The Heartstone Blade (The Dark Ability Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

“But never willing to come with me? As many times as I’ve tried getting you out on the water, now I hear it’s just my ship you don’t like.”
    Brusus’s face clouded. “Damn, Firell! There’s not time for this. Lianna said she saw one of the crates. Then what happened to it?”
    Rsiran hadn’t seen Brusus this agitated before. Maybe Jessa was right. Something was clearly bothering him, but Rsiran didn’t know what. That he would get so upset over one of the crates surprised him.
    Firell raised his hands and backed away from him a step. “Easy, Brusus. Just having a little fun. Nothing to worry about if it wasn’t your crate, anyway, is there?”
    “That’s my concern,” Brusus said. “You know how we’ve been moving those crates, so you should know that I would not have brought it to the docks that way. What I need to know is what happened? Why would it have been here?”
    “Could someone else have brought it in?” Rsiran offered.
    Brusus waved toward the water. “No other ships use shipping crates like that around here.”
    Haern finally turned away from looking out over the water and met Brusus’s eyes. “Lianna spoke truly, Brusus. That was one of the Elvraeth crates. I can See that much.” He shook his head. “But nothing more than that.”
    “I still don’t understand what the problem is, Brusus.” Jessa had one hand planted on her hip as she glared at him.
    “The problem is that the Elvraeth have left those crates alone for years. Some for hundreds of years. And, as far as I know, there haven’t been new crates added to the warehouse in at least a hundred years. So everything has been sitting untouched.” He looked out over the water, shaking his head. “And now, in just the last few months, we see activity? First with Josun. The Great Watcher alone knows what he intended. And now this.” He swept his arm around the dock.
    Jessa glanced over to Rsiran. “Who then?”
    Brusus shook his head. “I haven’t seen any other Elvraeth in the warehouse other than him. Haven’t seen anyone, really. Patrols around the warehouse haven’t changed. Nothing has changed that would make me think we needed to be more careful. And nothing from the palace, either.”
    Rsiran didn’t say anything. Since they had infiltrated the palace, he’d feared some repercussions. Since none had come, he’d allowed himself to slowly relax. Now, learning this—that one of the crates had been moved to and then quickly off the dock—that tension suddenly returned. He was the one who had Slid them into the palace. He was the one who’d stolen lorcith from the mines, using it to forge weapons. He was the one who’d killed one of the Elvraeth. He was the one who had been seen.
    And if they had been wrong, if the Elvraeth learned that he was the one who had been there, the others were in danger.
    Worse, it was clear Jessa was right. Something other than the crates was bothering Brusus. He was hiding something from them. After what they’d all been through, Brusus owed it to him to share, but if he didn’t want to say anything here, Rsiran wouldn’t push—not yet—but he needed to know.
    “What can we do?” Rsiran asked.
    Jessa looked over at him, but he ignored her. Thankfully, she didn’t let go of his hand.
    Brusus sighed, blinking slowly. He ran a hand through his hair and scratched at the back of his head. “Would you take Jessa and go look in the warehouse? Let me know if you see anything?”
    Firell looked at Brusus and laughed. “You sure it’s smart to send those two? I mean, they had to take a stop off on the way down here! Great Watcher knows I remember what it was like to be that age, first in love…”
    Jessa stiffened. “How many flippers did she have?”
    Firell frowned and pinched his chin. “I can’t remember, but I’m certain that it was no more than two.”
    Haern laughed softly before turning to Brusus. “You don’t think you should go yourself?”
    Brusus shook his head.