Saga of Menyoral: The Service Read Online Free PDF Page A

wouldn’t meet my eye, not to strike you.” He swung his look to Vandis. “A telling misinterpretation, don’t you think?”
    “You did go to—”
    “I am speaking to your Master,” Reed said. “I offered you no violence whatsoever, and you offered it to me.”
    “That’s a flat lie! All I did was stop you fucking hitting me!”
    “I can’t imagine what you think you’re doing, Vandis. If you don’t discipline him for running wild after nightfall, or his abominable cursing and lack of respect for the both of us, what in the world could you possibly be doing it for?”
    Vandis shook his head, slowly, and when he spoke again it was his cold, mean voice, his Vandis-fucking-Vail voice. “I hear you, Reed, and what I’m hearing is full of shit. Do you seriously think seven years with Old Man Dingus taught me nothing about how to treat my own Squire?”
    “On the contrary. I think Old Man Dingus taught you everything you know.”
    Swelling, Vandis stared at Reed, his most terrible gaze. Quietly, he said, “You’re lucky, Reed. If this were twenty years ago, I’d be thrashing your ass this very minute.”
    “Typical!” Reed threw his hands up. “Typical Vandis! Your Squire was wandering after nightfall. I called him to account and you’re angry with me .”
    “All right,” Vandis ground out, and he turned to Dingus. “Where were you?”
    “Up Baldhead, Vandis.”
    “I didn’t know you’d gone outside the valley.” Dingus looked at the ground, and Vandis went on. “You didn’t ask my permission to do that, and I suspect it’s because you knew I’d tell you no. I appreciate your desire for space, but I want your word that you won’t do it again unless you’re told to.”
    “Yes, Vandis, you have it.”
    Vandis nodded at him, and then turned back to Reed. “See?” he demanded. “It’s that fucking easy, Reed. No hitting. No yelling—and I know Dingus won’t go back on his word to me, because despite the fact that he’s as common as I am, despite the fact that he’s a jumpy kid because of a past a dog wouldn’t envy, at the very core Dingus is a Knight , and he doesn’t break faith.”
    “If we coddle children because of their pasts, if we deny correct discipline based on—”
    “Dingus is about as far from ‘coddled’ as you can get and still be alive, and I think you’ve made it your business to dig that up. If you’d come here more interested in speaking up for him than you were in using him to get at me, I might’ve been a little more willing to listen to you.” Vandis leaned down and picked up a bottle from next to his folding stool. “As it is, either you have a drink with me and we’ll put it behind us, or you take your judgmental bullshit out of my sight.”
    For a heartbeat, Reed stared down his nose at Vandis. “And if neither of those is acceptable to me?”
    “Then I’ll tell you to fuck off. We’re too old for this.”
    Reed spun on his heel and stalked out of the clearing.
    Santo snorted . “You oughtta hand him his ass again, Vandis, you wanna know what I think.”
    “Don’t tempt me, Santo.” Vandis laughed slightly and sat down, uncorking his bottle. “We’re not sixteen anymore, or even twenty-five. It’d be inappropriate. Besides, we need him. I don’t care if he runs down Temple Row nude singing ‘hey nonny nonny’! He’s a damned fine physician.”
    Santo snorted again. “You can’t defend a guy runs around scaring the pants off Squires.”
    “Hard to blame him,” Vandis said, and took a lo ng swig. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve. “Never met a kid who looked so much like trouble.”
    “I’m sorry, Vandis,” Dingus mumbled, feeling as stupid as Reed probably thought he was. “Good night.”
    Vandis grinned, full and devious. “I didn’t say you were trouble. I just said you look like it. Stay away from him if you can. He hates me.”
    “I didn’t mean to cause trouble. I just didn’t want him to hit me.”
    “Don’t worry