Read The Awakened: Book One for Free Online

she combed her hair, but she hardly heard them.  She was unable to stop thinking about Adair and her thoughts turned from irritation at his increasing responsibilities to worry about his safety.
    After combing out a night’s worth of tangles, she wove her hair into a simple braid that hung down to the middle of her back, tying the ends of the thick locks with a narrow ribbon.  On the table next to her comb were two elaborately decorated glass bottles of rose oil, a rare treat in her culture.  Adair had purchased each of them on separate occasions from a merchant friend of his that passed through Bastul only a few times a year.  She pulled the glass stopper from the older of the two bottles and applied a drop to each wrist and one on either side of her neck.
    Now ready for the day, Maeryn left her bedroom and descended the stairs leading toward the center of the house, remembering Kael’s excitement about a new project that he and Saba were going to start in the morning.  As she reached the first floor, the garden courtyard came into view between white stone columns which supported the overhanging roof.  She headed through the center two columns and down a circular set of stairs that led to the gravel floor.  The bright morning sun reflected off the top of the house to her left, leaving the rest of the open area in morning shadows.  By noon, the sun would be shining straight down into the garden and the many trees and flowers would bask in the warmth.
    Just as she suspected, Kael and Saba were at the other end of the garden.  As she approached, Saba stood from a kneeling position at the base of a small tree.
    “Good morning, Maeryn,” he said in a soft voice.
    “Mother,” exclaimed Kael, running toward her and throwing his arms around her waist.
    Maeryn reached down and stroked Kael’s shoulder-length blonde hair.  His blue eyes were bright, especially when he was excited about something.  Most boys his age would be embarrassed to hug their mothers.  But not Kael; he was different—special.  “Good morning, you two.  And what are you working on now?” she asked.
    Kael answered excitedly before Saba had a chance.  “Saba is going to show me how to graft a branch onto this tree.  They are different species, but he says they will grow together if we are very careful.”
    Maeryn smiled at his excitement, then looked to Saba.  “Thank you,” she whispered.
    “My pleasure,” he whispered back.
    Saba was an old man, old and wise.  He was tall, with silver hair that fell past his broad shoulders and a beard that was just as long.  Between the beard and his thick eyebrows, most of his features were covered, except his straight, sharp nose and bright blue eyes.
    Adair first met him seven years ago when he needed some information.  Adair didn’t tell her much, except that he was impressed with the man’s wealth of knowledge.  It seemed that they had just discussed what to do about Kael’s education only weeks before and couldn’t come to a decision.  They both agreed that the usual Orud upbringing did not interest them.  Most of the education revolved around the history of the Empire and the lineage of Emperors from the first to the most recent.  Beyond that, the education was simply a preparation for becoming a soldier.
    And then Saba came into their lives.  He was knowledgeable about many different cultures, history, religions, economics, nature, and weather.  Actually, Maeryn couldn’t think of a single thing that Saba didn’t know about.  Not once had he ever responded to a question with “I don’t know” as his answer.  Yet, he wasn’t arrogant in any way.  In fact, he was one of the most humble people that either of them had ever met.   That, combined with his patient and kind personality made him the perfect tutor for their son.  Adair wasted no time approaching him on the matter, taking great care to emphasize the fact that the pay for tutoring the governor’s son would be