The Broken Council (The Guardian Chronicles 1) by Steven R. Burke Read Free Book Online Page B

meeting with the Mistress Kana.   “General, there is no point in the both of us pretending that you do not
have strong magical abilities which allow you to enter a person’s mind.   I have let down all of my defenses; feel free
to probe my thoughts and feelings.”
    A
brief look of annoyance crossed his face.   How does she know so much about me
and my abilities ?   He quickly hid any
display of emotion and closed his eyes.   Once his eyes were shut, he reached out with his magic to locate Kira so
he could probe her mind for the truth.   He first touched the cords of her emotions.   He found out right away that she needed him
and that she cared more for him than for anyone else.   He could also sense her deep and abiding love
she had for the elven people.   When he
prodded these sentiments for the elves to the surface, he understood their
plight and felt the desperate need to assist the princess in changing their
fate.   How is she doing that?   Why
should I care what happens to the elves?
    As
he delved deeper, he came across a discussion she had had with the guardian
Kana.   He quickly understood why they
must go to meet with her and why he had such strong feelings for this elven
woman whom he had just met.   He still
thought it unsettling that Kira knew so much about him.   Through his probing, he found that she gained
most of her knowledge from this guardian.   Why does a guardian choose to
interfere when they have vowed to never get involved with the races ? More importantly, why has she included me
in the farce?
    He
lingered a few moments on these thoughts and then opened his eyes.   He saw Kira looking right back at him with a
sensuous grin.   Her eyes did not hide her
intent, and she moved closer to him.   She
knew that he understood now and would not turn back.   Their future together was only beginning;
they would become so powerful that none would dare question their union.
    As
General Yukio and Princess Kira emerged from the northern end of the Black
Forest, Mount Quang came into view.   It
was a beautiful mountain covered with trees frosted by fresh snow.   There were many places that appeared to be
habitable.   They looked at one another
with loving eyes as they took in the beauty of the moment.   They had traveled together over the past few
days to reach the base of Quang.   The sun
was beginning to disappear on another day, and the sky was beginning to turn a
reddish purple color.   It was a truly
beautiful scene.   In the morning, they
would climb the mountain to the predetermined location for their meeting with
the powerful elemental, Kana.   It would
be a day that they would never forget.
    They
used the last few moments of the waning light to set up camp within the
protection of the northern trees.   Kira
moved her hands in waving motions as she worked her magic.   Every night she threw out a magical barrier
to protect them from attack and to warn them of any danger that was drawing
near.   This night was clear, and the
stars were bright in the sky above.   They
lay together for a long while staring up at the beautiful heavens while holding
one another in a tight embrace.   The air
from the mountain was clean and fresh after a recent snowstorm.   The general still struggled with why he was
still here with this elf and was even more befuddled by the fact that he longed
for her.
    They
woke early the following morning with a burning desire to reach their
destination as soon as possible.   They
were anxious to begin their new life together and to work on their plans for
saving the elven race.   As they sat side
by side taking in the tranquil scene, they were abruptly interrupted by a sleek
black raven approaching them through the air.   At first they did not know if the bird was flying at them, but as it
dived down toward the ground, it became clear it was heading right for
them.   The dark bird came up short and
landed right in front of them without being harmed by