The Flames of Deception - A Horizon of Storms: Book 1 (29 page)

“
Thadius! Hold on!
” he yelled. The knight grasped towards
the spear with both hands, but then his feet slipped on the grass
and he found himself being dragged backwards towards the swirling
tunnel of wind. He slid past the tree where the horses were tied
and whinnying madly, their hooves struggling for traction against
the sucking power of the cyclone whirling around the princess.
Thadius’s back struck a hard root sticking out of the earth and as
he skidded further he thrust out with a hand and gripped at
it.

Josephine held her head in her hands, curled into a ball at
the epicentre of the whirling tornado as Matthias approached, his
eyes streaming as the wind seeped through the bubble he had
created. Blood still dripped from his hand and his body was
exhausted as he struggled to barely hold the shield in place, but
he drove onwards. The bubble flickered again and then collapsed, as
he grew weaker. His coat rippled and threatened to pull him back
like a sail catching the wind, but he fought against it and fell to
the princess’s side. He threw his arms around her.

“
It’s alright!” he wailed in her ear against the
din. “I’m here princess! You’re fuelling it with your emotions! Try
to calm down!” Josephine stared up at him intensely, her cheeks
sodden with tears. Her hair billowed around her face in a dervish.
Her panicked eyes sparkled, as he had never seen them before. They
were silvery orbs, devoid of pupils, like liquid mercury.
“
Trust
me princess,” he said, and smiled in spite of the fear he
felt at his core. “You
are
stronger than them! You
can
regain control!
You
are the
princess
of Aralia!”

Josephine gazed up into his defiant eyes and as she
recognised his lack of fear she began to regain a control in
herself. The winds died down, slowly at first, but then all of a
sudden, as if they never existed, they were gone. The horses tugged
at their tethers, eyes wild, and nostrils flaring. Luccius’s feet
touched the ground again and he slipped to his knees, exhausted,
still clutching tightly to his spear. Thadius let go of the root
and lay on his front a moment, gathering his strength before he
staggered to his feet and ran towards Josephine.

“
Princess! Are you
alright?
” he said, falling to his knees by her
side. Matthias held her tightly in his arms.

“
I couldn’t stop it! I’m
sorry!
” she sobbed. Matthias could feel her
heart thumping hard against his chest. He stroked her head with his
undamaged hand.

“
It’s over now princess!” Thadius whispered. “You’re
alright!”

Watching from afar, Luccius went to the horses and tried to
calm them down. As he stroked their manes and patted their necks,
he looked up as a slight rumble of thunder shuddered overhead. Then
he looked back to the princess and called to her.

“
It’s
gone
now Josephine. The energy that I felt around you
has left.”

“
There, you see? They’ve given up. You
won
,” Matthias whispered.

“
For
now
, perhaps,” she sobbed. “For now.”

Josephine sat huddled with her knees tucked up to her chin by
the remade fire, watching the smouldering embers through tired
eyes, red-veined and glassy with unshed tears. Her hands still
shook and she nibbled restlessly on her bottom lip. Thadius sat by
her side, a hand resting on her back comfortingly. Luccius stood
propped against the tree, still stroking one of the horse’s manes.
Matthias stood by his side and studied Josephine from afar, his
hand caked in dried blood but otherwise repaired.

“
Look at her,” Matthias whispered sadly.
“She’s
broken
.”

“
I have never sensed that kind of power before in
my
life
,” Luccius replied. “If you hadn’t got to her when you
did…” Above them the rumbles of thunder caused by Josephine still
threatened menacingly. “You saved her from
herself.”

“
For now,” Matthias said sadly. “But that trick
won’t work forever. If the barriers she has put up in her body are
so weak that people can open them from afar, then she will struggle
to keep them under control for much longer, especially now they
have been reawakened. I have to help her control them Luccius, but
I’m afraid I don’t know how.” He shook his head. “I thought I could
use my training as a template for her own. But I don’t think that’s
possible. Her power is
too
different.”

“
She’s no wizard, Matthias,” Luccius replied.
“There
is
no precedent for this. You have control over the power you
wield. You spent years of your life learning how to conduct it.
Josephine’s powers have not seen the light of day for age upon age.
There is no living being who can tell her how it
works.”

Matthias looked from him over to where the young woman sat,
shivering in spite of the heat of the fire, her fragile figure bent
over into a ball.

“
No,” he exclaimed defiantly. “I told Josephine and
her father I would help her to control her powers. I made a
promise. I won’t just leave her to tackle this on her own. There
has to be
some
way.” He ran a hand through his thick hair. “I have to do
what I can Luccius.”

The ansuwan looked at him suspiciously. “Why have
your people
really
sent you to do this Matthias?” Luccius asked suddenly.
“And
don’t
tell me it is because you are the best man for this job,
because as talented as you are, my old friend, there are wizards
with
decades
more experience and knowledge than you have. Would they
entrust you alone with something so important? And a woman who can
wield, to boot?” He shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. That
doesn’t sound like the Mahalia I know.”

Matthias stared at Luccius a moment, and then shook his head.
“It’s complicated.”

“
How?” Luccius asked.

Matthias shook his head. “The Council is not what it once
was. Fear is a powerful catalyst for action. Whether that action is
measured and appropriate is another matter.”

“
What action?” Luccius asked. “What are you hiding?
This is
me
,
Matthias!”

