Sun Rose (Rose of the Dawn Series Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

He must sense something is wrong
because he pushes me back behind him with his hand as we enter the house.
    “Thank
you for seeing us. I’m Pike Pelli and this is Rose Campbell.” Something
flutters and swoops by my face. A moth? No, bigger than that. A bat?
    “Ah
yes. Pike and Rose. Rose and Pike. Rose. Rosamund. What a beautiful name. One
for a beautiful girl?”
    I
still don’t see Tithonus. The voice comes from somewhere close by, but in the
dark corners of the house. I look up at the low ceilings. The exposed beams are
rotted and I’m wary of the structural integrity of this hovel.
    “Yes.
She is very beautiful,” Pike says and looks away. My cheeks warm. I stifle the
urge to giggle. What did he say? Why am I reacting like this?
    All
of a sudden the room gets cold. I can hear the shuffling of feet ahead of us.
An old man steps into the light so we can see him. His body is brittle and his
skin hangs in loose strips on his face. He is bent over and on his back is a
large hump, like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. He leans on a teak cane, tawny, dark
wood worn along the handle and foot. A white shock of hair falls over his
shoulders and down his back. It reminds me of the cobwebs I’ve read about in
books.
    Tithonus
steps forward, the cane leading his way, and I step back. Pike doesn’t move. My
stomach lurches. Cloudy, milky white, the old man’s eyes are open wide,
searching for available light. Water drips on my forehead. A leak from
somewhere above. I dare not look up or away.
    “What
are you looking to see?” Tithonus approaches Pike, but speaks to me.
    Pike
begins, “we need to know about my friend, Hara –”
    “There
are people worried about you,” Tithonus says.
    My
stomach sinks. I open my mouth to speak, but I can’t.
    “But
do not worry,” Tithonus’s voice is low and he speaks slowly. It crackles as he
breathes. “They will understand. You have a mission. Everything you previously
knew will create some confusion in you. You must find who you are.”
    I
don’t understand. “Well, uh, no. Not really. I’m with Pike and–”
    “You
are not sick.” Tithonus holds his hand up. “You were told you were very ill.
You are not.”
    “I’m
not?” The side of my torso is hot.
    “You
have a very special gift. You are not sick.” Tithonus doesn’t blink.
    “What
does that mean?” I look to Pike, who shrugs and shakes his head. “I don’t
understand.” The water drips faster. Like my hospital monitor. Like my racing
heart.
    “You
must beware. You must protect your gift. Do not allow trespassers. They do not
want what you want.” His mouth starts to tremble and his head twitches.
    “So
will she be able to help us?” Pike interrupts and I am unsettled.
    “She
will.” Tithonus looks through me, his gaze stopping at my soul. Can he really
see? “But be careful. Things may begin. She will be very powerful. She is very
powerful.”
    Pike
nods his head and leans toward the door. How come he isn’t asking about
Hara? He takes my arm. It’s wet, too.
    “Before
you go–” Tithonus raises his voice.
    Pike
turns back around.
    “Let
me see her. Rosamund, please come close.” He waves his hand.
    I’m
paralyzed. Pike has to pull me out from behind him and then push me forward. I
walk the rest of the way to the old man. Water squelches between my feet and I
refuse to look down. He smells musty and his hair is much thinner up close than
from afar. And wet. Dripping.
    He
takes his hand off his cane and steps toward me. The cane stands by itself and
it doesn’t fall as one would expect. Tithonus takes hold of my hands and grasps
them tight. Their heat sears my flesh. They’re on fire without flames. I can’t
move them though I try to pull mine away. “You are very beautiful. I can sense
it.”
    “Thank
you,” I breathe through gritted teeth. Tears come to my eyes. The pain is
unbearable.
    “You
have to hold on to you as long as you can. Trust no one. You have an inner
compass. Use