FORBIDDEN TALENTS by Frankie Robertson Read Free Book Online Page A

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    “ I ate with Lady Kaidlin and the boys. ”
    “ Join us anyway. ”
    She shook her head, glad of an honest excuse. “ I’m fetching a piece of stitchery for your sister. She expects me back. ” She knew Ragni sensed every fleeting bit of fear and relief she felt and hoped he’d hold his questions until they were alone.
    Ragni’s eyes frowned, though he kept the smile on his lips. He held her gaze a little too long, then turned to his brother. “ We’re on our own then. ” He did kiss her then, lightly, on the lips. “ Until later, ” he promised softly.
    “ Lady Saeun. ” Lord Dahleven nodded politely then turned and kept pace with his brother as they continued down the corridor.
    A little further down the hall, Saeun stepped into her room. I wish I knew what Lord Dahleven was saying . But she could guess well enough. “ Your lover is a lying sorceress . ” And, “ Escape her while you can ! ” How betrayed Ragni would feel.
    I should have told him . But she hadn’t. At first she’d had no reason to. She’d known Ragni’s reputation. He never tarried long with any woman, so she’d thought to just enjoy the dalliance. But he’d started to care—and so had she. I should have broken it off. Or told him . But how could she? She didn’t want him to turn from her, as he surely would have if she’d told him that she practiced forbidden magic. He was a priest of Baldur, sworn to enforce the Laws of Sanction. Laws she defied, as had her mother before her.
    Fear whispered in her ear and slithered darkly through her soul. She didn’t want to lose his love. And so she’d kept silent—and tried the far scrying. But what she’d seen had only fed her fear, which had grown stronger, coiling tighter around her heart.
    She almost threw herself into the window seat. How could I have been so stupid ? She pounded the cushion. But she’d thought Ragni would say his farewells long before Lord Dahleven learned they were lovers.
    When I see him later, I must end it . She couldn’t be his elskerinne . How could she have entertained such a foolish notion? She shouldn’t even be his lover. Her stomach felt like she’d swallowed a stone. The air tasted flat. She wanted to run after him, to get the pain over with, but Lord Dahleven would be there. At least she would spare herself the shame of an audience. She could do nothing this minute. Ragni would be in conference all day with the Kon and the Tewakwe. Later . She’d tell him later.
    Her decision felt like a death. Feeling as if she should don a gray veil, Saeun stared for a moment around her chamber. It didn’t seem like the same room where they’d shared so much joy. Though it appeared unaltered, it felt different, empty.
    She looked more closely. It wasn’t the same. Something wasn’t right. She’d left Gert, her maid, tidying, but it was more than that.
    Fear jolted through her, stealing her breath. Someone has been here . Her limbs felt wooden as she moved to her trunk with its hidden drawer. Was it an inch farther from the wall than she’d left it? The chest had been her mother’s once, made to hide the things she’d passed on to her daughter: the tools of her magic.
    The catches were sprung. Saeun knew what she would find, but she opened the drawer anyway. Her eyes needed to see for her to believe.
    Empty. The tools of her magic were gone.
    She’d been found out.
     
    *
     
    “ Enter. ” Celia called out in response to a tentative knock, wondering who would be calling at her rooms before breakfast.
    A serving woman let herself in, then bobbed a curtsey. “ I’m Halla, my lady. I’m here in Thora’s stead. She’s been sent to serve the Kikmongso-so-so- ”
    “ Kikmongsowuhti, ” Celia finished for the woman standing in front of her. She kept her face and her tone neutral, hiding her disappointment. Thora had become a friend in the months she’d served as Celia’s maid, giving her much needed advice on how best to get along in her new