Realm Of Blood And Fire (Book 3) (20 page)

Chapter 19

The clouds had cleared.
The chorus of chirping crickets and croaking frogs hovered over the valley of Vellonia, providing an accompaniment to Bronwyn and Blayke’s light show.

To practice drawing more power, Arcon had them channeling their energy into a massive, expanding ball of light. The gigantic orb floated twenty feet above them and resembled a small moon. They had attracted a few dragons,
who stood in a circle around them admiring the performance, and moths flitted around the brilliance. Sinjenasta lay on the grass napping.

While Blayke sent more power into the orb, Bronwyn created a ring of separate star shapes around the still-growing globe, then another, then another. Imagining her favorite colors, the
rings of stars glowed peacock blue, green and magenta. The stars rotated around the orb, Bronwyn adding more stars to the strings to keep up with the moon-like light, which was quickly becoming planet sized. The young realmists smiled when they heard the dragons oohing and aahing.

Bronwyn had only just started sweating, even though the power she had drawn tonight was twice the amount she’d ever attempted previously. Keeping her stars spinning took concentration—each thread of power had to
be balanced just so, and each different hue required adjustments. As she reached for more power to add another garland of stars—this time mauve—the ground vibrated, and an overwhelming sense of loss descended. 

Both realmists released their hold on the energy. The flow from the Second Realm ceased, and the delightful faux planet and stars vanished. The panther rushed to Bronwyn’s side
. Fang stopped foraging for seeds in the grass and ran up Blayke’s leg.

The earth settled after a few seconds, but the sadness remained. Bronwyn looked to Arcon,
who closed his eyes and bowed his head. “What is it? What’s happened?”

Quickly checking all the realmists’ symbols in the Second Realm, Arcon discovered
that Elphus’s was gone. Shoulders slumped, he passed a hand over his eyes and rubbed his forehead.

Bronwyn reached him, trying to
see his covered face. “Please, Arcon. What’s happened? I felt . . . something; something’s gone wrong.”

Arcon dropped his hand to his side and met Bronwyn’s worried gaze. “You just felt one of The Circle die. Elphus has lost his life
fighting for our cause.” He blinked, bewildered. He knew it was possible to lose one of their members before the final encounter, but he didn’t really think it would happen. He scarcely looked up when Phantom landed on a nearby branch and hooted.

The dragons
, who had been watching, departed. The news would be all over Vellonia within the hour.

Bronwyn didn’t know the man well, but she had felt his essence at the meeting in the Second Realm, all that time ago. He had seemed kind, modest, and
, truth be told, sad.

“What happens now? Don’t we need seven members for The Circle to be at the right numbers? We’re going to be one short—even if Bronwyn and I join.”

“Yes, lad, that’s true.”

“So who do we get?” Bronwyn looked from Arcon to her brother.

“We’re quickly running out of time.” Arcon gazed back at the shadowed mountain that housed most of the dragon population. “I’ll have to start by interviewing the five realmists that are here—but I’m not sure any of them will be strong enough, or trustworthy enough. One wrong decision and the gormons will basically have an open invitation to Talia.”

“What about Arcese or Astra? It would be nice to have another woman on board, since we’re currently outnumbered.”

“Possibly, but Arcese is pregnant—I don’t think her father would appreciate me putting her directly in harm’s way. And Astra is in Zamahl. I’m hoping they return in time, but there’s a chance they won’t, if at all.”

“But they have to return: Zim’s with them.” Bronwyn looked to the sky, hoping to find divine inspiration.

“Is everyone all right? I felt the earthquake and thought I’d come and check.” The realmists looked toward the voice and saw black-bearded Crotus. He had on his usual black pants, but he had ditched his hooded cloak for a black shirt, his crow creatura sitting on his shoulder, making the perfect accessory.

Arcon pushed the grief from his face and presented a calm façade. “Why, thank you. I think everyone is okay, although it did bring an abrupt end to our realmistry practice.”

“I saw the light from my window. You have two very talented prospects. How come I’ve never seen them at the academy?”

