Souls of Aredyrah 1 - The Fire and the Light by Tracy A. Akers Read Free Book Online

adventures together.
But the adventure Ruairi had planned with Cinnia tonight would be
his greatest yet.
    “There are still many courtesies to attend to
with the guests,” Cinnia chattered on, “and mother will be
twittering on about me of course. But I will try to slip away and
then—”
    “Yes, then,” Ruairi said, and kissed her once
more.
    They strolled back into the reception hall
together, their faces masks of innocence. Before long, they found
themselves separated by a crowd of well-wishers, but their knowing
eyes continued to communicate with each other across the room.
    Ruairi excused himself from a talkative guest
and worked his way to the nearest refreshment table. His mouth was
parched from too much talk, and a mind-altering drink sounded
particularly good. He reached his hand toward a wine vessel, but a
sudden grip on his arm kept him from his goal. His first thought
was that it was his father, angry about something he had done, but
he was surprised to discover it was Whyn.
    “What are you doing?” Ruairi asked
indignantly.
    Whyn did not reply, but instead dragged him
into the corridor beyond the room. “I thought your dalliance with
Cinnia would never end,” he said.
    “Who says it has?” Ruairi replied,
grinning.
    Whyn frowned. “Wipe that foolish grin off
your face. There is trouble brewing.”
    “Oh gods, what now?” Ruairi jerked his arm
away.
    A few guests who lingered in the corridor
glanced over, then bowed and excused themselves. Whyn’s eyes darted
back and forth as he opened a nearby door and pushed his brother
through it and into the room on the other side.
    The room was small, but elegantly furnished.
A tall, carved rack towered against a whitewashed wall, its
numerous compartments filled with rolled up parchments. An ornate
chair backed the gray and pink marble table at the room’s center,
and a couch inlaid with gold threads rested along one wall. A great
tapestry was displayed behind it, and thick drapes of the finest
material separated the room from the atrium beyond. Oil lamps lit
the space in a golden hue.
    Ruairi glanced around the room. It was
Labhras’s office, and he didn’t like the idea of being there. He
rubbed his arm and scowled at his brother. “I have no interest in
hearing about any troubles tonight, Whyn. I have just begun to
actually enjoy myself.”
    “Well you had best show some interest, dear
brother. Father found out about your latest adventure and he is not
happy about it.” Whyn narrowed his eyes and stared hard into
Ruairi’s apathetic face.
    “Which adventure?” Ruairi said. “The one
where I urinated in the wine vessel in the temple or the one where
I switched out the—”
    “No, the one where you sneaked into the
holding cell and almost got yourself killed by a Jecta.”
    “Oh, that,” Ruairi said with an indifferent
wave of his hand.
    “Oh that? Oh that?” Whyn said, struggling to
keep his voice down. “Do you not understand what could have
happened to you? Do you not realize you could have been injured, or
worse?”
    “Nothing happened, Whyn. The foul creature
grabbed my tunic, nothing more. I told you.”
    “Crymm reported you and was demoted because
of it.”
    “Crymm? Demoted?” Ruairi crossed his arms and
stared at his feet in momentary contemplation. “Well that is what
he gets for opening his mouth.”
    “He has been your bodyguard for thirteen
years, Ruairi. You could show a little sympathy.”
    “Why should I? The man hates me.”
    “Who can blame him? You have led him on one
merry chase after another all these years, and his job has been on
the line more times than not. You should at least be grateful he
saved your neck.”
    “Humph! I was not in any real danger. Crymm
was just trying to make himself look good. That is probably why he
said something to Father about it, so he would come out looking
like some kind of hero. If he had been doing his job like he was
supposed to, it would never have happened. He got what