A Knight of the Sacred Blade Read Free Page B

phantasms that haunted her frequent nightmares. 
    “Stupid,” muttered Ally.
    Something wavered inside her mind, and she had the brief feeling that she had forgotten something, forgotten something vital and important and terrible...
    Then the feeling vanished. 
    "Stupid," repeated Ally. She stripped off the damp T-shirt, pulled on a fresh one, and climbed back into bed. 

    ###

    At 6:30 the alarm clock started wailing. 
    Ally swatted the clock until it shut off, yawned, and clambered out of bed. She pushed aside the curtains and looked out the window just in time to see a snowplow growl up the street, leaving a trail of salt crystals in its wake. No doubt the roads had been cleared, which meant she would have to go to school. She walked down the hall and past Lithon's door. His bed was empty and unmade, his floor covered in a jumble of sports equipment. She wondered where he had gone. Katrina or Simon usually had to drag him out of bed.
    She walked down the back stairs and into the kitchen. Simon sat at the table in his bathrobe, his hair mussed. He stared at the TV, an odd mixture of worry and doubt on his face.
    The blond anchorwoman on the TV smiled as stock prices flashed across the bottom of the screen. “Frantic speculation continues on whether or not Illinois’s Senator Thomas Wycliffe, a Chicago native, will seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. Rumors circulate that Wycliffe is interested in a presidential bid. Wycliffe maintains an eighty percent approval rating, despite numerous investigations into Wycliffe Consolidated Shipping. Experts attribute his widespread support to his opposition to recent unpopular policies pursued by the state government and the US Senate.”
    Simon muttered something, and Ally ignored him. Her adoptive father got weird about politics sometimes. 
    “However,” continued the anchorwoman, “other sources suggestion that he may seek the nomination of a third party, given reports of his disagreements with Republican leadership. Wycliffe himself has remained silent on the topic.”
    Simon shook his head. “Why didn’t I shoot…”
    Ally opened the refrigerator. “Did they say if school was canceled?”
    Simon almost jumped out of his chair. “Ally! Don’t sneak up on me like that.”
    Ally rolled her eyes and poured herself a glass of orange juice. “Well, sorry, Dr. Simon Wester. Didn’t mean to give you a heart attack there.”
    “I’m as healthy as a horse,” said Simon. “And don’t call me Dr. Simon Wester. Father will suffice, thank you.”
    Ally sat down at the table. “You made me call you Dr. Wester when that University interviewer came by.”
    “That’s different,” said Simon. He scratched at the new beard growing on his chin. 
    Ally sipped her juice. “Mom's going to make you shave that.”
    Simon gave her a look. “We’ll talk about it. I think she can be persuaded to see reason.”
    Ally snorted. “She’s going to make you shave it. And she’s also going to be upset that you didn’t do any running while she was gone.”
    Simon glared. “Who’s going to tell her? You?”
    Ally smiled. “I might.” 
    He grunted. “I’ll tell you how it’s going to be, young lady. I’m going to have a cheeseburger and fries for lunch today. You aren’t going to tell your mother about that, or that I didn't go running for five days.”
    “Or you’ll ground me?” said Ally.
    Simon grinned. “Or else I’ll tell her how you took her car, that nice, new  car she likes so much, and went out with your friends and didn’t come back until three in the morning.”
    Ally put down the orange juice. “That’s playing dirty!”
    Simon’s grin turned to a smirk. “I learned from the best.”
    Ally gave up and went to make some toast. “Who? Grandma?”
    “No, your mother.” Simon took a drink of his coffee. “Make me a bagel while you’re at it, will you?”
    “Sure,” said Ally. “So, we have a deal? Mutual silence?” She dropped in