Bree_Despain_ _Into_the_Dark_01_ _The_Shadow_Prince_(www_dodane

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revving for an update.
I follow Marta sleepily to her Audi. It s a long drive back to
Olympus Hills and I m not sure I ll stay awake. Who s Mr. Fitzgerald? I ask with a yawn as I get
into the passenger seat. I thought
Joe was with Mr. Sunny.
Oh yes. Only Joe calls his manager Mr. Sunny because of his
sunny disposition. He s Mr. Fitzgerald to the rest of us.
chapter forty-one
haden
It is nearly dawn by the time I return to the house in Olympus Hills. I have been gone for nearly a day,
but I am heady with music and emotion like an Heir who s imbibed too much nectar at a feast and
I don t care. I bang into the kitchen, singing one of the many songs I have memorized during the night.
Someone is waiting for me, but it isn t Dax, as I expect. Care to tell me where you ve been? Simon
asks. He sits at the kitchen counter with a mug of his coffee. Based on the dregs left in the pot, he s
consumed quite a few cups while waiting for me.
No. I pick up an apple from the centerpiece on the table.
Do you know where I was? he asks.
Nope. I whistle a tune, heading for the stairs.
I was at a friend s restaurant opening. And the darnedest thing happened. Something that has never
happened in all my years. My platinum card had a hold on it.
I stop at the front of the stairs.
You can imagine my surprise when I called the credit card company to clear things up and found out
that somebody in my household put a fifty-eight thousand dollar expense on my card yesterday
afternoon.
I take a bite of the apple. I don t realize how hungry I am until the sweetness touches my tongue. I look
at Simon while I chew.
Not that I m not good for the money. Not that I don t have the room in my account. They were just
concerned. As was I. Do you know why I was concerned?
I shake my head.
Because someone in my charge didn t come home last night and wasn t answering his phone. I
thought maybe this someone had decided to skip town. But you wouldn t do that, would you? Skip
town? Abandon your quest? Run away? Like a coward?
I suddenly find it hard to swallow. I am not a coward. And I didn t run.
I know that now, he says. But you wouldn t be the first to try. That s one of the reasons I m here. I
almost came after you. That wouldn t have been pleasant for anyone involved just ask your friend
Dax. However, luckily for you, I took a closer look at the charge on my account. What exactly was so
fascinating at Pacific Coast Records that you felt compelled to spend nearly sixty thousand dollars on
it?
Music.
Music? Simon pours soy milk into his coffee and stirs it with a dainty spoon. Sixty. Thousand.
Dollars . Worth of music? He takes a sip and pulls a face like the milk has gone bad. You know
music is forbidden in the Underrealm?
Yes, but I m only using it to get closer Daphne. It s part of my quest. Dax said it s okay for
Champions to bend the rules occasionally. . . .
I know what Dax says. He used the same argument on me when he convinced me to get you a spot in
the program. I question whether it was wise to go along with it.
It s working. That s where I was yesterday. I was with her. At least part of the day.
Do you know why music is forbidden?
Because it s too human?
Because of the Traitor. Because of what he did. He used his music to manipulate the god of the
Underrealm. To trick him, deceive him. To distract him so he could steal the Key to the underworld.
To trap the Underlords down there. Your god would still be alive today if not for that man s filthy
manipulations.
That has nothing to do with my
That s what music is. It s manipulation. It plays on your emotions. Makes you think and feel things
that aren t true. It distracts you.
I m not distracted.
You sure? There s sixty grand and a full day of unaccounted time that tells me differently. You stink
of emotion. He pushes his coffee cup away. I wouldn t be surprised if you were having second
thoughts about your assignment. He stares at me, his dark eyes boring into me.
I m not, I say softly.
You sure, boy? I d hate to tell dear ole Papa Ren that his boy is an even bigger disappointment than
anyone imagined. Tell him not to keep that seat next to his throne warm for you. Tell him you re just
some nursling who can t keep his head on straight around some skirt who can spin a couple of pretty
little songs.
I m sure.
Good. Simon takes his cup and plate to the sink. He pulls on a pair of rubber gloves and turns on
the water. Just to make sure, I m going to be keeping you on a tighter leash, he says, taking a scrub
brush the color of limes to his dishes. He cleans them with an intensity that makes me glad I am not a
plate. Under no circumstances are you allowed to leave Olympus Hills again. I have activated the
GPS in your phone. I am to know where you are at all times. You will be home no later than midnight
every night, and you will give me a full account of your daily doings. If I find that the music program
is indeed becoming too distracting, I will terminate that arrangement immediately. You will have to [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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