Daegan (The Age of Alandria: A Companion Novella) by Morgan Wylie Read Free Book Online Page A

magic with all the strength left within him, Daegan released it to douse the flame and cool his fire.  He felt it stir and tingle within him, but to his utter betrayal he realized the fire was part of his own magic and not an outside element using him. He had quick flashes of himself as a child burning things sometimes, then his mother or father quickly putting the flames out and telling him he needed to suppress the fire. He didn’t know why at the time, but now he did... it was part of his darkness. But why this family?
    KATÉRI!! His mind tried to break through to her mind, shouting to warn her.
    Smoke hit his nose. The house crackled as the flames grew, consuming more and more in their path as it ate its way up the side of the dry, kindling-ready materials that made up this home. Panic flared within him for the family inside... for little Katéri. Daegan shouted out loud to wake them up, to get them out of the home. He didn’t care if they would see what he was doing. He deserved to be taken to the gallows and more for what he was doing—what was about to happen.
    The flames continued to grow at a much more rapid pace and still he could not do anything to stop them. He tried to even step into the flame to douse out his own existence. Nothing. The fire was hot and licked at him, but to his surprise did not ignite his skin. Still with wide eyes, he stared unbelieving at the tragedy that was transpiring right in front of him. Everything within him as a warrior--to guard, to protect, to save--was screaming at him to do something... anything.
    His feet moved him back into the shelter of the trees that he had first stood behind, but this time he actually tried to move back toward the house. Maybe if my feet are moving, I can overpower it again. He tried and tried again. He was powerless against the force.
    From the trees, all he could do was watch. Watch and hope for someone else to save them. His voice fell on deaf ears. Then, after what seemed like an eternity watching and waiting for the inevitable, and in reality what was entirely too fast, the little home was no more. All that remained were piles of ash and bits and pieces of belongings and furniture. It was in ruins; all was lost, even those that once lived inside it.
    A pain hitched in Daegan’s chest and his breath caught. As he stared at the ruin before him, all he could think of was little white-haired Katéri and her big blue eyes—how they stared unguarded and knowing into his soul, and how they never would again. Maybe nobody was home, he begged mentally. 
    He was suddenly released of the hold the darkness had on him. His feet were free and without thought, he found himself slowly making his way toward the rubble and ash. He did not want to be here, but he needed to know... for sure.
    On one side of the home, he found crimson coloring on the ground, tinted in the ash—the remains of a shifter. Right next to that, he found light green in the same manner—the remains of a Faerie. His heart sank. He could not see their souls, but he felt them still lingering as he crouched touching the colored mixture of ash.
    In that moment, he asked for forgiveness, not for himself—he did not deserve it—but for their sake, to help them move on when the Ferriers came. He sensed their arrival was close and he did not want to be there when they did.
    Daegan rose with his head hung low. He was frozen where he stood, not because of the darkness this time, but because of what he saw across the room. In what must have been where the little angel slept, she still remained. Lifeless and eyes unseeing toward the sky lay little Katéri covered in rubble and ash. She had not reached the maturity of a twined child in order for her soul to be taken by the Ferriers.
    Daegan felt all the color drain from his face as he knelt in front of her and held her outstretched hand. He had done this. Tears slowly rippled down his face leaving tracks in the dirt, grime, and sweat. In her hand, he