Wind-Scarred (The Will of the Elements, Book 1) by Sky Corbelli Read Free Book Online Page A

table.
    “ This is a legal interrogation over a matter of Sanctuary
security. I'm going to have to ask you to leave Mr...”
    The man smiled slightly. “My name really
isn't important here.” He pulled up a virtual document with the
Chancellor's seal on it. “However, according to the Chancellor, I
will be taking over this case.”
    Jeffries snarled as he seized the document
and angrily scanned it, eyes lingering on the signature at the
bottom of the page. He turned furiously back to Ezra, leaned back
over the table and said in a low voice, “This isn't over, Mr.
Hawkins. I will find out what you are up to, and I will see you
burn for it.” He whirled and glared at the other man in the room
before storming out.
    The slight man sighed and walked to the
door, locking it shut. He then went and checked the small bump that
denoted the camera on the wall. “Ah, I see he already disabled it.
How thoughtful.”
    Ezra stared at the man who had just come to
his defense and wondered if he would have had a better chance with
Jeffries. He was clearly not DOLT. That really only left one group
of people who knew where and who he was. If that document was
legitimate, it meant that they were backed by the Chancellor. He
had a sudden sinking feeling as he realized that he wasn't getting
out of this.
    “ Ezra James Hawkins. Named for your grandfather and your
father, I believe. You've had a rather interesting Founder's Day.
Slipping away from home and sneaking up to the space elevator.
Flying a glider out of a sector where you had already told DOLT you
would be doing it. An admirable display of competence and
resourcefulness, by the way. Setting a wormhole through a wormhole
and documenting evidence that the world outside is not only
inhabitable, but inhabited. Sneaking into and back out of a secret
base. Granted, it was mostly empty due to your earlier endeavors
but still, quite the accomplishment. Rerouting a wormhole to
prevent immediate pursuit and apprehension, thereby forcing an
agent to reveal herself to you and leave you in the hands of the
more... traditional authorities. Quite the Founder's Day indeed.”
He paused to access the table's holographic drives and glanced over
the images playing there.
    Ezra gave what he hoped was a roguish grin.
“You should see what I do for Christmas.”
    He received a very direct look. From behind
the glasses. It must have taken practice. “Mr. Hawkins, while I
appreciate the ability to keep one's wit in the face of
insurmountable opposition, I happen to know that you spent last
Christmas attempting to appear horribly sick so as to avoid a
second date with Miss Mitzi Parnasus. I also know that you failed.
I heard the crepes were delicious.”
    Ezra stopped attempting to smile. “Who are
you?” he whispered. It was probably only the residual anger from
his earlier confrontation that gave him the nerve to ask the
question.
    “ Ah, good, I see we understand each other. It's always nice to
meet a young man who can keep up. You may call me Mr. Blair. I have
a few questions for you, Ezra. May I call you Ezra?”
    “ Do I have a choice?” Ezra tried, and failed, to keep the
resignation out of his voice.
    Mr. Blair, or whatever his name really was,
smiled again. “Of course, Ezra, you have all kinds of choices. In
fact, that's why I'm here. But first I need to ask you: what do you
know about the history of Sanctuary?”
    Ezra blinked. He had expected thinly veiled
threats, maybe, but if this was a threat it had clearly put on its
winter clothing. He answered hesitantly. “Well...much of our
history has been written by the Legacy houses. A house is elevated
to Legacy status by developing some new and note-worthy technology
and keeping it in their genetically encrypted data banks-”
    Blair waved his hand dismissively. “No, no,
earlier than that Ezra. What do you know about the founding of
Sanctuary?”
    “ Um, the Founders were a group of men and women dedicated to
science. They stayed out of