The Blaze Ignites Read Free Page A

all of the sudden, had I
not been put into that detached mindset? Would it stay this way?
Could I have control of my magic? An odd mixture of terror and
happiness came with that thought.
    Snapping back to my immediate situation, I
turned to face the party that had followed me from Narcatertus, all
my other questions returning. Who had Rabryn killed, and why was he
a danger to me? What was the Deralilya? What had I whispered to
Ortheldo and Addredoc? What had I been talking about in saying to
the Salynns “Nice to see you in this world?” And how did my brother
suddenly know how to use his magic to heal me and lift me off the
ground as if I weighed nothing?
    Other things, too, plagued my mind, even if
perhaps they weren’t as important as these questions: The two men I
loved betraying me. My desperate attempt to die. Addredoc thinking
I was selfish. But I had to concern myself with the bigger issues I
was facing right now. I still didn’t know why the Gods had left me
with this task, as if I were only a pawn, a subject of Their cruel
entertainment. And I knew more crap was coming—I could feel it.
    I sighed and looked down at my ripped and
blood-soaked outfit. Well, actually Addredoc’s ripped and
blood-soaked outfit. I looked at the group again and decided I’d
have to change later because my questions were too pressing at the
moment. I crossed my arms as I walked over to the group and stood
just outside their circle. The only one still standing was the Tan
Stranger. Why were they all here?
    “Thank you all for coming to my aid,” I said
bowing my head in annoyance and some shame. “Is anyone hurt
badly?”
    Addredoc smiled up at me nervously, probably
due to our last encounter. “It’s nothing that can’t be
handled.”
    I nodded and gazed at the biggest mystery
before my eyes, the Tan Stranger. She seemed to be glaring at me
with those dangerous eyes. In fact, she looked about ready to rip
my head off. I looked down at her belt where a thin wooden paddle
rested, its edge sanded to a thin, almost sharp edge. Why wood?
    I looked up into her eyes again. “Steel is
more effective, and less messy.”
    Her eyes went wide and what I could see of
her face was bright red. She shook with barely controlled rage,
then pointed an accusing finger at me. “I don’t have a steel weapon
because of you, Azrel! You’re too busy getting in your own damn way
to give me one!”
    My rage spiked in turn and I let my
expression show it. No one talked to me like that. “Excuse me?”
Suddenly, everyone stood, the rest preparing to tear us off one
another in case a fight broke out. Even Ortheldo rushed towards us
from the creek.
    It took a few moments under my stare, but her
confidence waned. Apparently she hadn’t expected me to respond like
that. Perhaps she thought her intimidation would break me down into
tears. She didn’t know me very well.
    My eyes narrowed. “What’s your name?”
    She held her head high and glared right back
at me. “Acalith.”
    “Well, Acalith”—I rested my left hand on the
hilt of my sword—“perhaps you’d like firsthand a lesson in just how
much more effective steel is?” It was deathly quiet for a long
moment, but I finally stared those defiant eyes down to the ground.
“I didn’t think so,” I declared. “Now tell me who you are and why
you’re following me.” I looked at the Salynns, meeting each of
their eyes and letting them know I was wondering the same thing
about them.
    Rabryn then stepped forward. “Um, Azrel? She
saved your life on a few occasions. I think you could be. . .”
    I shut him up immediately with a dangerous
glance. He softly cleared his throat and stepped back. I looked at
Acalith again. “Well?”
    “I am the Deralilya,” she said simply.
    “Yeah, I got that much in Narcatertus. But
since I don’t know what the Deralilya is, that doesn’t help me very
much.” I looked at Ortheldo, “And I don’t know how you could
possibly know what it is when I