The Rogue Knight Read Online Free PDF

“We need to stay as miserable as possible.”
    Jace chuckled. “You know what I mean.”
    â€œI do,” Mira said. “We’ll have to spend a little money on food and lodging. But we need to be smart about it. Kids our age don’t normally book rooms for themselves.”
    â€œSome kids have wealthy families,” Jace said. “Some have jobs. Leave it to me. I’ve worked in cities. I can imitate a free kid better than any of us.”
    â€œYou don’t have to imitate one,” Cole said. “You are one. Your mark says so.”
    Jace rubbed the freemark on the back of his hand. “Declan gave us the right marks, but free kids and slave kids act differently.”
    â€œMe, Twitch, and Mira used to be free,” Cole reminded him.
    â€œSort of,” Jace allowed with a snort. “Mira was royalty on the run, you were free in another world, and Twitch was free among the grasshopper people. I actually know what normal life is like here. How people act.”
    â€œYou’re very streetwise,” Mira said, rolling her eyes. “Just try not to spend too big. And don’t lose your temper.”
    Jace grinned. “Lose it? Don’t worry. I always keep it handy. Last one to Carthage has bug parts.”
    â€œHey!” Twitch protested.
    â€œOh, yeah,” Jace fake apologized. “Rat parts?”
    â€œHow about last one there was born a slave?” Cole said.
    Jace flashed him an angry look. “Last one there hangs back in fights and sometimes helps a little at the end.”
    â€œCut it out,” Mira said. “How about we actually start? First one there is the fastest.” She raised her sword and called, “Away.”
    The boys followed.
    As he sprang along the road, one huge leap after another, Cole tried not to stew about Jace’s accusation. Cole supposed he had hung back a little in their last fight. But Jace’s golden rope was easily their best weapon. Cole had charged into danger many times. He was no coward—he just wanted to make his attacks count.
    Jace was just blowing off steam because of the crack about his slavery. It had been harsh to tease him about something he couldn’t control, but Jace had been doing the thing to Twitch. If he could dish it out, he needed to learn to take it, too.
    By jumping each time he landed, Cole didn’t find the travel too tiring. The Jumping Sword did most of the work. He just needed to correctly time each command and aim the blade in the right direction.
    Even without heavy exertion, Cole wished he had caught some sleep in the coach. By the time the approaching dawn began to color the horizon, his eyelids were feeling heavy. Cole wondered if it was possible to fall asleep while sailing through the air at terrific speeds. If he got tired enough, and the jumps were repetitive enough, he suspected the answer was yes.
    As the sky grew lighter, Mira paused and sheathed her sword. Cole came to a stop near her. “Anything wrong?” he asked.
    â€œI noticed cottages up ahead during my last jump,” Mira explained. “It’s getting too bright.”
    Twitch removed his ring, and his translucent wings disappeared. He looked like a normal human boy.
    â€œWe have to be close,” Jace said. “We went fast all night.”
    â€œI probably need to lose the flail,” Mira said. “I can’t use it in Elloweer, and it’ll attract too much attention on the road.”
    â€œAw, crud,” Cole said. “That thing has saved us more than once.”
    Mira pointed off to the side of the road. “Flail, hide.” The flail plunged into a bush beyond some trees in the direction she had indicated. “I’d send it back to Asia and Declan, but it can’t interpret commands like that. Maybe we’ll come back this way someday.”
    They started walking. Cole’s eyes felt dry and itchy. He kept blinking and rubbing them, but the