The Soulstoy Inheritance Read Online Free PDF Page A

ban on those too. “I am the cook, Marlean, if I may beg a moment of your time?”
    Nobody had ever begged a moment of my time before, so I just stood there stupidly, until I realised that she actually required a response.
    “Oh, ah sure.”
    “I sent trays up to your rooms, I didn’t realise you had already awoken. Will you be here for dinner?”
    “No, we’re riding to the damaged town—what is it called?”
    Her eyebrows rose. “Red Ridge. Will you be taking any of the men with you, Lady?”
    “No, just Harbringer.”
    She looked like she wanted to argue, I could see how she pursed her lips, but instead she nodded. “Will you allow me to put together a hamper of food, and fetch you a map?”
    “Actually I would really appreciate that.”
    She hurried off, and as I watched her go, I wondered if I should bring some of the men with me after all. The Read soldiers weren’t the only ones who wanted to do us harm, there were also the disbanded synfee attackers and whoever had been draining Hazen’s life away. I waited until Marlean returned, and then thanked her for the hampers, trying not to be suspicious of her kindness, before heading out to the stables. Harbringer was already there, with Grenlow and another man and woman that I didn’t recognise.
    Grenlow led a brown gelding over to me, and handed me the reins. “Good morning, Lady Beatrice, how did you sleep?”
    “Surprisingly well. Will you be coming with us?” I didn’t bother asking how he had caught wind of my movements so quickly.
    “Yes, this is Rohan.” He gestured to the man. “And Cereen. I’ve assigned them to your protection detail while you’re here.”
    I smiled at both of them as I tossed one of the hampers to Harbringer. The man was huge, with pale features beneath his golden mask, and a hint of light blue eyes. He returned my smile easily, and gave a short bow, but the woman didn’t. She was the darkness to his light, with long, raven hair and hard green eyes, her golden hue more muted than any I had seen before. I got the feeling that she didn’t like me at all.
    “You ready?” Harbringer asked, tearing my gaze away from the woman.
    “Yeah.” I jumped up into the saddle, and pulled up beside him, lowering my voice so that the others dismounting behind us might not be able to hear.
    “Are their minds protected?”
    “They’ll be no danger to you,” he assured.
    I let out a breath, and spread the map across my lap, searching for Red Ridge. It marked the last township to the north, with mostly plantations and farms stretching out behind it, and I searched for the path to the west of each of the towns we would have to pass. Nareon had steered us that way to avoid them. Once I had the route memorised, I tucked the map away and kicked the horse into action. Harbringer rode beside me, the fruit and scones piled into his hamper quickly disappearing, and the other three rode a short distance behind us. I ate only one of the scones and an apple, and then passed the hamper back to Grenlow, who divided it up between himself and Rohan. Cereen didn’t take anything.
     
     

Chapter Three
     
    Harrowing the Line
     
    We were almost at Red Ridge when Grenlow insisted we pull into Flintwood and stop for the night. The moon had taken the place of the sun, and nobody else seemed to be comfortable travelling the fields that stretched between the western mountains and the townships at night. Even though I wanted to push on, I had started second-guessing every shadow that sprang up before us over an hour ago, so I conceded, and followed Grenlow into the town, leaving the howling of wolves behind us. It didn’t quite seem a city, but was too vast to be considered a village; though the wagon-rutted roads and small, wooden cabins gave it that effect.
    It might have been an enchanting place at another time, with squirrels bounding out from behind one house to another, or the far-off twinkling of fireflies. But the place seemed to be hanging on by