The Orphans' Promise Read Online Free PDF Page B

thigh. The red tunic rustled constantly, and the heavy novice’s robe quickly induced a sweat. He was dressed like a Zü killer, and he could be heading right for them. A face painted with a skull came to haunt his thoughts and reminded him of the nearly fatal assault to his throat. He owed his survival to mere chance. Despite his swagger, the actor was full of apprehension.As Yan closed the gate behind them, he wondered if the infallible Grigán was in the same state of mind or if the warrior truly was crazy enough to not fear anything.
    He couldn’t decide which bothered him more.

     
    Bowbaq wanted to get up and wish his friends good luck before they left, but as he stood, the pain promptly assaulted him, taking all his strength to hold back a cry. The worst wasn’t the pain, it was wondering if he was going to live. He had taken a dagger in his stomach. He’d suffered much more dangerous wounds before, some of them stemming from his occasionally brutal games with Mir. The lion had broken his wrist, two fingers, and almost gashed his throat open during a particularly savage battle, when the beast had nearly forgotten whom he was fighting.
    But this new wound had been made with a poisoned blade. Though Corenn was perfectly confident he would heal, Bowbaq could see the end coming. He asked himself what had brought him here. So far from his children, so far from Ispen, his beloved wife, threatened as much by the Züu as he was, just like Prad and Iulane, and all his friends too. And the heirs still had no idea why, or how to fix it.
    The night before, he found himself standing in a cave on a small isle in the Median Sea, and he was shown a portal to another world. A magical portal. The secret of Ji.
    That night, while sleeping, it all became clear to him. He realized he must be the only one of his companions to have any idea what this other world could be.
    He tried to forget it, but couldn’t. If he survived his wound, his life would never be the same. There would be a
before
Ji. All that he would learn and know now would be
after.
    His wound shot such pain through his stomach that he thought he would never sleep. While his body needed rest, his mind was too stimulated; it needed relief too.
    He suddenly had an urge to talk to someone. He wanted to talk about his possibly pending death, his family, his existence. To discuss the Züu—their enemy—and the mysteries of the island. He wanted to share, one more time, this experience with someone. A friend. One of the heirs.
    He opened his eyes to see the torches’ dancing lights on the cellar ceiling. Léti was crouching next to him and gave him a kind smile. The giant breathed a thankful sigh, cleared his voice, and began to tell his story.

     
    From the moment Grigán and Rey left, Corenn had been directing her gaze toward Yan, her intelligent eyes gleaming into his for a long time. The young man immediately felt uncomfortable. Or rather in awe.
    Throughout his childhood, the Mother had been nothing more to him than one of Léti’s few relatives who occasionally came for a visit to Eza. He later learned that Corenn wasn’t really the young girl’s aunt, but a cousin of Norine, Léti’s mother. Later still, once he was grown up enough to understand in broad terms the organization of power in the Matriarchy, he realized that Corenn was one of the most important people in the country.
    He couldn’t remember his impression of her from before, but from that day on, he saw her as more stern, more serious, and more responsible than anyone he’d ever known. Intimidated, he had more or less fled during her visits. Corenn only stayed in Eza for short stints, anyhow. Every three years, she would takeNorine and Léti to Lorelia for a few days. Yan had never asked why because he knew Léti would keep her secret.
    Well, now he knew. Over the past two dékades, he had gotten to know Corenn and learned to appreciate her. The Mother’s numerous qualities, her intelligence just