Even more impressive from Ruethwyn’s point of view was Anara’s gift with song and dance, a gift which extended far beyond mere beauty. Though she was skilled enough, there were whispers that Anara hoped to learn in the capital once she was older. In front of her group was a large spar of old deadwood, and in response to Anara’s voice the weathered mahogany shimmered and shifted, regaining a hint of life as it began to reshape under Anara’s control.
It didn’t help that no matter how much she tried, Ruethwyn couldn’t seem to get along with the others properly. Every time she wanted to speak to them, she either froze up or couldn’t relate to the other teens in Mellesyn. Most of them didn’t read as much as she had, and they thought she was quiet and strange. So, with a last, longing glance at Anara, Ruethwyn clutched her book to her chest and continued on her path to the library.
The library was built inside an ancient, immense oak tree, which had been grown expressly to contain it, and as Ruethwyn pushed open the door, she inhaled the familiar, heady scent of books. Ruethwyn knew her parents didn’t like the smell nearly as much as she did, but for the last seven years the library had been almost like a second home for her. Sinera could be strict at times, but she’d always been honest to Ruethwyn, and had led her to find the books she’d truly wanted to read, not just the ones Ruethwyn had believed she would like.
That was why the book she’d been given three days before was such a shock, even if it’d led to slight disappointment in herself. Stepping up to Sinera’s desk, Ruethwyn set the book down carefully and rang the bell, then stood back to wait.
It took a minute before Sinera arrived, her hands smudged from her work copying some document or another, but the older woman smiled slightly as she spoke. “Ruethwyn! This is a surprise; I thought you’d be busy for today.”
“Ah, I didn’t realize. I’m sorry to interrupt, then,” Ruethwyn said, nodding toward the desk as she added, “I just came to return the book you lent me.”
“Already?” Sinera’s eyebrows rose, then furrowed as she looked at the book, a hint of disappointment in her tone as she asked, “Was it too difficult for you? I’d hoped that you might be able to understand it, given your parents.”
“Oh no! You misunderstand!” Ruethwyn said quickly, her eyes widening. “I… I thought that you expected me to understand it more quickly. I finished the book the day before yesterday, but I barely managed to conjure a glimmer of light this morning. I thought… thought that was too slow.”
“You conjured a glimmer of light? Show me,” Sinera ordered, her face now almost impassive, but Ruethwyn could see the librarian’s concentration despite that. Sinera rarely gave orders like that, so after a moment of hesitation, Ruethwyn nodded.
“Okay… it might take a minute, though,” Ruethwyn warned, taking a deep breath, then closed her eyes and concentrated.
The book Sinera had given Ruethwyn had excited her initially, as it went over the basics of magic, but it’d also been hard to understand in some ways. Her parents had told her that they weren’t going to teach her anything until she was twenty, so she’d jumped at the opportunity to learn anything this soon. Five years felt like forever to her. Even so, she’d never heard her parents discuss anything like she’d experienced, and from what they’d said, each of them had managed their first spell, no matter how short-lived, within hours of beginning training. That was why Ruethwyn was so disappointed in herself, but Sinera’s reaction puzzled her.
It took a moment to find the slight, pulsing sense of power or light within her chest again, and Ruethwyn breathed in slowly, deeply, as she touched it. The flickering point was supposed to be the core of her body’s mana, almost like a second heart, and the book said that a person couldn’t survive without it. It was tiny, she knew, but that was normal. Not many people had much of a mana core to begin with, so she carefully began to urge the mana within her to flow outward, and it slowly began to obey.
The sensation was like tingling traces of warmth spreading through her torso and limbs as the mana flowed through her mana veins, pooling in her hands and lips like it had the previous time, as well as at the center of her forehead. Then came the difficult part.
