Destiny Read Online Free Page B

kindly at Gidyon and Lauryn. ‘Let’s make a start by heading down to the castle baths.’
    Tor did not wait for his son to cross the room. He beat him to it, pulling the boy close. ‘I shall be back soon, I promise, with your brother.’ Stay close to Lauryn; she’ll need your strength. Get to know Gyl.
    ‘Figgis?’ Gidyon said quietly.
    ‘He’ll journey straight here, I’m sure. He won’t wish to be separated from you now or ever,’ Tor replied. ‘Look out for him.’ He looked towards Lauryn who appeared remarkably composed.
    She stepped up and he held her close, whispering, ‘Back soon, I give you my word. I need you to be brave now. Get to know your mother a little more,’ he said smiling. She’s very nervous about you both, he pressed into her mind. That won him a short grin from Lauryn.
    Stay close to Gidyon; he’ll need your strength, he added as he pulled apart from her.
    She mentioned what had been niggling at the edges of her mind. ‘Father, how will you know who Rubyn is? I mean, are you counting on him bearing a strong likeness to us?’
    ‘I hadn’t thought beyond finding a young man in the Heartwood, to be honest.’
    ‘How about the stones?’ Gidyon suggested.
    Tor frowned. ‘How do we know he would have one?’
    Gidyon could only just remember a conversation with Sorrel. ‘I think it was when we were preparing to leave with Sorrel—this is all a bit hazy I have to admit—we demanded she prove we were sister and brother. She achieved this through the stones which we both had on us and had both cherished since childhood. She told us how you’d given her the three stones when she fled with us from the Heartwood.’
    Tor nodded and Lauryn picked up the story, frowning as she strained to recall that conversation.
    ‘You’re right, Gidyon…I can remember that too, and I think I’m right in saying that when you asked Sorrel where the third was, she said not to worry, it was in a very safe place.’
    They both looked back at their father. He was beaming. ‘Clever old girl she was. She must have left the third stone with Rubyn. She wouldn’t have known what they’re for—as I don’t—but perhaps she thought it might protect him. This is excellent news. You must both keep them very safe…we are yet to find out their purpose.’
    Gidyon suddenly looked sheepish. ‘Um…I have to admit something.’
    Eyes turned to him and lingered on his discomfort.
    He cleared his throat, his eyes searching his father’s face for understanding. ‘When I left Yseul we had both just survived a traumatic experience.’ As he paused Tor looked towards Alyssa’s puzzled face and shook his head just enough to tell her this was not the time to go into it.
    The look was not lost on Lauryn. She enlightened her mother. ‘Yseul is Gidyon’s friend.’ She loaded the word ‘friend’ with all sorts of meanings.
    He squirmed a little more, glaring at Lauryn. ‘Er…yes she is. Anyway, it was a difficult time for us and…’ Awkwardly, he looked again at his father before taking another deep breath. ‘Well, I wanted to give her something from me…of me…and I gave her my stone.’ He did his best to ignore the audible gasp from his father. ‘I told her I was lending her my stone and that I would find her and collect it one day.’
    Tor was shocked. ‘What was in your head, son?’ he asked quietly as he tried to assess the loss of one of the Stones of Ordolt— what it might mean to their success or failure.
    His softly spoken rebuke was enough to crumple Gidyon’s already fragile confidence. Gidyon ran his hand through his hair, totally crestfallen as he searched for a suitable answer. It was his mother who came swiftly to his rescue.
    ‘Tor, don’t you dare use that accusatory tone. Gidyon has been ripped out of everything familiar and deposited back here with a group of strange people he has to trust —even accept as family. A meaningless, harmless looking stone, supposedly left with him by