Sleepers by Megg Jensen Read Free Book Online Page B

couldn’t help but question my objectives after spending time with Mags. I couldn’t I harm her baby boys. They were so innocent. Given the chance, they could be raised properly, learning to honor and respect people different from them.
    The anger inside swelled. If their father continued to be any part of their lives, they would never have a chance, no matter how influential Mags tried to be. Boys didn’t listen to their mothers who scolded and taught a gentler way of life. No, their fathers who yelled and screamed and bullied and allowed the boys free reign would always win out.
    I rolled over, using the grass as my bed. My arms out to the sides, palms up toward the clouds. My legs rested slightly apart, feet relaxed at the ankles. Corpse pose, Aric called this. I let the breaths enter and leave my body as I melted into the ground.
    I wanted to save Mags and the boys while still doing away with the king, but I didn’t know if Kellan would understand. He had to see how ridiculous it was to kill innocent little boys. His anger couldn’t be so deep that he’d raise a hand against children.
    But if he didn’t agree, then I might lose everything. He wouldn’t love me anymore and right now, his love encompassed most of my thoughts. I didn’t want to go back to being the girl he spent all his time with but didn’t notice.
    The sun moved across the trees, leaving streaks to filter through to the ground. I didn’t know how much time passed, but I was ready to go back. To find Kellan, make sense of our mission, and reconcile it with my heart.

CHAPTER EIGHT
     
    I arrived at the castle, hoping to find Kellan on a break from helping Aric. Fighting was a tiring occupation, particularly for the men who carried the weapons and helped the soldiers arm themselves. Warriors might only train for a few hours, but their subordinates worked at it all day long. I sometimes wondered if they might make better soldiers because of their constant heavy labor.
    But before I could find Kellan, I saw Bryden sitting on a nearby bench. He looked up from the work splayed on his lap and his eyes narrowed. He laid the book and quill on the bench next to him. With a little difficulty he pulled himself to standing and walked toward me. I tried not to look at his damaged leg, dragging slightly behind him. I’d heard whispers that our magic could have saved him, but since we were allowed no contact with our people, he’d had to recover on his own. The Fithian healers had no luck in helping him, though I wondered now how hard they tried.
    “Lianne,” he called, waving to me. “It’s your birthday. How do you feel?”
    He couldn’t know anything; he wasn’t sixteen yet. But it was so strange he asked that. Almost as if he knew.
    “I’m fine,” I muttered. I didn’t know how to make him go away without being rude. I refused to look in his eyes, instead focusing on the space over his shoulder. Kellan had to be out there somewhere.
    “We need to talk.” He moved his head into my line of vision. “I have to know if you know.” No one was looking at us. Invisible as always. We stood out if we drew attention to ourselves, but when we were quiet, we turned into ghosts.
    “I don’t know anything, Bryden. Really. Now I have to keep moving. I’m running an errand for the queen.”
    “No you aren’t,” he hissed. “You think I don’t know? You and Kellan aren’t the only Dalagans here. I can tell when you’re lying, Lianne. I’ve been able to tell since we were children. Besides, I already know you’ve been dismissed for the day. I know you were out hiding in your secret grove. And I know that you know our purpose now too. I can see it in your eyes, Lianne.”
    I blinked, wondering how my eyes betrayed me.
    “Come with me.” I grabbed his arm and pulled him closer. “I’m going to talk to Kellan and you’re coming with me. We need to figure this out together.”
    Bryden ripped his arm out of my grasp. I looked at him in surprise.