The Gatherer (Brilliant Darkness 2.5) Read Online Free PDF

the insects, feeding and milking them for their venom, while wrapped tight in leather to guard against their stings. I am accustomed to the low hum, but some deep instinct of caution always keeps me from drawing too near. The girl jumps when I touch her arm, urging her to move on.
    I notice something new as we start down the hill into the Cloister. A small and secluded pyre was built while I was away. It is tucked in beside the eastern wall, sheltered from the sea wind. My steps quicken.
    "Well done, Alev. She is a fine, strong girl," Grimma, my old training mistress, yells from the sizeable dirt training ground as we pass. She raises the blunt-ended spear she uses to spar with a new Initiate.
    A girl of about sixteen, the Initiate lowers her weapon to gawk at us. Grimma strikes it out of her hands and cautions her not to let her guard down. I snort, remembering how often that happened to me when my focus slipped during training.
    We reach the children's compound, a sprawling building with several large rooms used for studying, eating, sleeping, and training. Surrounded by another ring of rock wall, the compound has its own garden, kitchen, well, and even boasts the cage full of colorful birds whose feathers we wear at our waists. W hen the Teachers allowed it,  I would sit for hours watching the birds fight and preen, never minding the sharp smell of their guano.
    The gate opens at my call, and I deliver Kaiya to the guard inside. Several Sisters are always assigned here. Our daughters are our most precious commodities; they must be protected.
    "This is your home now," I tell the girl. "You will be well provided for."
    I speak the truth. The Teachers are strict, but our daughters are fed the best of our food, clothed in our finest leathers, and taught the ways of the Cloister and the forest by the Sisters most suited to educate them. They are given the knowledge and skills to defend themselves and their home with honor. What more might a child want?
    "My father?" Kaiya asks. Her eyes are streaked with red from the smoke and bright with unshed tears. They hold a single question: will I see him again?
    I shake my head.
    Grief spills down the girl's cheeks as the guard leads her inside. I did my duty in bringing her here. Is it possible I have not done right?

8.
    Worry chews at my gut as I rush to the modest home Adar and I share. We came here when we became full-fledged Sisters several seasons ago. We will stay after she becomes the leader. We do not seek luxury. The safety of the Cloister is luxury enough.
    I wash my hair and skin using a bucket of water, change my clothes, and jog back to the great hall. A meal must wait.
    Golnar, the Sister responsible for the security of the Cloister, sits on the steps of the hall polishing her blade. She looks like she drank a cup of cold, bitter tea when she sees me. I step past her without a greeting.
    The enormous fireplace that lights and heats the high-ceilinged hall is cold and dark now. Tables and chairs that normally fill the round room have been moved aside, making space for a wide pallet.
    On the pallet, a handsome woman lays, eyes closed. I only catch a glimpse through the throng of Sisters around her. They will continue to gather as the end draws near. We will all witness the passing of our leader.
    Adar sees me as I come in, her mane of dark-brown hair shimmering as she turns her head. I cannot help smiling when I see her; I am so proud of her. She gestures me to her side.
    I stand beside my sister and look down at Niran. Silvery streaks set off her dark hair. Deep wrinkles of pain are etched into the skin around her eyes and across her forehead. Her shoulders and chest seem withered. Behind her eyelids, her eyes are a strange alchemy of green and gold. Much like Adar's. Much like mine.
    Should I feel something other than a vague sense of regret at the passing of our mother? I admired Niran. She was a strong leader, as Adar will be, but I barely knew