The Education of Brother Thaddius and other tales of DemonWars (The DemonWars Saga) by R.A. Salvatore Read Free Book Online Page A

emotions and projected them forth.
    Sadye watched while Orrin slowly moved his hand out to retrieve the small wand, which had fallen to the side. He clasped it and unobtrusively turned its tip toward his attacker.
    A sudden ring of stone on metal jolted Sadye from her playing. She reflexively went back to it – or started to, for she realized that there was no need.
    The redhead still stood over Orrin, holding his knife, or what remained of it. For the blade had been snapped in half. Eyes wide, the murderer staggered backwards and tried to straighten, and only then did Sadye realize that the snapped blade had shot straight into the man’s belly. He reached down and clutched at his wound, blood and entrails spilling forth.
    Orrin retracted one leg and kicked him hard in the gut, and he tumbled away, groaning in agony.
    “Keep playing,” Orrin bade Sadye as he shakily climbed to his feet. “Put thoughts of healing in your song, dear girl, but please aim it only at me!”
    Sadye hardly knew how to react. Thoughts of healing? What was this all about? She knew that she had affected the murderer, but how? And now Orrin was hinting that she could produce some healing effect upon him alone, through the music?
    It made no sense, even in light of all that Orrin had told her of the Brotherhood and the enchanted items.
    She looked from her lute back to Orrin. “More than one lodestone in the wand,” he said, offering her a sly wink. “A devilish gem, with a powerful” – he glanced at the redhead – “and deadly attraction to metal.”
    Sadye started to ask one of the million questions that was swirling about in her thoughts, but she stopped short, noticing a movement from the red-haired man. He rolled over suddenly, his face a mask of pain and outrage, and she noted a flash of red – a red gemstone, she thought.
    And then she felt all hot and flushed.
    And then she was flying backwards.
    She hit the ground hard and lay there stunned for a long while, and when she finally managed to look back up, she saw the wagon ablaze and saw Orrin’s horse galloping down the road, trailing fiery reins. She heard the screams, of three of the murderers’ horses, fleeing in all directions, and of the men behind the wagon. She saw one go rushing out, flapping his arms, immersed in fire, and she looked away in horror, knowing that it had to be Orrin!
    What was she to do? She scrambled to her feet and patted out some of her smoking black hair, then brought a hand up gingerly to touch her pained face.
    What was she to do?
    Across the way, the remaining horse reared and whinnied, pawing the ground beside its dead master.
    The image of that man riding past her flashed in her thoughts again, the sense of freedom that he had evoked, so tall and sure and swift on his great steed.
    They were all dead now, she knew, the murderers and Orrin, and the goods all ruined. All that remained were Sadye and that one agitated and intimidating horse.
    And the lute, she realized, and she bent down and picked it up.
    She began to play as she approached the horse, and by the time she arrived beside the beast, it was standing quite still, and its frantic whinny had turned to a soft nicker.
    THE END

T HE E DUCATION OF B ROTHER T HADDIUS
    T
his is madness! Master De’Unnero St.-Mere-Abelle at the head of a great army, beside the son of Elbryan and Jilseponie, the boy who declared himself king, the boy who should be king!
    Does lineage not matter? And is there a more worthy heir to the throne of Honce-the-Bear than the son of the heroes of the Demon War? Particularly when one of those heroes is the Lady Jilseponie, the Disciple of Avelyn. By all accounts there is no one in the world more powerful with the sacred Ring Stones. Surely she is blessed by God
.
    And therein lies my madness, my confusion, and my pain. The measure of holiness rests in affinity to the gemstones – of this, I am sure. I have been ordained as an Abellican monk for only two years, but before