Matthias shook his head. “You know I can’t say.”

“
You
don’t trust me?” The ansuwan asked, his ears drooping
slightly.

“
I don’t trust
myself
,” Matthias said. “I don’t want to drag
you into this more than I need to. Because of that I must keep my
own counsel.”

Luccius frowned. “I don’t like being in the dark,” he said
glumly. “And I would imagine neither would Thadius or
Josephine.”

“
Trust me, ignorance is better sometimes,” Matthias said. “Now
let that be an end to it. Please.”

Luccius took a breath and nodded. “Very well.
For
now
.” He folded his arms.

Matthias turned back to look at the princess. “I will help
you,” he whispered. He heard Luccius snigger and looked at him.
“What?”

“
I
can see something in your eyes Matthias, when you look at
her.”

“
I
don’t know what you are talking about,” Matthias exclaimed. This
only made Luccius’s grin widen even further. He raised his eyebrows
and gave Matthias a telling look.

“
She
is
beautiful, Matthias. A little fiery, but then you do
love
a good
argument!”

Matthias shook his head disapprovingly. “Don’t be
so wool - headed.” He looked back over towards the fire. “I only
want to help her. That’s
all
. You‘re reading too much into things. Just because
you’ll
jump on any woman
who will have you doesn’t mean everyone else
does.”

Luccius snorted. “Thank you
very
much!” he shook his head. “I’ll have
you know I’m a lot more mature than that now. And I
stand
by my assertions.
You
like
her. Remember, I have a sense for these
things.”

“
Just because your people sense changes in the wind and the
powers does not mean you can read minds or emotions!” Matthias
retorted. “It’s all in your head,” he said sternly.

“
Of
course it is,” Luccius rebuffed, crossing his arms.

“
Oh
shut up Luccius and stop being such an idiot!”

Luccius shook his head. “Wizard, you can pretend all you
like, but you are just as much a slave to your emotions as the rest
of us.”

Matthias looked at him a moment, and then he sighed. “Oh what
point is there in feigning ignorance to you,” he smiled. “You know
me too well ansuwan.”

Luccius smiled. “I could say the same to you of me.” He
unfolded his arms. “The question is, what are you going to do about
your feelings?”

Matthias shook his head. “There is nothing I can
or
will
do,” he said sternly.

“
Why?” Luccius said. “Because she is a princess?”

Matthias shook his head. "It’s not just that,” he
sighed. “When I look into her eyes I see how young she is. With a
soul full of optimism and promise.” He swallowed. “It’s…
beautiful
. And here I am, taking her on a path that will dampen that
spirit. I have seen too much of the true nature of this world that
I can no longer look upon it with the same youthful, innocent eyes
that Josephine still does.” Matthias smiled thinly. “Sometimes,
however much you might
want
to pursue something, or
someone
, it just isn't meant to be. Your lives
are too different. And you have to accept that.”

Luccius nodded. “I understand. But sometimes is it not worth
the risk, because of how dangerous the world can be?”

“
Not
when the fate of the world already hangs in the
balance.”

The
sun began to rise over the horizon, a beautiful, blazing crescent
of warmth radiating across the plains, signalling a brand new day.
It spread across the princess’s face and Josephine opened her eyes
delicately. She was not aware that she had even fallen asleep, but
after the previous day’s events she had felt as if her entire body
had been leeched of its life. She sat up slowly and rubbed her
blackened eyes. Luccius slept opposite and to her side, Thadius
nodded his head in slumber, resting on the knuckles of his hands as
he gripped the pommel of his sword.

“
He fell asleep about an hour ago,” said a voice
behind her. She turned to see the silhouette of Matthias against
the dawn. He turned and made his way to her left, where he
proceeded to sit, crossing his legs. “He kept watch over you all
night, even when I told him I would do so myself. He is a stubborn
mule.” He smiled. “It almost seems a shame to wake him, but
we
should
be going soon, if you are feeling up to
it?”

Josephine nodded her head sleepily. “I am well
enough, thank you. My arms and legs ache, but aside from that, I am
surprised how well I
do
feel.”

Matthias nodded. “Your body has rested. Wielding energy can
be exhausting, but from my own experience, after a good sleep, I
usually feel right as rain. I’m glad you’re feeling
better.”

Josephine rubbed her eyes. “How is your hand?” She
asked.

“
Oh,
good as new!” Matthias grinned, and flexed his fingers, showing her
his repaired palm. “Just needed to repair the skin.”

Josephine smiled. "Mahalian tricks. Is there anything you
cannot do?”

He
thought a moment. “I’ve never been very good at cooking,” Matthias
ventured.

Josephine smiled. “Then you are in good company. I have never
cooked a meal in my life.” She shook her head. “That was… quite a
night.”

Matthias nodded. “I’ve had better,” he said. "But
then again, I've also had
worse
."

“
Matthias,” Josephine started again, and then stopped,
awkwardly. “I-”

“
There’s no need to say anything Josephine,” Matthias
intervened. “You weren’t responsible. If anything, it was my fault.
I shouldn’t have tried to communicate with my people.”

Josephine shrugged. “Nevertheless I should have been able to
block whatever was trying to control me.”

Matthias shifted his position and moved closer. “Well at
least we know one thing now. Your strength in the pure power reacts
to your mood. When you calmed yourself down, the storm died
off.”