leo4life/algoml_bookcorpus_10p · Datasets at Hugging Face

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the sound sang in his blood .
she turned toward him then .
beneath the high spirits her eyes were haunted and sad .
`` perhaps he 'd like you more if you talked to him-and listened . ''
daemon wanted to say something light and cheerful to take away the look in her eyes , but there was something about the way the stallion suddenly twitched his ears and seemed to be listening to them that pricked his nerves .
`` people talk to him all the time .
he probably knows more of the stable lads ' secrets than any other living thing . ''
`` yes , but they do n't listen to him , do they ? ''
daemon kept quiet , trying to steady his breathing .
`` he 's blood , daemon , but just a little .
not enough to be kindred , but too much to be ... '' jaenelle made a small gesture with her hand that took in the mare and the ponies .
daemon licked his lips , but his mouth was too dry .
he remembered cook 's story about the dogs .
`` what do you mean , kindred ? ''
`` blood , but not the same .
blood , but not human .
kindred is ... like but not like . ''
daemon looked up .
a few fluffy clouds floated in the deep blue autumn sky , and the sun shone down with its last warmth .
no , the physical day had n't changed .
that 's not what made him shiver .
`` he 's half-blood , '' he finally said , reluctant to know the truth .
`` half blood , half landen , forever caught in between . ''
`` yes . ''
`` but you can understand him , talk to him ? ''
`` i listen to him . ''
jaenelle urged dancer into a trot .
daemon held the mare back and watched the girl and horse circle the field .
`` damn . ''
it hurt .
dark dancer was a brother , and knowing that hurt worse than knowing about the human half-bloods daemon had seen over the years who were too strong , too driven , and too aching with an unanswered need to fit into the life of a landen village yet were still left standing on the other side of a great psychic ravine from where the weakest of the blood stood because they were n't strong enough to cross over .
but humans could at least talk to other humans .
who did this four-footed brother have ?
no wonder he took such care with her .
suddenly jaenelle and dancer hurtled toward andrew as he flung himself off the pony and frantically adjusted the stirrups .
daemon put his heels into the mare and galloped over to join them .
`` andrew- '' `` hurry !
get dancer 's stirrups down ! ''
daemon dropped the mare 's reins and hurried over to the stallion .
`` easy , dancer , '' he said , stroking the horse 's neck before reaching for the stirrups .
`` miss jaenelle . ''
andrew grabbed her by the waist and tossed her up onto the pony .
he turned in a circle , his eyes sweeping the ground .
`` your hat .
damn it , your hat . ''
`` here . ''
jaenelle held the hat up and put it on her head .
her hair still flowed down her back , tangled by her ride .
wilhelmina glanced at jaenelle , all the color gone from her face .
`` graff 's going to be mad when she sees your hair . ''
`` graff is a bitch , '' jaenelle snapped , her eyes on the path where it took a bend through some trees .
the ponies must be mares , daemon thought as he adjusted the stirrups .
all the males had flinched at the knife-edge in her voice .
`` that 's it , '' andrew said , sliding under dancer 's neck .
`` stay on the mare .
there 's no time to do more . ''
he mounted , gathered the reins , and started walking forward .
the stallion was furious , and showed it , but kept moving toward the path .
wilhelmina followed behind andrew , trying to calm the nervous pony and only upsetting it more .
daemon mounted , started forward , and then stopped .
jaenelle sat perfectly still , her eyes fixed on the bend in the path .
pain and anger filled those eyes , a hurt that went so deep he knew he had no magic to help her .
beneath the childish features was an ancient face that seared him , froze him , wrapped silk chains around his heart .
he blinked away tears , and there was miss jaenelle with her childish face and her not-too-intelligent summer-sky blue eyes .
she gave him a little-girl smile and urged her pony to a trot just as philip and leland rounded the bend and stopped .
across the field , philip stared first at daemon , then at jaenelle .
he said nothing when they reached the group , but he maneuvered his horse so that jaenelle was riding beside him all the way back to the stable .
* * * daemon fastened the ruby cuff links onto his shirt and reached for his dinner jacket .
he had n't had a moment to himself since leaving the stable that morning .
first leland had needed an escort for an extended shopping trip on which she 'd bought nothing , then alexandra suddenly decided to visit an art gallery , and finally philip insisted they needed to go over invitation by boring invitation all the possible social functions daemon might have to escort leland or alexandra to .
something in the field this morning had made them all nervous , something that had swirled and crackled like mist and lightning .
they wanted to blame him , wanted to believe he 'd done something to upset the girls , wanted to believe that the scent of the restrained violence was male and not female in origin .
more than that , they wanted to believe they were n't the cause of it , and that was possible only if he was the source .
ladies like to seem mysterious .
not lady jaenelle benedict .
she did n't try to be mysterious , she simply was .
she walked in full sunlight shrouded in a midnight mist that swirled around her , hiding , revealing , tantalizing , frightening .
her honesty had been blunted by punishment .
perhaps that was for the best .
she was good at dissembling , had some understanding about her family 's reaction if they learned some of the truths about her , and yet she could n't dissemble enough because she cared .
how many people knew about her ?
daemon wondered as he brushed his hair .
how many people looked upon her as their secret ?
all the stable lads as well as guinness knew she rode dark dancer .
but philip , alexandra , leland , robert , and graff did n't know .
cook knew about her ability to heal .
so did andrew .
so did a young parlor maid who 'd had her lip split by the senior footman when she refused his amorous advances .
daemon had seen her that particular morning with her lip still leaking blood .
an hour later she had passed him in the hallway , her lip slightly swollen but otherwise undamaged , a stunned , awed expression in her eyes .
so did one of the old gardeners , who now had a salve for his aching knees .
so did he .
but philip , alexandra , leland , robert , and graff did n't know .
wilhelmina knew her sister disappeared for hours at a time to visit unnamed friends and an unknown mentor , knew how the witchblood had come to grow in that alcove .
he knew about her midnight wandering and her secret reading of the ancient craft texts , knew there was something terrifying and beautiful within the child cocoon that , when it came of age and finally emerged , would no longer be able to live with these people .
but philip , alexandra , leland , robert , and graff did n't know .
they saw a child who could n't learn simple craft , a child they considered eccentric , strange , and fanciful , a child willing to speak brutal truths that adults would never speak and did n't want to know , a child they could n't love enough to accept , a child who was like a pin hidden in a garment that constantly scratched the skin and yet could never be found .
how many beyond chaillot knew what she was ?
but not philip or alexandra or leland or robert or graff .
not the people who should protect her , keep her safe .

