Page 48 of The Eye of the Fifth
Normal fire would not stand a chance against the Air Warden’s protection. But Gedeon’s fire was divine, just as hers was. It was the purest of magic.
And yet here he was, moments away from committing an act of utter impurity.
‘Are you sure you’re ready to-’
‘Shut up, Sekun,’ Gedeon snapped. ‘Stay here and be ready to salir us out. The Eternals won’t be far behind once the screaming starts.’
‘Enjoy it,’ Sekun whispered in his ear. ‘I would.’
And with that, Gedeon stepped into Phaenon.
As a shadowy wraith of darkness, no one looked his way. The singing and drumming became louder as he moved through the Nythanorians, their voices filling the air as a collective chorus in a harsh language he did not understand. Children giggled and danced around the fire as the men and women drank from horns and chanted their merry song. In the next circle of homes in the distance, another community did the same. And the one after that. And the one after that. Villages for miles, as far as he could see. All carefree. All unaware of the danger that skulked among them painted in shadows.
He looked to the fire, to the embers that rose with the hot air.
Closing his eyes, he called to the flames within him, focusing on those embers. He felt for the protective bubble that domed high over Phaenon, and willed his embers to burn through it. They singed through Naal’s wards. Then, casting his magic wide, to each colony along the city, he directed those burning embers to fall and land on the unsuspecting people, on the wooden pathways, on the leather coverings of their homes.
A squeal of delight suddenly cut through Gedeon’s concentration. His heart lurched at the sound, and he instinctively opened his eyes.
A young girl, no older than four, ran past him. She was so close that the movement billowed his cloak. Her father chased her, then scooped her into his arms, swinging her around in a circle as she giggled hard, only stopping to breathe for air.
She barked a command in Nythanorian that Gedeon was sure translated to ‘again’, not because he understood her, but from the sparkle of mischief glittering in her eyes.
Her father set her back on her feet and she instantly ran again, her little feet hammering the compacted snow.
The embers sitting on the entire city were still and glowing, awaiting his command.
Wrong.
This was wrong.
As the little girl squealed again with a joy Gedeon had never experienced, he let those embers fade into nothing more than ash. They blew into the wind as if they had never been there at all.
His mother would likely kill him for his disobedience. But he could not act on this order.Wouldnot act on it. He would not be the cause of so much pain and death.
With his shadows still tight around him, Gedeon walked out of the city, knowing, for the first time in his miserable existence, that he had done the right thing.
There can never be freedom in duty.Amala had said that.
‘What are you doing?’Sekun snarled as Gedeon stumbled past him, letting his shadows drop. He completely ignored his brother and stalked on. ‘COWARD!’Sekun roared, spooking a flock of birds into flight from a nearby tree. ‘Turn back and do what our Empress commanded! Burn them all!’
Gedeon ignored him again, continuing his descent, each footfall sinking in the thick snow. In the distance, a hawk cried.
Sekun furiously muttered something incoherent under his breath, and then something hit Gedeon hard in the small of his back.
He lurched forward into thick snow, hands breaking his fall, and reached for his back immediately, expecting to find blood, gasping with the sharp pain that was slowly fading into a dull ache.
There was no blood. No blade had pierced his skin.
‘I warned you, brother,’ Sekun said from behind. ‘I warned you that your softness would be your doom.’ With great effort, Gedeon pushed himself to stand. ‘That power should haveneverbelonged to you. You are undeserving. You are weak. You will not be the one to bring this victory to our queen.’ His teal eyes sparkled with malicious intent. ‘But I will.’
Sekun reached into the folds of his furs, and pulled out a circular metal ball the size of his hand. He twisted the halves, and the mechanism inside locked and began to tick. He grinned.
Gedeon realised what it was, and what he planned to do before it was too late. ‘Sekun…NO!’
But Sekun had already launched it into the air, and they both watched it fly, one in horror, the other with sick fervour. The entire city shook with impact as it exploded above in an unforgiving inferno of fire. Not just any fire, but a magically enhanced blueish blaze set with one intention: to destroy everything and everyone in its path. It expanded and roared, a colossal monster of death, ravaging the city and its people.
Gedeon’s fire had already blasted through Naal’s wards. There was nothing left to protect her people.
