Foundling Wizard (Book 1) Read Online Free

said.”
    Lorit hung his head avoiding her glance. “I’m sure I don’t know what he wanted. Certainly you don’t think I’m a wizard. Do you?”
    “Do I what?” Shyenn asked. She stopped tapping the knife and backed into the house.
    “Think I’m a wizard?” Lorit asked. “You don’t actually think that I’m a wizard. Or maybe it was Onolt.”
    Lorit and Onolt stepped around her and into the kitchen, closing the door behind them. The scent of roasting meat and onions filled the air making Lorit suddenly hungry. “When is dinner?” he asked, drawing in the delicious smell.
    “We’ll eat when your father and brother get home,” Shyenn said. “They went into town, to the market. I needed salt and sugar to put up the berries and vegetables. The garden harvest starts next new moon.”
    Onolt stepped around her mother, heading toward the living room. Shyenn caught hold of her arm before she could get past her. “Have a seat young woman,” she said, dragging a chair out from beneath the table with her foot. She guided the young girl toward it. “You too, mister,” she pointed to the other chair with her knife.
    Lorit pulled out the chair and sat down reluctantly. It was clear that whatever his mother had on her mind certainly was not over. He’d hoped she would leave it alone, but it looked like he was out of luck.
    “I don’t know what the priest was doing here,” Shyenn explained. “Those priests with their fake politeness and slimy propositions always set my stomach off… but they don’t just show up like that unless there’s a reason.”
    She put the knife down and heaved herself into a chair. She spread the towel out on the table before her and started folding it slowly. She spoke softly, without looking up from her task. “You two have that look about you that means you’re up to something.” She continued to stare at the towel, as if it were the most delicate of tasks, taking all of her attention.
    “What went on while you were up in the hills? I know you two. The priest coming here and you two looking like you have the biggest secret in the world is turning my poor guts to knots.”
    She looked up at Lorit. “What happened up there, Lorit?” She put her hands flat on the table and continued to stare directly at him with a look that demanded the truth.
    Lorit glanced at Onolt. She looked nervous and frightened. She mouthed the words “tell her.”
    Lorit sat forward in the chair and folded his hands in front of him. “I really don’t know, mother.” He paused for a while, but his mother’s unwavering gaze compelled him to continue.
    “We were just sitting under the big oak tree up by the creek,” he explained. “I was telling Onolt how much I missed the red apples and couldn’t wait for them to come into season , when one appeared right there, out of nowhere.
    “I am not sure what happened as it was all a little fuzzy to me at first.” He explained how he’d conjured up the apple and how it had affected him.
    Shyenn shook her head. “Just like that,” she said. “You magicked an apple right out of thin air.” She gestured to the air in front of her. “Without even trying. You materialized an apple. Where is it?” she asked, holding out her hand.
    “We ate it,” Lorit explained. “Then we tossed the seeds and the core into the meadow.”
    “Thank the stars you have a few brains,” she responded.
    Shyenn pushed her chair back and stood. “Hand me your pack.”
    He un-slung the pack from his shoulder and passed it to her. She opened it and rummaged through its contents. Without looking up, she said, “Go. Run to your brother’s room and get his coat and an extra pair of boots, and bring a few changes of clothes, too.
    “You have a serious decision to make, young man,” she said as she turned back to the stove. “What you choose is up to you, but whatever you decide, you must do it now. Before your father gets home.”
    Lorit was shocked by her sudden change of