Possessing the Grimstone Read Free Page A

them.
    Tolan turned to see the cloaked mage standing with a grimoire in his hands. His dusty frock and cowl flapped in the breeze. He had a grave look on his face as he stormed over to them.
    “Sooth-Malesh, what brings you down from the spires?”
    “The news young Tolan brings, of course.”
    “There is no news. You should go back to your brews and luck stones.”
    “Fool, that was no thunder. No lightning. Describe this lightning to me, Tolan.”
    “Of course, Sooth-Malesh. It rose from the water through to the clouds. Then the inside crackled with light.”
    “Crackled with light,” Sooth-Malesh said, raising his eyebrow. “Lightning does not behave in this manner. It was not lightning. Something is breaking through the mist. There is magic use afoot.”
    “I’m not sure if it was magic,” Tolan replied. “But it was strange.”
    “Strange, indeed. It was something trying to break through. We are all in grave danger. The city—nay—the lands should be put on alert.”
    “I’m not putting the city on alert for natural phenomena,” Jorrel said.
    “It wasn’t natural. Something on the other side is coming.”
    “There is nothing on the other side. The land ends at the Red Coast. There is nothing but water. Beyond this mist, the world ends. That’s why no ships have ever sailed through it. We are in no danger.”
    “You’re wrong, High Guardsman. We are all in danger. Something is coming. Heed my words. Warn the King!”
    “I’m sorry, Sooth-Malesh. I cannot do that. Please, return to the spires.”
    “You’re fools… all of you. You will remember this day when you did not heed my words.”
    “Of course.” Jorrel nodded as Sooth-Malesh turned and wandered back through the courtyard.
    “He’s quite upset,” Tolan said.
    “He’s always upset. Always raving about something. The end is coming, the end is coming.”
    “Well, it was strange. The way the clouds lit up was something I had never seen.”
    “Well, it doesn’t mean it wasn’t natural.”
    ###
    In the top of the tallest black spire, Sooth-Malesh slammed his grimoire onto his pedestal. Dust puffed into a cloud from beneath the book. He flipped it open, and turned each page of parchment. He studied the various energy fields of magic, and looked over the after effects and the residual energy. He re-read about the mist and the legends surrounding it. He then found the page with the most powerful magical item of all: the Grimstone. The only one of its kind, a war that almost tore the fabric of their world apart was fought over it. The stone could not be destroyed, nor could it be kept in storage by any living thing. Thus, the First People managed to break it into three pieces, and had hid them in secret, scattered throughout the world.
    Only one thing could get through that mist: magic from the Grimstone. Even one piece of the stone could probably do it. It had to be what was attempting to break through the misty wall. Once whatever it was got through, then what?
    Sooth-Malesh shut the book. He ran to his crystals and laid them on the work table before him. He wove a withered hand over them, but nothing happened. He lit a candle and gazed into its flame. No vision came.
    “I’m being blocked,” he said with trembling lips. He was even more alarmed than before.

Chapter 2
    Pim stood in a circle with his friends. He dropped a spiny shell to the ground—the husk of a bristle back coon—and kicked it.
    Ono dashed over and kicked it as it spun in mid-air. Arc leapt behind him and caught the shell, passing it back to Pim. It overshot him, but the young Wivering flew like the wind across the grass, and caught it before it hit the ground.
    He rejoined his friends as they bounced the prickly shell from one to another.
    “So, you’re feeling better?” Ono asked.
    “Never better,” Pim said. “Thanks for the tree branch.”
    “It was nothing. Better luck next time.”
    “Oh, I’ll make it all the way next time. I was halfway