Realm of Light by Deborah Chester Read Free Book Online Page B

the two emeralds had fused together into a single,
irregular-shaped stone, somehow becoming larger in the process.
    Now, the lumpy gem
was glowing here in the darkness, as though possessing a life of its own. And
as soon as he dumped it on the ground, it grew again, swelling into a fist-sized
gem that flared angrily with radiant, pale green light.
    The pain in his
chest faded swiftly. Limp with relief, Caelan pressed his palm against the spot
and drew in deeper and deeper breaths. He felt clammy now in the cold air
blowing through the passageway. His sweat was drying on his skin; his clothing
stuck unpleasantly to him beneath his armor. Wiping his face with a corner of
his tattered cloak, he thought he heard a footstep in the distance.
    His head snapped
up. “Elandra?”
    She did not reply,
and he knew even as he uttered her name that the sound had come from behind
him. Elandra was ahead of him, lost already in the darkness beyond the dim
light cast by his emerald. It v/as as though the shadow forces were separating
them, one by one, from each other. Divide and conquer. Isolate and kill.
    The soft scraping
sound came again, furtive and quick. Hair prickled on the back of Caelan’s
neck. He pushed himself to his feet, drawing his sword, and gazed behind him.
    In the eerie light
of the emerald, he saw nothing, but he believed the force that had come to life
in the stone was drawing the attention of something he did not want to meet.
    Caelan did not
understand the magic contained within this emerald. He only knew it somehow
responded to the shadow forces, fed on their power to mysteriously augment its
own. Sometimes it served as a protector; sometimes not. He did not know how to
direct it, how to use it. And now it was too large to be concealed in his
amulet pouch. He would have to find another way to carry it.
    Using a corner of
his cloak as a pad against the heat thrown off by the stone, Caelan scooped it
up and hurried on. With every stride he listened for sounds of pursuit, but
whatever lurked behind him did not follow.
    The pain in his
chest was gone now, but it had drained him. He knew he was not fast enough, not
as alert as he should be.
    Sighing, he rubbed
his chest and felt old, tired, and mortal. His ambitions had been driven out of
him, and now he could only look back at them with wonder and amazement. Why had
he even fantasized that he could accomplish such things?
    It was time for
him to leave Kostimon and Elandra to their fates and go home to Trau. He had
unfinished business there, old scores to settle, old ghosts to make peace with.
Even if E’nonhold had been destroyed, the land remained. He should claim it
before the provincial governor awarded the deed to a purchaser.
    And as this
determination settled within him, the ambitions faded from his heart. The heat
inside his emerald gradually cooled until once again it felt cold and lifeless
like any stone. The light it cast went out, and Caelan was once again plunged
into the darkness.
    He stumbled to a
halt, frustrated and discouraged. With all his will, he tried to reach into the
stone and reawaken its magic. It remained unresponsive in his fist.
    Ahead, however, he
heard the plodding hoofbeats of Elandra’s horse. Straightening his shoulders,
he reminded himself of his duty to protect this woman and pushed onward.
    Jogging on legs
that felt leaden with fatigue, Caelan mentally gave thanks for the years of
tough conditioning and training for the arena that enabled him to keep going.
The walls of the passage began to glow softly, very dimly at first, then strong
enough to see by. The illumination came from streaks of a pale, slimy substance
on the walls. He dared not touch it, but he was glad to finally be able to see
where he was going.
    Ahead, Elandra’s
horse had stopped and stood with its head down. Elandra’s hands rested on her
horse’s neck. The reins dangled free from the bridle.
    He staggered up to
the animal, taking care not to startle it, and