The Ritual Read Online Free PDF

tried to pick his pockets he caught me. He could have handed me to the guards, but I guess he saw something in me, so he started training me instead.”
    Zashter nodded. “I’ve heard of him. You didn’t complete your training though.”
    “No, I didn’t.”
    When it became clear that I wasn’t going to say anything else he narrowed his eyes. “Why not?”
    I hesitated, then stalled. “Is it relevant?”
    “Yes. If I’m going to commit to continuing your… education, I need to know that you’re not just going to run off on me. The commitment has to be mutual.”
    The reasoning was sound, and almost amusing in light of my earlier fear of being left behind. Yet still I hesitated – my reasons for leaving Naerev had been entirely personal, and I had no idea what Zashter’s reaction would be. In my experience, most men had little to no respect for women, never mind half-elf women, and I didn’t want him to disdain me simply because my motivation might be lacking in his eyes.
    Then I checked myself – attractive or not, what was his opinion to me? I had been looking after both Shani and myself for eleven years, and could continue to do so with or without his aid. His teachings would be useful, and he was very easy on the eyes, but I’d rather be without his help than change myself to suit him.
    “He busted my arse out of jail when I messed up once,” I said, lifting my chin and meeting his gaze. “Since I’d been destined for the gallows, he seemed to expect rather more gratitude from me than I was prepared to give.”
    He raised a mocking eyebrow. “Meaning?” he prompted.
    Suddenly irrit ated beyond reason I snapped, “Fine, he expected me to fuck him. And as I wasn’t prepared to do that, we ran off. We preferred to make our own fortune instead.” I met Shani’s eyes and she smiled at me, bolstering me with her unwavering loyalty.
    Zashter, however, didn’t let up. “He hadn’t tried to fuck you before?” he asked, sounding sceptical.
    “I don’t think he dared,” I snorted. “Not so much because of me, but Shani would have burnt his balls off had he forced me. After the jail incident he thought he had leverage though, and he wouldn’t stop nagging. I got fed up with it and called it quits; I didn’t think I was learning much from him anymore anyway.” That last remark was pure bravado – I had been terrified for the first few weeks after leaving Naerev, convinced that I would get caught within days, but I had never admitted that to anyone, not even Shani.
    “And why weren’t you prepared to fuck him?” Zashter proceeded relentlessly.
    That was far too personal for my comfort, but he met my angry, indignant look without blinking and without losing that hint of mockery. Shani started to protest, but I waved her down, trying to see through his expression and fathom the reason for this level of scrutiny. Was he testing my mettle? Gods, was he interested? His eyes were unreadable, but why else would he be so fixed on this line of questioning?
    “I can think of only two reasons why you would want to know the answer to such a personal question,” I said eventually. “You’re maybe worried that I’m susceptible to such, um, physical persuasions, so you’re hoping that I didn’t just refuse him because he was old and ugly.”
    “And the other reason?”
    “You want to fuck me yourself, in which case you hope that I didn’t refuse out of sheer professionalism.”
    That reply had been a gamble, but he rewarded it with another exuberant laugh, and I mentally breathed a sigh of relief that his sense of humour had prevailed. “That still doesn’t give me your reason for refusing him though,” he pressed, still chuckling.
    His reaction gave me the confidence to give him the truth. “My body is my own,” I said. “I may choose to share it with someone, but it’s not for sale or for hire, nor is it a reward. I’d rather starve to death than use it as such.”
    I could have said more;