Read Online Call of Brindelier (Keepers of the Wellsprings Book 3) by Missy Sheldrake - Free Book Online Page A

looking puzzled.
    “I can’t tell you,” he says.
    “Can’t you?” I scowl and drum my fingers on the hilt of my dagger. “I’m surrounded by friends here. They’d look the other way, you know.”
    Loren swallows. Pushes his cobbler around in his bowl. “I really can’t. I swore a Binding Oath to my master.”
    “Oh,” I say. My heart sinks. I know about those magical oaths. Even if he wanted to tell me what it was, he couldn’t. He’s not lying, either. He really took one. I can tell. Gemma comes back with my bowl. She tries again to get my attention but I’m too caught up with Loren and the vest. After a while, she gets tired of being ignored and wanders off again.
    “Tell me this. Will it hurt the princess?” I ask. It’s really all I need to know.
    Loren’s eyes go wide. He looks shocked and disgusted I’d even think to ask him that. He shakes his head. “Never,” he says. That’s good enough for me. I start to get up.
    “You’re going?” he asks. “That’s it?”
    “That’s all I needed to know,” I say. I look at him. Slowly start to see him differently. He’s only a kid my age. He tries hard to look confident, but he’s out of place here. Alone in a dirty tavern full of sailors. An islander in a strange land. A boy in a country not his own. Like I was, when Mevyn lured me out of Sunteri. When he made me do things and then made me forget.
    I look at Loren. Really look. He’s scared. He ought to be. What kind of master sends a boy dressed like that into a place like this? He should have at least disguised his clothes. It’s stupid of them both. Strange, too. And if he had a delivery for the princess, why not go straight to the castle with it instead of meeting her guard here? It doesn’t add up.
    Loren shifts uncomfortably while I think all of this over. Doesn’t say anything. Waits for me to speak first. He’s smart.
    “How’d you get to Cerion?” I ask. “Ship?”
    “Sure,” he nods.
    “A charter? By yourself?”
    He nods again.
    When I ask him, “What about your master?” he winces.
    “He’s not here,” he says vaguely.
    “Yeah, figured that one out. If that thing’s so special, why didn’t he bring it himself?” I ask.
    “He’s working on something more important,” Loren replies. He’s relaxing a little. Warming up to me, maybe.
    “I don’t know, a delivery to Cerion’s palace seems pretty important to me.” I say.
    Loren shakes his head slowly. “Some things are more pressing,” he looks around carefully. Looks down. “Threats.”
    “Threats?” I ask. “What kind of threats?” I sink back to the bench. The iron at my back scrapes against the wall. I had almost forgotten about it. The sound draws the attention of a nearby table. They eye us curiously. Eventually, they look away. I adjust the straps. Lean closer to him. “Threats against Cerion? Or Stepstone?”
    “Threats,” he whispers. “Painted in the stars. Threats against everything. The Known Lands and beyond. Master sees them. Watches for them. He knows what will start it coming. He’s wise. He couldn’t leave observation. He had to stay. He’s the only one who can see clearly.”
    “Start what coming? What threats?” I whisper. When he doesn’t answer, I press on. “Sorcery? Something worse?”
    “Sorcery!” he laughs. “If only it was so simple as that. No, this is like nothing anyone has seen. And not something I’ll talk about anymore. Master says mention of it gives it power. It feeds on fear and belief. It grows as it feeds. It consumes. Better to put it out of your mind.”
    “If that’s true, then why’d you just tell me about it?” I ask. “Didn’t you just make it worse? You’re helping it, whatever it is.”
    Loren’s eyes go wide. He shakes his head slowly. “You asked. I didn’t think…”
    I cross my arms and lean back. Either he’s lying or he’s not very bright. Since he’s a Mage, I choose the first option. Lying. I think of what Nessa always