Heir of Amber and Fire Rachanee Lumayno (books on motivation txt) 📖

as children, most don’t start their careers right away. It takes years of study and apprenticeship before they go out on their own. At seven, Beyan was the youngest ever seeker — of any type. He’d just do local jobs as they came up, and eventually as he got older he moved into more lucrative jobs that required travel. If his father hadn’t gotten hurt, they would be doing these commissions together.

“At first it wasn’t so bad. Beyan would be gone for a few days, but his mother was there to look after Kye, and she worked as a seamstress to help bring in money. But then she fell ill a few years ago — the cost of the medicines she required ruined what was left of their family’s finances. And in the end, it didn’t help. After she died, Kye’s condition seemed to worsen overnight. Beyan doesn’t like to leave Kye alone too long, but then it limits how much he can earn, because he’s forced to turn down so many jobs.”

“That does sound difficult,” I sympathized. “For Beyan to be forced to grow up so fast, to lose a beloved wife and mother, and for his father to have to send his son into danger alone. But I still don’t see — ”

“Ever since he was a child, Beyan has wanted to find Joichan,” Farrah said. “Joichan is the one that gave Kye that career-ending injury. I think it’s best if Beyan leaves well enough alone; that dragon has caused enough trouble for their family. But Beyan wants to finish the job his father couldn’t.”

Chapter Seventeen

WE WERE GETTING CLOSE to Annlyn. Not only because we had been on the road for nearly a week, but also because the weather had steadily been getting hotter. A Calian summer was marked by pleasantly mild days and chill nights. But here in the southern reaches of the Gifted Lands, it was scorching. My cloak had been relegated to the bottom of my pack, unneeded except as a blanket at night. As we traveled under the relentless sun, I sweltered in my borrowed dress. Too bad Taryn hadn’t packed a lighter one from her closet. At this rate, I’d be riding into Annlyn wearing nothing but my shift, propriety notwithstanding.

In the skies, we’d spot the occasional dragon winging through the air. There was a medium-sized crimson fledgling, trailing after its darker maroon-colored mother on unsteady wings. A majestic coffee-colored dragon leisurely glided above us, casting a long shadow for miles. But there was no sign of the metallic golden dragon that was Joichan.

Initially I had thought I would find the journey rough. I had never traveled this far from my home, and on the few occasions I had left Calia, there were always servants present to do the packing and the cooking and the cleaning. And of course, I had either been on horseback or in a carriage. But I was determined not to be a burden to the rest of the group.

In addition to my magical studies, I pestered Beyan or Rhyss to teach me basic fighting techniques. Because of my interest, Beyan produced a spare dagger he insisted I keep. “That way you’re not such a liability,” he said, but he looked pleased. Solemnly, I accepted his gift and then turned away so he wouldn’t see the smile quickly blooming on my face. We both knew that sarcasm was just his favorite way of communication.

While Rhyss was a capable fighter, he was a bit too flighty to be a good teacher. Farrah often made fun of his distracted nature. “It’s amazing your neck is still on your body, with the way your mind wanders so much,” she’d laugh.

Beyan, on the other hand, was a surprisingly patient instructor. In addition to his skills as a dragon seeker, he had observed and absorbed his father’s gift of teaching. It made sense, as each generation of seekers was supposed to teach the next. Over the course of our journey, my skills with the knife also increased, to the point where Beyan deemed me “competent.” High praise, coming from him.

Aside from the occasional hunt for small game, no one in the group had been called upon to actually use their fighting skills. I was actually quite grateful about that. I was afraid that, should the situation warrant it, I would react poorly in a fight. And I didn’t think I had it in me to end someone’s life, even in self-defense.

The fighting lessons seemed to be helping not only me, but Beyan. I don’t mean that Beyan needed to improve his skills with a weapon — he obviously knew what he was doing, or he wouldn’t have been able to teach a beginner like me. But I noticed that he was unsettled, and our lessons helped provide a distraction. I couldn’t understand what was wrong as I observed him surreptitiously while we traveled. He was shaky, from more than the jostle of riding a horse. Sweating profusely, even if we were sitting in the shade. Restless in his sleep at night. Farrah took to riding next to him, speaking to him in a low, calm voice. We stopped to refill our canteens more often, as Beyan drank more than all of us combined. Farrah constantly supplied him with cool, damp cloths to put on his arms and forehead. Even cheerful, oblivious Rhyss grew somber and quiet, careful not to offend the now temperamental Beyan.

As we traveled further south, I noticed that the roads going north were heavy with travelers. When I commented randomly on this, Beyan frowned. “It’s unusual. Perhaps people want to holiday in the northern kingdoms to escape the heat down here.”

“I suppose,” I said doubtfully. “But I know Calia never gets that many visitors from the south. We’re so far away; it’s the same reason most Calians wouldn’t travel all the way down here.”

“Maybe they’re headed somewhere else. To Orchwell? Although Orchwell doesn’t get that many southerners visiting, either.”

Farrah