Read Steel's Edge for Free Online

helicopters.”
    â€œThank you,” Charlotte whispered.
    â€œYou’re welcome, dear.”
    The girl closed her eyes. Her breathing evened out. Éléonore finished dressing the wound.
    â€œFound yourself another bird with a broken wing,” Melanie said. “And you wonder where George gets it.”
    â€œLook at her. How can I turn her away?”
    Her friend shook her head. “Oh, Éléonore. I hope you know what you’re doing.”
    *   *   *
    IT was the evening of the next day. Éléonore sat on the porch of her house, drinking iced tea from the Weird glass and watching the Edge swallows glide back and forth, snacking on mosquitoes.
    The screen door swung open behind her. Charlotte stepped out onto the porch, wrapped in the blanket. Her hair was a mess, and her face was still pale, but her eyes were clear.
    â€œFeeling better?” Éléonore asked.
    â€œYes.”
    â€œCome sit by me.”
    The girl lowered herself in the chair carefully. That wound must’ve still hurt.
    â€œHow’s that leg?”
    â€œIt’s just a graze,” the girl said. “I’m sorry I went all to pieces. It was shock and dehydration more than anything.”
    â€œHere.” Éléonore pushed the platter of cookies toward her. “You look like it’s been a while since you ate.”
    Charlotte took a cookie. “Thank you for helping me. I don’t know how to repay you.”
    â€œDon’t mention it,” Éléonore said. “Where are you from? In the Weird, I mean. What country?”
    Charlotte paused for a second. “Adrianglia.”
    â€œMy granddaughter married a man from Adrianglia,” Éléonore told her. “Earl Camarine.”
    â€œThe Marshall of the Southern Provinces,” Charlotte said.
    Maybe she knew Rose. “Exactly. Do you know him?”
    â€œI’ve never met him,” Charlotte said. “I do know the family by reputation.”
    She looked at the woods. Exhaustion showed on her face in a weary, slack mouth and dark circles under the sad eyes. There was clearly a “past” there, Éléonore reflected. The girl didn’t seem like an escaped criminal. More like she was a victim, running from something, alone but determined. She’d seen that precise look on her granddaughter’s face when Rose ran out of money or the boys came up with some unexpected emergency. It was a “Life kicked me again, but I’ll make it work” look.
    â€œSo where are you headed?” Éléonore asked.
    â€œNowhere in particular,” Charlotte said.
    â€œWell, you’re in no shape to go anywhere.”
    Charlotte opened her mouth.
    â€œNo shape,” Éléonore said. “My granddaughter left a house behind. I meant to rent it out but never found anyone trustworthy enough not to destroy the place. It’s full of cobwebs now, but if you’re not scared of soapy water and a broom, you should be able to put it back together. You can stay there for a while. And if you want to practice healing, we can do that, too. You just need a proper introduction to people. Things are done a certain way here.”
    Charlotte was looking at her, her eyes wide, looking stunned. “Why? You don’t even know me. I could be a criminal.”
    Ã‰léonore sipped her tea. “When Earl Camarine first showed up in the Edge, I wasn’t happy with his arrival. My granddaughter is special, Charlotte. All grandmothers think their grandchildren are special, but Rose truly is. She is kind, smart, and determined. She practiced for years and taught herself to flash white, just like the best of the bluebloods. And she is beautiful. Her mother died, and her father . . .”
    Ã‰léonore grimaced.
    â€œI didn’t make good choices during my life. I didn’t marry wisely, and I’ve managed to raise a son who ran out on his own children.