Valkwitch (The Valkwitch Saga Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

stories coloring her view of reality. Still,
wanderlust itched at the back of her mind. Whether the Morgwood at her back or
the fjords up that road, she wanted so much to just be away . Direction
mattered little.
    A large, cream colored horse with puffs of snowy
white hair around its hoofs lumbered to a stop behind one of the shops lining
the road. It pulled a narrow red wagon with a tall man seated on the driver’s
bench. He was dressed in out-of-place dark colors with a close cropped crown of
blonde hair that matched Tyrissa’s.
    Her book tumbled to the grass as Tyrissa sprang
to her feet and broke into a sprint down the hillside. She cut through the ball
game, a brief addition to the chaos, shouts sounding in her wake. By the time
she weaved through the houses and reached the wagon, Liran was already haggling
with Jorill, a pudgy shopkeeper nearing sixty with only scattered strands of
hair above his ears and a gray tangle hanging from his chin. Tyrissa waited,
catching her breath and allowing Liran to finish his business. Her brother wore
a loose but handsome coat of black and blue, the colors of his merchant guild.
On the back, sewn between his shoulders, was a circular patch of concentric
circles in the same company colors with a silver coin at the center. ‘Khalan
North Trade Company’ was stitched around the outermost ring of the company crest.
    “Eleven chiefmarks, boy,” Jorill said. “We
already get supplied with herbs once a week from Greden. Don’t think you can
get a little extra because you used to live here when you were a lad, snatching
candies when you thought me or the wife weren’t looking.”
    “I wouldn’t dare think of it Jorill! But I don’t
think you have spices from the Khalanheim markets. Ever had rajspice ?”
Liran removed the stopper from a small jar of reddish-brown powder. Jorill
leaned in for a sniff and came away looking thoughtful.
    “This traveled some two thousand miles to get
here. Khalanheim’s markets contain pieces of the entire world, and I’m bringing
a piece of the world to you. It’s not just rare, it’s unique. I’d say that’s
worth a ‘little extra’. It’s still a discount from what you’d pay to someone
from the capital for anything like this. I’ll even knock a few off the price as…
delayed payment for those candies. Fifteen chiefmarks.”
    Liran spoke faster than she remembered, some of
his words seasoned with an unfamiliar accent. He had been gone for almost two
years now, leaving for the city of Khalanheim to further his career with the
Khalan North Trade Company. That was on top of the years he spent bouncing
around Morgale’s cities, working with the local branches of the company and
visiting Edgewatch once a season at best. To Tyrissa the cities of the south
sparkled in her imagination like diamonds just over the horizon. Khalanheim and
Gardula, Imperial Rhonia and Tillmoore. Liran got to see them first hand and she
couldn’t help but feel a small surge of jealousy whenever she thought on it.
    Jorill wrapped up their haggling duel with,
“Sure, fifteen. Welcome home, boy.”
    Liran lifted a small padded crate from the back
of the wagon and handed it to the shopkeeper. He saw Tyrissa standing here and
lifted a finger, asking her to wait a moment longer. All that remained in the
wagon bed were a travel pack and another smaller crate of jarred spices, likely
a gift for their mother.
    “You have a great evening Jorill. I’ll come by
for payment tomorrow.”
    Jorill grunted in assent and carried the crate
through the backdoor of his shop.
    “I find your priorities confused Liran,” Tyrissa
said crossing her arms in mock disappointment. “Honestly, two years and you’d
rather make a few marks before seeing your dearest sister.”
    Liran had the decency to send his sharp,
appraising eyes downward and look chastised, all the while still bearing a
charming smile that implied a constant, private joke. The other girls always
told her how Liran was