The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima Read Free Book Online Page B

table with his mother. His aunt Linda.
    Her hair was gold and platinum this time, and short and spiky all over. Her skin seemed bronzed a bit, no doubt the result of recent travel in the tropics. She wore blue jeans and a fitted T-shirt, with sturdy leather hiking boots.
    They must have been talking about him, because conversation stopped when he came into the room. There was an awkward little moment until Aunt Linda rose to embrace him. Jack towered over her, but she tilted his chin down so she could look him in the face. Her eyes were blue speckled with gold, like some exotic stone.
    "You've grown so tall, Jack," she said, releasing his chin but still studying his face. "I do believe you've passed up your father. It seems boys become men before you know it." She looked a little sad for some reason, but he felt inordinately pleased, as if he had personally brought the change about.
    "I was just telling Linda some news. I guess I forgot all about it after that scare we had last night." Becka looked as excited as a child at Christmas. "I've been awarded a fellowship to do some research in Middle English literature at Oxford this summer."
    "Oxford? You mean England? But what about your practice?"
    "Mike Mixon's agreed to pick up any court work for me this summer. Things are pretty quiet right now, anyway. It's been a long time since we've had a real vacation. I won't be working all the time, and there's so much I'd like to show you" Becka said.
    "You'll love England, Jack," Aunt Linda added. "Our family comes from there. So many old voices, and so much history under the ground," she said, as if that comment required no further explanation.
    "Well." Jack was torn between excitement and apprehension. "Dad said maybe we could finally build that sailboat this summer."
    "I'm sure we can work something out," Becka said lightly, pretending it might actually occur.
    "Maybe we could visit you for a change," Jack suggested to Linda.
    Linda didn't meet his eyes. "I'd love for you to visit, but unfortunately I've sublet my flat in London, since I've been doing so much traveling."
    Aunt Linda's livelihood had always been rather mysterious. She was in real estate, she said, representing manor houses and castles throughout the UK. Jack assumed she must be good at it; she always seemed to have plenty of money and the leisure to spend it.
    "Mom said you came to see me," he said bluntly.
    She nodded, steepling her hands. "I was hoping you could come with me on a road trip."
    "Road trip?"
    "I'm going to dig up some dead relatives," she went on, "and ask them where the family money is."
    "Dead relatives?" All he seemed to be able to do was parrot what she said.
    Aunt Linda laughed. "I came back to the States to do some genealogical research," she said. "I'm going to drive down to Coalton County and look through some old records."
    "Oh." Jack tried not to make a face. Funny, he'd never heard Aunt Linda mention anything about genealogy before.
    "That should be fun," Becka said enthusiastically. She loved wading through dusty old records, legal and otherwise." I wish I could go. Jack and I went down there once, but we didn't find much. Maybe you two will be more successful."
    "Ri-i-i-ght," Jack said skeptically.
    Linda grinned. "Look," she said. "What I really need is some muscle to dig up the bodies. Why don't you invite a couple of friends? What about Will? Isn't that his name? Or maybe Harmon Fitch."
    How could she remember their names? She didn't visit all that often, and her last visit had been over a year ago. "I'm sure traveling to southern Ohio to do genealogy on my family will sound even more appealing to them." Now he did make a face.
    "Come on," Linda pleaded. "We'll have fun. We'll stay at a hotel with a pool. You guys can eat junk food and stay up late. My treat." They both knew the entire dialogue was just a formality, a ritual they had to go through. He had never been able to say no to her.
    "Call your friends now," Linda said, pushing