Free The Tomni'Tai Scroll (Book 1) by Sam Ferguson Page B

wrapped it around them. “The desert nights can get quite cold,” Kai commented in an attempt to make things seem normal for the girls.
    The two women looked up at Kai, but they said nothing. What was there to say after such horrid tragedies? Kai sighed again and walked into the back room. He closed the door gently and lit a candle. The light flooded the room, scattering the shadows about as he moved. Kai undressed and cleaned his sword. As he cleaned the blade he realized his terrible mistake. This was not his sword. His sword was embedded in the wall of the house, near a second-floor window, and his knife was still buried in the abdomen of one of his enemy’s. His sword had been a gift from Captain Lador upon joining the Rasselin Rangers, and Kai had often shown his knife to his comrades as it was a favorite weapon of his. He knew that the blades would be used to implicate him in the deadly business. Kai tossed the bloody sword to the floor and punched the nearby wall in frustration.
    “What do I do now?” Kai mumbled. After punching the wall one more time he walked to the head of his bed. He moved his bed away from the wall, reached down and pulled up a loose floorboard. He stuck his hand down in the hole and retrieved a small leather bag, closed with the employment of a drawstring. He hefted the small, but heavy bag up and a faint smile crossed his lips for the briefest moment as he thought of its contents.
    This bag was freedom, for himself and for his sister. It was his life earnings. This bag was going to give him his dreams in Kobhir where he and his sister could live happily. The contents inside, five hundred gold pieces, were almost enough to make their way to Aunt Agnes’ alchemical shop in Kobhir and buy into her business as she had offered.
    Soon, however, the smile faded as he recalled that he would not be going. In fact it was likely that the only place he was going was to his death. The executioner’s block or perhaps the noose would be his final destination. But at least his sister would be safe. This money could send both Jenedina and Sebina to Aunt Agnes in Kobhir where they could pay for alchemical training and settle in. Kai sighed as he rose to his feet. The gravity of the consequences of his actions finally settled in on him and nagged at his soul.
    Kai pushed the bed back and then returned to the front room and knelt in front of his sister. She looked up at him with a tear ridden face, but she said nothing. Kai reached out with his left hand and gently brushed her hair from her forehead. His hand then grasped hers and he pulled it towards him. He kissed the hand of his baby sister, and then he overturned it, and placed the bag of gold into it.
    “Do you remember Aunt Agnes?” he asked.
    She nodded silently.
    “She offered to let us buy into her shop after ma and pa died. I have been saving ever since then to take us out of here.”
    Sebina shut her eyes as tears escaped through the corner of her eyes. Her bottom lip quivered and her shoulders slumped. “I didn’t know you were doing that,” she whispered.
    Kai put a hand on her shoulder. “I never wanted you to stay here in the desert,” Kai said. “I have been writing Aunt Agnes regularly every few months to keep in touch. I am still a few months short of the sum she proposed, but I am sure she will take you in if you tell her what happened here. Tomorrow, go and charter a trip to Kobhir. Take Jenedina with you. When you get there take this letter to Aunt Agnes, it is the most recent one she wrote and it has her address in it. No matter what, you may never come back here. Do you understand?”
    Sebina nodded her head. She didn’t say anything. She just stared at the bag blankly. Suddenly, she threw her arms around her brother and began to sob. Now, instead of bringing her happiness, the realization of her dream of leaving Rasselin was tearing out her heart. She had no idea that Kai had been planning this all along. If she had known she