Heir of Amber and Fire by Rachanee Lumayno (read aloud books .TXT) 📕

of his blue eyes. It was a light, light blond, so pale it was nearly white. But the white hair wasn’t due to age; he looked to be in his early thirties.

“Hello,” he said. He held both hands in front of him, palms up in a gesture of peace, and nodded his head toward me. I backed up, ready to run back the way I had come.

“Don’t be afraid,” the man said. His voice was gruff. He seemed reserved, yet alert, ready to spring into action if need be.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“I saw you earlier, watching me,” he said. “You seemed very aware of what was going on in Annlyn. I found you... intriguing.”

“Intriguing? How?”

He studied my wary face. “Come,” he said, motioning down the alley.

I stayed put. “No, thank you.”

“You’ve nothing to fear from me,” he repeated. “We’ll stay in the marketplace, in public. I’d just like to talk to you.” When I didn’t respond, he added, “I’ll go ahead and meet you at the end of the alley, where the market stalls start again.” He pointed ahead, the way I had originally intended to go.

“Why should I?” I said.

“Because I don’t think you understand exactly what you were seeing,” the man told me. “I can help you with that.” He started to walk away, toward the continuing market.

I watched him leave, debating. My curiosity won out over my fear and I followed after him.

The long-haired man was waiting for me at a market stall not far from the alley exit. When he saw me, he smiled. “I’m glad you didn’t leave,” he said.

“I thought about it,” I admitted. He laughed, a kind of wheezy barking sound.

We slowly started making our way through the market, stopping at various booths to look at the items for sale.

“What’s your name?” he asked me. “I’m Pazho.”

“Allayne.”

“Allayne,” he repeated. “That’s not an Annlyn name, is it.”

He looked at me closely. “I daresay Allayne is not your real name, either.” He said it matter-of-factly, already knowing the answer.

How did this man know?

“No, I’m from Calia, in the north.” I sidestepped his second observation.

“I traveled there once, years ago.” Pazho studied me, if possible, even more intently than before. “It’s all right. You may keep your secrets, Allayne. From Calia. Fascinating.”

“What’s so fascinating about that?” I asked, a bit snappishly.

We stopped at a booth that displayed simple gold jewelry. The pendants sold here reminded me of the necklace I wore hidden under my dress, but none of them were moonstone.

Pazho picked up one and held it to the light. The warm, honey-colored gem sparkled as it twisted in his hand. Oddly, I could feel a magical hum emanating from the piece.

“Do you know much about Annlyn?” Pazho asked.

“No. I’ve never traveled too far from my home country.”

Pazho held the pendant to his eye level, the amber color of the gemstone catching some similar honey glimmer in his eyes. I felt an answering heat in my own eyes. He blinked, and the glow in his eyes was gone, replaced by the normal blue. He put the necklace down and we continued on our way. Involuntarily, I turned to look behind me at the amber pendant, now tucked among other pieces of jewelry on the merchant’s table.

“Every one of the realms in the Gifted Lands is known for a special ability,” he began. “We tell the world that ours is for crafting jewelry. But it’s only a partial truth. Annlyn is a kingdom of shapeshifters. From infancy, we are able to turn into one kind of animal. As we grow, so does the animal. We share many of the traits and temperament of our other self.”

So I hadn’t been crazy! I really had seen various creatures walking the city streets.

“Why was I able to see you and other people in your animal forms, and my friends couldn’t?” I asked.

“The kingdom has a layer of magic surrounding it that keeps our animal forms from being detected by outsiders,” Pazho said. “Otherwise, we would never be able to shift freely. This way, visitors can enter, and trade can continue. But those of Annlyn can see each other in their shifted forms.”

“But I’m not from Annlyn,” I reminded him.

“Yes, it’s very curious,” Pazho said. “Which makes me think that you are a shapeshifter yourself.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

STRUCK BY PAZHO’S WORDS, I stopped and considered it. Then I laughed. Me? A shapeshifter? I had never done that in my life; there was no reason, as an adult, I would suddenly have that ability.

I glanced over at Pazho. He looked sincere. And serious. My laughter ceased.

“What makes you so sure?” I asked him.

We resumed walking. “I’ve made the study of the Gifted Lands my life’s work,” he said. “I find the different facets of each kingdom, and the fact that we’re all able to live together mostly in harmony, quite interesting. Of course, Annlyn being my home country, I know the most about it. Being able to change forms is a magical ability, one you are born with, not taught. One shapeshifter can easily spot another. Like calls to like.”

“My friend Farrah is half Fae, half human. She has innate magic, like you. But she didn’t see anything.”

“While those of Faerie do possess magic naturally, very few of them can change their form. I would suspect your friend Farrah comes from a Faery who wasn’t able to shift, and her human blood would dilute the magic further.”

“I’ve never done it before,” I said.

“Just because you haven’t tried it doesn’t mean you can’t do it,” Pazho pointed out. “I’m sure, with the right teacher or training, you’d learn how. Sometimes, in times of stress or excitement, your abilities may trigger without your knowledge or control, especially if you are still learning how to tap into your power.”

I paused, thinking of the incidents on the road with the Calian soldiers and with Prince Anders at the inn. And the bandits. Pazho smiled at my sudden thoughtfulness.

“I could be wrong,” he said. “But