The Breaker's Promise (YA Urban Fantasy) (Fixed Points Book 2) Read Online Free

been a real awakening and, if my contacts are to be believed, it’s shaken the Hourglass to its core.”
    While the idea of the Hourglass being shaken or whatever didn’t really do much for me one way or the other, I knew that to get at Allister Leeman’s secrets the Breakers would have to employ one of their nasty (and extremely intrusive) mental scanners. And the thought of Allister Leeman going through the same sort of hell I watched Owen deal with when he was subjected to one; that was almost enough to keep me smiling forever.
    “And I suppose they’ve worked that out?” Owen asked from behind me. Even though I couldn’t hold his hand, couldn’t even look at him really for fear of Echo and Dahlia finding out about us, just hearing his voice steadied me a little.
    “They’ve worked it out enough to turn their attention here, and that’s what matters,” Dahlia answered.
    “And what are they looking for exactly?” Owen continued.
    “For answers to questions,” Echo answered. “To place blame, to confirm or deny identities once and for all, to assess damage and count what’s lost. The Council will do what the Council always does. They will rummage through the mess we’ve made, find fate’s plan within it and, depending on what that plan is, they will work as hard as needed to either ensure or derail it.”
    “I’m more concerned with what that has to do with us,” I admitted, stuffing my hands in the pockets of my apparently too casual pants.
    “Were you not listening?” Dahlia asked with raised eyebrows. “We’ve all fallen short here. Did you think we wouldn’t have to answer for that?”
    “Unless I’m misheard things, we were responsible for taking out a major threat to the Breakers and rooting out some imposters along the way. From what I can see, the stupid Council should be throwing us a parade,” I muttered.
    Echo, finally making eye contact, leveled a stare at me that made me feel all of five years old. Then, in a voice so soft and unassuming that it was almost a whisper, said, “Then I’m afraid what you’re seeing is very shortsighted. In addition to the accomplishments you just listed, we were also responsible for breaking over a dozen age old laws, endangering the school as well as its one hundred and thirty seven students, and withholding essential information from the Council.” He bit his lip, looked away, and added, “Not to mention allowing the death of a seer; which is perhaps the most severe crime any Breaker can commit.”
    The hurt in his voice was thick and palpable. It squeezed at my chest like a vice grip. “That was my fault. I did that, not you. Tell them, if they have to blame someone, then let them blame me.”
    “You did what you had to,” Owen said, and placed a hand on my shoulder. I shrugged away from him, half because I didn’t want Echo and Dahlia thinking too much of it, and half because I didn’t feel like I deserved it. Regardless of my reasons, what I did caused this. Wendy was dead because of me.
    “Our daughter knew what she was getting into,” Dahlia swallowed hard. “She saw the ending from the start, and she did it anyway. She’s hardly the first seer who’s wanted to throw herself on the sword for the greater good. The fault is with us for allowing it to happen.” She turned her back to us, and put her hands over her face. It was strange, seeing this kind of emotion come from Dahlia; especially considering that the daughter she was now grieving had spent most of her life locked in a tower that her parents were complicit with building. But who was I to belittle her pain? Maybe it was just a Breaker thing that I didn’t quite understand yet. Turning back around and, having gathered herself, she added, “Besides, that’s not the only thing they’ll be looking at. During this debacle, certain things about Owen’s past came to light.”
    “You mean about the tattoo?” Owen shuffled beside me. “About me being the dragon.”
    “You