A Crucible of Souls (Book One of the Sorcery Ascendant Sequence) by Mitchell Hogan Read Free Book Online

talent for crafting was quite remarkable, so she had no trouble finding work. But she couldn’t forget what had happened to her parents. She began digging for information about them, innocent enough of itself, and a natural thing for a daughter to do. But what she found troubled her, very much so. People started asking after her and why she was searching for information. ” Rastar spread his hands. “ She didn’t tell us most of what she had found, only that your grandparents were both from the empire and worked in some capacity for the emperor. Not directly, of course, but for one of the divisions in the empire. ”
    They knew, thought Caldan. All this time the masters had known far more about his parents than they let on. Probably to shelter him while he was growing up, but he couldn’t shake the feeling he had been lied to, or at least people he trusted had withheld the truth from him.
    “ Please, Master Rastar, ” begged Caldan. “ Do you have any idea who killed my parents? ”
    Rastar shook his head. “ We don’t know. All we know for certain is what we have told you, that your parents feared something they had uncovered and wanted to get away. They wanted a normal life, for you and for… your sister. ”
    All three monks’ eyes searched Caldan’s. They all looked drawn and worried, and he could see concern in their faces. Caldan turned his head and closed his eyes.
    Joesal added hesitantly, voice low. “ Should we give him the… er… rings? ”
    “ Yes, ” replied Delife. “ Pass me them, would you? ”
    Robes rustled and a chair scraped across the floor. Caldan opened his eyes to a blurry room, he blinked a few times and his sight cleared. In front of him stood Delife, hand outstretched. In it sat the small package that had been on the table.
    “ Go on, ” the master urged. “ They are yours. Your mother left them with us to study and keep safe before the accident. ”
    Caldan reached out to take the package. The string felt rough against his fingers. Hesitantly, he untied it then unwrapped the paper and the cloth bundle inside with trembling fingers. Two rings lay on the cloth, one silver and as wide as his small fingernail, the other of bone, slightly larger. The silver ring caught his eye first; the outside surface was covered in a knotwork pattern into which two stylized lions with tiny onyx eyes had been worked, detailed enough that he could see tiny claws and fangs. Inside, the band was etched with unfamiliar symbols.
    He frowned, peering at the metal the ring was made of. It didn’t quite have the color of silver; it was subtly different. His eyes widened and he glanced up at Delife, who gave him a grin. Is it real?
    “ Yes, ” the master confirmed. “ It’s a t rinket . Your family’s, now yours. It was decided that approaching your majority you would be of sufficient maturity to be able to take possession of the t rinket . As you know, they are valuable and not playthings for mischievous children. ”
    Caldan gasped. A trinket his family owned? And it was now passed down to him, as it would have been if his family were still alive to see him come of age. His mind swam with thoughts and possibilities. How had his family come to possess something so rare? Would it provide a clue as to who his family were and where they had come from?
    He turned it a few times, still not believing it was his. “ Thank you, ” he stammered. “ You could have kept it and I wouldn’t have known. ”
    “ Ha! You know we wouldn’t do that. ” Delife took the wrapping, string and cloth from him and placed them on the table. “ The bone ring looks to be a poor copy of a trinket . I fear it is worthless, most likely of sentimental value to your mother. The trinket , though… the origin and function of yours is unknown to us, despite extensive and exhaustive examination using crafting. However, as you know from your lessons, this is not unusual. One of the symbols is a variation of the symbol we use