Rise of the Firebird Read Online Free Page A

Harley?” Anya asked as she stretched.
    “My wound is itching, but Fox is driving me crazy.”
    “Why? Is she okay?”
    “There is nothing physically wrong with her, but having no computer is absolutely killing her.”
    “I’m sure that Søren could organise one for her.”
    “That’d be a relief to her and a huge one for me. You wouldn’t happen to know when we are going to leave.”
    “It won’t be very long away if I can help it. Once I get the information I need from Ruthann, I’ll be leaving to hunt Yanka and Vasilli. I did tell you that you are all free to leave whenever you like without me.” Harley waved her comments away with a flick of her brown hand.
    “Fox is in a mood. It will pass once she has something to distract her.”
    “I’ll go and find Søren immediately and get her a laptop. Hopefully she can use it to get us some kind of news on the outside world.”
     
    Following obscure directions from various helpful Álfr, Anya finally found Søren in a training room. She went in quietly, so not to disturb him and so she could watch him in action.
    Aramis had always hidden his Dauđi Dómr tattoos, but Søren wore his proudly. They stretched in a long wave from the front of his right hip, across his stomach, curved around his back to his shoulders where they splayed out in branches of a tree, and curled down his arms to his hands. It was beautiful and bold against his pearly skin.
    Søren’s fighting style was completely different to Aramis. Aramis fought fluid and cool like a dancer in water. Søren was all fire and heat. He was quick as a flame and just as terrifying, hypnotic, and deadly. All Anya could do was watch with her mouth hanging open. A fine silver knife flew from his fingertips and thunked into the wall beside her ear. Anya stayed perfectly still, too afraid to move.
    “What do you want, Elenya ?” he asked as he walked up and pulled the knife from the wood.
    “Um.”
    “Um?” Søren mocked. He was standing extremely close and she wasn’t quite sure where to look. She could smell the heat off his skin and her magic rose to her throat.
    “I would like not to have knives flying toward my head for a start,” she said as she tried to remember what exactly she was there for.
    “If I wanted to kill you, you’d be dead.”
    “That’s not reassuring.”
    “It’s not meant to be.” Anya took a step back from him quickly, bumping into the wall behind her and banging her head. The corners of Søren’s mouth turned up in an almost smile.
    “I wanted to know if I could have a laptop for Fox. She’s bored and giving her one would make her happy. Please.”
    “Why ask me?”
    “Aramis is incapacitated and…”
    “And I am second best?”
    “It’s not like that, I didn’t know who else to ask.” Anya felt surprisingly hurt and more than a little wary. His abnormally green eyes stared her down, so she focussed on the damp black ends of his long hair.
    “I will see that one is sent to her,” he said after an uncomfortable silence.
    “Thank you, I’m sorry to have disturbed you.” His arm shot out against the wall to stop her from leaving.
    “I want to show you something.” Anya caught the look Søren was giving her and she reddened.
    “It’s not what you are thinking.”
    “You don’t know what I am thinking.”
    “I don’t have to be able to read your mind,” Søren moved away from her and pulled a black singlet over his head. “My magic can feel it.”
    “Great,” Anya muttered.
    “Come with me.”
    “Are you going to throw anymore knives at me?”
    “That all depends on if you are going to behave yourself.” He walked out before she could reply, so she hurried after him.
    “Where are we going?”
    “It’s a secret.”
    “You’re really not one to give anything away, are you?” Anya stuffed her hands into her jeans pockets.
    “Can’t you let anything be a surprise?”
    “I’ve had far too many bad surprises lately, so now I am viewing them all