Free The Last Enchanter by Laurisa White Reyes Page B

out of breath from running. “I heard the commotion, but I didn’t realize how close—by the gods, Marcus, you’re bleeding!”
    Marcus touched the damp spot on his cheek and found a small scratch there, but the injury wasn’t as bad as it could have been.
    Clovis took Marcus’s arm as though he were helping an invalid.
    â€œI’m fine, Clovis,” insisted Marcus.
    â€œYou look pale. Maybe you should lie down.”
    â€œReally, Clovis,” said Marcus a little too sharply. It was just that he hated that sort of attention, and other than feeling a little bruised here and there, he was quite capable of walking on his own. “I’m okay,” he added. “We should be getting to the Fortress to see Kelvin.”
    Lael shook her head. “I’m not coming.”
    â€œWhat?” asked Clovis. “Why not?”
    â€œI didn’t come here for Kelvin, remember? I have my own business in Dokur.”
    â€œThat’s fine,” said Marcus. He agreed with Lael. He hadn’t wanted her coming with him in the first place, and he certainly did not want her tagging along on his visit to his brother. “If you need a place to stay, there’s a tavern across the square. The girl who works there, Kaië, is a friend of mine.”
    â€œI’m staying, too,” said Bryn. “You know what happened the last time I went to the Fortress.”
    â€œWhat happened?” asked Lael.
    â€œHe was arrested and sentenced to death,” said Clovis. “He only escaped because of Marcus.”
    â€œAnd Kaië,” added Marcus.
    Bryn smiled. “I can stay here with Lael.”
    Lael’s eyes widened with concern, but she said nothing. Marcus wondered if leaving them alone together was a good idea. While he was certain Bryn could take care of himself, he wasn’t quite so sure about Lael. She’d never been away from the village of Quendel before, especiallyin a city like Dokur. She might run into trouble.
    Marcus pulled Clovis aside. “Clovis, I have a favor to ask.”
    â€œAnything.”
    â€œI know you came all this way to help me,” said Marcus. He hoped what he was about to ask would not hurt his friend’s feelings, but Clovis interrupted him.
    â€œMarcus, do you really think we should leave Lael alone? I mean, I know she’s handy with her sling, but maybe I should stay here—to keep an eye on her—and maybe Bryn, too.”
    Marcus patted Clovis’s shoulder, relieved that he didn’t have to make the suggestion himself. “I think you’re right,” he said. “In any case, Zyll and I will be back tomorrow after we’ve had a chance to meet with Kelvin.”
    A smile crept onto Clovis’s face. Then he led Lael and Bryn toward the tavern.
    Marcus watched them for a moment and turned to go his own way. “Are you coming, Grandfather?” he asked.
    Zyll, who had been looking over the wreckage, nodded. “Yes, of course,” he said. Noticing the scratch on Marcus’s face, Zyll reached up to touch it, when something else caught his attention. He gazed curiously at the silver figure at Marcus’s throat. Then his demeanor abruptly changed. “Yes,” he repeated with a smile, “I think your brother will be quite surprised to see us.”
    Allowing Marcus to lead the way, Zyll held back a moment. He looked at the collapsed tent once more.
    â€œTrouble seems to follow that boy,” said Xerxes,clicking his beak disapprovingly. “I’ve warned you before, he cannot be left alone.”
    â€œI believe you might be right, old friend,” replied Zyll. “Perhaps I will take your advice and keep a closer eye on him.”
    Xerxes squawked in surprise. “Since when do you ever take my advice?”
    â€œSince I discovered that this tent’s main support rope was deliberately cut.”

Twenty-seven
    T he Seafarer Tavern was one of the