Rise of the Faire-Amanti (The Ascendant Series Book 3) by Raine Thomas Read Free Book Online Page A

look like the Ascendant of Alametria , he thought with a wry smile. There are some things that a person can’t disguise .
    She sure hoped they were more successful at fooling others.
    They continued on after lunch, following the thoughts filtering through their minds. The closer they got to other people, the stronger the thoughts became. Kyr was encouraged when she picked up the thoughts of children as the forest thinned. It seemed highly unlikely that Vycor would have influenced a family with young children living on the outskirts of the Wrym megai. She also heard the thoughts of two parents, ranging from delight to worry to exasperation to humor.
    She was so absorbed in listening to their thoughts that she didn’t register when the thoughts became actual voices. The sounds of loud thrashing through the bushes to her right caught her attention, though.
    Before she could blink, Ty was standing in front of her, braced for battle. She managed to peek around his arm as the bushes parted and a figure flew out of them, colliding with Ty and bouncing straight to the ground, sprawled with arms and legs akimbo.
    “Blast it,” the figure groaned from its prone position.
    Kyr realized that the figure was a boy, probably about nine or ten. He was dressed in the humble clothes of the Wrym: patched brown pants that were an inch or two too short, a long-sleeved beige shirt with threadbare elbows, and leather shoes that had recently been re-soled. As he slowly eased up and braced himself on his hands, she caught a glimpse of wild, curly dark hair and chocolate brown eyes that grew wide as he tilted his head back and looked up at Ty.
    “Who the hell are you?” the boy asked.
    Kyr read from his thoughts that he wasn’t supposed to use such language, but he thought it made him sound more manly. Hiding a smile, she stepped beside Ty so it looked less like he was guarding her and more like they were a couple out walking in the woods.
    “I’m Kaya and this is Tavin,” she said. “Who are you?”
    The boy pushed himself spryly to his feet with an energy she could only envy. “The name’s Ivyn. This here’s my family’s land, don’t ya know?”
    “Is that so?” she replied in the same tone and rhythm he’d used. “Well, that’s all fine and good, then. We’ve been wanderin’ this forest for what feels like hours, haven’t we, Tavin?”
    Ty glanced down at her with a bland expression, but said, “Sure.”
    “Bein’ a male of the species,” she continued, elbowing Ty lightly in the side, “he’s too stubborn to admit when he’s lost.”
    “I’m not lost,” Ty grumbled, only half-pretending to sound disgruntled.
    “Lost, are ya?” Ivyn crossed his arms over his slim chest and looked them up and down. His thoughts told Kyr he wasn’t so sure about their story, but he didn’t feel he’d be putting his family in any danger by introducing them to his parents. “Come on, then. Ma and Da will be wantin’ to meet ya.”
    When Ivyn turned and jogged back through the bushes, Ty gave Kyr another dubious look. She almost laughed.
    Just roll with it , she thought, taking his hand and starting forward with him.
    He shook his head at her, but didn’t argue. The boy stayed far enough ahead that he couldn’t be caught, but not so far that he couldn’t be seen. Kyr sensed Ty’s reluctant approval over the wise caution Ivyn showed. They both kept their thoughts open to know what to expect from Ivyn’s parents. That was how Kyr knew that she was about to meet one of Ivyn’s siblings.
    The girl crashed through the brush much like her brother had done. She would have plowed right into Kyr if Ty hadn’t anticipated the collision and swept Kyr out of the way. Instead, the girl skidded to a halt and whirled to face them, her hands planted on her hips.
    “Well, who’re you and what did ya do with my idiot brother?” she demanded.
    Kyr figured the girl was a couple of years younger than Ivyn. She wore her bright red hair in two