Read Leoht (BloodRunes: Book 3) for Free Online Page B

regular means to
find him and cleanse the area enough to perform the magic that
would be needed to transport us all there.”
    “Why not just take care of him without
bothering to bring the others if they’ve already gone through the
trouble of getting there?” asked Katya. “Just saying…”
    “No,” Layna answered, unfazed by Katya’s
tone, “whatever it is that we’re going to need to do involves all
of us. It’s definitely important that we’re all present, he’s much
too powerful. But that way, while one group is traveling to find
where he is, the other can be researching information about the
Bloodstone and the sword and helping prepare Treymayne for
war.”
    “Well, I guess I’m the one going then,” Katya
said.
    “Why’s that?” Gryffon asked.
    “Well for one, I’m the most qualified to keep
myself alive,” Layna noticed Gryffon’s face turning a shade darker
and his fists clenched at his sides. “And I highly doubt that
anyone is going to listen to me from your little council there. I’m
not exactly well-known.”
    “That’s true,” Layna agreed and turned to
Gryffon, “You’re really the one that needs to give this information
to the council, coming from either of us,” she pointed to Katya and
then herself, “they wouldn’t be as ready to believe it.”
    “I’m not really sure they put much stock into
my words anymore either,” he said, “but I see your point. Layna and
I also already have relationships with Aileen and Echo who can also
help to convince them and may even have more information for
us.”
    “Good,” Katya stated matter-of-factly, “it’s
settled then. I’ll start out in the morning.”
    That night when Gryffon went out to collect
more firewood, Katya came over and sat next to Layna. She sat there
a moment staring at the fire and Layna wondered what was on her
mind. She was fingering a small package in her hand.
    “Are you regretting agreeing to join our
little group?” Layna asked after a moment when she still hadn’t
said anything.
    “No. Apparently it’s my destiny,” Katya
answered cynically, and then added slowly, “but there’s something I
have to tell you.” She paused for another long moment and Layna
waited patiently. When she spoke again it all came out in a rush.
“Your parents are dead. I was being held captive by one of the
collars that I told you about under the control of Karl, Jezebel’s
father, but I escaped. When I did, I accidentally touched Karl’s
mind and from it got an image of two people who are somehow
connected to my past. It was your parents. I tracked them down in
Elbridge and introduced myself to them. And that’s when the
assassin came and killed them.”
    Layna was stunned. Her parents were dead?
Tears sprung to her eyes. “What do you mean Elbridge? They live in
Rockham, maybe you have the wrong people…”
    Katya shook her head, “I don’t think so…their
names were Gerald and Evelyn.”
    Layna’s tears were flowing freely now and she
put her hands to her face. She felt Katya’s hand rest tentatively
on her shoulder and fought the urge to shrug her off. If she hadn’t
visited them, if it hadn’t been for her, maybe…Layna could suddenly
feel the Three inside her, calming her and she stopped her mind
from placing blame. Katya obviously didn’t know that it would
happen. But why would someone assassinate her parents? After a few
minutes, Layna sniffed and wiped the tears from her eyes. Crying
over it wouldn’t bring them back.
    Katya was staring down at the package in her
hands.
    “What’s that?”
    “Before he died your father gave this to me
to give to you. I don’t know why, he didn’t…” she trailed off and
unfolded the fabric around the package revealing a small box
inside. “Does it mean anything to you?”
    Layna smiled affectionately, fighting back
the tears what were welling up once more. “It’s a puzzle box, my
father used to make them for me as a little girl.”
    Katya picked it up