Shaping the mana was hard, but Ruethwyn managed it slowly and carefully as she opened her eyes and held her hands like they were filled with water. Her arms and skin were flickering with faint whorls and patterns of light, which she hadn’t seen on other people, but Ruethwyn ignored them, speaking softly. “Light… come out, little light…”
The mana pulsed out of her with each word, both from her lips and her hands, but Ruethwyn’s eyes were glued on the point between her hands. It took several long, long moments… and then a flicker of blue light appeared between her hands, almost like the ghost of a firefly that glimmered and guttered as it nearly went out. Sinera’s sharp inhalation was enough to break Ruethwyn’s concentration and she lost the mana abruptly. The light went out and the patterns faded.
As Ruethwyn looked up and began to speak, she froze at the look of both surprise and the broad smile on Sinera’s face. After a moment, Ruethwyn licked her lips and asked, “Sinera?”
“I don’t believe it. Hundreds of candidates, dozens of tests… and you figured it out in three days, on your own? You developed it to this point?” Sinera said, her smile growing. “You all but fell into my lap… I never expected this, Ruethwyn. I gave you that book on a whim.”
“What are you talking about? It was just a magical primer, wasn’t it?” Ruethwyn asked, her confusion growing. “I just did what it said to do, but I was slow, so I thought…”
“Ruethwyn, what this is, is an introduction to my personal style of magic, which I developed when I was younger. It’s… almost a minor sphere, but not really,” Sinera said, picking up her book and stroking the cover, allowing her voice to lapse for a moment, then continuing softly. “It’s hard to use, Rue. My sister was the only other person who could use it properly, and she wasn’t as dedicated as I was. I went through dozens of potential students, and none of them could master the basics. Oh, they could try to use the more advanced rituals, but that always ended badly. No, I’d been almost certain that you couldn’t use it, and then you go and show a greater talent with it than I possess.”
“What? B-but…” Ruethwyn began, feeling almost dizzy for a moment, then swallowing and saying, “That’s not possible, though! You’re the powerful mage. I’m just… just the daughter of a tailor and minor druid! Dad and Mom call themselves that, too!”
Sinera let out a soft snort of derision, shaking her head firmly. “Talent doesn’t care what station you have in life, Rue. I’m hardly that powerful, not anymore, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to pass down what I’ve learned.”
“B-but…” Ruethwyn began to protest, but Sinera cut her off with a stern look.
“Rue. I’ve been hoping to encounter someone with both the talent for my magic and the proper temperament for years. In fact, I gave up and came here, originally,” Sinera said, her tone pointed. “I could’ve retired and taught at the royal academy, but instead I came here, to Mellesyn. Perhaps it was Fate that brought me here, though, since you were born here. I’ve known you for more than half a decade, and taught you like a… an adopted daughter, I suppose. You have an inquisitive mind and a good heart, and the talent for my magic. I’d prefer to teach you, but if you don’t want it, I suppose you can always take my position as Mellesyn’s librarian when I pass on.”
“I…” Ruethwyn began, then hesitated, trying to untangle her emotions. She was terrified, honestly, at both the thought of what Sinera had said and the weight of the expectations she’d have. When she’d thought she’d had the talent of no more than a marginal mage, it’d been crushing at first, but no more than what she’d expected. Now the weight was far worse, and Ruethwyn couldn’t help her indecision.
“I can wait for your answer, Rue,” Sinera said after a moment, then smiled and glanced at the library as she added, “It would allow you to truly go out and s
ee the world. Why, if you learn well… I can nominate you to join the royal academy once you’re far enough along.”
The thought of traveling and seeing the world flashed through Ruethwyn’s head, and more importantly, she remembered that Anara hoped to go to the capital. The thought made her hesitate a moment more, then Ruethwyn swallowed hard and nodded. “I’d… I’m a bit nervous and scared of what you’re saying, Sinera, but if you’re really wanting to teach me… yes?”
Sinera laughed at Ruethwyn’s response, her voice gentle. “I’m glad. You have some time to change your mind, but for now let’s leave it at that. I need to speak with your parents first, anyway.”
“Right,” Ruethwyn said, relief flooding through her with the decision made, then hesitating before adding, “I don’t think I’ll change my mind, though.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Sinera said.
Ruethwyn noticed that her mentor seemed far more relaxed than she had in a long time. It was reassuring.
