Ebudae Read Online Free

going?”
Frath Jornin asked sternly from where he sat with folded arms. Even
sitting in the chair across the glass-topped, wrought-iron table,
Pelya’s father towered over everyone. When standing, he was
six-feet, three-inches tall. Wavy black hair touched the shoulders
of the brown City Guard tunic he wore over a chain shirt. Years of
wielding a sword in the Guard had honed his muscles, making him
thick and strong. If that weren’t enough, he had a reputation as a
great swordsman and a powerful fighter.
    Most intimidating of all, were brilliant
purple eyes that sparkled like amethyst gems. Shortly after Pelya’s
birth, he had disappeared for a few days and become God-Touched. It
meant that a god had directly touched his mind, an event that drove
most people insane or outright killed them.
    Ebudae knew him to be a good man though. He
had saved her grandmother and mother when he was only fourteen,
younger than she and Pelya were currently. Frath was also well
respected in the Dralin City Guard, holding the rank of master
sergeant.
    “We’re going to Carnival, Daddy,” Pelya said
around a bite of the pancakes on her third plate of breakfast that
morning.
    Frath eyed the amount of food suspiciously
and was about to say something else, but let it go instead. “This
makes me nervous.” He scratched the side of his nose, which had
been broken more than once. The statement worried Ebudae. Her
grandmother notoriously did her best to make Ebudae suffer. There
was no telling how she would respond.
    “Nonsense. They’re capable young women.”
Lady Pallon had a strong, clear voice that sounded like a spoon
ringing against crystal. Wrinkles created by decades of smiling
lined her face, but she sat tall and straight despite her age. Dark
pink eyes, which were common in Dralin and much of the world, held
vast intelligence and wisdom. “Of course, they may do something
foolish and get themselves killed. That would certainly ease our
burden, hmm?”
    Frath’s face reddened and he looked ready to
leap out of his chair and throttle the old woman. Ebudae gasped
involuntarily and shrank back in her chair. Lady Pallon didn’t
react, other than to put her chin on the back of a hand and smirk
at Frath.
    Pelya’s father settled back and rubbed his
face with both hands. “It’s so hard to tell when you’re teasing me
because I know you mean it when you say things like that.” Instead
of being offended, Lady Pallon laughed aloud. She neither admitted
nor denied the accusation. Frath turned to Ebudae. “I’m sorry you
had to be raised by your grandmother. You’ve turned into a fine
young woman in spite of it.” A corner of his mouth turned up in
amusement and a facet of his amethyst eyes glinted.
    “Thank you, Sir.” Ebudae didn’t know how
else to respond. Frath had always treated her with respect and was
the only adult to do so. She would die if he ever said anything
harsh to her. To make matters worse, she didn’t consider herself a
fine young woman by any means. Her entire life had consisted of
sneaking around in dark ruins, reading forbidden books and learning
magic that could kill people. Only Pelya knew that Ebudae had killed a person with magic.
    “You don’t need to be so serious. It’d be
nice to see you smile every now and then, lass.” Frath said in his
strong, deep voice. Ebudae tried to smile, even though she didn’t
feel happy. She lifted the corners of her mouth and showed her
teeth. Frath jerked back in alarm. “Umm . . . never mind. You don’t
need to smile.”
    The food filling Pelya’s mouth shot out onto
her plate as she tried to laugh. She became lost in a fit that was
half choking, half laughter, totally missing Ebudae’s piercing
glare.
    Lady Pallon looked at the scene with a
raised eyebrow. “Well, that’s enough of that. It’s time to be rid
of you. Go off to Carnival and try not to get yourselves killed,
kidnapped, turned into prostitutes, or into one of the Deformed.”
She took a sip of