Alaric's Bow: A Book of the Amari Read Free Page B

proclaim his former rank. Maybe someday he’d be able to buy her freedom. But that would mean confronting Kaerdan.
                  “Put it from your mind, lad.” Ellory’s voice called out from the doorway. “You’re not going to be able to save her. Her fate was sealed the moment she concocted your escape.”
                  “You don’t know that. Kaerdan might—” he started to say, shoving the last few belongings into his pack.
                  “No, he won’t. You and I both know she’s either dead, or wishing she was. And she knew it when she made her choice. Amari can’t take any risks without repercussions, even those of us who are free. The magic we harness won’t let us. There’s always a price to be paid for our actions.”
                  Alaric strapped his quiver to the side of his pack. “I can’t accept that.”
                  “Doesn’t change it. If you want to repay her, then do what you can to save any Amari you run across. If you end up in an army, offer to watch over them. Show them kindness instead of brutality. And, if you ever find one who’s stayed hidden and unchained, make sure they stay that way. Holly didn’t give up her life so you could take her place in chains. She did it so her brother could save others.”
                  Alaric looked away, slipping his pack onto his back. Ellory’s words hit home. He was right. Holly was either dead, or wished she were. Kaerdan wouldn’t have been kind to her. Or Olive. The only one who might have been spared his wrath was his mother. His hand molded around the center of his bow through the covering. If nothing else in his life made sense, that still did.
                  “You may not have the eyes, Alaric. Be grateful for that. But you’ve got some sort of magic going on between you and that bow of yours. Just make sure the rest of the world thinks it’s skill and nothing more. You might want to miss every now and then.”
                  Pausing at the door, he held out his hand to the captain. “Thank you. For everything.”
                  Ellory shook his hand. “You’ve got a debt to pay, lad. And you can’t do that if you’re in chains. Remember that.”
                  Alaric nodded in understanding. Without another word, he wound his way up to the deck and then down to the dock.
                  He paid close attention to where he was going, dodging between stacks of crates, sailors, and laborers. The wooden platform below him swayed with movement from above. The violent motion would’ve tripped him if it wasn’t for the week at sea.
                  Stepping off the dock and onto the dirt road, he moved to one side. Partly to stay out of anyone’s way, and so he could take a good look around him.
                  The city was laid out in a series of terraces cut into the hillside . The level people resided on depended on their rank . Situated at the top, looking down on everything, was his grandfather’s palace. The white walls shimmered in the early morning sun. With a sigh, he realized it wasn’t his grandfather that lived there. His welcome would be deceptively warm…right up until they chained him and put him on the first boat back to face Kaerdan.
                  He reached behind him and pulled the hood of his mantle over his head. There was no way of knowing if word had reached Lorien yet, but it wouldn’t suit him to be reckless. He had to find a job, one that took him out of the city.
                  Alaric spent another few minutes studying the throng of people around him. Watching who moved where, who carried what.
                  “Pardon, sir, are you hungry?” a small voice piped up.
                  Looking down, he saw a young girl with a tray full of meat pies staring at him. Her gold eyes