Chapter 3
The sun felt wonderful against Ruethwyn’s skin, and the breeze was just strong enough to offset the sun’s heat. The breeze also brought both the scent of flowers and the sound of laughter and music to her ears, but Ruethwyn didn’t need the sound to know that others were enjoying themselves. From where she was sitting, on a bench by the library, Ruethwyn could see that well enough as she pretended to read her book.
It was hard to tear her gaze away from Anara as the gold-haired elf danced in the town square, to the delight of both her teachers and a couple of her friends. Anara was graceful and beautiful, her movements as fluid as a stream as she moved in time to the music, and it would’ve been difficult for Ruethwyn to look away from the dancer even if she’d wanted to.
Ruethwyn didn’t want to, though. She’d liked Anara for better than a decade, but every time she’d tried to find the words to tell the older woman, Ruethwyn’s words had frozen on her lips. It didn’t help that she was almost an outcast in their generation, as Ruethwyn was the only one learning sorcery from Sinera. She wouldn’t be surprised if Anara didn’t even know Ruethwyn’s name, though it was doubtful.
So instead she watched and longed to find the words to speak to Anara. Ruethwyn couldn’t help but hope that she’d be able to do so when they joined the caravan to head to the capital in a few weeks. If she didn’t… well, Anara would be joining a conservatory to learn song and dance properly, while Ruethwyn would be going to Tyrness Academy to learn magic. The chances of them happening to meet again would be slim, and Ruethwyn was determined to avoid allowing that to happen.
With the sound of the laughter, it took Ruethwyn a surprisingly long time to notice that the sounds of birds had vanished, and that the forest around them had gone silent. It was when the sun began to fade away that Ruethwyn looked upward, blinking in surprise. She’d thought the sky would be clear that morning.
The massive swirl of clouds looked almost like someone had drawn them inward over the town, and Ruethwyn closed her book and stood as she glanced around, the music and dancing no longer echoing through the town square, and her lips thinned at the sight of obvious magic.
Mellesyn wasn’t a large village, and on a normal day, she could see all the way to the mill on the edge of town without too much trouble. Instead, it was like a fog had drifted in and shrouded the buildings, which were only twenty paces away. It surrounded the others as well, and Ruethwyn could hear the murmurs of confusion and fear from the group around Anara.
The first scream echoed from out in the fog and Ruethwyn spun in its direction, quickly setting her book on the bench as she searched for the source. The sound had been oddly muffled, and as she saw movement in the shadows, Ruethwyn tensed.
Immel Fairlyn staggered out of the mist, clutching his shoulder, and Ruethwyn’s eyes went wide as she saw the stain of red around the arrow buried in his shoulder. The smith’s eyes were wide, and he opened his mouth to say something just as a dozen more figures emerged from the mist.
An elven man wearing a dark-hued steel breastplate brought down his sword savagely into Immel’s back, dropping the man to the ground with a spray of blood as Ruethwyn froze in shock, her eyes going huge as she looked down at the fallen man. Her heart almost seemed to stop as more screams echoed through the village, along with a few clatters of metal on metal as she saw that the dozen figures were men and women, primarily humans and elves who all wore similar armor.
Anara’s scream finally broke Ruethwyn out of her shock and she began calling on her magic, drawing it from her mana core and outward as she prepared her spells. The words were just coming to her lips when another voice broke the silence, the firm incantation echoing through the clearing like thunder.
An instant later, lightning lanced out past Ruethwyn in a brilliant flash and arced between the dozen soldiers with a thunderous crack. In its wake, they fell to the ground and Ruethwyn turned, relief flooding her as she saw the caster, flickers of electricity still dancing around her hands.
Sinera stood firmly in place, her eyes intense as she glanced around the clearing. With one hand, she pushed her braided hair back and she spoke suddenly. “Rue, gather the others and get them into the escape tunnel. You need to get out of here, now.”
“What? Why?” Ruethwyn exclaimed, her eyes going wide as she stepped closer. “You just dealt with a dozen of them easily! I could help!”
“You don’t understand, Rue! You’ve no combat experience and those were Shadowguard. If they’re here, that means—” Sinera said hotly, but there was a sudden, immense burst of wind from behind Ruethwyn and the sound of wings. The sorceress’s eyes went wide and she cried out. “Run, Rue!”
