The Blaze Ignites by Nichelle Rae Read Free Book Online Page B

here? How did he know where I
was? What was he doing? Was that really Rabryn looking so fierce
and animal-like?
    A thin stream of smoky gold magic seeped from
his lit up fists and swirled around like a sea snake in a pool of
sparkling gold. A flash of gold made me flinch. Faintly glowing
gold smoke completely surrounding Jonoic. The huge man started
violently convulsing, looking like he was about to break his own
back. And then he did! I heard a sickening crack as
his spine snapped inward towards his chest and he went still.
    Daylight slowly started to return, the black
clouds receding layer by layer and the rain slowed to a normal
fall. As the clouds began to roll back, I caught a glimpse of
something at my feet. Acalith. She was kneeling in the mud, her
wide eyes on my brother as he came towards me. Why was she always
here when trouble was around?
    I shifted my eyes towards Rabryn as he
kneeled by my side and the sky lightened to normal, though
overcast. “Azrel,” he whispered as he ran his fingers gently though
my hair. I could still feel blood running from the corner of my
mouth and onto the ground. I couldn’t feel much else except my
broken facial bones and ribs. “What did he do to you?”
    Rabryn gently ran his fingertip along my jaw,
which hurt like the fires of the abyss, then down my nose and over
my lips. I realized he was assessing the damage. Even as he did
this, the sky took on a light grey color and soft rain now fell,
singing a relaxing melody as each droplet splashed on the leaves
covering the ground. When he finished running his fingertip down my
side, counting my broken ribs, he looked down at me, worried. “I
can’t heal this. I’m not skilled enough. I have to get you to
Addredoc.”
    I tried to talk but only pathetic noises of
air came out. My jaw was too damaged to form words.
    Rabryn’s brows dropped. He rested his hand on
the side of my hair. “Shh, shh. Don’t try to talk. I have to get
you help.”
    He then got off his knees into a squat and
raised his hands just over my body. I felt myself go completely
stiff. With his hands still over me, I felt myself begin to lift
off the ground, frozen in the awkward position I’d been lying in.
It felt strange at first, but I realized the stillness wonderfully
minimized the pain I would have been in if he had just lifted me
up.
    When I was floating at about the height of my
brother’s shoulders, I felt myself begin to turn. He slowly put me
on my back, and then I was gently lowered into his arms. My body
relaxed and Rabryn was holding me.
    He grinned down at me. “Not bad for a newbie,
huh?”
    I wanted to smile, or chuckle, but I didn’t
dare. Rabryn stood and began to carry me away. I looked for
Acalith, but she was gone. Big surprise.
    I turned my eyes up to Rabryn’s face.
“H-orle-ho?” I managed pathetically.
    He looked down at me confused. “What?”
    “H-or-lehl-go?”
    “Ortheldo?” I nodded slightly, relieved he
understood me. “He’s okay. We started getting worried when you two
took so long, so we started searching for you. We found him first,
injured and alone, which alarmed us quite a bit. While I fixed him,
he told us what happened and that you were okay.”
    “Haw. . .” I strained, “haw hig goo hind
nhe?”
    Rabryn smiled. “Let’s make this a little
easier on you…and me.” I wanted to smile again but couldn’t. As I
looked at him, a sparkling gold light developed in his eyes and
began rapidly swirling around as he stared down at me.
    Gods, I thought, how does he suddenly know so
much about using his magic?
    The light went away and he was smiling.
“Addredoc’s been teaching me since we left Narcatertus.” I would
have flinched if I wasn’t completely broken. His smiled widened. “I
just made it possible for me to hear what you were thinking.”
    Oh, I said. Really?
    “Really. Now what did you say before?”
    I was wondering how you found me.
    His brows dropped. “I don’t know. It’s odd. I
just