A Thief's Treasure Read Free Page A

It glowed for a moment and then after a small flash two cups of bubbling tea appeared.   He grabbed the cup slowly and started to sip it, the gape that was present on my mouth ignored.
     
    “Well aren’t you going to drink it?” he asked.
     
    “B-but how?” I managed to reply.   My confusion was still apparent.
     
    “Well I specialize in flame and iron alchemy.   I have the ability to use all but those are my forte.   My wife is a flame and iron alchemist as well and Darren just specializes in fire and earth.   He wanted to be different from the rest of us, but he still kept his flame alchemy as a family heirloom,” Anthony said.
     
    “Interesting,” I replied as I took a sip of my tea.
     
    “Indeed it is.   You’ll learn a lot more about it later on though.   Let’s get back to the main subject we’re talking about and why I had the other two exit the room,” he instructed.
     
    “Okay.   So what is it?” I asked.
     
    “Well...to start off your birth parents are alive and well.”
     
    Chapter Three
     
    I almost spit out my tea when he said that.   “What the hell are you talking about?   I saw the reports that they died in a fire at their office when I was six months old.   I was with my grandma when it happened and then right after that she passed away as well,” I voiced.
     
    “What really happened was that entire story was created and fabricated by us and utilized as a distraction for the bad guys.   We needed to prove to them that they were dead and that you’ve been put in a foster home in order to prove to them that you don’t have any magical powers.   They are alive and kicking and live about 100 miles from here.   We spoke to your foster parents about taking care of you until you were ready to access your powers.   Even though they felt bad for lying to you all these years and having to hide the truth they knew it was all for the best.   We didn’t have the bad guys come after you and take you as a hostage to use against us and your family.   They wanted to attack and not only kill your parents but you as well, but due to a blood covenant we made with them five days after you were born we made sure you were in the best care possible until you were old enough to come live with us and access your powers yourself.   We didn’t want you brainwashed by them either,” he explained.
     
    I was beyond shocked; why in the world would they hide it for over 20 years of my life?   Was I really in that much danger?
     
    “But…why?   I mean who are these bad guys and why are you protecting me?   And brainwashed?   I’m not that stupid,” I retorted.
     
    “You’re not stupid at all; I’ve seen your report cards.   You need to work on that math a little bit though.   You don’t understand their power sweetie; they have a special trick that can put almost any average alchemist or human in a trance.   And once they did that they can easily say that they worked with your parents or say that they left you to be taken care of by them.   Or even worse, that your parents gave you up and hated you which would’ve helped quell your desire for revenge.   They have a myriad of ways to do this, but nonetheless they’re all very dangerous.   Their leader’s name is Karakan and I went to the alchemist academy in Milan where they taught the best alchemists in the world.   We used to be best friends, but he started to dabble in some black alchemy and he started to distance himself from me.   Despite my attempts to help him he eventually ran away from the academy.   About a year later he gather a bunch of other dissident alchemists to join his legion along with some humans that can’t help but be tantalized by the desire black alchemy exudes.   Now there’s about ten very strong alchemists in his ranks and they want to permeate the world with black alchemy.   It’s incredibly dangerous; the last time this happened initiated the destruction of Rome,” he