Sourcethief (Book 3) (61 page)

Kyrus stuck his head into the cabin where Juliana
was working. She was stowing more gold than he had seen in one place in his
lifetime, in either world. Had the
Marauder
been a seafaring ship, it
would have sunk beneath the weight, but the gold was the least of the wealth
they had aboard. A pair of armor racks stood in adjacent corners. The one
bearing Soria's armor held nothing but a keepsake, but Brannis's armor was fit
for an emperor. The daggers displayed on the wall were made of dragon teeth, a
mythical creature by local standards. Avalanche was securely lashed into its
sheath where it hung, and as Juliana worked, Kyrus drew Heavens Cry and placed
it back in its own display.

Ash curled up on a Kheshi rug that looked more at
home in a palace than a ship's cabin.

"Ready when you are," he told her. A
hollow fear gnawed within him, small, but worrisome for having no clear cause.

Juliana turned and smiled up at him. She stood and
brushed the dust of moldering old crates off her pants. "Let's get going
then."

He followed her up to the deck, trying to pin a name
to the feeling that was growing within him. The hold of the
Marauder
was
a potpourri of smells from across Tellurak, with a hint of Veydran metals mixed
in, but above it was all briny, cold Acardian sea air, fresh from the Katamic.
They were tucked away in a rocky inlet just south of Scar Harbor, within
walking distance. The hour was well past midnight and the stars shone off the
water, the afternoon's storm clouds having departed. Neither was tired, nor
ever likely to feel fatigue again.

"Well, Brannis, I can't think of any other
lingering business I've left unfinished," Juliana said. She began
inspecting the ship's new controls. In place of the captain's wheel and
harness, Kyrus had built in a pair of comfortable, sturdy chairs, with the
controls accessible in the arms of them.

"Me either. This was the last obligation
I—" That was it: obligation.
I've followed a path set before me for as
long as I can remember
. There was no distinction between Kyrus and Brannis
in the thought.
Always a task, a client, a need, an order, a threat,
something forcing me to act
. He thought to mull the question over in his
head, but chose to give it voice instead.

"So, what's next?" he asked.

Juliana turned, and the smile she gave promised him
that wherever he went, whatever he did, he would never be lost, or lonely, or
bored again.

"Everything."

*
* * * * * * *

The Twinborn Trilogy may be
over, but there’s more in the Twinborn world ready for you!

Can’t
get enough of the Twinborn World? Mad Tinker Chronicles, a Twinborn series,
starts with
Mad Tinker’s Daughter
– now available for your Kindle on
Amazon.

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Mad Tinker’s Daughter from Amazon

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About The Author

Born
in New Hampshire in 1977, J.S. Morin found himself captivated by the wonders of
fantasy novels at a young age. He was introduced to the genre via the works of
R.A. Salvatore, Ed Greenwood, and Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman. He loved
exploring other people’s worlds, from Shadowdale to Hyrule. He also quickly
found Dungeons and Dragons to be a creative outlet for stories, characters, and
new worlds of his own creation.

His
other passion was for building and designing things, and when it came time to
choose a career, he went down that road. A Mechanical Engineer by day, he
spends his evenings with his wife in their New Hampshire home, enjoying the
simplicity of life in a quiet state.

By
night he dreams elaborate dreams of visiting fanciful worlds, performing acts
of heroism, and solving intriguing puzzles, which inspire him to craft stories
that he hopes will help shape the lives of the next generation of fantasy
readers. He hopes to avoid finishing growing up.