Read Soulblade for Free Online Page A

city? Outside of it? The general populace did not know about dragons yet, so she hoped he wasn’t perched on a clock tower somewhere. Wherever he was, he was beyond her range to sense, and she wouldn’t have been able to speak to him if he hadn’t been reaching out to her. Were you able to get any useful information out of the crystal, Bhrava Saruth?
    I have learned some things about my kind.
    Sardelle waited for him to explain further. He did not.
    Apparently, gods don’t share all of their secrets with their priestesses , Jaxi said. Maybe if you suggest that you don’t just live in the castle but that you own it and it could be turned into a shrine for him.
    Funny, Jaxi. A fresh idea came to mind. Perhaps she didn’t need to borrow a pilot and a flier for her search. The thought of asking the dragon to carry her around was daunting, and she didn’t know if she could give what he might ask for in return, but perhaps she could make another deal with him. She just couldn’t let him think she would be his servant or mouthpiece—whatever he imagined a high priestess might be. Bhrava Saruth? I was trained to be a healer. I wasn’t raised to be much of a theist either. I’m not qualified to be a priestess, high or otherwise.
    We all must start somewhere. You will be an excellent high priestess. I was not born a god, you know.
    Imagine that, Jaxi thought.
    Sardelle ignored her. How did you become one?
    I came into my power and gained many worshippers.
    Images jumped into Sardelle’s head with such vibrant intensity that she had to grip the edge of her fountain seat with both hands to brace herself, lest she fall over. She saw Bhrava Saruth in dragon form, flying over a huge gathering of yurts and tents stretching along the grasslands of northern Iskandoth, the ocean crashing against the high walls of the fjords in the distance. Then he landed and transformed into a handsome golden-haired man and lounged on a stone throne carved into a huge boulder. Men and women limped, slouched, and hobbled to him, some assisting others or carrying ailing children. They set down gifts such as dried meat, furs, and baskets of fruit, then he stretched out a hand and touched the heads of the injured or sick. When they walked away, they stood straighter and appeared haler.
    You healed people? Sardelle asked.
    Of course! A god must take care of his worshippers. I healed dragons, too, but humans are so much more appreciative. Adoring.
    The next image he showed involved a pair of women showing their adoration in a rather naked manner that left Sardelle blushing fiercely. If the vision was to be believed, Bhrava Saruth had been enthusiastic in returning his worshippers’ adoration.
    I gathered so many of the clansmen and women in the area that my contemporaries grew jealous. They thought I was trying to amass an army to use against them. I had no interest in war. Only love. The others could not understand. They sought great power and thought every other dragon was the same. Such ignorant fools! They condemned me and imprisoned me in that cavern, as if my actions were criminal.
    Do you believe him? Jaxi asked.
    I’m not going to forget that Morishtomaric lied to Angulus, Sardelle told her. She could, however, imagine Bhrava Saruth basking in the adoration of worshippers. Whether he had been as benevolent as his vision implied, she could not know.
    I am a very good god , the dragon said earnestly. If you are my priestess, I will treat you well. You will live a long and healthy life. I will bless your offspring, and they will become powerful sorcerers.
    Offspring. Sardelle’s throat tightened as Ridge’s face filled her mind. He might have been mildly horrified at the idea of powerful sorcerers for children, but he would have found a way to accept them, as he had her. And he would have been a good father, despite his reservations on the subject. Even if he hadn’t been able to see it, she had.
    That is the one you lost, yes?
    Yes , Sardelle