Children of the Elementi by Ceri Clark Read Free Book Online

the bowl that swamped the sweet smell from the lit candle nearby. As he breathed in the odor, Ecu’s eyes rolled back to leave a milky mist in their place. The courtiers’ clothes rustled as they craned forward to see more.
    Ecu’s body began to shake as the Magi and Elemental magics fought for dominance. To keep them in check, he laid his hands over the bowl, muttering words that neither the surrounding servants nor Aras could hear clearly. The objects in the outer circle began to glow and slowly rise.
    The smoke swirled over the bowl and spilled to fill the circle. Aras could just make out the objects representing the elements spinning haphazardly inside the vapor. The smoke gradually coalesced to form a thick dense sheet over the bowl. The floating objects slowly sank to the ground. Images emerged against the grey background at an incredible speed. “Show me the source of the king’s pain,” cried Ecu. The images slowed down, forming and reforming until finally, a small room appeared.
    Aras leaned forward. The wall of smoke towered over Ecu. It was the breadth of five hand spans wide and around two finger-widths deep, he reckoned. The images shown within were incredibly clear. Standing up with difficulty, Aras walked around the outside of the spelled circle. The steam from the oil swirled in the upright oblong with the picture overlaid. Aras could see the same image from all directions. He stumbled back to sit on the throne.
    The room in the smoke held a bed, a table to the side of the room with a small narrow box on the top and a larger square box beneath. There was a boy lying on the bed. Moving closer again, Aras’ breath caught in his throat.
    The boy could have been his twin - only a few years younger. The boy was young, obviously. He could be only fourteen - sixteen at the most. He was tall, had the same blond hair only lighter and... His eyes narrowed - he had a crystal. Aras could just make out the glow from under the boy’s clothing. This was impossible, but he was there. How could he exist?
    The old man’s eyes cleared. As they did, the smoke evaporated along with the picture.
    Aras looked at the faces of the courtiers standing around; they did not seem to have grasped the full import yet.
    “Out,” he snapped.
    “Lord?” replied a dignitary. He quailed as Aras turned to look at him.
    “You dare to question me?”
    Standing quietly to the side the First Advisor stepped forward and grabbed the young boy roughly by the collar of his tunic.
    “You heard him, everyone out.” He shoved the boy towards the door. The room shuffled to the exit. Satisfied the room was emptying, the first Advisor moved back to stand once again beside Aras.
    Aras looked at him sharply.
    “You too,” he said quietly
    “But Sire, you don’t know this man.”
    Aras’s headache throbbed, his temper rose to breaking point.
    “Get out now, or all your years of service will not save you.”
    His tone brooked no argument. The Adviser’s face drained of all color. He took a step backwards and left glancing back at Aras and the stranger with speculation in his eyes.
     Exhausted but watching the Advisor leave with interest, Ecu asked, “When did your headaches begin at the level you have them now?”
    Aras looked thoughtful “Only a couple of days ago.”
    “That is when the crystal was first used. It would seem the High-Queen was pregnant when she escaped. If you want the headaches to disappear you will need to eliminate the boy. If not to save the Empire your great-grandmother founded, you must do it to save yourself!”
    Ecu paused to emphasize his point, “that boy is the true heir. His families have been prepared for the power of the Matrix for generations. His blood is not only pure, but the Matrix must have accepted him before being sent to safety. Without him the Matrix may be persuaded to accept you. The scrolls say the Matrix needs a human mind to be sentient and for true sentience it needs to bond with a Spirit