Unbound Enchantment (Unbreakable Force Book 1) Read Online Free

to be any better than the last two.
    Aaric looked surprised. “You do?”
    “The nomads have names, you know.” I tried not to ground my teeth with irritation.
    Aaric said nothing, merely watched me with his soft gray eyes.
    “It's Adaryn,” I said at last. “Adaryn is my name.”
    “Adaryn,” Aaric repeated quietly. “It means ‘bird’ in the Old Language.”
    I already knew that. My people often mixed the Old Language with the Common tongue. I nodded, not able to speak around the lump that had welled in my throat. I'd only been gone for three days, but it felt like months.
    “That will do fine,” Aaric said. I was surprised to hear the gentleness in his voice. “I think it's a lovely name. Much better than Poppy.”
    I gave him a watery smile, thankful beyond words that he was going to let me keep my name. I knew that wasn't common. The young man coughed deliberately and stood up, holding his empty porridge bowl. He held a hand out to mine. “Are you going to finish that?”
    I shook my head and passed it to him. He placed them in the sink, a remarkable feat, since every other dish in the house seemed to be in the sink as well.
    “I'll be in the study all morning,” he said, heading for the entryway and stairs. “Please don't disturb me. I'm in the middle of something important.”
    “May I go outside?” I asked. Aaric's head snapped around to look at me suspiciously. I held out my hands in a peaceful gesture. “I won't run away. Promise.”
    He still looked wary but glanced up the stairs toward his study. It seemed the opportunity for quiet won out. He nodded. “Yes, but stay close. I don't want to spend the better part of my day fetching you from heaven knows where.”
    He went up the stairs, two at a time. I had no idea what he found so fascinating in his office, but I had my own business to attend to. I retrieved my boots and cloak and headed outdoors.
    Stepping outside, I took a deep breath. Despite the smell of unwashed bodies and garbage, the air was cold and felt good on my face. I had been outside yesterday, but being indoors for any amount of time felt like too long. “I wasn't made to live in a box,” I muttered to myself as I hurried down the steps and into the street.
    People were everywhere. I felt every bit as overwhelmed as I did the day before but this time without the anxiety of trying to escape. Men, women, and bedraggled beggar children thronged the streets, with horse drawn carriages and carts mingling in the crowd.
    I was pushed this way and that, like the flow of a river. The crowd streamed on without a break. Most of the people I saw looked to be city dwellers, but I saw nomadic people, too. Most of them moved with the purpose of some unknown errand, and some begged on the streets; all wore collars.
    I wandered the streets for some time, feeling my appetite grow as I walked. I regretfully thought of my unfinished porridge at home, wishing I had eaten it. I fished through my pockets but only came up with a couple of coppers. My people rarely used money, as we preferred to trade items, but occasionally we dealt with it. I had no idea if it would be enough to buy a meal, but it was worth a try.
    After a bit of searching, I found myself standing in front of an establishment that sold coffee and pastries. I stood in front of the door, debating if I should go in. The city was so different from my peaceful forest and isolated clans, and it came with its own set of rules, rules I was thoroughly unfamiliar with. My growling stomach decided for me. With a deep breath, I pushed open the door and walked in.

 
    7
    Adaryn
     
    T he smell of hot coffee and bread washed over me. I looked around. There were a few people seated at spotlessly clean, small white tables, but they all looked to be Oppressors. My heart constricted for a moment; what if I wasn't supposed to be here? But the few who looked up from their newspapers hardly gave me a second glance. I looked over at the serving counter