Arbiter (The Arbiter Chronicles Book 1) by Elisa A. Bonnin Read Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Elisa A. Bonnin
caught the edge in voice again as he spoke. “…I can teach you some. All you really need are the basic spells anyway. Once you develop a Series, you’d need to find someone with the same Series as you to teach you more.”
There was that word again. “Series?”
“Yes, Series,” Cathel paused as the path forked, and the two of them took the path to the right. He turned towards her. “Well, Miss Miller. Welcome to the Edgelands. We’ll be spending a lot of time here, so get comfortable.”
Rae looked around. She couldn’t detect any noticeable difference from the woods they had just been walking through to the woods they were walking through now. “It looks exactly the same,” she said, turning towards him.
“It’s a gradual transition,” replied Cathel. “We’re in the Borderlands now, known areas of the Edgelands. I’ve been as far as…maybe about two hours from here. Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess.”
“Are we going anywhere in particular?” asked Rae. “Or just wandering around aimlessly?”
“I have a map,” said Cathel, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a folded piece of paper. He handed it to her and she opened it, staring down at it. It was a hand-drawn map, the sort that she would have imagined had been torn out of an old book, except the copy Cathel had given her was completely clean and looked brand new, almost as if it had been photocopied. She wondered at that, but decided she had bigger things to worry about than the fact that her ancient map didn’t look ancient enough.
“I thought nobody goes out here.”
“Nobody does, as a general rule. Once in a while, someone will go into the Edgelands and come back alive. One of the people who did that drew this map. It’s been corroborated by some of the Ivali that venture into the Borderlands but…”
Rae raised an eyebrow.“Can’t trust them?”
Cathel nodded. “Not as far as I could throw them. For the little ones, though, that would be pretty far.”
She stared at him, curious now. “How little are we talking?”
Cathel held up his thumb and forefinger, holding them apart a few inches. “The littlest I’ve seen are about this little. The biggest…I’d say man-sized. I know there are bigger.”
Rae blinked. “That little?”
Cathel shrugged again. “There’s probably smaller out there too.”
Rae glanced around in the woods, half-expecting a handful of little fairies to come bounding out at any minute. When she saw nothing, she turned back towards Cathel. “Will we see any?”
“Oh, we’ll be neck-deep in them soon, don’t worry,” said Cathel. He paused, looking around.“We’re already being watched.”
“What?” Rae looked around as well, but she couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. “Where?”
Cathel pointed at a large tree off to her right. “Dryad,” he said. “Right there. You can see her when she comes out to look. She looks just like a little flicker of light.”
Rae squinted. Sure enough, there was a shimmer of light around the tree trunk, one that disappeared from sight as they walked past it. She turned towards Cathel, who was studying the map intently. “Thinking of asking for directions?”
“From a dryad?” asked Cathel. “I would if I could, but they’re shy things. They spook easily. It takes time to get one to talk to you, and even if you can manage it, they might not be willing to cooperate. I want to gain some ground right now. But I’d like to try later, when we take a break.” He slipped his hands into his pockets, and at her questioning glance, went on. “Dryads know just about everything that comes their way. They talk to each other and pass messages amongst themselves, and where there are trees, there are dryads.”
“Hm,” said Rae. She nodded, impressed in spite of herself. She hadn’t been able to pick out the dryad in the trees, and she had always considered herself to be very observant.
She wondered what other tricks Cathel had up his
There was that word again. “Series?”
“Yes, Series,” Cathel paused as the path forked, and the two of them took the path to the right. He turned towards her. “Well, Miss Miller. Welcome to the Edgelands. We’ll be spending a lot of time here, so get comfortable.”
Rae looked around. She couldn’t detect any noticeable difference from the woods they had just been walking through to the woods they were walking through now. “It looks exactly the same,” she said, turning towards him.
“It’s a gradual transition,” replied Cathel. “We’re in the Borderlands now, known areas of the Edgelands. I’ve been as far as…maybe about two hours from here. Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess.”
“Are we going anywhere in particular?” asked Rae. “Or just wandering around aimlessly?”
“I have a map,” said Cathel, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a folded piece of paper. He handed it to her and she opened it, staring down at it. It was a hand-drawn map, the sort that she would have imagined had been torn out of an old book, except the copy Cathel had given her was completely clean and looked brand new, almost as if it had been photocopied. She wondered at that, but decided she had bigger things to worry about than the fact that her ancient map didn’t look ancient enough.
“I thought nobody goes out here.”
“Nobody does, as a general rule. Once in a while, someone will go into the Edgelands and come back alive. One of the people who did that drew this map. It’s been corroborated by some of the Ivali that venture into the Borderlands but…”
Rae raised an eyebrow.“Can’t trust them?”
Cathel nodded. “Not as far as I could throw them. For the little ones, though, that would be pretty far.”
She stared at him, curious now. “How little are we talking?”
Cathel held up his thumb and forefinger, holding them apart a few inches. “The littlest I’ve seen are about this little. The biggest…I’d say man-sized. I know there are bigger.”
Rae blinked. “That little?”
Cathel shrugged again. “There’s probably smaller out there too.”
Rae glanced around in the woods, half-expecting a handful of little fairies to come bounding out at any minute. When she saw nothing, she turned back towards Cathel. “Will we see any?”
“Oh, we’ll be neck-deep in them soon, don’t worry,” said Cathel. He paused, looking around.“We’re already being watched.”
“What?” Rae looked around as well, but she couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. “Where?”
Cathel pointed at a large tree off to her right. “Dryad,” he said. “Right there. You can see her when she comes out to look. She looks just like a little flicker of light.”
Rae squinted. Sure enough, there was a shimmer of light around the tree trunk, one that disappeared from sight as they walked past it. She turned towards Cathel, who was studying the map intently. “Thinking of asking for directions?”
“From a dryad?” asked Cathel. “I would if I could, but they’re shy things. They spook easily. It takes time to get one to talk to you, and even if you can manage it, they might not be willing to cooperate. I want to gain some ground right now. But I’d like to try later, when we take a break.” He slipped his hands into his pockets, and at her questioning glance, went on. “Dryads know just about everything that comes their way. They talk to each other and pass messages amongst themselves, and where there are trees, there are dryads.”
“Hm,” said Rae. She nodded, impressed in spite of herself. She hadn’t been able to pick out the dryad in the trees, and she had always considered herself to be very observant.
She wondered what other tricks Cathel had up his