Anais and the Broken War (The Blood Mage Chronicles Book 5) Read Online Free

didn’t even need to let my blood or to touch the ring. While merely glancing at the braided wick of the candle, it sparked into flame as if it had been waiting for me to return.  
    This day I offer myself as a protector to those who are in need. I offer myself as a savior to the many. I offer my guardianship and my blood.  
    The candle’s flame flickered and died. I tried to relight it, but it wouldn’t budge. Even after I let a trickle of my blood seep into the ring, I could not rekindle the flame. There was nothing left in it. No magic. Just emptiness.

C HAPTER 3

    AFTER MEDIERA HAD left the family dining room to escort the last guest away from the luncheon, I let my head drop onto the tabletop. My mind felt numb. I could not imagine having to do this again for dinner in less than an hour.
    “Don’t worry, dear. You’re doing a wonderful job,” Jacarda said.
    I had forgotten she was still in the room. I lifted my head and looked into her confident eyes. “Shouldn’t we be doing something useful instead of throwing one party after another?” I asked.
    Jacarda smiled. “Our work is valuable. We’re maintaining an appearance of courtly normalcy. It comforts the people to see us dance. We’re preventing panic. This is what women in power do.”
    “But you don’t have to stay. You have family in Courtshire. You could leave anytime. You don’t need to do this.”
    “You’re right. I could give up and run. It wouldn’t be hard. But, if I go, so will the rest of Barrierishire’s wealthy and influential, so will the successful merchants and tradesmen. Without us, the lords in the West will certainly stop sending supplies and let Barriershire fall. We’re the mortar that holds this city together. The walls will crumble if we flee. I do not want to lose my home to an infestation of evil. I’m too old to be concerned only with my personal wellbeing. I want to matter.”
    “Do you really believe our actions can change anything?”
    “Yes. You may not think me a leader, but I am. My son is doing everything he can to convince the lords to send more men across the mountains. I want the letters being sent to the West to speak of a functioning city, not of chaos, not of a lost cause. The people we have been inviting to these luncheons and dinners are the ones who write letters to their families and friends. These people need assurances that there is hope. I will keep this city afloat with all of the power I possess. Which means we keep throwing parties. It may seem like a minor thing. But, it’s not.”
    I closed my eyes. She was likely right. My understanding of politics was lacking. Her words had the ring of truth to them.
    The door to the family dining chamber clanged open, and Uthur’s wet nurse walked in, cradling the squalling babe in her arms.
    My body jerked at the sight of him. I wanted to grab the babe from her arms and hide him from the world. But I stopped myself. I had no right to the child. He wasn’t mine. The words I had uttered while holding the candle had done little to break my attachment.
    “May we help you, dear?” Jacarda asked.
    “I’m sorry. I’m looking for Lady Mediera. The baby won’t stop crying. I don’t know how to settle him. I’ve tried everything.”
    “Give him to me,” I said, stepping forward, unable to hold myself in check any longer.
    She handed the child to me, and he curled up into my chest and quieted as I rocked back and forth on my heels. I sniffed his head. Little and helpless, he smelled of talcum and milk. How could I possibly save him from the war to come?
    “I’ll take him.”
    I looked up into Mediera’s eyes. I hadn’t even noticed her enter the room. How much time had passed?
    “Of course,” I murmured as I handed Uthur to her.  
    “You should go to the council chambers, Ani. Gorman wants to speak with you. It’s something to do with the Abbey, I think.”
    I nodded, hoping this would mean I would escape the evening’s