The Flute Keeper's Promise (The Flute Keeper Saga) Read Online Free Page A

varying appearances and languages scattered
throughout Faylinn, just as in the human world. In fact, when you took away the
magic, they were more or less the same as humans, reaching all the life stages
at roughly the same time and living to an average age of ninety years.
    The same could not be said for
Slaugh. So far, I’d only found one tree whose fruit contained knowledge of the
race. From it, I’d learned that most Slaugh were lucky to reach forty and that you
didn’t want to meet one who had because it meant he’d killed anyone who’d tried
to kill him first, thereby becoming a gruesome alpha in a race of top predators.
    I’d asked Lev about it once,
pointing out that at eighteen he was nearing middle age.
    “True,” he’d said, dodging a blow
to his shoulder (these conversations almost always took place while we were sparring).
“I should have taken a wife and fathered children by now.”
    I’d made a face, then ducked and
rolled to avoid one of his knives. “Wow, don’t make it sound glamorous or
anything.”
    “It’s not, Em. It’s just a fact of
life. We die fast, so we have to live fast.”
    I’d paused to wipe some sweat out
of my eyes. “You know, maybe you wouldn’t all die so fast if you’d channel your
energy into something besides fighting. What about knitting? Or yoga? Ooh, how
about meditation? Very calming, I hear.”
    “Em…”
    “Feng shui? Pilates? Tai chi? I’m
not sure what those are. I’m just saying words now.”
    Lev had narrowed his eyes and
frowned the way he always did whenever he was pretending to be mad at me. “If
you were half as good at self-defense as you are at running your mouth, you
wouldn’t need to mend your trousers.”
    I’d glanced down. “There’s nothing
wrong with my—”
    Lev had then swept by me in a blur
and sliced my left pants leg off at the knee.
    “Point made. You know, you’re
pretty fast for an old man.”
    “No library today,” Anouk said,
bringing me back into the present.  “Come find me in the garden when you get
finished.”
     
    The room where my Spirit Tree stood
was quiet and dim with just a single ray of light pouring in from one high
window. The tree was, as always, eerily still. Not a leaf fluttered until I watered
the roots with a can I’d filled with my tears.
    The branches twitched. Leaves
rustled. All at once a shimmering purple figure blossomed from the branches.
The tall woman, part Fay, part Slaugh, gazed down on me with motherly concern.
    Though I had discovered the
identity of my Spirit Mentor by accident, the spirit had no idea of her past
life or deeds. She was never distracted by personal memories because she did
not have them. She was a guide focused solely on helping me to understand my
strengths and confront my weaknesses.
    “Linaeve,” I said.
    The purple spirit beamed something
like a smile. Her face, when it was discernible, was exquisite. “I knew you’d
come today. These are fresh tears you’ve brought. Are you in mourning again?”
    I sighed. “It’s Hue. I can’t stop
thinking about what happened to him.”
    “You’re not to blame,” Linaeve
said.
    “Tell that to his father. The Duke
of Briar has been making all kinds of threats now that he doesn’t have an heir.
I can deal with it, but Chloe…”
    “I see. You’re doubling your guilt
by adding hers. This is not constructive, Emma.” Linaeve lowered her head and
said sternly, “You must move on.”
    “How?” I asked.
    The leaves of the tree fluttered
while Linaeve grew silent. She appeared to be thinking. After a moment she
said, “You need something else to occupy your mind.”
    I almost laughed. When I wasn’t
feeling guilt over Hue, there were a hundred other things ready to fill my head
with worry. “What do you suggest? Should I take up baking?”
    Linaeve’s form grew cloudy and I worried
that I’d angered her.
     “I apologize,” Linaeve said. Her
form grew bright again and I could see her facial features. She