“They have had special training. Agmunsten is trialing a new program to compare class-taught realmists with those brought up with intensive training in a more isolated setting. We haven’t come to any conclusions yet.”

“Well, if what I’ve seen is anything to go by, the intensive training looks promising.”

“Thank you.” Arcon nodded. “We’ve had a big evening. I think it’s time we had dinner. Why don’t you join us?”

Crotus smiled. While Bronwyn acknowledged he was attractive, with olive skin, high cheekbones and gray eyes, there was something not quite right. She was reminded of the other men who always wore black. The undertakers would travel from village to village and help bury the dead or take them away for cremation. They had visited the village a few times, near the home she had shared with Avruellen. Each time they’d had more than one body limp and rotting in their horse-drawn cart, but it didn’t seem to bother them. The one gray hand she had seen poking out of the hessian covering, flies swarming around it, had been enough to make her lose her lunch on the side of the road. As they walked to the dining hall, Bronwyn stayed close to her brother.

Near the dining entry, Arcon stopped. “I just need to go to the
bathroom. Save me a seat.”

“Okay.” Blayke continued into the room with Bronwyn and
Crotus.

The older realmist, Phantom on his shoulder, climbed two flights of stairs and sought his room.

I’m sorry, Arcon. He was a fine man. We’ll all miss his kindness and quiet confidence.

Thanks, Phantom. And just when I thought we might be invincible.

You know we can’t live forever.

Yes, yes, but I was hoping for at least one-thousand years.

Typical human. If it wasn’t for you, I would have been happy to fly into the Unknown Realm long ago.

Well, thanks for sticking around.
Arcon smiled and ran his hand down Phantom’s back.
Time to contact the others.
The realmist warded his conversation so anyone in Vellonia wouldn’t be able to hear it, but there was no guarantee that someone else, outside the city, wouldn’t eavesdrop. His blue eyes stared unseeing at the wall ahead. He felt a connection with Arcese, Avruellen and Zim.
Where’s Agmunsten? Is he with you, Zim?

Yes, no need to worry. He’s busy at the moment. I see we’ve lost Elphus. This is a dark day indeed.

They all heard Avruellen’s sniff.
How could this have happened?

Arcese spoke.
He lost his life saving us. Kwaad attacked, and if it weren’t for Elphus, then Edmund and one of the dragons would be dead.

Where are you now?
Arcon asked.

We’re a few days from Vellonia
, traveling south. We’re going to stop to pick up Queen Gabrielle and Verity. Bayerlon is lost to Leon and the gormons.

Arcon rested his head in his hands.
This is worse than I expected. What about you, Zim?

Agmunsten is chatting to the High Chancellor of Zamahl, but he can’t be trusted. At least we’ve made it this far with no casualties, although it was close. We haven’t exactly had a warm welcome. The gormons got here before us.

Avruellen gasped.
Is anything going right? We’re still three or four days away. Toran’s great company, but I swear Corrille is half gormon.

Hang in there, Av. The kids are doing a good job here, but I need to puzzle out the prophecy. It would be good to have some idea of what’s expected on the last activation. And, as you have all realized, we’re going to have to pick a realmist to replace Elphus. I don’t suppose you want the job, Arcese?

I’m flattered, Arcon, and would consider it in other circumstances, but I’ve had issues with drawing power. Pregnancy doesn’t agree with the Second Realm. Sorry.

Well, there are five realmists here. I’m going to get to know them and hopefully one will suit; if not, we’ll have to hope you get back in time, Zim, so Astra can join our ranks.

Okay, Arcon. I have to go now. I’ll send you an update in a few days.
Zim dropped out of the connection. The others said their farewells and Arcon was left to sit on the bed and ponder their losses.
Phantom, this is not going well. Although, at least King Edmund survived.

So I heard. We’d better get down to dinner, or you’ll miss your chance to get to know
Crotus the Creepy.

Arcon laughed.
You’ve got that right. But what if he’s just a harmless kind of strange and perfect for what we need.

Hmm, I’ll reserve judgment.

