The White Spell by Lynn Kurland Read Free Book Online Page B

hands.
    Acair realized they were balled into fists and he was halfway to stirring himself to go do something about what he was seeing out there in that dusty space—
    â€œArena.”
    He looked at Doghail with a fair bit of alarm. “Am I speaking my thoughts aloud or are you reading them?”
    â€œYou’re muttering.”
    â€œI do that.”
    â€œYou might want to not.”
    â€œMutter or go kick sense into those two whoresons out there?”
    â€œThe latter,” Doghail said seriously. “I would leave Lord Fuadain alone because he could have you slain as easily as to look at you and no one would ever find your body.”
    â€œCould he indeed?” Acair drawled before he could check himself. He took a deep breath and reminded himself of what he was supposed to be pretending to be. “I meant,
I’ll remember that
.”
    Doghail looked unimpressed. “The other is Slaidear, the stable master. I wouldn’t cross him either or he’ll sack you. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to miss out on any of those coppers, now would you?”
    â€œAbsolutely not.”
    â€œWhy don’t you take a walk around the grounds, go see the big house, then come back and shovel a bit more. Do you a world of good, that.”
    â€œAnd it will accustom me to boots which are not mine.”
    â€œNow that you mention it,” Doghail said with a faint smile, “that too.”
    A year? He wasn’t going to last a fortnight. But he decided that if he were offered a few minutes of liberty, he wasn’t going to sneer at them. He doffed a non-existent hat Doghail’s way, then left the stables before he had to listen to any more of what was being shouted at that girl.
    He was half tempted to begin a diary of his adventures. If nothing else, his mother would have been interested in his adventures. The first entry would surely have been a detailed examination of his surprise over what bothered him the most about not having magic and that would have been the lack of ability to repay arrogant men for things they deserved to be repaid for.
    He had absolutely no desire to consider how that might apply to himself.
    He left the barn and walked out into the twilight. A year. Howthe hell was he going to keep his mouth shut and his hands in his pockets for an entire bloody
year
?
    Well, he would spend a great deal of it considering several pieces of mischief he hadn’t had time to see to properly in the past and deciding which one he would be about all of a quarter hour after he was released from the scrutiny of the spell that still followed him. That might take up a good bit of the all the mindless time to think he was finding his days becoming filled with.
    He would go mad else.

Three

    H e knows nothing.”
    Léirsinn looked up from the tack she was polishing. It wasn’t something she generally did, but the work was mindless and she needed a bit of that at the moment. Besides, they were definitely short-handed and the work wasn’t going to do itself.
    At least it was work she didn’t mind. The day before had been endless and full of things she hadn’t enjoyed doing, such as biting her tongue. Better to be about something that kept her out of sight and earshot.
    â€œLéirsinn?”
    She looked up at Doghail and blinked. “What?”
    â€œI was telling you about the lad we hired yesterday.”
    It was a testament to how preoccupied she was with other things that she didn’t remember having hired anyone. “Yesterday?”
    â€œYou’re distracted.”
    â€œTrying to be,” she agreed.
    â€œI’d ask from what, but I imagine I don’t need to.”
    She imagined he was right. Her uncle’s treatment of her the day before was nothing out of the ordinary, but she feared she was reaching the point where she had almost had enough of it. Much more of that sort of belittling and she would do something she