Forgotten Mage Read Online Free Page A

said they reached the
farm late the next evening. Bren looked around but saw no sign of
Avalanche. “Have you seen my dog?” He asked Doren as the old man
climbed down from the wagon.
    “Here and there though not for a few
hours,” Doren replied as he stretched his arms and legs. “I
remember a time when I could spend weeks on the wagon without so
much as an ache. These days it only takes a few hours for my bones
to start feel like there rattling apart.”
    “Granddad you’re not going to start
your week long complaining already are you,” Faye said coming up
beside Bren. “If you hate it that much then you should have had
someone else go.”
    “Women won’t even let a man enjoy his
complaining in peace,” Doren said melodramatically before waving
them off as he turned and started unhitching the horses from the
wagon.
    “Let’s go inside and I will introduce
you to the rest of the family,” Faye said grabbing Bren’s arm and
pulling him behind her.
    Bren silently let Faye drag him into
the large farmhouse. Inside what he found was far different than he
had expected. He had envisioned many different things about what to
expect, but none of them were close to what he found. The common
room was large and filled with chairs and a massive fireplace. Bren
could see a wide set of stairs leading to a second floor and a
large table through one of the doorways.
    “We have a visitor it seems,” A lady
about his mother’s age, wearing a plain wool dress said, appearing
from the other room.
    “Mother this is Bren,” Faye said
smiling brightly. “He is Mark’s son.”
    Bren let out a heavy sigh. He had hoped
that Faye hadn’t been paying attention to him and that he could
pass his time here without that mark of distinction. “Hello miss,”
Bren said after a long silent moment.
    The older lady looked him over
carefully before a wide smile spread across her face. “You do look
a bit like Mark did when he was your age, though the red tint in
your hair makes you look a bit more dashing. Don’t you think
Faye?”
    “Mother!” Faye said, her face blushing
a light pink.
    “So what do we owe the honor of having
the prince come to our home,” the lady continued
smiling.
    “He said he wants to help out on the
farm,” Faye said meekly, looking down at her shoes.
    “Is that so? Following in your father’s
footsteps I see,” the lady said, her hand covering the smile
spreading across her face. “Well I am Faye’s mother, though most
people simply call me Clair. The rest of the family went to sleep
some time ago, but I am sure you will get to meet them soon enough.
Now let’s get you fed and in bed, I am sure father will want to get
you started early in the morning.”
    Bren was fed a plate of cold meat then
led to a small room in the attic of the building. The room was
dusty and looked as if it hadn’t been used for a long time. “Most
our part time workers live in a small bunk house at the other end
of the field, but I think this room would fit you best and it’s not
like the prince would do something untoward to my family or my
daughter,” Clair said stressing the word daughter.
    “I wouldn’t…,” Bren started to say but
was quickly silenced by Clair’s laugh.
    “You do remind me of your father. He
had the same quiet charm. When he was here I used to follow him
around and spy on him, but I don’t think he ever really noticed
me,” Clair said looking at him with the same look that his mother
got when she talked about Thad. “You know this was his room. I used
to pace on the stairs trying to work up the nerve to talk to
him.”
    “What was he like?” Bren asked after
Clair drifted off into silence.
    “I guess he died before you really got
to know him. It was the same with Faye’s father. She asks the same
question as well, though nothing I tell her ever seems to be
enough,” Clair said, her face suddenly saddened. “Your father was
always quiet and he didn’t laugh much. He was a hard worker