Spirits of Light and Shadow (The Gods of Talmor) by India Drummond Read Free Book Online

happened to his father, this house would become his. The thought repelled him. The structure was elegant, but this wasn’t his life anymore. He had too many bad memories stored in every brick.
    Stepping inside, Korbin immediately sensed something was wrong. His father’s study smelled of dust. Korbin took a moment to light the oil lamp on the table and looked around for the things Octavia described. He found nothing, but no one other than Graiphen entered this room. The risk of anyone entering would be great. As he searched, he wondered how the cursed items were placed. Did that mean one of the servants was involved? Truthfully, it wouldn’t be difficult to enter the house during the day. Doing so unseen, on the other hand, would be a challenge for one who didn’t know the structure and the rhythms of daily life within.
    With grim thoughts filling his mind, Korbin slipped into the corridor, realizing he’d have to make his presence known soon. There was no way he could search the entire house without being noticed. Too many servants roamed the manor, going about their business.
    He inhaled, smelling the familiar scents of home, steeling himself for the moment. Without warning, a maid ran past, nearly knocking him over. She stumbled into the wall, turning and staring at him, her eyes wide with fear.
    “Genna,” he said. “It’s me. Korbin. Don’t be afraid. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
    “Dul Korbin!” Confusion and fear played across her features in equal measure as she worked to regain her balance.
    “Not a Dul anymore.” Something was wrong. Graiphen’s servants didn’t run in the house, and they weren’t careless. “Where’s my father?”
    She licked her lips, and he noticed how pale she was. “Upstairs,” she breathed.
    “Tell me what’s wrong. I heard he was ill.”
    The petite young maid shook her head. “Not ill, Dul.”
    “Tell me,” he repeated.
    Her mouth moved, but she made barely a sound. “The Shadows have taken him.”
    A shiver of fear prickled his skin. Before now, the danger seemed unreal, the previous events like a game. The expression on this woman’s face was not a thing to be mocked. The four Spirits of Shadow were not easily invoked on the tongues of Talmorans.
    “Slondaemon can be cruel,” he said. The Shadow Spirit’s realm was illness, disease, decay, and deformity.
    She shook her head, her eyes pressed tightly closed. “Braetin.” She touched a signet on her collar, the symbol of Dartin, one of the four Spirits of Light.
    Braetin. Goddess of nightmares.
    “Upstairs?” Korbin asked. Stalling for a few minutes. Dreading what he might find.
    “Yes.” With that, she turned and ran, as though Korbin was the embodiment of fear itself.
    Alone in the hall, Korbin paused before heading upstairs. The closer he came to the elder Dul’s rooms, the more sounds he heard. Those sounds disturbed him, echoes foreign to the household of his childhood: the splintering of wood, shouts, yelps of pain. He rushed toward them, only to find a cluster of servants huddled outside the master chamber.
    “What’s going on?” He put more authority into his tone than he had in a very long time.
    Four sets of eyes turned to him. “Dul Korbin!” one of the higher ranked maids finally said. “Spirits of Light bless you. You’ve come.”
    A head manservant shooed the others away. “Let Dul Korbin pass, you silly girls,” he said, but there was no malice in his tone, only deep concern, barely masked. The others backed away, seeming relieved.
    “Is he alone?” Korbin asked as something crashed against the wall.
    “Yes, Dul,” the servant replied.
    Korbin exhaled, then nodded, staring at the large door. “Duls Eliam and Tarsten are on their way. Please show them up when they arrive.”
    “As you wish,” came the reply, accompanied by a deferential bow and a few steps backward.
    Korbin waved the man away. He had to face this alone. After a moment’s breath, he opened the door. His