The Hekamon Read Online Free PDF

and there was no guarantee he would be back. Anyway, in
the time it would take him to get enough herbs together to buy back
the necklace, his sister would likely have forgotten all about it,
giving it up as lost.
    Since Kormak had only ever shown interest in his
military wares, he would offer him a few rusty swords in return for
any more herbs he was able to bring. The young Fennrean would have to
accept and could hardly cry foul, it was he who had stolen it.
    Tansley realized, that if he was going to sell the
necklace, he would need to get it repaired first, and for that he
knew just the person. Someone very skilled in making and repairing
chains and inexpensive, too. And as luck would have it, he would be
seeing them tomorrow on an errand he needed to run.
    Searching around his shop, he started busily preparing
for the following day's journey. It was well past midnight and he
didn't want to be rushing around in the morning. Finding a hessian
sack he started to place some of his damaged stock in it. Leather
bracers, boots, some studded pauldrons and helms. Practically
worthless in their current condition but an armorer at the Serfacre
workshops would get them back into an acceptable state for display
and sale.
    With the bag filled and tied, he leaned it against the
wall behind his counter. After making sure his hut was locked, he
climbed the stairs for bed, and as he did, his mind turned to the
Fennrean girl.
    Of all the fabrics to choose from, it was interesting that she picked out the rag that she did. He'd found it
discarded in the stream that ran behind his hut a few weeks earlier.
It was quite possibly the most worthless item in his store. Tansley
shook his head in amazement at the girl's poor taste, while making plans for what to do with her necklace.
    Tomorrow, he would give the damaged stock to the master
armorer, while the broken necklace, he would give to the man's young
and skillful apprentice to repair.
    Climbing into bed, Tansley blew out the lantern. He
needed to get some sleep, he had a busy day ahead of him.

7
    His patience was wearing thin, "In your own time,
Aegis," Decarius said, trying to contain his anger. They had not
got far in the last hour.
    "This is a bigger drop. I can't do it."
    "It's ten feet at the most. Hang down, let go and
you'll fall less than three feet."
    After some cajoling, Aegis finally made it down and
tucked his hands under his arms for warmth, "My hands are
freezing and the rocks are icy. Can we rest?"
    "We can rest when we reach the glades below, let's
try the next step, I'll help you," he said, guiding the boy to
the edge and starting to ease him down.
    The irony of his needing to help and protect the son of
the saceress wasn't lost on Decarius. At any other time, news that
Aegis had fallen off the mountain and been broken and bloodied on the
rocks below, would have given him no greater pleasure. This was the only
time that such an event would cause him dismay.
    Not only
would it derail their plans, it might even result in his own death.
As undeserving Aegis was of the privilege, he was a person of
importance. Tribunals would be convened, testimony required,
retribution demanded. Decarius knew he could lay the blame on
Gregario if need be, but that would mean losing a useful acolyte,
something he'd rather avoid doing.
    "The ledge we are trying to drop down to is too
narrow," Aegis complained, "Can we find a different one?"
    "Gregario, help him down," he said, unable to
disguise the contempt in his voice.
    Gregario stepped over to have a quiet word in his ear.
The gusting breeze meant the man had to raise his voice above that of
a whisper to make himself heard, "Keep your anger in check
Decarius, one more day and it will be over."
    "I can't put up with him for another hour, let
alone another day. You deal with him," he seethed, before
dropping down to the ledge below, to show that it was indeed wide
enough.
    It had not occurred to him that he would have to almost
carry Aegis along