the sound sang in his blood .

she turned toward him then .

beneath the high spirits her eyes were haunted and sad .

`` perhaps he 'd like you more if you talked to him-and listened . ''

daemon wanted to say something light and cheerful to take away the look in her eyes , but there was something about the way the stallion suddenly twitched his ears and seemed to be listening to them that pricked his nerves .

`` people talk to him all the time .

he probably knows more of the stable lads ' secrets than any other living thing . ''

`` yes , but they do n't listen to him , do they ? ''

daemon kept quiet , trying to steady his breathing .

`` he 's blood , daemon , but just a little .

not enough to be kindred , but too much to be ... '' jaenelle made a small gesture with her hand that took in the mare and the ponies .

daemon licked his lips , but his mouth was too dry .

he remembered cook 's story about the dogs .

`` what do you mean , kindred ? ''

`` blood , but not the same .

blood , but not human .

kindred is ... like but not like . ''

daemon looked up .

a few fluffy clouds floated in the deep blue autumn sky , and the sun shone down with its last warmth .

no , the physical day had n't changed .

that 's not what made him shiver .

`` he 's half-blood , '' he finally said , reluctant to know the truth .

`` half blood , half landen , forever caught in between . ''

`` yes . ''

`` but you can understand him , talk to him ? ''

`` i listen to him . ''

jaenelle urged dancer into a trot .

daemon held the mare back and watched the girl and horse circle the field .

`` damn . ''

it hurt .

dark dancer was a brother , and knowing that hurt worse than knowing about the human half-bloods daemon had seen over the years who were too strong , too driven , and too aching with an unanswered need to fit into the life of a landen village yet were still left standing on the other side of a great psychic ravine from where the weakest of the blood stood because they were n't strong enough to cross over .

but humans could at least talk to other humans .

who did this four-footed brother have ?

no wonder he took such care with her .

suddenly jaenelle and dancer hurtled toward andrew as he flung himself off the pony and frantically adjusted the stirrups .

daemon put his heels into the mare and galloped over to join them .

`` andrew- '' `` hurry !

get dancer 's stirrups down ! ''

daemon dropped the mare 's reins and hurried over to the stallion .

