Rebel Elements (Seals of the Duelists) by Jasmine Giacomo Read Free Book Online Page A

there and talked, like he was asleep.” Bayan climbed into the carriage and sat by Kipri, while Calder sat next to Philo. “I hope that’s not normal.”
    “You want him to be off squint, throwing all his magic around and hurting people?” Calder asked, while shooting furtive looks at Philo’s wig.
    “No, I mean I don’t want to end up that way, not caring about anything but doing a job.”
    “I should think that doing one’s job might give sufficient pleasure to someone who truly embraced their position,” Philo said mildly.
    Bayan looked down as Nic clucked to the horses and pulled the garish carriage out from under the duel den’s awning. It’s not fair. Why should we leave our entire lives behind and go fight for someone we don’t know? Especially someone who just took over my homeland! And now I have to do what he says, or he’ll… he’ll… I don’t even know what he’ll do. Probably kill me.
    Philo reached out of the carriage window, knocked on its roof to get Nic’s attention, and gave orders to find a certain restaurant where they could all dine. Bayan crossed his arms and looked out the window as the carriage wound through the city. He wasn’t hungry. At least not for empire food, which was sour and salty and…brown.
    He’d nursed the idea of escape since he’d first climbed into the purple carriage, but with seven guards, he had zero opportunity to slip away. Even if he had managed to slip off unnoticed, he’d be one lost young man against a vast empire. Between the strange food and the prospect of forced employment for what seemed to be a cruel tyrant, Bayan felt like a man condemned to a lifetime of imprisonment at the hands of his enemies. The weight of his helplessness pressed him into his seat, and once again he promised himself that when the right opportunity came to escape, he’d jump at it.

    ~~~

    Calder snuggled under the warm blue blanket on his narrow inn bed and pretended to sleep while Bayan entered and sat on his own bed across the room. The ropes under the feather mattress creaked as the Bantayan reached over and picked up a small potted plant.
    Calder reached down to scratch his leg where the spine of a feather had poked him through the mattress fabric. His mind played over the events of the last score of days, at the sudden turn his fortunes had taken. He had yet to decide whether he was happy or disappointed with the change.
    On the positive side, he was free from the rest of his service to the Fireduster guild, and his mother’s debts had been paid when the emperor bought the remainder of his indenturement from the guild. He was also going to get to learn real magic, which was far more prestigious than simply making firedust explode.
    On the negative side, the redemption price of his indenturement wouldn’t save his sisters from their own debts. They were older; they’d already chosen their paths by the time his mother indentured him, hoping to assure him a different fate. Calder had actually enjoyed learning how to make firedust before burning himself in a sudden explosion he hadn’t been able to control. He spent three days in drugged agony—one of which was spent detouring around a known vagary lair—as the guildmaster carted him to the closest chanter. The delay in healing meant that his cheek was scarred for life. Since then, any open flame made his heart race and his palms sweat. He had even shielded his eyes from the common room hearth fire downstairs earlier in the evening.
    Even now, he feigned sleep so he wouldn’t have to talk to someone he barely knew. But that Balang was taking forever to lie down. When Calder cracked an eyelid open to see what the delay was, he nearly jumped out of his skin. Bayan had just jabbed his finger with a dagger, and he squeezed drops of blood onto—no, into —the potted plant he cradled between his knees.
    Calder sat up in alarm. “What in the name of all the sints are you doing?” As he spoke, he felt his new scar tug