Warlords Rising Read Free

At seven, they had gone into Mellor and helped
stop an ancient plowing system from destroying a whole city. They hadn’t even
been fully trained.
    Because of how potentially destructive weather magic was, no
one had let her do anything until she had very precise control; it had been two
years of studying and very small projects before Becca had really unleashed her
full magical potential. And even then, they had kept her either in Strae or in
the safer parts of Chahir most of her life because of who she was. Because
there weren’t any other like her. She was the last of her line, and if she died
without having children, there wouldn’t be another Weather Mage ever again.
    It was a heavy responsibility and while she understood the
reason for being so fiercely safeguarded, it still grated, not being able to go
out as the boys had done. That was why, in part, she had snuck out here on her
own.
    Besides, it couldn’t possibly be as dangerous as the adults
feared. They were three fully trained mages. A small army wouldn’t stand much
of a chance against them. How bad could this possibly be?

    Day five they finally hit the Great Northern Highway. It
shot all the way from the very tip of Khobunter through to Hain, and reaching
it meant that they were assured better traveling conditions from here on out.
For one, it would mean the ability to stop for food, inns with comfy beds to
stay in, and possibly being able to get some information if they played their
cards right.
    Becca squinted, peering ahead as she walked. The air shimmered,
almost a wave, as the suns beat down on the hard-packed earth. The soil here
was more crags and rocks than anything, and the air so hot it was a little difficult
to breathe. It was impossible to look straight ahead, any higher than the
ground as well, because the suns were blindingly bright. “Trev. Is that a town
up ahead?”
    “Should be Rurick,” he agreed, rubbing at his throat. “Which
is good. We’re out of water and we’re going to need a lot if we keep going like
this. Maybe we should buy horses?”
    Becca thought they should. Or dragoos. Dragoos would
probably fare better in this arid heat. “If that’s Rurick, then it means we’re
properly in Khobunter now, right?”
    “Right.” It took a second for him to catch onto her meaning.
“Ah, want me to look at the soil now?”
    “Please.”
    Trev eased his pack to the ground and squatted on his
haunches. To the outsider, it looked like he was idly poking at the ground with
a finger, but she could see the magic swirling around him and the intense
concentration on his face. When he sat back, he peered up at the two of them.
    “Part of it at least is the soil’s condition. There’s
absolutely no soil moisture in here.”
    Despite growing up with these two, there were times they
said something that went completely over her head. Like now. “How is that
important?”
    “Um. Hm. How to explain…” he trailed off, staring blankly at
the ground. “Healthy soil, what we call rich ground, isn’t just minerals. It’s
a mix of things, water and earth and compost all mixed in. So if there’s
nothing but minerals in the ground and loose particles of sand, then it hardens
like cement.”
    “So even if Becca called down rain right here and now,”
Nolan ventured, “then it wouldn’t be able to penetrate the ground? It would
just stand there?”
    “You got it. It’s like this whole place is a giant fountain.
The ground is that tough and impenetrable to water.”
    Becca turned in a slow circle, staring hard at her
surroundings. The area was relatively flat, no standings of sand or much in the
way of hills, and there was sparse vegetation indeed. “I could flood this place
if I bring in too much water at once.”
    “Easily,” Trev’nor confirmed. “I’d have to change the
composition of the soil first, and I’d need water to do that with. We’d have to
work together to pull it off. If you really want to change this desert,