandmother's?"
    "Yes. You had run into the salon like a hissing ball of fury."
    He acknowledged her accurate description of his youthful demeanor, his white teeth flashing in the flame-lights. "I often entered rooms like that."
    "Not much has changed, has it?"
    He smiled secretly. "Probably not."
    "You seemed such an angry little boy."
    "Not always," he responded quietly.
    "Just after your parents died?"
    Her astute insight surprised him. "Yes, probably. For awhile, anyway. I hated the injustice of it."
    "They died in a transport accident, didn't they?"
    "Yes. Unnecessarily, I found out much later. They were traveling to the western horizon and an arc storm took them."
    Her brow furrowed. "Didn't their guide see the signs?" Arc storms were always preceded by a definite series of phenomena.
    His nostrils flared. "She saw them; she just didn't heed them. They think she may have eaten a Banta psillacyb. I hear they grow freely along the western routes."
    Psillacybs were groups of indigenous Forus plants that caused extreme hallucinogenic effects in humans. They had been adopted by some fringe tribes to the far west for their religious practices. Except for medicinal purposes, they were generally frowned upon by society, although they often made their way to the soirees of Top Slice swaggers.
    Those kind of parties generally were not talked about in polite society.
    "I'm sorry, Jorlan. I know how hard such a loss can be."
    He looked at her curiously.
    "I am the last of my line as well."
    "May I ask what happened to your family, Marquelle?"
    "They were poisoned by a bad crop of hukka grain. It was back during the drought years. You are probably too young to remember that time—I barely remember it myself."
    "What happened?" He pivoted effortlessly with her, perfectly matching her steps as they swirled about the floor. The grace of his movements belied the extraordinary martial skill that Anya Reynard had fleetingly remarked on on more than one occasion. The men trained in very basic forms to stay fit, but Green wondered how deadly he could actually be. There was something about his movements...
    She gathered her thoughts to answer him. "Most of our usual crops were failing so we were forced to experiment with others. It was not known then that hukka must be harvested before it flowers. If you wait too long the stalks become highly toxic."
    "I didn't know that."
    "Why should you?" she smiled faintly. "I can't imagine your cook lets you into the kitchen much."
    "True. Whenever he does, I have a tendency to cause havoc."
    She grinned. "I have no doubt of that. And of course, you would not be allowed anywhere near the crops."
    "You don't think so, hmm?" His eyes twinkled as he remembered a youthful prank. And then he remembered the brush of her lips against his—He focused on her mouth again.
    "No."
    He blinked. For a moment he was not sure what she was responding to. "I suppose at one time I enjoyed causing a certain amount of trouble."
    His grandmother had regaled half the Top Slice with stories of his boyhood escapades. He had been a mischievous, difficult child. But she knew that he had also been an incredibly sweet child, with a sensitive heart.
    "Really? Who would guess?" Green teased him. "And you did say 'enjoyed,' as in past tense?"
    He cleared his throat. "We will not pursue that."
    "Why not?"
    "It is probably best not to." He arched his eyebrow.
    "I would venture to say that on some days you arose with a mission to see just how much trouble you could cause in one day."
    An engaging dimple curved a line in his cheek. "You wound me, Marquelle. I assure you I am much too serious of nature even to contemplate such a thing."
    "That is what you would have us believe. I, however, know