Destiny Read Free Page B

act…”
    “Perhaps. But you owe me answers, I need to understand.”
    Haradin gave a worried sigh. The young Norriel was behaving impulsively and rashly.
    “Komir, I owe nothing to no one.”
    “Don’t try to play games with me, Mage,” Komir said, “I know you have crucial information and I need to know.”
    “I can feel much pain inside you, Komir.
    “I appreciate your concern for my wellbeing,” Komir said grimly. “But it would be better if you told me all you know.”
    “It makes me sad to see the only son of Mirta and Ulis hurt like this.”
    “Don’t you dare mention their names!” Komir was so distressed he put his hand on the pommel of his sword, hardly knowing he was doing so.
    Haradin could see the overwhelming pain in the eyes of the young Norriel. He had to handle the situation with extreme care or there might be a very unfortunate accident: an accident which they would both regret.
    Haradin turned his right wrist, and on the palm of his hand there appeared a burning flame.
    Komir took a step back, and his medallion gave a flash.
    “I don’t mean to harm you, Komir. You know that. Listen to your heart, not the anger of pain.”
    “Sure, that’s why you’ve conjured a flame…”
    “No, Komir, I’ve conjured it to warn you that steel has no power over magic.”
    The medallion flashed once again.
    “Your medallion is warning you of the danger,” Haradin said softly. “It detects magic. But it doesn’t know what to do, because it can’t interpret the feelings of anger and doubt in your mind.”
    Komir shook his head and took a deep breath, exhaling from his stomach. At once, a protective sphere rose around him.
    “Very well done, Komir. You’ve managed to calm yourself, and the medallion has protected you against my magic. The power and intelligence of the Ilenians who forged such incredible magic artifacts is astounding.”
    He looked for a moment at Komir and put out the flame in his hand.
    Komir’s protective barrier disappeared.
    “I might teach you a great deal about your Gift, and how to use that medallion which hangs at your neck…”
    “That’s not what I came here for, Haradin.”
    “Answers…”
    “Yes, answers. That’s what I want.”
    “I suppose I can give you some,” Haradin said in a friendly tone, seeing that nothing would deter Komir.
    The young man was determined, and if he did not get satisfactory answers, the situation might get out of hand, and Haradin did not want that. On the other hand, he could not tell him everything he knew: not at that moment, not in that particular place. Komir would not understand; he would put the wrong interpretation on things, and it might lead to trouble. He must be careful in choosing the replies he gave the young man.
    “Why did you say we already knew each other?”
    “Because it’s the truth.”
    “I don’t remember ever seeing you before,” Komir said.
    “You were very little then, a baby in fact. You’d just turned one-year-old when our destinies crossed.”
    “You say… I was a baby? Was it you who brought me to my parents?”
    “That’s right, it was me.”
    “Why?” Komir, said
    “Before we go on, let me offer you my most sincere condolences. Your parents’ death has been an irreplaceable loss and leaves a profound sorrow in my soul. They were two extraordinary people, with no room for anything but nobility and goodness in their hearts. I know for a fact that they loved you very much, Komir. I still find it hard to believe that I’ll never see them again in their home in the mountains.”
    “Why?” Komir repeated. This time his tone was tenser.
    “Mirta and Ulis were good friends of mine. We’d known each other for a long time, from my travels and expeditions to the highlands. I loved them, they always welcomed me in their home and showed me a hospitality I could never repay. They always treated me with the highest regard out of the goodness of their hearts. In those days I often roamed the