Veil of Shadows Read Online Free Page B

didn’t look surprised, but Syn could tell the woman was pissed.
    Lee glared at her husband. “You didn’t even read the damn report.”
    “I don’t need to,” he said flatly. “I’m considering the safety of all in making this decision, and the answer is no. No amount of reports will change that.”
    “Well, of course not,” Lee replied. “Not if you don’t bother to read them.”
    Kalen flicked a glance up at her. The silver of his eyes flashed, but Syn couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He was too good at hiding his emotions. “Is there any solid, concrete information in there about whether or not the Warlords will feel Lee’s magic? Or whether or not you know for a fact the energy is safe and isn’t going to suck a weaker witch inside, drain her dry?”
    “No.” Elina spoke for them all.
    “Then there is nothing in those reports that will change my mind.” He shoved the disc off to the side and focused once more on the reports the weapons master had provided. “Now, since that is settled, we need to start preparing for our next supply run. Unless somebody from back east finally decides to respond to my last dozen requests, we’ll have to make a run within the month.”
    He focused on Syn’s face.
    From the corner of her eye, Syn could see Lee and Elina’s expressions. Elina’s face was impassive.
    But Lee looked mad enough to spit nails.
    Syn suspected she was going to make Kalen’s life hell for the next few nights.
    Good.
    Why couldn’t they convince him?
    Why wouldn’t he give them a chance?
    That cold, empty ache inside her spread, took up a little more ground.
    He had to give in. Had to listen . . .
    Shifting her gaze to Elina, she just barely managed to keep her thoughts shielded. He’s killing us and he doesn’t even seem to understand it .
    Elina’s face was impassive. But she knew.
    Kalen didn’t understand. He didn’t have the magic inside him. He wasn’t a witch. He couldn’t know. When he didn’t let them use their magic, he was cutting off a part of them, and sooner or later, it was going to have consequences—for the three witches left in camp, they could be devastating.
    “Your report, Syn,” Kalen said, jerking her to attention.
    Syn had a hard time maintaining her composure as she delivered the supply report to the commander. She was so furious, she could hardly see. So cold, she felt sick with it. “We can hold out a few more weeks, then?” Kalen asked after she’d given him a quick rundown.
    “Safely, yes. Possibly longer,” Syn replied. “Will that be all, Commander?”
    He gave her a narrow look. For the most part, when they were discussing things among themselves, Syn rarely called him Commander. She called him by his name—they were friends, friends who’d bled together, sweated together, come close to dying together on more than one occasion. Commander was saved for times when they were out among the troops, rarely for discussions such as these.
    Unless she was pissed. And she was. Kalen leaned back in the seat and studied her face, then glanced at Lee and Elina. “I’m sorry. I know this is hard.”
    Syn said nothing. Lee glared at him.
    Elina tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. In a polite, amicable voice, she said, “You don’t fucking know what hard is . . . Commander. You think you know. But you don’t.” She reached up and tapped her brow as she continued. “Imagine if that psychic gift of yours just suddenly went away. Poof—gone, just like that. It’s part of you. You rely on it. Magic is even more intrinsic to the soul than psychic skill—but you know how hard this is. You know what it’s like to have part of your soul taken away.”
    She shifted in her chair, drumming her fingers idly on the arm of it. “No, Commander. You don’t know. So let’s just drop it.”
    “Fine.” A muscle jerked in Kalen’s jaw. “Lee, Elina, you’re dismissed. Captain, update me on how the search for Dais is going.”

    Dais Bogler rammed his