Changed By Fire (Book 3) by D.K. Holmberg Read Free Book Online Page A

within the lake had been long enough. “But what if they come again? What if this happens somewhere else, someplace where there aren’t any shapers to protect them?”
    “Do you think they would?” Amia asked.
    Tan thought of Asboel, of the pride he took in hunting, but the creature Tan knew wouldn’t do this, not without reason. And when the youngest had attacked, the archivists had used Amia’s shaping, twisting it to coerce the youngest draasin into attacking the city.
    “Some think the draasin were always deadly,” Cianna said. She had released her reins and once again guided the horse with her knees. “But only the ancients know what it was like when draasin filled the skies. Even then, cities grew and flourished. The other elementals are different but not necessarily harmless. Udilm has claimed ships traveling the seas. Golud has sucked entire buildings underground. And ara…” She snorted. “Who is to know with ara? They say she is too fickle to care.”
    He hadn’t thought the wind elemental fickle, but certainly difficult to connect to. There was a playfulness to ara that wasn’t there with the other elementals.
    “To them, we are nothing particularly special,” Roine said. His gaze settled on Cianna.
    “Theondar,” she said, tipping her head. “You claim to know the mind of the elementals?”
    He glanced at Tan. “Few enough speak to the elementals, let alone claim to know how they think. But how can we grasp the mind of the elemental? It would be like an ant trying to understand us.”
    Cianna barked out a laugh. Roine stared at her. “Is that really what you think, Theondar?” she asked. “That we’re ants?”
    Roine shrugged.
    “Have you ever gone out of your way to help an ant?” Amia asked.
    Roine turned to her. “You think the elementals help if it doesn’t serve them?”
    “Yes,” she answered simply.
    Roine sat taller in his saddle. “I wish I believed that to be true.”
    Cianna frowned at him. “I liked you better when you played as Roine.”
    He shook his head. “We’ll reach the palace soon.” Roine made a point of not looking at Cianna. “And I’ll need you to begin freeing the king’s mind.”
    “And if he hasn’t been shaped?” she asked.
    “Why would the archivists shape us but not the king?” Roine asked.
    Amia met his eyes. “How can you be so certain he didn’t know what they did?”
    “Then you will learn that as well.” Roine directed his attention to Tan. “You should stay away from the palace until this is done.”
    Sunlight sliced through the smoke and played across Amia’s golden hair. One hand touched her neck, running around the silver band there.
    “You will keep her safe?” Tan asked.
    Amia fixed Roine with a hard expression. “He will not have to.”
    Roine stared at her. “Careful…”
    “No, Roine. I will help, but if there is any sign of danger, I will not hesitate to do what I need.”
    Roine inhaled deeply. Then he glanced at Cianna. “See that he stays safe?”
    Cianna looked at Tan. “You think someone able to ride the draasin is in danger within Ethea?”
    “How many shapers remained in Ethea? How many may have been influenced by the archivists? We know nothing about what they planned, nothing about how many shapers they had. You are one of the king’s shapers. Be vigilant.”
    “Is that the Athan or the warrior?” Cianna asked.
    “Yes.”
    Roine started away, turning off onto a different street leading toward the palace, which was visible in the distance. Amia touched Tan’s arm, sending a reassuring shaping toward him, and then followed.
    Tan stared up at the palace. Smoke swirled around, giving lingering images of the walls but obscuring much of the upper levels. Fires still simmered around the palace. How much longer before they burned themselves out?
    “What was he like before?” Tan asked.
    “Theondar? Don’t know. I’m not old enough to know what he was like.”
    With her small face and long, wavy red