Ashes And Spirit (Book 3) by A.D. Trosper Read Free Book Online Page B

brush, two shawls, and a bar of soap were the only things that remained to show that Anevay had once lived there. They had even sorted through Anevay’s pack. Taela had lingered over the shawl Anevay had bought the day the news of the armies came in, and in the end, decided to keep it.
    Emotionally exhausted, he put his arm around Taela’s waist as they walked toward the little dining room. Kellinar thanked the Fates that he and Shryden still had Taela and Paki. Kellinar glanced down at her face as she walked beside him. Her beautiful, tilted blue eyes were tired and strained, mirroring what he felt through the bond. He hoped one day soon that he would see her face light up with laughter again.
     

     
     

 

     
     
    K ellinar and Taela were already in the dining room when Maleena walked in. She smiled at them, pleased to sense an ease to the cloud of grief that had clung to her friends since the death of Anevay. It was good that an egg was going to hatch after the meal. It provided a new beginning and a reason for them to come home and say goodbye to their fallen bondmate.
    With a heavy sigh, she eased into one of the chairs. Taela patted Maleena’s hand. “You look uncomfortable.”
    Maleena laughed softly. “I am uncomfortable and ready for this baby to make his or her appearance.”
    Kellinar glanced at the door. “Where is Mckale?”
    The welcoming roars of the dragons reverberated throughout the hold, heralding the arrival of the riders.
    “Busy greeting everyone. Serena arrived a little while ago. She’s washing up and changing her clothes. Jocelynn, Varnen, Kirynn, Loki, and Vaddoc are here as well,” Maleena replied.
    Maleena shifted and tried to stretch in the chair. She’d grown more uncomfortable and restless the last few days, making a good night’s sleep almost impossible. Small, rippling contractions would run across her belly, then disappear. Mage Councilor Gideon had assured her this was normal and it was just her body gearing up for the task ahead.
    Marda was also happy to share her own pregnancy experiences from when she was younger. As both a mother and a grandmother, as well as having attended every birth in the hold, her motherly advice and reassurances were comforting.
    Serena strode through the doorway, her eyes appraising Maleena the minute she stepped into the room. She walked around the table and laid her hand on Maleena’s arm. “May I?”
    “Of course.” Maleena smiled at her friend.
    Warmth flushed through her body before settling in her abdomen. After a moment, it faded and Serena nodded as she drew back. “Everything is exactly as it should be. Gideon has kept me appraised on your progress, of course, through reports from Nydara or Tellnox. Even so, it’s good to see for myself. Judging by things, you don’t have much longer to wait. In fact, you are very close.”
    “That’s good. I need a good, long, comfortable sleep,” Maleena said with a sigh, trying to ignore the twinge of anxiety that rose at Serena’s words. She was ready for the baby to be born, but at the same time the whole process scared her. She’d never seen a baby born. The people in her home village had kept away from her, and she had kept away from them. And the babies born in Galdrilene were handled by the Healing mages.
    Serena laughed as she walked around the table. “A good, long sleep is not something you are going to get once the babe is born. In fact, you likely won’t get one of those for months.”
    Maleena groaned and leaned back in the chair. Maybe she was going to be permanently sleep deprived.
    Serena hugged Kellinar and Taela before sitting down. She studied them for a moment before saying, “The two of you look better.” Her face softened. “I’m glad to see it. I was afraid I was going to have to come to New Sharren and have a word with you, Kellinar.”
    Kellinar chuckled and ran his hand over the braids tight against his scalp. “Shryden beat you to it. And when I came back to