Shrouded: Heartstone Book One Read Online Free PDF

the hall. Haftan smiled. He stroked the dome over the Heart and shrugged innocently.
    “Something wrong, Mof?”
    “No.” Mofitan advanced, circling to the right and stopping opposite Haftan. He ran his own hand over the bubble and leaned out to rest his hip against the case. “Not a thing.”“They might as well piss on the thing and get it over with,” Tondil whispered. Dolfan cringed at the blasphemy of his statement. Too much in one day. He couldn’t wait to get the hell away from here. Even Peryl’s jaw dropped open at the idea. His hero worship of Tondil paled next to the open disdain for the Heart.
    The stone didn’t notice the insult any more than it did the two princes posturing over its cover. The crystal’s facets barely shone in the low light. Whatever it thought of them, it wasn’t talking today. Dolfan frowned. Someone was, however. He heard low voices behind them, managed to turn and compose himself just in time to see the king and his bride enter.
    “Dolfan,” Lucha beamed at him and tilted her head gently to one side. “Good afternoon.”
    “Your Highness.” Dolfan lowered into a bow and smiled at the floor. Tondil and Peryl followed suit opposite him, but were slightly off balance for their lack of warning. The princes warring over the Heart both jumped away like two children caught with their hands in a sweets urn. Their bows came late and with little grace.
    King Pelinol sniffed and looked from one to the other for only a moment before he turned to his son. “Peryl, come help me set your mother straight.” He waved his arm and Peryl moved into range, allowed the royal embrace and tried not to sag under the weight of his father’s arm across his shoulders. Of all the Shrouded living in the palace, King Pelinol was the only one who managed not to see how uncomfortable his son became under his attention.
    “Tell your mother that it’s all about the stock.” Pelinol’s favorite topic, and his favorite argument, always revolved around Shrouded genetics. “That the Heart is about keeping the lines pure.”
    “I—it might be.” Peryl darted a desperate look at Dolfan.
    “Breeding,” Lucha spat. She shook her head sadly, but the look she gave Pelinol was entirely favorable. “It’s all about breeding with you.”
    Pelinol chuckled. In his grasp, Peryl turned three shades of red. Lucha swept past them toward the Heart while Haftan and Mofitan continued their retreat in opposite directions. The queen bride nodded to them and placed her own palm against the dome. She stared down at the huge crystal and then turned back to her family.
    “The crystal is rooted in the Shrouded core. The Heart, my dear, could easily be about environment and not.” She rolled her eyes and said, “Genetics.”
    “Pah,” Pelinol snorted. He released his son, who managed to stagger out of range again. “The lines breed true, Lucha. The Heart keeps the blood Shrouded, regardless of the female’s genes.”
    The king might not have intended the slight, but Dolfan flushed red as Lucha’s brows lifted. She struck a less affectionate pose and eyed her mate.
    “Excuse me?”
    “Huh?” Pelinol caught up. He realized his mistake long after the rest of the room, but he waved it off. He was the king, after all. “Oh bother, Lucha. You know what I meant.”
    Pelinol’s theories outlined the root of their problem. There weren’t enough Shrouded—barely enough to keep the mines and factories working—to keep their culture intact and thriving on its chosen home. Dolfan agreed with Lucha about the stone. Though he wanted to believe in the mystic aspects of the Heart bond, he couldn’t help but share Pelinol’s concern for their people’s genetic preservation. They must increase the population. The Shrouded must breed, even if it must be with outsiders. Without the Heart, they wouldn’t have a future.
    The king ignored his lady’s glare and stalked forward. Dolfan watched, as he suspected the others did, to