Vengeance Born (The Light Blade #1) by Kylie Griffin Read Free Book Online Page B

steadily rising. We’re headed up an incline. How much farther to the caves?”
    “Perhaps a quarter-hour.” She touched his arm. His skin tingled. “I know you’re tired. Would you let me… help you?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “A part of my Gift is being able to feel energy levels. It’s how I know when to stop healing someone.” She paused again. “I can pass some of my energy on to you, if you would permit it.”
    He could feel the Lady ’s power inside her through the touch they shared, the resonance so similar to his own. He knew of no other healer capable of doing what she claimed she could. It wasn’t unheard of, the Lady ’s power being passed from one generation of Light Blade warriors to the next. It was rare but possible. Her mother must have been exceptionally talented.
    Annika was Na’Chi , an anomaly. Not that he’d voice that thought aloud. But having already experienced her healing touch, Kalan inclined his head. “All right.”
    His arm grew warm as the power of her Gift increased. It poured into his body, gently at first, like waves lapping against a bank, but then steadily grew in strength, sweeping away his exhaustion. With it he could feel his senses sharpening, becoming more alert. As the power faded, she withdrew her hand. It left him feeling refreshed and warm once again.
    “Thank you.” Although her face was shadowed, he saw her duck her head as if uncomfortable with his gratitude. “Why do you do that?”
    She was silent a moment then her gaze met his, level, steady. The flecks within her eyes glowed a burnt crimson. The skin between his shoulder blades crawled. She was hungry again.
    “Very few want me to touch them once they know what I am. And those who do allow me are often too afraid to remember.”
    Her reply gave him pause. He couldn’t imagine living without belonging, without approval, without a loving family. With all the suffering she’d experienced, why did she continue to help those who rejected her? He didn’t know if he’d be so noble. “Then why do you keep healing?”
    “Because I can’t imagine doing anything else.” She jumped off the log. “We’d better keep moving. Dawn isn’t far away.”
    Kalan grunted and pushed to his feet. She held out her hand and he took it. They followed the edge of the river using an animal trail. Underfoot the ground was smoother, compacted by hooves and paw prints, and the moonlit sections were more frequent, much to his relief. It gave him some independence.
    “How do you know about these caves?” he whispered.
    “I found them by accident while out foraging for herbs. I needed shelter from a summer storm. Most of the caves are too small for anything but animals, but the one I found is large enough to shelter in. I’ve used it for overnight stays before. No one else knows about it.” Annika spared him a glance over her shoulder and he heard her take a deeper breath. “It’s my safe haven. A place where I can find peace and forget about who and what I am.” Her gaze held his a moment longer then dropped away, as if she expected some ridiculing remark.
    The stark loneliness of her life struck Kalan low in his gut. Anyone else would have sought out the company of friends. She’d found solace in a cold, empty cave. Was she expecting him to respond? Should he? In the end, he couldn’t think of anything to say. Her truth was something he just had to accept.
    Passing through another clearing he peered upward. The stars were no longer bright pinpricks of light in a curtain of black. Grey tinged the eastern sky. Ahead he could see the silhouetted shape of a small, rocky hill covered in bushes.
    Annika’s arm suddenly slapped against his midriff. “Stop!” she hissed and glanced to her right.
    He could see nothing but shadows along the opposite bank of the river. “What?”
    He heard her inhale. “Can’t you smell that?”
    The pungent odor of mud from the river and the scent of his own sweat filled his lungs as