Tears of War Read Online Free PDF

him here. It’s very dark and fuzzy and it was based more on what he felt than what he saw.” She sent the picture of the records room again then tuned and started for the door. Mckale backed away.
    She rolled her eyes. “Not you too?”
    He smiled but his eyes were on her hand. “I’m not afraid of him, but I don’t want him crawling on me either. Besides, Heleanna says there is a field that is dying. The crop is anyway. She and the other senior mages tried working on it yesterday. It didn’t go well. I’m going to take the other two Green Riders down today and see if we can do something more. They have a pretty good handle on their magic now.” He backed up several more steps as she passed him.
    She laughed and slipped out of Kirynn’s bedchamber, the spider still perched on her hand. The hairs on his legs tickled her fingers. It didn’t take long to get to the caldera floor. She ignored the gasps of servants when she passed them on her way through the Great Hall to the small door set midway down its length.

 

     
    A nevay sat at the large desk in the middle of the room. A mixture of light orbs and candles cast warm light across her creamed coffee skin. Maleena smiled at her. “Already back to work after this morning’s flight?”
    “Latia left with the others to hunt. I might as well spend the rest of the afternoon working on finding what I need for the weave.”
    “You are certain you will find something? You’ve been searching for nearly a year now.”
    Anevay nodded. “It’s here. I can feel it. I’ve already found some of it. The beginning of the weave is coming together.” She looked at Maleena’s upraised hand then and gasped. “What is that?”
    Maleena’s smile got wider. “It’s a spider.”
    “Why, in the name of the Fates, did you bring him here?”
    “He eats mice and bugs. I figured he could help you out in here.”
    Anevay eyed the spider doubtfully. “You want him to live in here?”
    “Mice are always a problem and the cats can’t get in here very often.”
    “What about Cat? He comes in here plenty.”
    Maleena sighed and walked to a darkened corner of the room. She knelt and lowered her hand to the floor. The spider crawled off and disappeared under a shelf. She stood and turned to Anevay. “Cat will be leaving with Namir.”
    “He is really going to Slide to Shadereen with Namir and Vaddoc?” Anevay asked, her eyes on the spot where the spider disappeared.
    “Namir refuses to leave without him. Who knew a dragon would get so attached to a cat?” Maleena laughed. “Kirynn about had a panic attack over that spider.”
    Anevay’s startled eyes met hers. “Kirynn? Afraid? And of a spider of all things?”
    Maleena nodded. “She was so scared I felt it in my lair. I thought something was horribly wrong. Mckale went running with swords drawn only to find her trying to kill it without getting too close. I guess even the length of her zahri wasn’t far enough.”
    Anevay shook her head, her waist-length black ringlets swaying. Her dark eyes lit with amusement. “I wish I had been there to see that. Kirynn can stand against Shadow Riders, Shadow Dragons, and a sea of Kojen, but a single spider terrifies her.”
    “He is a rather impressive looking spider.” Maleena laughed walking back to stand by the desk. “I guess it’s a good thing Kojen don’t have eight hairy legs.”
    Anevay laughed with her. “Vaddoc will never let her live that down. What is she going to do when she gets to Shadereen?”
    Maleena paused. “What do you mean?”
    Mirth flushed Anevay’s creamed coffee skin. “Hasn’t she studied up on Shadereen?”
    “Of course. She’s learned all about their politics and traditions.”
    Anevay shook her head. “She hasn’t studied what lives there besides humans? I wish I could be there to see her run screaming across the desert.”
    “Why?”
    “They have sand spiders there. They make this one look tiny.”
    Maleena tried to suppress her