Chased By Fire (Book 1) Read Online Free

he’d promised Bal he wouldn’t say anything. Cobin wasn’t quite as protective of Bal as his mother was with him, but it was a close competition. “Just the lower hills. She’s the one who found the Aeta.”
    “Where’d they come from? Nothing there but Incendin.”
    Tan nodded. “Came on an old road I’d never seen.”
    Cobin nodded slowly. “An old trader road. Don’t think anyone has used that path in more than twenty years.”
    “The Aeta did.”
    Cobin frowned. “Shouldn’t be able to cross the barrier. Wonder where they came from?”
    Tan remembered the darkness that seemed to follow the Aeta. “Not sure, but they should reach Nor tonight. Figured they get set up and trade…”  
    Cobin laughed. “What you think you got to trade with the Aeta?”
    Tan shrugged. He hadn’t planned on trading anything. Not that he had much anyway. “See you in town?”  
    Cobin nodded at him absently, and as he left, his friend circled the pen, staring at the tracks, a troubled expression etched onto his face. Every so often he would glance up into the mountains and frown.  
    What did Cobin know and not share?

CHAPTER 3
An Unlikely Threat

    Tan would need to face his mother sooner or later, so closed his eyes and took a deep breath, steeling himself before entering her room.  
    She looked up from her massive desk and eyed him, noting his dirt-stained face and clothes, before snorting and turning back to the stack of papers she sorted through. A hand reached up and touched the jet-black hair pulled severely back from her face.  
    She ignored him while she sat stiff-backed working through the house numbers. Tan stood quietly in front of her desk like all the other house servants she supervised, trying not to rock anxiously on his feet. Nervous energy welled through him at the thought of the visiting Aeta. Even his mother would be interested in their visit, wanting to see the items they had for trade, and he bit at his lip to keep from saying anything that might make his scolding worse.
    “You shouldn’t chew your lip,” his mother admonished without looking up.
    “I’m not,” he protested weakly, looking away. The walls of his mother’s office were decorated simply, just a sigil of the Great Mother hanging. A large wrought-iron lantern rested on the corner of her desk, giving the room light.
    His mother looked up at him and sighed. “Tannen, you know better than to lie to your mother.” She blinked a moment before setting her hands upon her desk and meeting his gaze. “Where have you been?”
    Tan resisted the urge to turn away. He couldn’t lie—his mother would see through him easily—so he decided on the truth. “I found some prints near Cobin’s pens and followed them.”
    “All day?”
    “Not all day. The last hour or so I was with Cobin.”  
    “You went into the mountains, then.” When he didn’t argue, she went on. “What of the task you were assigned?”
    Tan had forgotten about that. She’d asked him to sweep Lord Alles’s barn on the edge of town. He had put it off, thinking he would have time after following the prints, but he had gone farther into the mountains than he had expected. The Aeta pushed all thoughts of chores out of mind. “I didn’t do it,” he admitted, “but I saw something you need to know about—”  
    “I am sure you did. Cobin told Davum it was probably wolves got into his stock. The men should know how to protect their stock from wolves, especially in this part of the kingdoms. I don’t need you tracking wolves and risking yourself like that while ignoring your chores. There’s a reason Lind allows you to remain in the manor house. If you ignore your responsibilities…”
    “I’ll get them done. Wouldn’t want Lord Lind upset that I didn’t sweep the stables.” He sighed and nearly turned away. Cleaning the stables felt like such a waste of his time. Had his father still been alive, he wouldn’t have to do it. Tan didn’t know what he’d end