The Silent Tempest (Book 2) (41 page)

There it would wait until he was ready.

Tyrion lay in bed beside his She’Har
lover, unable to sleep, and in the darkness he smiled.

“Why did you stop?” said Matthew, somewhat
insistently.

“I’m tired,” I told him honestly. “This
is a good place to let the story rest, and all of you need sleep.”

Matthew disagreed, “I’m not sleepy. Just
finish it.”

“I’ve been talking for hours. Take pity
on your storyteller,” I said with a wan smile.

Moira tried to take my side, “I don’t know
if I want to hear the rest after this anyway. He’s turned his children into
angry killers, and now, after they created the first peace treaty between
humans and She’Har, he’s already breaking their trust.”

I watched her carefully, “You mean
stealing the loshti?”

My daughter nodded, “That’s what starts
the war, isn’t it?”

Looking up at the ceiling, I answered
carefully, “No, actually it doesn’t. They live peacefully for quite a while
after that—sort of.”

Moira frowned, “But he stole it, won’t
they know who did it?”

Lynarralla started to speak, but I held up
my hand to stop her. “You already know why the theft didn’t create a major
incident,” I said to the She’Har girl. “Don’t you?”

“I don’t know the story, but the gift of
the Illeniel elders would make it impossible for them not…”

“Ah, ah!” I said, shushing her. “You’re
going to spoil it for them.”

Lynarralla closed her mouth quickly.

Moira growled, “That’s not fair! Lynn, you
can tell me when we leave.”

The silver-haired girl answered seriously,
“Your father doesn’t wish for me to tell you.”

I smiled, I had expected that answer.

Moira’s rebellion wasn’t done yet,
though. “You don’t have to listen to him, just tell me when we’re alone.”

“Tyrion and Lyralliantha told me to obey
him as though he were my own father,” explained the She’Har girl. “I cannot
violate their command.”

“If only my own children were so
obedient,” I remarked snidely.

Matthew laughed, “You wish!”

“This isn’t over yet, old man,” said Moira
with mock scorn.

“I’m sure it isn’t,” I replied, “but the
rest will have to wait for tomorrow.”

Reluctantly, they left for bed. Silently,
I made my own way to the room I shared with Penny and skillfully slid under the
blankets, doing my best to avoid disturbing her. She was awake though, whether
because she had been waiting or because I had been too clumsy, I wasn’t sure.
Her foot snaked out to slip under my ankle, letting me know she was at least
partially conscious.

The contact helped ease my mind from the
next part of the memories I had been following. Relaxing at last, I went to
sleep.

Coming
Late in 2015:

Centyr
Dominance

The tale begun in Thornbear continues as Moira
Illeniel begins a quest to find and rescue her father while learning the darker
secrets of the Centyr legacy.

Coming
in the Summer of 2016:

The
Betrayer’s Bane

The story of Tyrion Illeniel marches on to its
inevitable conclusion. As Tyrion’s quest for vengeance reaps a harvest that
will devastate friend and foe alike.

For
more information about the Mageborn series check out the author’s website:

www.magebornbooks.com

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