The Cosmic Logos Read Online Free PDF Page B

Bast’s sentiment, unable to think of any other kind words.
    â€˜Not if I see you first,’ Avery joked as their mother tapped his little brother’s shoulder to let Sparrowhawk know it was time he got moving. She served Avery a look of scorn, but said nothing as she accompanied Sparrowhawk to his transport.
    â€˜Hey, remember me?’ Fallon waved a hand in front of Avery’s face to get his attention.
    â€˜Oh … hey, Fallon, what’s up?’ he queried, looking back towards his parents as they saw his brother onto his flight.
    â€˜Nothing much.’ She played along and in the spirit of the game she dropped her voice to a whisper. ‘I was just wondering when you were planning to tell everyone?’
    â€˜Tell everyone what?’
    â€˜About us, of course.’
    â€˜About us!’ Now Fallon had his attention. ‘What about us?’
    â€˜ What about us? ’ The joy fell from her voice and Fallon realised that what had happened last night had been as she feared. ‘Then it was just the drink and you didn’t really mean it?’
    Avery pressed all ten of his fingertips into his skull. ‘Fallon, did I miss something?’
    Fallon took a breath to refrain from slapping his face. ‘Deny that you desired me last night?’
    Avery’s jaw swung open at the question, dumbfounded by her presumption. Sure, he’d thought she looked a bit of all right, but a thought didn’t constitute an affair and certainly not a commitment! And unless her psychic aptitude had improved somewhat of late, how could Fallon have known what he was thinking anyway? ‘I do most certainly deny it,’ he retorted and realised he wasn’t telling the whole truth. ‘Beware when your words conflict with what is in your heart.’ En Noah’s warning ran through his mind and he cringed. This was not whathe meant, he assured himself on the quiet, when a stinging sharp slap to his left cheek brought him back to reality. ‘Hey, wait a minute,’ he called after Fallon as she stormed off. ‘What the hell was that for?’
    â€˜I wish you could remember,’ Fallon called back to him. ‘It was really beautiful.’ On the verge of tears, she buried her face in her hands and hurried away.
    â€˜What the …?’ Avery, who was never lost for words, held his cheek, amazed. Fallon seemed genuinely upset, so he thought he’d best wait before attempting to extract an explanation from her.
    â€˜What was that all about?’
    Avery turned to find his mother, arms folded and glaring at him. ‘I have no idea.’ He pleaded ignorance. ‘The girl has gone insane!’ He appealed to his father, Maelgwn, knowing he’d have a better chance of getting him on side.
    â€˜Has she now?’ His mother wasn’t convinced. ‘Have Sparrowhawk and Lirathea gone insane, too?’ Tory queried him further, and he looked a little stumped by the question.
    â€˜I don’t know what you mean?’
    â€˜I mean … you don’t seem to have many friends this morning.’
    â€˜Is that why Lirathea isn’t here, because she doesn’t want to see me?’ Avery assumed that saying goodbye to Sparrowhawk in public would prove too difficult for their sister and that she was using him as an excuse not to be here.
    â€˜Now why would you wonder that, if you’ve done naught to offend anyone?’ Tory proffered.
    â€˜Perhaps they offended me?’ Avery was rather disturbed at always being the first one accused whenever there was trouble.
    Maelgwn kissed his wife’s cheek to distract her from the interrogation and save his boy. ‘Why don’t you go home and see if you can’t cheer Lirathea up?’ he suggested, moving to take a firm hold of his son around the back of the neck. ‘I’ll take Avery to lunch and we’ll have a little chat .’
    â€˜Ah! Good plan, father,’ Avery