The Shadow Of What Was Lost Read Online Free PDF Page A

“Don’t worry, I’m not
questioning the Treaty. I only meant that I can’t use the Gift anyway. This,
the Tenets - none of it really seems relevant to me at the moment.”
    Talean grimaced, so briefly that
Davian wondered if he'd imagined it. Then the Administrator gave him a
sympathetic nod. “Of course. Even so.” He placed his hand on Davian’s shoulder.
“By the Fourth Tenet, return to the school once you have finished.”
    Davian rolled his eyes, feeling
the slight warmth on his left arm as the Tenet took effect. “Is that
necessary?”
    Talean raised an eyebrow. “You
want me to risk a troublemaker like you running away?”
    Davian gave a slight smile,
shaking his head in wry amusement. “Fine. I’ll see you when I get back.”
    He felt a sudden stab of
nervousness as he walked back out into the courtyard; he hadn’t had time to
think about it since waking, but this would be the first time in months he’d
been outside alone. Despite his bravado to Talean, he really would have felt
more comfortable with a companion on the journey.
    It was always that way, though.
He couldn’t let his past – his fears - inconvenience everyone else forever.
    He hitched Jeni, the school's
mule, to the rickety old cart they used for transporting supplies. She was a
placid animal, and as always stood happily until the process was complete. He
absently noted that there were three horses tethered in the courtyard, where
there would usually be none. They belonged to the mysterious visitors he'd
overheard talking to Talean, presumably.
    Soon enough, he was ready. Taking
a deep breath to steel himself, he gave Jeni’s reins a gentle tug and set off
for Caladel.

- Chapter 3 -
     
     
    The road was quiet.
    Davian led Jeni at a relaxed
pace, kicking loose stones along in front of himself as he walked, enjoying the
feel of the sun on his back. This - the solitude - was always his favourite
part of the journey. The cliffside road had been a major highway before the war,
but now it was all but abandoned; the cobblestones were cracked and crumbling
where nature had taken its course, and weeds sprouted anywhere they could get a
foothold. It was still easily the shortest route north for anyone living in
town, but it also passed within a hundred feet of the school. Only the Gifted
used it any more.
    Soon enough though, he rounded a
curve in the road and the picturesque township of Caladel came into view,
nestled between the sparkling coastline and surrounding hills.
    He sighed.
    Davian was avoided as he made his
way down into the streets, Jeni and cart in tow. A few hawkers and merchants
were out selling their wares, but none called to him as he passed. They knew he
would not have money for them - and worse, having him seen at their stall or
shop would keep other customers away.
    For his part, Davian kept his
eyes lowered, trying not to meet the gaze of the townspeople giving him a wide
berth. He'd been to Caladel many times before, but the wary, sometimes
disgusted look in the eyes that followed him still stung. After a while he
found himself hunching his shoulders, as if the stares were a physical pressure
on his back. He hurried between his destinations as unobtrusively as possible.
    His purchases went smoothly
today. In the past, some merchants had refused to sell to him or had demanded
outrageous prices for their goods; whenever that happened he knew to return to
the school empty-handed rather than cause a scene. This afternoon though, much
to his relief, the storekeepers were cold but willing to trade. Most people
didn’t want to be seen dealing with the Gifted, but the school brought in a lot
of business – and when earnings were counted at the end of the day, a coin from
the Gifted was just as good as one from anyone else.
    Even so, it was with some relief
that Davian hitched Jeni outside the small, dimly-lit butcher’s shop that held
the last items on his list. He’d dealt with the owner many times before, and
didn’t