Book of One 04: A Child of Fire (32 page)

With a deafening sound, it exploded. The intense blast knocked the many mages from their feet. Even with his own considerable powers, Cerric was pushed backward by the blast and he had to cover his eyes as a blinding, white light filled the vast chamber. A column of white, hot fire blasted upward, smashing through the ceiling and sending chunks of stone and plaster falling around it and the heat that radiated from it began to melt the solid stone walls, some of which burst into flame. Cerric added his own power to the sphere that protected him and felt his mages strenthen their own protections as he released them, but the heat that radiated from the pillar of fire was almost unbearable and Cerric stumbled backwards, feeling a tinge of fear, which was a sensation he had not felt in a very long time. Suddenly, silence.

Cerric drew his arm from over his eyes and saw that the light had gone and the only thing left where the object had been was a glowing circle of molten stone with flames dancing around its edge. He reached out with his power but could not feel even the faintest hint of the power of the mage, not even a trace, and Cerric wondered that the fire might have consumed him completely. It did not surprise him that Zachary would destroy himself, to keep him from taking his power and he cursed the mage for his stubbornness.

Cerric was irritated at having been denied such power, but he took consolation that Zachary had given him the opportunity to test the magic he had created, and with a few minor changes he was now confident that it would work the way he intended. He glanced around the large open foyer at the destruction that Zachary had caused then he looked up at the starry night sky that shone through the gaping hole in the roof of the palace. No doubt Calexis would have something to say about it, but he imagined it would give her something to do while he was busy with his own tasks. Cerric could sense that she was somewhere among the rubble in the room, and that she was still alive, so he turned and walked away, back through the doors to the royal court and the throne room, returning to his plans.

On a lower balcony, Calexis pushed herself out from under the heavy chunks of stone and plaster that had fallen on top of her. Her body was badly bruised and cut in a number of places, and not only was she was covered in dust and soot but the dress she had worn was charred almost completely to ash. She reached up to smooth her hair, which she knew must look a mess and it fell away, having been burned away. The stink of it wafted at her touch and spat upon the ground, furious at the mage, who would come into her palace and attack her, and angry that Cerric had not even bothered to help her out of the rubble.

As though hearing her thoughts, one of the black robed mage priests approached as Calexis stepped over the uneven chunks of stone. He reached out a hand to help her, but she batted his hand away.

"Don't touch me," she said as she pushed past him but she caught the look in the mage's eye. She saw the shift in his gaze and she knew that Cerric was watching her. She scowled at him angrily. "Don't ever touch me again."

*****

"What has he done?" Stroma was confounded.

"I did not know what he planned," Aaron said. "He just started saying all kinds of things and then he disappeared."

"I cannot feel his presence," Ehlena said then she looked over at Aaron. "It may simply be that he masks his power."

"Such power in a mage is truly rare," Stroma said.

They had all felt the tremor that not only rippled through the flows of energy in the world, but shook the very earth itself. Even in the faraway mountain where Stavros made his home, they had felt the rumbling of the power that Zachary had released and yet, both Ehlena and Stroma, who were able to sense things at great distance, were sure that Cerric remained, his power unchanged, while Zachary had disappeared.

"At least Cerric did not claim him," Stavros said. "I hope that Zachary is not gone, but it would be worse if Cerric were to possess such power."

"I don't understand why he would he rush off like that?" Ehlena said.

"Zachary has always been rash," Stavros said. "That has always been his way."

"I think he just wanted to protect us," Aaron said.

"Well he put himself at risk," Stroma said. "And if Cerric had gained such a power, then there would be no stopping him."

"Then Zachary was not speaking nonsense when he questioned Ashan?" Stavros asked, looking over at the old Ansari, who sat nearby, quietly sipping at some tea, contemlating all that had happened.

"He did not speak idly," Ashan said. "Aaron is correct. His actions speak for him. The mage wished to protect us, to end the war with the shadow before it truly began."

"But why would he run off like that?" Ehlena asked. "He knew of our plans. Why would he do something so dangerous?"

"I do not presume to know the mind of a mage," the old Ansari said, and turned his gaze back to the tea in his cup, watching the leaves float within it.

Ashan took a deep breath and wished he could say more. He knew why Zachary had left and he found himself intrigued by his resolve and with a newfound respect for the mage. And Ashan knew that the young man, Aaron had within him the potential to be a power far greater even than his father. He could tell that Aaron had not only inherited that power, but also shared his resolve, the measure of which would surely determine what he would become, whether he would prevail over the power of the shadow, which would decide his fate, whether he would become a protector or a detroyer.

Jax rode along the forest trail under the starlit sky and marveled at the world. The blinding beam of light that had blasted up into the night only moments ago had truly been a thing to behold. It had lit up the land as brightly as the midday sun, even brighter perhaps, and the trees of the forest had trembled. His horse nearly bolted, but as quickly as it had arisen, the beam of light disappeared once again, and Jax was thankfully able to calm his mount. As he continued on along the trail, he wondered what kind of power might have caused such a phenomenon. Whatever it was, he knew it had most definitely come from the city of Maramyr, which was still over a day's ride ahead of him. Jax nudged his horse a little faster along the path through the shadows among the trees, curious to discover what mysteries he might encounter on his journey, which he knew would surely be an adventure.

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'A Child of Fire' is the fourth book of the 'Book of One' novels, which is anticipated to be a seven book series. The fifth book is expected to be complete in Fall 2013.

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