Wystan by Allison Merritt Read Free Book Online

me you encouraged her.” He didn’t need to hear it to know the truth. Eban was odd, always had been. “What is it about her that makes your backbone shrivel up when she opens her mouth?”
    A pretty mouth, but even more untrustworthy than the ugly ones. He tried not to think about the color of her eyes, those different shades of brown and green that swirled in her irises. The sway of her skirt when she’d left the jail yesterday. Or how terrified she’d looked when he killed the barghest. If he allowed himself to think of those things, next he’d be spouting poetry and wooing a woman. A human woman.
    â€œI think we need a school. Fang came by earlier and I told him about it. Would you deny Thomas Jefferson the opportunity to get out of here someday, Wys?”
    Eban’s disappointed tone made Wystan wince inside. TJ was a cute boy and smarter than most of the grown citizens. There wasn’t a book in town he hadn’t read. He could make it in the real world—provided his parents taught him what he’d need to survive out there.
    â€œWe could order more books for him.”
    â€œRhia is a teacher. She can do more for him than any of us.”
    Wystan narrowed his eyes. “You did it.”
    â€œWhat?” Eban looked up, confusion on his face.
    â€œPut the ad in the paper. She showed it to me, but I didn’t do it.”
    Eban grunted. “You’re suggesting I did? I like my head where it is, not shoved up my ass. There are other things at work here, you know.”
    â€œDivine intervention? That damned angel statue came to life and typed up an ad for a teacher?” Wystan shook his head. “You sound like a lunatic when you talk about ghosts.”
    â€œI never said ghosts, but stranger things have happened. She’s here. We may as well let her teach. You can pay her a little something so her and the girl don’t starve.” Eban picked at his fingernails, a sure sign he was worried Wystan wouldn’t take the suggestion well.
    Just to watch his brother fidget, Wystan sneered. “I could, if I wanted either of them here.”
    â€œIt’ll be good for the town.” Eban shoved his hands in his pockets.
    Wystan glanced toward the angel statue. He pictured his mother sitting on the edge of the fountain, blowing dandelion fluff into the air. “I don’t think the words good and Berner belong in the same sentence. Anything good died out a long time ago.”
    â€œMaybe we didn’t try hard enough. We’ve settled into a routine and if something changes, we destroy it before it can make things better.” Eban’s voice was low, his gaze far away. “We’re all guilty of it.”
    â€œHow’s it supposed to get better when there are barghests and changesteeds crawling all over the place?” Wystan clenched his fists. “We’ve done good to reform the ones we could and slay the rest. One of these days, Astaroth is going to send something worse. It’s going to take everything we’ve got to hold it back. One of those seals breaks, we’re doomed. Not just us, but the whole damned world. So far we’ve been lucky. You want to put more humans in immediate danger?”
    â€œI think you hate her because she’s pretty,” Eban muttered.
    Wystan laughed. “Is that what this is? I’m jealous because you saw her first? It hasn’t been like that since we were boys.”
    â€œIf Tell were here, he’d disagree. Besides, I think he’ll like her too. We need something fresh in town. Give her six weeks and if Rhia hasn’t accomplished anything, then we’ll tell her to leave.” Eban raised his gaze.
    â€œSix weeks?” Wystan rubbed his chin. A month and a half seemed like a long time to wait to boot someone out of town. “Will her friend be better by then?”
    Eban nodded. “I think so. Markedly improved, anyway.”
    â€œAll right,