The Unmage by Jane Glatt Read Free Book Online Page A

part of why he’s so furious. Which makes him unpredictable.”
    “I know,” Timo said. He slumped in his chair, defeated.
    “No,” Mole said quietly. “I don’t think you do.”
    Timo looked up and met Mole’s eyes, and he felt the blood drain from his face. “That’s why you’re here,” he whispered. “He’s done something, or he’s planning something.”
    “Yes.” Mole nodded. “He’s trying to contract an Assassin.” He put his crossed feet up on the corner of the work table.
    “Gyda,” Timo said. “How do I outsmart an Assassin?” He tugged his notebook from underneath Mole’s soft-soled boots. He’d run—would Mole take him to Old Rillidi? He eyed him. He only had the man’s word that he was a friend of Kara’s and Reo’s. For all he knew, Mole was the Assassin Hestor hired to kill him.
    “You don’t. But you don’t have to.” Mole paused. “I can kill him for you if you want,” he added softly, so softly that Timo almost missed it.
    “Hestor? I, no, no I don’t want that.” Timo looked at Mole. He was serious.
    Did he want Hestor dead? Timo wouldn’t mourn Hestor’s death, but he didn’t want it on his conscience. It was too much like something his father would do. But he didn’t think Mole would offer to kill Hestor if he’d been hired by him. Mole might be who he said he was. But he was still a stranger to Timo.
    “No?” Mole seemed almost disappointed. “Your decision. But you don’t have to worry about Assassins. None will take this contract. Warrior Guild has an arrangement with Kara and Reo. They notified them the minute they realized that you were the target.” Mole shrugged. “Not exactly Guild Law but they want what Kara offers them.”
    “Which is?”
    “She visits Warrior Guild Island once a month to clear out any spells Mage Guild has cast.” Mole smiled. “There’s always a few.”
    “There would be,” Timo agreed. “Mage Guild hates Warrior Guild. Did Kara send you?” Maybe he could leave with Mole.
    “Yes,” Mole said. He dropped his feet to the ground and leaned over the table. “After you met, Kara and Reo asked me to keep an eye on you. To keep you safe.”
    “What?” This Assassin had been trailing him, spying on him, for close to two years? “How?” As unnerving as it was to think of being spied on for so long, Timo was a little relieved. He hadn’t been as alone as he’d thought—his sister had been trying to look out for him.
    “It wasn’t hard.” Mole ran a hand down the front of his shirt. “Santos gives me a little keep away spell, and you magic wielders think so highly of your power that you forget that there are other ways to do things.”
    “Like what?”
    “Unhappy people are often willing to look the other way. Server Guildsmen are unhappy, but the Mage Guildsmen who have little or no magic? They are miserable.”
    “You’ve been spying on me,” Timo said. “Did you learn anything?” How many of his secrets did Mole know? Could he trust him—and Kara—with them? Did he have a choice?
    “Yes.” Mole’s tone was serious. “I’m impressed. You’ve managed to avoid serious injury while letting minor spells hurt you.” He gestured towards Timo’s bruised face. “Like today. You get hurt just enough that no one suspects you know what’s happening or that you can do anything about it.”
    “I’ve managed to stay alive,” Timo said. “Good for me.”
    “Yes, good for you,” Mole said. “But I don’t understand what you’re waiting for, why don’t you leave?”
    “I’m only half-trained and am not yet an adult.” Timo dropped his eyes to the desk. “I would be considered a dangerous runaway.”
    Mole shrugged. “You’d be safe on Old Rillidi.”
    “Would I?” To Timo it seemed far too close to Mage Guild Island for safety—especially if he ran away. Would his mother try to kill him the same way she’d tried to kill her daughter?
    “Kara has been safe there for years,” Mole said. “It