Shattering the Ley by Joshua Palmatier Read Free Book Online Page A

beatings—or worse, an arrest—if we wear the white robes in public, whether or not we are preaching of the natural order. We live in fear.”
    “They took Eredrus in the Eld plaza yesterday.”
    Dalton shot a glance toward Priem. “Eredrus? Where did they take him?”
    Tyrus answered with a sneer. “The Amber Tower, of course. Where else? With this immolation, the Dogs will be after us with greater force, greater numbers. It will no longer be safe to wear the white robes on the streets at all. This splinter group has harmed us irreparably.”
    Dalton shifted uneasily. “Perhaps this is an isolated incident. Perhaps the splinter group had no knowledge of it. We didn’t hear of it until now, after all.”
    “Can we take that risk? We need to know what this group intends. We can no longer afford to be left in the dark. They have become too large, too disordered, and too violent. I’m afraid that it won’t end here, regardless of how the Baron and his Dogs react.”
    Dalton sat back and drummed his fingers against the arms of his chair, staring at Tyrus as he contemplated. He saw the determination in his fellow Kormanley’s eyes, and the fear. Without looking, he knew that the others wore similar expressions. Tyrus was right, the Dogs would crack down on the Kormanley—peaceful or not. They were all in danger, and no matter how fervently he agreed with the splinter group that more significant action was necessary, he didn’t want to put the original Kormanley at risk.
    The splinter group needed to be controlled. They needed a leader. And they couldn’t go on meeting as they did. They’d have to break away from the original Kormanley completely, go into hiding, work from the shadows. He wasn’t certain how that could be done—that it even
could
be done—but he needed to find a way if the splinter group was going to continue. It would have to be split into even smaller groups, no one group knowing the members of the others. They’d have to scatter throughout the city, spread out. But then how would he communicate with them? How would he keep each group in check? He’d need someone in each group to act as his eyes and ears, informing him of what was being discussed, what each group was doing, and allowing him to coordinate the groups without any of them knowing who he was. He wanted to keep random acts of violent protest like Michael’s under control, although perhaps violence would be a way to make the Baron pay more attention to their cause. Michael’s act—Dalton shuddered again thinking about it—had certainly forced a reaction.
    He could see the shape of the Kormanley reforming even now.
    “Very well,” he said abruptly.
    Tyrus frowned in confusion. “Very well what?”
    “We have allowed the splinter group to go on without supervision long enough. What happened at the Baron’s party last night is a clear sign of this. Someone must become a part of it so that we can better monitor what they are planning, and we must halt any additional violent acts, if possible.”
    Tyrus swallowed, uncertain now that a decision had been reached. “Who did you have in mind?” he asked weakly.
    Dalton smiled. “You.”

    “—don’t think there’s anything seriously wrong with her.”
    Kara woke to the sound of the strange man’s voice, her head throbbing with a headache that pulsed with her heartbeat. Her mouth tasted like ash, dry and sooty. She glanced around the bedroom where she and her parents slept, but it was empty. The voices were coming from the front room, where her father worked on the clocks.
    “What about the ley globes? And the other . . . incidents we told you about.” Her father’s voice was creased with worry and Kara froze, coldness settling into her stomach. What other incidents? Were they still talking about her?
    “Has she been tested yet?”
    “She’s only twelve. They won’t test her or the others at the school for another few years.”
    Someone grunted. “I’d say she’s