Brightflame Accension (Book 1) Read Free Page A

smiled weakly.
    Harold smiled back, his teeth white beneath his dark whiskers. “Well, you’re up. That’s always the first step. Waking up. You took a nasty knock when you hit the ground. Those poor horses had to drag you and the supplies home.”
    “Will! You’re awake. I was hoping you wouldn’t sleep through another meal. Are you hungry, darling? We’ve got some cider for you should you like something hot,” Elizabeth said, offering Will a steaming mug of cinnamon-colored liquid.
    Will sipped at the cider happily. He didn’t feel so stiff after he had finished. He waited a few moments, then Will crawled out of the bed and sat at the table. The drink had woken in him an appetite, and Will suddenly felt famished. Elizabeth placed a plate of mutton and salted venison in front of Will, who wolfed down several large pieces of meat. Fiddling with an ornate dagger, Matthew watched him intently.
    “Harold,” Matthew said, not taking his icy blue eyes off his son, “I hate to bother you now, but I cannot wait any longer. Let’s test William.”
    “Here, Matthew?” Harold asked, casting a nervous glance at Elizabeth’s turned back.
    “Aye, here and now.”
    “You never were a patient man,” Harold said with a nostalgic smile.
    “A test?” Will protested. “I just got out of bed. I cannot prove anything now,” he groaned.
    Matthew’s eyes sparked dangerously in the way they always did when he wanted Will to shut his mouth and do what was asked of him. “Come on, Will, you’ve had plenty of time to rest. Harold is here on official business, and you wouldn’t want to waste his time would you?” The stern voice that warned of severe punishment provided just enough incentive for Will to move.
    Standing wearily from his chair, Will shed the blanket draped over his shoulders. He reached for his tunic, but Matthew grabbed him and pulled him out into the sunny yard. A slight wind tickled Will’s bare chest.
    “Are you sure you are fit, William?” Harold asked, assuming a position away from the house.
    “He’ll be fine, old friend,” Matthew interjected.
    Harold looked to Will who, despite his sore back, nodded.
    “Watch it, son!” Matthew shouted as Harold thrust his hand forward.
    A blast of air knocked Will to the ground. He howled in pain; his sides were still badly bruised. With another stream of wind, Harold sent Will tumbling across the ground like a misshapen ball. Will staggered to his feet.
    “Attack, Will! Strike back!” Matthew shouted. Will looked at him incredulously. He turned back to Harold. The moustache quivered just as the man thrust his hand forward.
    “What do you want me to do?” Will barked at his father. He was hit by the wall of air again and thrown back.
    “Go get him, son,” Matthew answered simply, cringing as Will hit the ground again. Will groaned, furiously, stubbornly fought to gain his footing again.
    Will ducked the barely visible jet. As he ran towards Harold, he looked for something to take cover from the buffeting air. The moustache fluttered. Will tripped over something long and narrow. As the wave passed, his hair was tugged by the magic he barely avoided.
    What manner of test is this? he asked himself, spitting out the dirt that had filled his mouth when he’d fallen.
    Will looked down at what he had tripped over. A forgotten shovel lay at his feet. Grabbing its handle, Will stood again. Something at that moment took hold of him. Fiery claws tore at his mind. It did not hurt, but Will felt the violence of the action all the same. The unknown force rushed through his veins; he could sense it as a warm tingle in his fingers. Then, Will was not thinking properly, and the power inside of him seemed to take control of his limbs. Will could not resist the power, but he found he did not want to.
    “I feel…” he whispered to himself, “dangerous.” He looked up at Harold. The moustache shook again. Will slashed through the air with his shovel. The movement was