Death of a Darklord Read Free Page B

the look on Tereza’s face was plain. Either Elaine got up now, or she didn’t go.
    Mala appeared, lifting the tea mug from her hand. Her face was neutral, but her eyes held concern. She was always on the side of the children, everybody’s children.
    Elaine gripped the chair arms and levered herself upward. The muscles in her arms quivered. The blanket slipped to the floor. Her hands stayed on the chair arms for a moment, then she pushed free. She was forced to grab the back of the chair to keep from falling. Her legs shook underneath the long skirts.
    It took all her resolve just to remain standing, one hand hooked onto the heavy back of the chair. She wasn’t sure she could walk, let alone ride to the great tree. Tereza held the white cloak out, at least three strides from the chair. She made no move to step closer.
    Jonathan stood uncomfortably between them. “We have no time for games, Tereza.”
    “No time at all,” she said.
    Elaine took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She drew two more deep breaths, trying to calm the jerking muscles, willing the weakness away. She let go of the chair back, fingers lingering on the wood.
    Tereza sighed. Elaine dropped her hand to her side. Her legs were braced, and she hoped no one could see how they shook, but she was standing alone.

    Tereza held the heavy coat at arm’s length, arm steady as if the coat weighed nothing.
    Elaine took a step forward on her shaking legs. She didn’t fall down. She took one step, then another, then another. Her hand gripped the fur. Tereza laid the coat gently across Elaine’s arms. She smiled at the girl, a smile that made her dark eyes shine.
    “If you want to go that badly, we can throw you over a horse. No need to wait.”
    Elaine smiled. “Thank you.”
    “Bravery should always be rewarded.”
    Jonathan smiled broadly. “Virtue is its own reward.”
    Tereza slapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t you believe that.” Konrad came into the kitchen, bundled to the eyes against the winter cold. “Are we ready to go?”
    Tereza helped Elaine on with the heavy cloak. She tucked Elaine’s pale yellow hair into the hood. “Let’s go find Blaine and Thordin.” Elaine felt the smile fade from her face.
    “You did your best, Elaine. You warned them.”
    “I went to the fire as soon as I felt the call.”
    “I know you did.”
    Konrad shrugged a small pack over his cloak. It held the healing herbs and bandages.
    Tereza wound a multicolored scarf around her black hair. It was very similar to the one Thordin wore.
    Elaine and Blaine had learned how to knit last year. They had made gifts for everyone.
    She had made Tereza’s scarf of red and black stripes. Blaine had made Thordin’s of every color yarn he could find, perhaps thinking the warrior wouldn’t wear it, but he wore it proudly. The joke had ended up on Blaine. He had made matching mittens as a sort of apology, though the mittens were the same awful colors as the scarf.
    “Let us be on our way,” Jonathan said. His plain knit cap, in his preferred shade of brown, had been Elaine’s handiwork. The scarlet cap Blaine had fashioned for Konrad had been eaten by a monster, or so Konrad claimed. He wore a fur hat with a thick, striped tail that curved over his collar. Mala held out a small pack to Tereza. “Something warm for them. Good food’s better than medicine sometimes.”
    She took the pack with a smile. “Your food, anyway.” Mala blushed at the compliment, and turned back to her stove. The smell of vegetable stew filled the kitchen as she raised the lid and stirred the pot. The back of her neck was still red with the compliment. The kitchen door opened; snow swirled inward. A gust of icy wind sent the herbs in the rafters swinging. The fire flared, sparks dashing up the chimney. The stableman stumbled in and shook snow from his boots. “Here, now, you’re getting snow all over my clean floor.” Mala stalked forward, shaking a spoon that dripped stew on the clean