Mageborn The Line of Illeniel by Michael Manning (top novels of all time TXT) 📗

like this for the foreseeable future I wouldn’t survive that long anyway. “There!” I declared after a long breathless moment, “I think I’ve made my point.”

Penny started chuckling beside me and soon we were both laughing. “You can believe that if it makes you feel better, my Lord Cameron.”

I grimaced in mock anger and started tickling her but a knock at the door interrupted our battle. Feeling brash I rose to answer it. “Mort! Put some clothes on!” Penny hissed at me.

“Bah! I’ll teach that brazen manservant some manners this time!” I went to the door and threw it open, preparing to embarrass the man once and for all.

“Oh my! If I had known you greet all your callers this way I would have visited you sooner Mordecai.” Rose Hightower stood in the entrance, covering her mouth with her hand as if to hide a gasp. I turned several shades of red and dashed back to the bed, hoping to cover myself with the sheets.

Penny had already wrapped them around herself and refused to share, “Oh no you don’t! You brought this on yourself you cad!” she yelled. I gave up quickly and ran for the bath chamber. Rose stood laughing in the entrance the whole time.

“I may be overstepping, but does this mean you have forgiven him already?” she asked Penny.

Penny blushed, “He was very persuasive.”

Rose laughed, “I’ll wait here in the hall till you’re both ready. Unless you would prefer I come back at a later time?”

I wanted to shout that later would be best but Penny answered first, “We’ll be presentable in just a few minutes if you don’t mind. Thank you Rose.” I heard the door close and I peeked out into the main room.

“It’s safe,” said Penny. We dressed hurriedly and once we were somewhat presentable Penny opened the door. I wasn’t quite ready to face Rose so soon.

“I came to ask if you’d been to see your father’s house yet,” Rose said after we had all sat down.

My first impulse was to answer that Royce couldn’t possibly own a house in Albamarl till I realized she must mean Tyndal Illeniel, “He owned a house here?”

“Of course, he was a counselor to the king. Naturally he and your mother kept their residence here. You didn’t know?” Rose seemed genuinely surprised.

“No, it never occurred to me. I only recently learned who he was and things have been so busy I hadn’t thought to ask. Why wasn’t the house sold after he died? No one knew I was alive after all.” Without an heir ownership should have reverted back to... I wasn’t sure who, but someone should have taken possession by now.

“Hah! No one would dare enter his home. Think of what he was! Even robbers and vandals have given it a wide berth since his death,” Rose answered. What she said made sense; I would probably have put wards and protections around my own dwelling.

“So it has stood untouched since my parents were there last?” The thought brought a host of fanciful ideas to mind. What had they been doing before they left? What secrets were there? How many of their possessions remained? I had never known them in life yet their home might be full of answers about their lives.

“As far as I know… yes.” Rose’s eyes twinkled; she seemed as excited by the prospect of exploring the house as I was. She had an insatiable curiosity. Despite her beauty it was impossible to forget that behind her blue eyes lurked a mind as sharp as a razor. “Shall we go take a look?”

“I would love to. You already know the way?” I replied.

“This city is my home. Penny this man’s head is addled. If I hadn’t seen him naked a moment ago I would still be wondering what you see in him,” she teased.

Penny started laughing and I blushed again. I suspected Rose would be using that to embarrass me for years to come. “He does have his talents,” Penny added. I wasn’t sure if she was referring to my magic or... or my other magic.

I gathered up my sword and staff and we set out with Rose leading the way. Since we had arrived in Albamarl we hadn’t had an opportunity to see much of the city beyond the royal palace itself so the walk was educational. The city was laid out much like a wagon wheel, with the palace at its center. Once we were out of the palace proper we followed the inner hub road until we came to another ‘spoke’ road that led outward.

At the place where the roads met was a large garden on the side nearest the palace. It was unusual in that its main feature was a massive rock that seemed to thrust up from the very earth. It had to be natural; no feat of men could have moved such a massive stone there to be a garden feature.

Is he sleeping?

“Did you say something?” I asked my companions. I wasn’t entirely sure whose voice I had heard.

Penny and Rose had been deep in conversation, so my question seemed out of place, “Rose was just saying that she’d like to stay with us for a while in Washbrook. Haven’t you been listening?”

As a matter fact I had tuned them out. Women’s conversation often seems like a sort of pleasant background noise to me, but obviously I couldn’t tell them that. “Sorry I thought I heard something else, don’t mind me,” I replied.

He’s awake.

I heard that clearly. This time I knew for sure that the girls weren’t the source. I stopped in the street, peering around me. Penny realized immediately that I must have sensed something while Rose looked at me curiously, “Something we should know?” she asked.

I held my finger to my lips, motioning them to silence and with a few words I put a shield around them. I had gotten much better at it over the past year and it hardly took me more than thought