“Let’s go.” With Phantom on his shoulder, Arcon returned to the dining room. He found the teenagers sitting with the five realmists from the academy—their table at the opposite end of the hall to King Valdorryn and his family. Arcon sat in a spare seat next to Bronwyn. “Hi, all. I’m Arcon.”

An older woman, short, shriveled and wearing a yellow dress that did no favors for her porcelain
-white skin, was the first to introduce herself. Arcon picked her for a northerner. “Lovely to meet you, Arcon. I’m Zella. I came to realmistry late—that’s why even my wrinkles have wrinkles.” She laughed.

“I remember you from the academy when I visited a few years ago.” Arcon smiled.

“I thought I’d seen you before. And this is my ferret, Ret.”

Bronwyn giggled. “What a great name. I didn’t notice him before.”

I’m not a him; I’m a her.

“Oh, Ret, don’t get so upset. How’s a person to tell? I’ve told you to let me put a pink ribbon around your neck, but you just won’t listen. This is Aimee.”
Zella nodded to a young girl sitting on her right. Aimee must have been of a similar age to Bronwyn, but her hair was white blond, her eyes clear blue.

Aimee blushed, the red obvious on her pale skin. “Pleased to meet you, Arcon.” Her quiet voice barely reached across the table. Well, she was definitely out as far as qualifying for The Circle—too young and inexperienced. Arcon also wondered if she’d faint at the first whiff of a gormon on the wind.

A tall, well-muscled youngster—young by Arcon’s standards, so he could have been forty—with shoulder-length brown hair introduced himself. “I’m Bernard. I’ve heard a lot about you, Arcon. Didn't you once save a village from starvation by healing their soil and
encouraging
their crops to grow?”

Arcon thought the man
, with his brawny build, could have passed for a soldier in the king’s guard. “Ahem. I’d forgotten about that. I did, with the help of another talented realmist called Elphus.” The old realmist swallowed, and Blayke eyed him with concern. Phantom shuffled closer to Arcon’s face and leaned against the side of his head. “And do you have a creatura, Bernard?”

“I do, sir. She’s a wolf called Juniper.”

“Wow, a wolf. I wonder if she’d get along with Flux?” Blayke took another piece of venison from the platter in the middle of the table.

“I’m the
stick-in-the-mud of the group—so I’m always being told. Dorge is my name. I head up the Testing of New Constructs faculty at the academy.” A thick mess of curly red hair shot through with gray topped off his tall, skinny frame.

“Dangerous job.” Agmunsten smiled.

“Indeed. Oh, and since everyone’s asking: I don’t have a creatura. I was never one to want adventures outside the academy, and I don’t have time for animals.”

All the realmists looked at him as if he’d just said he wanted to marry a gormon.
Dorge shrugged. “Besides, an animal would be bored cooped up all day in a basement room in the academy. You can’t expect they’d want to be locked up their entire lives.” This comment placated the group, and Arcon changed the subject.

“I’ve already met
Crotus.” Arcon nodded at the man. “What do you do at the academy?”

“I’m in charge of testing students to see if they have what it takes to become realmists.”

Aimee looked at him through narrowed eyes, her lips pursed. She quickly rearranged her expression when he moved his head.

During dinner, Arcon observed more than
he spoke. He had decided that, although Zella was old enough, maybe she wasn’t strong enough, having come to realmistry a lot later than the average person. Dorge was a possibility, except he was strong in one area but maybe not others. His best candidates so far were Crotus and Bernard, and he definitely didn’t trust Crotus.

He would love to test their strength and knowledge in Second-Realm power, but he couldn't do that directly without giving away the fact that one of The Circle had died. Or maybe he could. “Excuse me, everyone.” Everyone looked at Arcon. “I hate to bring up a depressing subject, but in less than a month, the gormons are probably going to be here, attacking us. Agmunsten sent the five of you to help, which will involve fighting. We’re going to need to come up with a plan of attack, so to speak, and see what everyone’s strengths and weaknesses are. Who’s good at throwing fireballs?”