Ruethwyn heard the sound of something immense inhaling and had only begun to turn when Sinera grabbed her and shoved her to Ruethwyn’s left, and the world exploded around her.
A blast of immense heat hit Ruethwyn’s back all along the right side, and she saw a flash of light through her right eye before her vision vanished. Suddenly, she couldn’t feel almost anything above her leg on that side, and what she could feel was… indescribable. The sheer pain down the middle of her back and across her skull was incredible, though it seemed to dull as she began to fall.
Through her left eye, Ruethwyn was able to see part of what happened. As she hit the ground, Sinera vanished into a torrent of golden-white flames that then washed over the immense tree containing the library. The bark of the ancient tree smoldered for an instant before it ignited, then the jet of fire vanished and a deep, booming laugh rolled over Ruethwyn. She barely noticed, watching in horror as a blackened, charred corpse that was little more than bones collapsed where her teacher had been.
“Pathetic.” The immense, deep voice thrummed through the ground, and its reverberations intensified Ruethwyn’s pain as she gasped, other screams and cries dying out around her. The only sound almost seemed to be the impact of several huge steps on the ground and the crackle of the flames from the library. Then the dragon came into view.
Resvarygrath the Gilded. Ruethwyn knew the dragon’s name the instant he came into sight, for his appearance was unmistakable. The dragon was immense, one of his claws almost as large as Ruethwyn’s torso, and his scales were the color of hematite, if hematite was washed in gold rather than silver, the rims of each scale pure gold, and his eyes were deep, piercing gold.
One of those immense eyes flicked over Ruethwyn contemptuously from over a dozen feet off the ground, and the dragon snorted, murmuring, “Hmph. A pity, would’ve made a halfway decent maid for the others. No matter. I have what I came for.”
With a claw, the dragon carefully retrieved Sinera’s corpse, and Ruethwyn gasped, pain racking her body as she tried to reach for her teacher’s remains, her breathing labored as she gasped, her voice barely audible as panic flooded her. “N-no… stop…”
The wyrm ignored her, turning and speaking loudly. “Essryl, are you done?”
“Yes, Milord.” The silky voice of another woman drew Ruethwyn’s at
tention to the other side of the clearing, and the young woman stared in shock at what had happened in only minutes.
The bloody bodies of several villagers were on the ground at the feet of another dozen soldiers, and Anara and the other young women were each gagged and tied up, their faces streaked with tears as they cowered. In front of all of them was something Ruethwyn had only read about; one of the Illisyr.
The dark elf was tall and elegant in her black leather armor, her skin like glistening obsidian and her long black hair like onyx. The only color to her were her brilliant scarlet eyes and several glittering rubies set into gold earrings. The vertical pupils of her eyes and the long, swaying tail with its slightly widened tip showed obvious demonic heritage, but the woman looked supremely confident. The Illisyr was armed with a pair of curved daggers, though they were still in their sheaths, and she smiled slightly as she bowed her head marginally to Resvarygrath.
“Excellent. Gather the prisoners and prepare to return. I’ll dispatch the proclamation once we’re done,” the dragon rumbled, and with an immense beat of his wings that caused Ruethwyn’s pain to spike still more, the dragon took flight.
“Yes, Milord,” the Illisyr said again, shaking her head slightly as she looked to the soldiers. “You heard him. Get the prisoners to the wagons and ensure you don’t lose any along the way. Remember, they’re to be untouched.”
“Yes, Mistress Demara,” one of the guards replied, then turned to the others and spoke firmly. “Get to work, all of you!”
“No… no!” Ruethwyn gasped, trying to get to her feet, but her right arm wasn’t responding. She couldn’t feel anything from it, which terrified her, but the sight of Anara being picked up galvanized Ruethwyn into action. Through the agony pulsing through her with every heartbeat, Ruethwyn pushed herself up, onto her knees. Then she drew on her mana to cast a spell.
The Avatar's Flames (Through the Fire Book 1) Page 2
