The Thirteenth Scroll Read Online Free PDF Page B

together, it was one thing she had never been able to teach him.
    But Elon—he was a different matter. Bishop of Kilgarriff, sometime Suffragan to the Archbishop and of the College of Bishops
     for all of Aghamore, Elon was a man with a powerful presence. He, she was certain, knew both how to wait and when to act.
     His greed was outshone only by his ambition, and Aurya had but to wait in stillness to sense him.
    They were of a kind, she and Elon. Both accepted whatever life had to offer—and forced from it whatever it dared to withhold.
     They had recognized this in each other the first time they met, as if they were somehow related.
    Elon could well have been her father, Aurya had often thought. Silver now frosted his hair, but Aurya could seethat it had once been as dark as her own, and his eyes were just as blue. But then—she told herself just as often—dark hair
     was common enough in Aghamore, and her mother’s eyes had been blue.
    Yet this feeling of kinship with Elon remained. Although the identity of her father was a secret Aurya’s mother had taken
     to her grave, Elon did not strike Aurya as a man who would let an inconvenient vow of chastity bar him from something he wanted.
    Blood relation or not, he was a useful man to have on one’s side.
And I intend to make certain he
stays
on our side
, Aurya thought as she walked slowly toward the edge of the battlements to look calmly toward the direction from which Elon
     would come.
    It had been her idea to initiate contact with the bishop; without her guidance, Giraldus would not have had the patience for
     the subtle games they had played during those early months, each wondering if the other could be trusted. Now, over a half
     a year later and with Elon considerably richer, that delicate balance of trust had been established. Giraldus wanted the crown,
     Elon wanted the Archbishop’s mitre—and she was the connecting force between the two.
    It was with an eye to both prizes that, when the bishop sent his message saying he was bringing something they must see, Aurya
     carefully concocted a plausible reason for his visit, one that could be seen and approved by even their harshest critics.
     She was not such a fool as to think she was without enemies among the people of Kilgarriff. But what she planned would silence
     many a disapproving tongue—and give Elon an excuse for any other such visits he might, of necessity, make.
    As long as he does his part, I’ll protect his reputation
, Aurya’s thoughts confirmed, knowing that such careful preservation was even more a hold over Elon than wasthe gold he had already received.
He’ll wear the Archbishop’s mitre soon enough—as long as when Giraldus makes his move for the throne, there are no surprises
     from within the College of Bishops.
    As she stood at the edge of the battlements, a slight breeze ruffled her gown until sunlight caught the silver threads woven
     into the midnight blue cloth, giving each movement a whisper of brightness. It was cloth that was made only for her and she
     rarely wore anything else. Its dark richness made her skin look like cream, deepened her eyes from mere blue to sapphire,
     and brought out the blue-black highlights in her raven hair.
    She closed her eyes again and waited. Soon her mind, already disciplined to quiet receptiveness, grew even more still. Here
     was the place where power abided; here was the inner realm from which magic could be called forth.
    Aurya waited until she could clearly sense the presence of he who was coming. It was like a pale blue light shining in the
     darkness, hidden from the naked and untrained eye but plain to those who knew how to
look
.
    Then she withdrew her mind from these inner realms, back into the common world, with all its light and noise. She felt the
     power within her recede. Then, allowing herself a small smile of satisfaction, she turned to descend the stairs. It was time
     to alert Giraldus and walk out to the courtyard. She