Conrad Edison and the Anchored World (Overworld Arcanum Book 2) Read Free Page A

Ed—Edwards."
    "I'm something of a big deal," Harris assured me. "There's a foreseeance about me and everything."
    Della filled in the blank. Foreseeance—prophecy , she said. I fell back upon the word I'd used earlier with a slight and insincere embellishment. "Very impressive."
    "I suppose you could call it fate." Harris hopped into a sitting position atop the wall. "I was orphaned at a young age. My parents were brutally murdered so I live with my aunt and uncle."
    It sounded as though he'd rehearsed this story. "I'm sorry to hear that." I wondered what he would think if I told him how my parents had killed themselves and used a demon to bind their souls to mine so they could be resurrected by a demonologist years later.
    "Most people are sheep." Harris pointed toward a distant green pasture dotted with the white wooly animals. "They keep their heads down and follow the flock wherever it goes."
    I'd once had a man mind-control a flock of sheep and a brood of chickens in an attempt to kill me. "I suppose a lot of people just want to live their lives in peace."
    He snorted. "No, they're just stupid." Harris thumped an ant off the wall. "My parents fought the status quo. They didn't let powerful people push them around. They were brave."
    At this point, I simply wanted to go back to my textbook, but didn't want to be rude. "You must be proud."
    "That was why they were murdered by a cowardly monster." He bared his teeth. "One day I'll also fight a great evil, but in my case, Foreseeance Five Triple Zero says that I'll win."
    I was a bit confused by the name. "Is Five Triple Zero the same thing as five thousand?"
    He didn't seem to hear my question, instead looking to the sky and proclaiming, "Once again shall the evil rise. The son of the fallen is the only hope for victory." His eyes turned back toward me. "So you see, I have the weight of the world on my shoulders. It would be hard for us to be friends."
    Self-aggrandizing little twerp , Vic said.
    I decided to go. Just as I opened my mouth to excuse myself, he said something that froze my heart to ice.
    "The Overlord killed my parents." His teeth clenched. "No one can understand that pain."
    "I-I'm sorry," I stammered and backed away. "I have to get back to studying."
    "But I'm just getting to the good parts," Harris said.
    I turned around and headed for the house just as Max landed his broom in the front yard. His eyes locked onto the other boy. "Is that Harris Ashmore?"
    "Yes." I walked around him, grabbed my book, and went inside.
    Max came inside and closed the door. "Really? He's kind of a big deal."
    "Yes, I got to hear all about it."
    "Oh, then I suppose he mentioned, um…" He went silent for a moment. "Anyway, I'll bet it was kind of awkward when he found out who you are."
    "I told him my last name is Edwards." I sank into a chair, weighed down by guilt. "My father killed his parents. I can't let anyone know my real last name, Max."
    "Maybe we should talk to Galfandor about that." He shrugged. "I wish I could change my last name. Nobody ever wants to be my friend when they hear I'm a Tiberius."
    "Perhaps because you smell funny," said a girlish voice from behind us. Ambria stepped into the den. "Why are you two moping in here when we need to study for the entrance exam?"
    "Harris Ashmore." Max poked a thumb toward the window.
    "Who?" Ambria looked outside. Harris had started playing with his rocket darts. "Is he a new friend?" Her tone sounded hopeful.
    "No." I stood. "He explained to me why we couldn't be friends and then I realized why he was right."
    "Conrad's dad killed his parents." Max's eyes brightened. "Isn't that unbelievable?"
    Ambria grimaced. "Oh, it's awful, Conrad." She hugged me. "I'm sorry your parents were evil masterminds."
    "Me too." I patted her on the back, glad that I had at least two true friends.
    "Conrad and I were just talking about how nice it would be to change our last names so people wouldn't hate us." Max watched Harris spear a