The Schism (The Broken Prism Book 4) Read Online Free Page A

were old friends.
    Confused, Hayden shook his hand and said, “Uh, yeah…it’s cool.”
    Magdalene smacked him in the back of the head hard enough to sting, and Hayden almost fell forward from the unexpected blow.
    “What in the—”
    “When you are in public areas in a formal setting, you will act appropriately,” Mrs. Trout cut him off before he could finish protesting. “The word ‘uh’ should not leave your mouth at any time, and you should comport yourself with dignity and professional courtesy.”
    “I didn’t know that your house counted as a formal setting,” Hayden grumbled, wondering why Bonk was being so docile and not coming to his defense. “I also didn’t know I’d be getting hit for my mistakes.”
    “It is the fastest way to make an impression with boys, and time is of the essence,” she continued without apology.
    “So you’re saying that I have to pretend to like your sons for the next five weeks, even though all of us know that we can’t stand each other?”
    “Yes, because that is the nature of the game. Any place where someone might see or hear you requires professionalism. You three can feel free to hate each other in private to your hearts’ content,” she explained dispassionately. “You can’t possibly think that I like or get along with half of the people that I invite into my home for parties or business meetings.”
    Hayden opened his mouth and almost said, ‘Uh…’ before he caught himself and changed it quickly to, “I hadn’t given it much thought before now.”
    “It is one of the many lessons you’ll learn over the next few weeks. You will have to be a fast learner in all areas of study if you have a hope of winning your case against the Council, and you can expect to be punished for your failures here in light of that fact.”
    Lorn shot him a smug look at the thought of watching him get smacked repeatedly for weeks on end. Hayden was privately delighted when Magdalene leaned over and struck her youngest son on the back of the head for gloating publicly.
    Well, at least she’s consistent.
    “I’ll keep it in mind,” Hayden acknowledged.
    “Good. Oliver, show our guest around the estate and see that his basic needs are met. Lorn, get back to your training. Dinner will be held the formal dining room in one hour.”
    She walked away from the three of them without another word, and suddenly Hayden found himself standing awkwardly in the library of a strange place with people who hated him, wondering how his day had gone downhill so quickly. When he woke up this morning, he’d had no idea that fighting a yeti would be the highlight of his afternoon.
    Lorn slouched off, looking mulish about being reprimanded by his mother, while Oliver turned back to him and said, “Would you like to leave your things in your room before we continue your tour?”
    There was something stuffed and forced about his politeness, but it was still disarming and kind of creepy to have Oliver treat him like a human being.
    “Sure, thanks.”
    “Try to sound less casual, or my mother will probably hit you again the next time she hears it.” There was something in his tone that made it obvious that he could receive no greater pleasure than watching Hayden get the snot smacked out of him, though he was resigned to doing his best to warn him in advance.
    Feeling like he’d stepped into an alternate universe, Hayden took a deep breath and said, “Thank you, Oliver. Please, lead on.”

2
    A New Kind of Lesson
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Unlike his father’s manor, all of the bedrooms in the Trout estate were on the ground floor, and Hayden was led to a richly-furnished guest bedroom that afforded a nice view of the back yard, which he hadn’t seen on the way in. Looking out the window he could spot an area for hand-to-hand combat, fencing, and a dirt-floored place with targets and obstacles for practicing magic.
    When the door shut behind them, Oliver relaxed and became more