Free Child of the Sword, Book 1 of The Gods Within by J.L. Doty

full body block. The two of them
sprawled into the dirt of the yard, raising a cloud of dust that
filled Morgin’s nostrils. They separated and jumped to their feet,
facing one another.
    “What are you trying to do?” JohnEngine
screamed.
    Beckett interrupted, bellowing, “What’s
going on here?” He elbowed his way through the crowd of boys that
had gathered about them. “Here, here! What’s this? Are you fighting
again, Morgin?”
    “No,” JohnEngine screamed. “It wasn’t him.
It was DaNoel.”
    DaNoel ignored JohnEngine and Beckett,
looked hatefully at Morgin and growled, “Don’t you ever call her
mother again. She’s not your mother. She’s mine. You have no right,
whoreson.” Then he spun about and stormed off the practice
field.
    “All right, boys,” Beckett yelled. “Break it
up. Practice is over today. Go clean up for dinner.”
     
    ~~~
     
    “Morgin,” Annaline called. “Morgin.”
    Morgin, caught unprepared, held his breath,
hoping to stay hidden. If he were lucky she’d not climb the stairs
to the top of the battlements where he lay idling in the sun. Today
was a holiday, and he would do as he pleased.
    “Morgin. Are you up there?”
    He held his silence. Maybe she would think
he had gone down to the festival in the village market. There was
always something going on down there on the monthly holiday.
    “You come down here, Morgin. I know you’re
up there somewhere.”
    He sighed and scanned the horizon. It was a
beautifully clear day with Attunhigh dominating the skyline, a
monolith of rock and snow standing guard over the valley of
Elhiyne, and the world of man.
    “If you don’t come down I’ll send the
ShadowLord after you.”
    Didn’t she realize he was too old to believe
in demon netherlords? He swung his legs off the battlement and
dropped to the parapet. If he’d been smart he would have made
himself absent from the castle long ago. “I’m coming,” he hollered
as he started down the stairs.
    He met Annaline on her way up. She looked
him over quickly and said, “Good. You’re not dirty. We won’t have
to waste time cleaning you up.”
    “What for?” he asked.
    “For grandmother. She wants to see you.”
    Morgin froze in his tracks. “You didn’t tell
me that.”
    Annaline grabbed a fold of his sleeve and
pulled him along. “Well I’m telling you now. And you’d better hurry
or you’ll make grandmother angry.”
    Morgin shut his mouth and followed her
sullenly. The old woman wanted to see him ! He shivered.
    In the years he’d been at the castle he’d
never personally faced the old witch. Of course he’d seen her many
times, but always from a distance, and he could count the number of
times she’d actually spoken to him on the six fingers of one hand.
There was something powerful and frightening about her that he
didn’t like, a dark presence that hovered at the edge of his senses
whenever she was near, a presence that was not fully gone from his
mind until she was completely out of the valley.
    Annaline took Morgin to a part of the castle
he’d always avoided, and outside of the old woman’s haunt they met
AnnaRail waiting for them. “The Lady Olivia wants to examine you to
determine the extent of your power,” she said. “So be on your best
behavior.” She fussed at his tunic for a moment, then swept his
hair back out of his eyes. “There. You look like a fine young man,”
she said, then turned and stepped through the door that led to the
old witch.
    Annaline seemed to sense Morgin’s unease as
he hesitated. She quickly whispered, “Don’t worry, Morgin.
Grandmother just likes to make you think she’s mean and nasty.
Inside she’s really just a sweet old lady.”
    Annaline’s words did little to reassure him
as he stepped into the audience chamber. He halted just inside,
surveying the room with care. Beside the old woman, Roland and
AnnaRail were the only others present. But it was Olivia, seated in
cushioned elegance near a large hearth,