Tearing The Shroud Read Free Page B

his head. ‘I’ll see you then.’
    ‘Great.’ She dazzled him with a smile, waving at the rest of the table. ‘Until then everyone, adieu .’
    Vincent watched her departure. She moved her long legs and hourglass figure in an overtly feminine, almost feline way.
    Wow. His pulse started the flipping thing again.
    Flea’s voice interrupted his thoughts, ‘You hate to see her go, but love to watch her walk away.’
    The guys around the table chuckled or nodded.
    ‘I...uh...well — ’
    Knife waved his hand. ‘Don’t stress it, we understand.’ His comment diffused the moment and Vincent’s chest stopped doing jazzercise.
    ‘But when you start gaming with us, you better watch out.’ Flea waved his fork.
    ‘Watch out? For Julie?’ Vincent raised his eyebrows.
    ‘No, Emily. Man, if looks were cold, Julie would be frozen to her chair.’
    Everyone laughed and Vincent felt more at ease with them than he had around a group in a long time, maybe his entire life. It was the first real feeling of camaraderie, besides with Flea, he had ever experienced, and it felt good.
    ‘I’d probably have a little frostbite myself,’ Vincent ventured.
    Their laughter continued and Vincent felt even better. He could sense that though these people didn’t really know him, they accepted him without reservation.
    ‘Yeah,’ Knife said. ‘You’d better check your toes and fingers.’
    Mike gulped his drink. ‘You also better...’ he paused to belch mid-sentence, ‘listen to what Flea said.’
    ‘Why’s that?’
    E.T. spoke up, ‘Emily plays a thief who has a nasty habit of killing off characters that get on her bad side.’
    ‘I have no idea what that means, but thanks for the advice.’
    ‘Don’t mention it.’ Flea replied.
    ‘Happy to help,’ said E.T.
    Vincent rubbed his chin. Maybe he’d avoided the college social scene too much? His eyes roamed the tables filled with laughing students. Was everyone this nice, or was this group special?

Chapter 3
    Rescue
Near the Cloister of Berdine
    ‘Special?’ Jolie laughed as she loosed the honey-coated arrow. ‘What’s so special about him?’ Before Sari could answer, she continued, ‘He probably doesn’t even know honey is poison to the Kafla. Our Novices learn that the first week of their schooling. Perhaps the Matriarch is off in this instance?’
    Jolie…always the fiery one. Sari shot two shafts in quick succession, the second flying before the first had hit. ‘And you should realize that our basic knowledge might be rare outside our order. Besides, it’s not just any honey.’ She nodded with satisfaction as the last two Kafla fell. ‘Remember your lessons?’ Sari tucked a strand of loose blonde hair behind her ear and turned to Jolie. She put a hand on her hip and raised her eyebrows, all while trying not to smile at her closest friend.
    ‘Yes, Mistress Sari. “The honey must come from a bee which has suckled the rosemary blossom.” Plus, we tend to keep certain secrets.’ Jolie grinned. ‘It helps us maintain our mystique.’
    The benefit of knowing someone since childhood, you help them stay humble . Sari turned and started walking. ‘Let’s go see if the Traveler is badly injured.’ Signaling her patrol out of the trees, they advanced slowly toward the dugout. ‘Check these bodies, and remember not to let any of their drool get on you unless you want to get burned.’ She knew the women were aware of the flammable saliva, even the two Novices. Three of them had seen more action than she could ever hope to equal. They carried the battle scars to prove it, but as their leader, she felt it was her duty to see to the safety of those in her command. Sari knew she had a deep sense of duty and attention to detail, but still couldn’t understand why the Matriarch had promoted her to Commander so early in her career.
    Kris nudged one of the bodies, and its head flopped over; the liquid dripped from its mouth, igniting as it landed. ‘Ugh. Fifteen