Dragonvein (Book Two) Read Online Free Page A

moment to move against us,” added Ganix. He cocked his head, struck by a sudden thought. “Perhaps he stalls for time.”
    “Why would he need to do that?” asked Ethan doubtfully.
    “I don’t know,” he admitted. “But he must surely be aware that we’ve now prepared for his coming. His army is massing, but not moving. He waits and makes overtures of peace that he knows we would see as disingenuous. In fact, everything he has done causes us to delay further action and sends us into a state of confusion.”
    He met Ethan’s eyes. “If I needed time…that’s exactly what I would do.”
    There was a long silence. Ethan’s mind was racing. He had no head for strategy, and the idea of trying to think in the same way as an all-powerful emperor was far more than he could handle.
    “I know this is much to put on someone so young,” Ganix said, clearly noticing Ethan’s distress. “I was the same at your age. It takes time to learn to think as your enemy does.”
    Ethan gave him an embarrassed smile. “I know people think I’m something special. But the truth is that I’m just a baker’s son from Brooklyn.”
    “Ah. But you were also a soldier.”
    “True. But not an officer. All I ever did was follow orders. There were better men who did the planning.”
    Ganix placed a hand fondly on Ethan’s shoulder and gazed at him with a fatherly expression. “More experienced perhaps. But not better. You should be proud to have come so far. And I am confident that you will go further still.” He started toward the door. “Come. Enough intrigue for now. We must continue with our efforts to free Lylinora.”
    The mention of her name snapped Ethan from his melancholy. Every night he had dreamed of what it would be like once she was free from her prison. Jonas had told him as much as he knew, though he admitted most of it was from the few times he had met her while travelling to her father’s estate on business.
    The last time was a year before Shinzan began his campaign to conquer Lumnia. By then, Lylinora was already a talented mage and a well-respected noble – known for her skill at healing. Her father, Lord Killian Jaymonte, had resisted quite a few overtures of marriage from the other houses. He insisted that Lylinora would marry for love, not political advantage. This had angered several prominent members of the Council of Volnar, but Lord Jaymonte didn’t seem to care.
    Jonas had also told him that Lylinora’s father and his own had been quite close, and often expressed a wish that their two houses could be joined. Sadly, Ethan was only an infant at the time of their final meeting, making such a union all but impossible. But that was no longer the case.
    He followed Ganix to the chamber where Lylinora had been kept for the past five hundred years. Ethan had already moved most of his belongings there, along with a more comfortable cot. Naturally, Kat hated this, and was constantly interrupting his studies. It had gotten to the point where Ethan had requested a guard be placed at the entrance. Not that this helped much. Given Kat’s ability to remain unnoticed, she gained entry regardless. In fact, the presence of the guard only encouraged her to be increasingly spiteful with her practical jokes and tricks. Ethan would scarcely take a bite of food or sip of wine without closely examining it first.
    As usual on arriving, a blanket had been thrown over Lylinora’s crystal and his bedding was scattered about the floor.
    Ganix chuckled. “I must say that I admire the girl’s resolve. I had thought she would tire of such antics by now.”
    Ethan began to tidy up the mess. “Kat’s as stubborn as an army mule. The Krauts wouldn’t have lasted an hour against her.”
    “Yes,” remarked Ganix. “The Krauts. They were the enemy you fought against on Earth, am I right?”
    “Actually, their proper name is Germans. We just call them Krauts…or Jerry.”
    “Why?”
    Ethan paused to think for a moment. “You