Firebrand Read Free Page A

heart pounding anxiously. He clutched the haversack containing his new books, not daring to open it until he was safely home.
     
    *  *  *
     
    Ramon flung the front door open and yanked Kaijin inside. He thrashed Kaijin’s bottom with his calloused hand until Kaijin could no longer shed a tear. Afterward, Ramon dragged him to the kitchen.
    He sat Kaijin on the hard, wooden chair, the solid impact increasing the pain in his stinging rear. Kaijin winced and held in his newly-formed tears, not daring to cry any more in front of his father. He kept his face down and didn’t acknowledge his mother, who had come to investigate the commotion. Instead, Kaijin rested his eyes on the burning candle in the center of the table.
    “What in bloody hells were you doing wandering off by yourself?!” Ramon barked. “Gods, you could have gotten lost out there! What if ...”
    Kaijin briefly glanced up and saw Elianee purse her lips while Ramon continued to scold. The volume of his voice rose, and she quietly padded out of the room.
    Kaijin, his rear still throbbing from the spanking, managed to stay in his chair. He felt weary from the day’s events and enduring his father’s long-winded lectures. His gaze momentarily shifted to his father’s back before returning to the candle. He fantasized about the strange blue flame he had seen in the bookseller’s booth.
    What sort of magical component turns fire blue? He recalled the vendor’s words.
    He stared at the candle’s flame, hypnotized by its little dance. He held his breath and inched his hand toward the incandescence. Kaijin’s mind drifted.
    Beautiful ...
    Rubbing his fingers through the flame, Kaijin felt them burn, further searing the soft skin. He exhaled and retracted his hand. He held back his whimpers and nursed his seared fingertips.
    Ramon spun around in time to notice Kaijin’s wincing and stormed over to him. The man’s face flushed deeper than his red hair. “Damn it to the bleeding hells, boy! Have you still not got it through that thick head of yours?” He grabbed Kaijin’s hand, pressing firmly against the wound, and yanked him out of the chair.
    The pain was unbearable, and Kaijin was no longer able to hold back his emotions. He cried out, tears streaming down his face, but he didn’t resist his father’s strong grasp.
    Ramon dragged Kaijin upstairs to his bedroom. “I try hard. Really, I do,” Ramon said as he cleared all of the candles from the room. “I don’t know where I’ve gone wrong with you. Your mother says you’re smart, but I see nothing but foolery from you.”
    Kaijin sat at the edge of his bed, rubbed the tears from his eyes, and sniffled.
    “This is a sickness, Kaijin, don’t you see? It’s not normal for children your age to be so obsessed with something so dangerous as fire. This needs to stop.”
    “B–but Papa, I don’t feel sick,” Kaijin said timidly.
    Ramon groaned. “Sickness of the mind, son! Fire is not meant to be touched.”
    “But, Papa—”
    “Common sense doesn’t come from books, Kaijin. It comes from the hard lessons in life.” Ramon scowled. “Now stop all that crying. Only little boys cry. You’re not a little boy, are you?”
    Kaijin sniffled and wiped away stray tears. “No, Papa ...”
    “Good. Take these lessons like a man, and learn from your mistakes, understand?”
    “Yes, Papa ...”
    Ramon nodded firmly. “This is for your own good, son. You’ll thank me later.” He left.
    Kaijin buried his head in his hands and sobbed. His father’s words were jumbled in his mind. Kaijin heard the footsteps drift away from the other side of the door. He was alone.
    For the remainder of the day, Kaijin found it difficult to read. His bottom still hurt, and his eyes were dry and bloodshot. His fingers stung every time he turned a page. From his parents’ bedroom, he heard raised voices.
    His father said, “... Yeah, he thinks we should consider enrolling him in a mage school ... What do you mean? ...