A Charm for Draius: A Novel of the Broken Kaskea (The Broken Kaskea Series Book 1) Read Online Free

high cheekbones, narrowing to a chin that was almost, but not quite, sharp. He wore his light brown hair pulled back in a clasp, which caused it to fall in a shining cascade down his back to his waist—the classic style of the Tyrran plains tribes, who only braided their hair for battle.
    Berin laughed and clapped Lornis on the back. “I told you. Drives straight to the hilt, doesn’t she?”
    “I’m not a transfer. My grandmother finally admitted I was never meant to be a goldsmith, so she gave her approval to apply to the City Guard. They let me test through to lieutenant.” Lornis adjusted his sleeves so the green displayed just enough white through the slashes. His sleeves were new and his collar crackled with starch. His buff jerkin was new and unstained, making Lornis as bright as a new coin.
    His attention to his uniform seemed a bit excessive, and what was this option to “test through” to lieutenant? She’d never heard of anyone avoiding erins of training to jump into the Guard officer corps.
    “More beer!” Berin roared, startling her. The prospect of smooth, light Tyrran beer distracted her and her stomach started rumbling.
    “I’d also like soup.” She looked longingly at the empty bowl in front of Lornis.
    “And soup,” Berin called to the serving girl, his voice cutting through the noise in the common room.
    She looked down at her field uniform, stained and bearing no rank, which was customary for patrols. Her uniform sleeves were woven and plain. She wore breeches, acceptable for working women, but they showed considerable wear. She didn’t look too bad for having lived in mud for an eight-day, but she felt awkward sitting near the new dandy lieutenant. She rested her hands in her lap, fingers curled to hide her ragged, broken nails. Unfortunately, her light pewter-colored skin, the result of diluted blood from silver-skinned ancestors, wasn’t dark enough to hide the dirt embedded into creases and small cuts.
    “Was it raining on the eastern plains?” Lornis asked her.
    “No.” Remembering the maelstrom she saw from her perch at the northern point of the Dibrean Valley, she asked, “Any word on what caused the storm?”
    “Oh, everyone has an opinion,ranging from Nherissa rising after five hundred years to steal our blood, our souls, or maybe our silver, to our ancestors punishing us for slighting them.” Lornis grinned, his eyes sparkling. “Alms at the reliquaries are up and everyone’s singing at evening star-rise, it seems.”
    She shivered. “What do the Phrenii say? Surely the King asked them?”
    “They’ve kept mum, which doesn’t help us sleep better. Of course, we’d have more damage if the Phrenii hadn’t conjured up those clever things to keep the river tamed.”
    “At least the creatures are good for something,” Berin muttered. When they looked at him, he added, “They didn’t protect the warehouses from the rising canal waters. We constructed a shunt to divert the runoff and we saved our goods, not the Phrenii.”
    Draius watched Berin grimace. When she moved back from Betarr Kain, she noticed her old friend had a darker, sharper edge to him. The Fevers had changed everyone, particularly Berin. Now he was prone to uncharacteristic moments of sullenness.
    Lornis waved to a tall broad-shouldered Guard officer entering the common room. “Jan! Over here!”
    The entering officer had an innocent and slightly rounded face, making him look younger than his real age. Falling over his shoulders in soft waves, his hair had glimmers of gold in the late afternoon light. Unlike Draius, Jan’s hair had never tended toward the silver of their Meran ancestors. His dark blue eyes searched the room, ignoring the female heads that turned in admiration.
    Lornis saw the expressions of disapproval at the table and bewilderment lined his forehead. Jan approached their table.
    “Greetings—Lornis, Wendell, Berin.” Jan clapped Wendell on the shoulder. Berin nodded, avoiding eye