The Watcher's Eyes (The Binders Game Book 2) Read Online Free PDF

street was darkened. For a moment, my Sight failed, leaving me in shadows before I realized that I had simply closed my eyes. I took a forceful breath and snapped my eyes open, holding one hand on the wall as I passed. I should have taken more time to rest before attempting to leave. Studying with Isander had taught me the effect of blood loss. I knew what I needed to recover, but I preferred not to do so in a place where I would be so exposed.
    No one stopped me as I reached the upper levels, or attempt to slow me as I stepped out into the street. I shuffled along, my eyes feeling heavier than I remembered from the last time I had given blood like this. My mind moved slowly, as if in a fog. Even my Sight failed again.
    There came a shuffling sound behind me and I reached for a dart as I turned. I was too slow and a shadow appeared in front of me. I couldn’t see anything, couldn’t tell who it might be, but flicked my dart. I heard it hit, but too far away.
    I’d missed.
    I sprawled to the ground, my legs kicked forward. I tried to open my eyes, but couldn’t. My mouth felt dry and I spat, trying to work moisture into it. The effect was much like coxberry.
    “Carth,” I whispered.
    A shadow stopped in front of me. I noted the bitter scent with floral undertones that mixed with her heat. “Galen of Elaeavn.”
    I tried to sit up, but my body didn’t respond. “You poisoned me,” I said.
    Strong hands lifted me from the ground and carried me. “Did I? I don’t seem to recall doing so, but then again, there are a great many things I don’t recall.”
    I thought through how they could have poisoned me. The healer could have placed something into the reed as she pinched it, but doing so would have led to enhanced effects. Whatever happened had been delayed. Could they have set something on the cots or along the walls? I doubted that, Otherwise, those who came for healing would have similar reactions. I couldn’t think of anything I might have touched…
    The folded piece of paper.
    “It was coated,” I said.
    Carth moved swiftly, and I wondered if she intended to bring me back into her hospital.
    “A safety measure,” she said. “Ensures that only those intended would open it.”
    “How was she not affected?” My words began to slur. In moments, I would be out until the effect wore off. I knew from experience that it would take me about half an hour to recover from a typical dose of coxberry.
    “Are you sure she was not?” Carth asked.
    I grunted. It was the only sound I figured I could make.
    Carth leaned her face close to me and spoke in a whisper. “We’ve built a tolerance.”
    My mind worked, but slowly. If Carth and those within her Binder network had built a tolerance, that made it unlikely to be coxberry. I’d used it against one of her women, and she’d been out for nearly thirty minutes before recovering. That meant something else.
    The bitter scent on Carth’s breath took on new meaning. Had my mind not been affected, I could work through what they used, but I was beginning to struggle with remembering why Carth would have attacked me.
    “Don’t worry, Galen of Elaeavn. You will be home soon.”

Chapter 5
    F aint light filtered through a dirty window as I blinked my eyes open. My body ached, and I didn’t know if that came from lying on the hard floor or from whatever I’d been poisoned with. Many toxins left a general achiness behind, some worse than the actual poisoning itself. I still felt tired, but rolled over and forced myself to sit.
    “How long was I out?” I asked. I had smelled Carth when I came around and knew that she was still with me.
    “Evanshaff oil lingers for nearly eight hours,” she said.
    My body shook slightly. Evanshaff wasn’t found anywhere near here and was rare enough that I’d only used it a few times. From working with Isander, I remembered the effect of the oil. It worked much like coxberry, but was slower and could be absorbed through the skin. I