A Story Of River by Lana Axe Read Free Book Online Page A

inept
morons!” The young elf cowered in fear. “If you can't learn these skills, then
I'll use you for a test subject.”
    “Please, master,” the young elf pleaded.
“I will try harder.”
    Ulda took a deep breath and let it out
slowly. Apparently training his special force of Soulbinders would be more
difficult than he had anticipated. Still, he was going to need their help, so
he would have to learn some patience.
    “Look, all of you,” he turned to face his
group of twenty-five sorcerers. “You are some of the finest sorcerers of
Ral'nassa. You have joined me for a very special purpose, and you must pay
close attention to these lessons. The slightest lapse in concentration will
cause the binding to fail and destroy the gem. We have very few of them to
waste, so I expect you to work hard.”
    He motioned to the skinny young boy
standing at the door. “Slave, sit here on the floor.” He pointed to the center
of the room in front of the sorcerers. “You there,” he said, pointing to a
dark-haired sorcerer in a red robe. “Bind this one. Use his fear.”
    The sorcerer stepped forward, his palms
raised facing the boy. With his thumb and forefinger, he held a small purple
gem. A deep purple glow began to materialize on his hands as he adjusted the
angle of the gem. Suddenly, a beam of purple light shot from the sorcerer,
through the gem, and into the boy's chest. The boy screamed with fright and was
slowly lifted off his feet. He threw back his head, and his entire body jerked
wildly. As quickly as it had begun, it was over. The magic faded and the boy
dropped lifelessly to the floor.
    The sorcerer held the gem high and
inspected the pale light swirling within it. He turned and held the gem out for
his colleagues to observe.
    Ulda applauded the student. “Well done!
That is exactly the process I am trying to teach you. The next step is using
this essence to power other enchantments.”
    He walked to the door, opened it, and
called to someone outside. A few moments later, a cage containing a large
spotted wildcat was wheeled in. Its yellow eyes scanned the elves present in
the room.
    “I'm sure you all recognize one of
Ral'nassa's beautiful wildcats. I've had enough brought over for each of you.
Using a human consciousness to power the enchantment, you can turn this savage
beast into a most impressive mount. They are sturdy, swift, and will fight
fiercely on your behalf. I will demonstrate.”
    Ulda went behind the caged animal and
plucked a few hairs from its tail. The cat swatted and hissed at the sorcerer.
A smile spread across Ulda's face as he inspected the hairs closely.
    “Shed hairs do not work as well since they
rarely contain a living cell. Plucked hairs work quite nicely for this next
step. Follow me.” He led his students to the large metal table with the orb at
the center. As he touched his hand to the orb, it began to spin. Gently, he
placed the hairs inside.
    “Your gem, master Soulbinder,” Ulda said
as he extended his hand. The sorcerer in red quickly handed over the filled
gem. Ulda placed the gem inside the orb and placed both hands just above it as
a purple glow filled the sphere. In a blinding flash of light, the gem burst,
and the light shot out into Ulda's fingertips. He turned towards the cat and
fired the magic towards it, hitting it full in the face.
    “This cat is now yours, Soulbinder,” Ulda
said, smiling proudly at his student.
    The students stood in awe of this new
magic. It was unlike anything they had seen before. Such power was unheard of
using the magic they were taught at the college.
    The red-robed sorcerer walked boldly up to
the caged wildcat and released the latch on its door. The cat walked out calmly
and licked his hand. Purring softly, it proceeded to rub its face all over the
laughing elf.
    “Marvelous,” he said. “Simply, marvelous.”
He stroked the cat's head and neck as it stretched and purred.
    “The rest of you must practice until you
have mastered the