Blood of the Guardian Read Free

away.
    “Well, you’re not going to be a lot of help like that,” Alec snapped.
    Nolan’s legs trembled. “I need the stones’ light. It helped last time.”
    “This town doesn’t have a temple,” Alec said, then he grumbled under his breath about it being a “backward fishing village.”
    Nolan eyed him.
    Alec cleared his throat. “Not that backward fishing villages are bad or anything.”
    Nolan smirked and placed his large palm over one of the stones next to him in the bed. His Shay of Strength pulsed gently inside him. “Well, I’ll just have to use the warehouse again.”
    “You mean the one you destroyed?”
    Nolan flinched. “Um, yeah. Guess I’ll have to find somewhere else. Another warehouse? A boat storage building?”
    “Don’t think they’ll be too keen,” Alec said, his expression smug. “They talk about you downstairs.”
    “Good things?”
    Alec snorted in reply.
    Nolan supposed not. Pressing against the bridge of his nose, he stretched his exhausted brain. He supposed he could control their minds, convince them to let him use another building or store. He’d rather not if he didn’t have to.
    “We’ll come up with something,” he said. “I’ll have a look around, see what might work.”
    “And how do you suppose you’ll get there? You can’t even stand.”
    Nolan smiled. “You can carry me.”
    Alec forced a laugh. “Sure. If I had Strength.”
    Nolan pointed to the chair. “Give me my bag.”
    Alec passed him the leather pouch, and Nolan rummaged through the dingy bedding. After retrieving the stones and filling the bag, he slung it over his shoulder and stood. The power from the stones pulsed gently against his side, giving him a smidgen of strength. The room didn’t tilt and sway as much as before. It wasn’t perfect, but it did help a little.
    Alec held out his arms, as if ready to catch him again. After a few heartbeats, he lowered them, but he stared, as if waiting for Nolan to fall on his face.
    “That’s better,” Alec said, his emotions amused. “Ready to go, are you?”
    Nolan shrugged. “I’ll feel a lot better once I’ve stood under the stones’ light.”
    “You might attract attention wearing only a bag.”
    Nolan glanced down and cringed. He scanned the room, yanked the thin sheet from the bed, and tied it around his waist.
    Alec crossed his arms over his chest, suppressing a grin. “Nice. You’ll make quite an entrance.” He turned to the window, his smile slipping.
    Nolan ignored a wave of dizziness and staggered toward the window. The streets flowed with people spilling from every shop. They were in the red district of town, each building coated with peeling red paint. Down the road, the buildings transitioned from red to green.
    Renfrew wasn’t a big town, but it seemed like every person was out on the streets. A crowd pushed toward the docks while a few shoved in the opposite direction, as if trying to escape. Frequently, a deformed, dark Nass would shoot from someone and zip into the cloudy sky.
    Nolan inhaled and released a long breath. Why did he bother cleaning up the abominable creatures, anyway? From the moment he got rid of one group of mists, more jumped up to take their places.
    Nolan scanned the curious progression winding toward the docks. The midday sun reflected on the sea in the distance. Nolan gripped the windowsill, mostly to keep standing. Then he caught sight of the boats and sucked in a small breath. Cutting the distance through the gentle waves, Talasian ships rowed closer.

Chapter Three
     
    THE CROWDED PUB BELOW HUMMED with energy. Mugs clattered. Laughter swelled. The flute and drum sounded louder and fouler than they did from upstairs. They weren’t very good. Megan and her brother, Flann, were outstanding musicians. These men … well, not so much. But even so, they looked like they were enjoying themselves. Or they’d drank enough that they didn’t notice how bad they were.
    Alec grunted as he supported Nolan’s