`` easy , dancer , '' he said , stroking the horse 's neck before reaching for the stirrups .

`` miss jaenelle . ''

andrew grabbed her by the waist and tossed her up onto the pony .

he turned in a circle , his eyes sweeping the ground .

`` your hat .

damn it , your hat . ''

`` here . ''

jaenelle held the hat up and put it on her head .

her hair still flowed down her back , tangled by her ride .

wilhelmina glanced at jaenelle , all the color gone from her face .

`` graff 's going to be mad when she sees your hair . ''

`` graff is a bitch , '' jaenelle snapped , her eyes on the path where it took a bend through some trees .

the ponies must be mares , daemon thought as he adjusted the stirrups .

all the males had flinched at the knife-edge in her voice .

`` that 's it , '' andrew said , sliding under dancer 's neck .

`` stay on the mare .

there 's no time to do more . ''

he mounted , gathered the reins , and started walking forward .

the stallion was furious , and showed it , but kept moving toward the path .

wilhelmina followed behind andrew , trying to calm the nervous pony and only upsetting it more .

daemon mounted , started forward , and then stopped .

jaenelle sat perfectly still , her eyes fixed on the bend in the path .

pain and anger filled those eyes , a hurt that went so deep he knew he had no magic to help her .

beneath the childish features was an ancient face that seared him , froze him , wrapped silk chains around his heart .

he blinked away tears , and there was miss jaenelle with her childish face and her not-too-intelligent summer-sky blue eyes .

she gave him a little-girl smile and urged her pony to a trot just as philip and leland rounded the bend and stopped .

across the field , philip stared first at daemon , then at jaenelle .

he said nothing when they reached the group , but he maneuvered his horse so that jaenelle was riding beside him all the way back to the stable .

* * * daemon fastened the ruby cuff links onto his shirt and reached for his dinner jacket .

he had n't had a moment to himself since leaving the stable that morning .

first leland had needed an escort for an extended shopping trip on which she 'd bought nothing , then alexandra suddenly decided to visit an art gallery , and finally philip insisted they needed to go over invitation by boring invitation all the possible social functions daemon might have to escort leland or alexandra to .

something in the field this morning had made them all nervous , something that had swirled and crackled like mist and lightning .

they wanted to blame him , wanted to believe he 'd done something to upset the girls , wanted to believe that the scent of the restrained violence was male and not female in origin .

more than that , they wanted to believe they were n't the cause of it , and that was possible only if he was the source .

ladies like to seem mysterious .

not lady jaenelle benedict .

she did n't try to be mysterious , she simply was .

she walked in full sunlight shrouded in a midnight mist that swirled around her , hiding , revealing , tantalizing , frightening .

her honesty had been blunted by punishment .

perhaps that was for the best .

she was good at dissembling , had some understanding about her family 's reaction if they learned some of the truths about her , and yet she could n't dissemble enough because she cared .

how many people knew about her ?

daemon wondered as he brushed his hair .

how many people looked upon her as their secret ?

all the stable lads as well as guinness knew she rode dark dancer .

but philip , alexandra , leland , robert , and graff did n't know .

cook knew about her ability to heal .

so did andrew .

so did a young parlor maid who 'd had her lip split by the senior footman when she refused his amorous advances .

daemon had seen her that particular morning with her lip still leaking blood .

an hour later she had passed him in the hallway , her lip slightly swollen but otherwise undamaged , a stunned , awed expression in her eyes .

so did one of the old gardeners , who now had a salve for his aching knees .

so did he .

but philip , alexandra , leland , robert , and graff did n't know .

wilhelmina knew her sister disappeared for hours at a time to visit unnamed friends and an unknown mentor , knew how the witchblood had come to grow in that alcove .

he knew about her midnight wandering and her secret reading of the ancient craft texts , knew there was something terrifying and beautiful within the child cocoon that , when it came of age and finally emerged , would no longer be able to live with these people .

but philip , alexandra , leland , robert , and graff did n't know .

they saw a child who could n't learn simple craft , a child they considered eccentric , strange , and fanciful , a child willing to speak brutal truths that adults would never speak and did n't want to know , a child they could n't love enough to accept , a child who was like a pin hidden in a garment that constantly scratched the skin and yet could never be found .

how many beyond chaillot knew what she was ?

but not philip or alexandra or leland or robert or graff .

not the people who should protect her , keep her safe .