Venture Untamed (The Venture Books) Read Online Free PDF

Heval, the Trytlon god of war, and kissed it before entering the training room. The bronze head of the mountain lion, mounted on the chest-high stone pillar, stared at Venture disapprovingly.  
    He hesitated, watching the others enter the training room. The training room door swished shut behind the other boys, right in his face, and he jumped back. Then, feeling like an idiot, he gave Heval an irreverent shove and went to peer through the small leaded window pane set into the door. Earnest had told him most of the boys wore their workout clothes under their street clothes, and only used the changing room to change out of them and clean up when they were done. It was true; a couple dozen boys were pulling off boots and peeling away extra layers matside.
    “What kind of game is Grant Fieldstone playing at, sending you here?”
    Venture jumped again. It was Border, the son of Grant Fieldstone’s former business acquaintance, Representative of Springriver County Grover Wisecarver. Venture thought he’d recognized his thick shock of straight dark hair and his smug smirk here yesterday. And clearly Border recognized him, though Venture hadn’t gone near the Wisecarvers since he’d gotten into what Mrs. Bright had tried to reassure Master was “just a scuffle” with Wisecarver’s servant boy while they were visiting the Big House last year.
    “What’s the matter, Border? Afraid to find out what he can do to you?”  
    Lance. Venture smiled cautiously.
    “He’s a bondsman,” Border said.
    Lance looked from Border to Venture expectantly, as though waiting for Venture to deny it. And for the first time in his life, he wished he could. He’d always been proud to serve Grant Fieldstone, but now, here . . .
    “Why should I be afraid of him?” Border stuck his chin out. “You can’t get any lower than that.”
    Venture was about to show Border just how low he could bring him, but Lance stepped in front of him.
    “You should be.” Lance folded his arms and nodded at Venture. “He’s going to be good. He’ll be thrashing you in no time, which is fine with me. I’m getting tired of having to do it myself all the time. Come on, Venture. Beamer’s putting you in my group.”
    Part of Venture wanted to smile, part of him wanted to thrash Border right now, and the rest of him was queasy at the thought that Lance could be wrong, that he could fail to live up to everyone’s expectations, his own most of all. So he just straightened his shoulders and turned his back on the seething Border and followed Lance.
    “Your group?” He asked.
    “Well, Earnest’s group. He’s in charge of me, Pike, Nick, Colt, and now you. Watch out for Colt.” He nodded subtly toward a fair-haired, sturdily built boy who looked too old to even be there. “He’s good, and he’s tight with Border.”
    “What does Earnest do?” He said as they entered the training room, the hot, heavy air enveloping them. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Venture noticed Earnest, right next to him, entering with a stack of towels.
    Earnest raised his eyebrows at him and set the towels on a scarred matside shelf near the door. “I’m your trainer. I bring you ice and dry your tears.” He gave the back of Lance’s head a playful shove. “Right?”
    “Ha! Pike’s tears. Not mine.” Lance turned to Venture. “Earnest makes what Beamer says make sense.”
    “Meaning, I yell at you so Beamer doesn’t have to strain his voice. Now hurry up and get on the mat.”
    After warm-ups, then some time striking at the air on Beamer’s count, they were partnered up to do groundwork sparring, to work to hold their opponents down, choke them, armlock them, ankle-lock them. Make them tap, giving the universal signal that meant I surrender, release me . His first round, Venture was paired up with Lance, who tried to teach him a few things as they went, but mostly managed to make him painfully aware of just how much he didn’t know.  
    When it was time