Element Wielder (The Void Wielder Trilogy Book 1), page 25
part #1 of The Void Wielder Trilogy Series
“Selene! Where are you, Selene?”
“How could you allow this?” demanded a thick voice.
Aya turned, saw her frowning father.
“Dad. I…I don’t know what happened.”
Her mother materialized behind her father. She looked down at her, tears in her eyes. “How could you have lost my little baby? You were the older sister. You were supposed to protect her, you wretched child.”
“I’ll find her. I’ll find her.”
Her eyes snapped open. “I’ll find her!”
She pressed her trembling hand over her mouth. Did anyone hear me? A calming breath filled her chest when she noticed the bed beside her was empty. Faith had not gone to sleep yet.
She caressed her temples, trying to force the visions of her sister away. It didn’t immediately work, but after a few minutes her breathing returned to normal.
Her nose wrinkled as the strong scent smoke filled her nose. She turned to the candle, which had burnt down to its core. Only a pile of watered down wax and dark smoke remained.
Aya picked herself up and grabbed the candle bowl, placing it gently by the window. Her heart skipped a beat as she made out the sound of footsteps on the roof. She broke into a smile. Only one person would be crazy enough to go to the roof in the middle of the night to stargaze: Falcon. This was her chance to be with him alone for a while and catch up.
She quietly made her way out the window and onto the wet grass. Sparks of lightning flashed in the distance, and a soft, but cold breeze moved through her black hair. The thought of going back for a blanket entered her mind, but she opted against it. She wasn’t planning to be out for too long, after all.
“Hey, don’t worry about the cold. Just get up here.”
It was Falcon, and he was talking to her. How did he see me? She was certain she hadn’t made a noise. But as she gazed up the roof, she saw that Falcon was talking to someone else; in fact, he hadn’t even noticed she was there. Instead he was sitting cross-legged on the roof. Besides him, Faith did the same.
“See?” said Falcon. “It’s not too bad.”
Aya felt a pit grow in her stomach. She quickly made her way back into the room. She couldn’t believe she’d been so stupid. Of course Falcon was spending more time with Faith, he had a lot of catching up to do, after all.
Aya was twelve years old when she met Falcon on their first day at Rohad. The five years after that they were inseparable. She didn’t know what to make of her feelings for him, but she figured she had more than enough time to figure it out. After all, there weren’t many other girls in Falcon’s life. There was the flirtatious Hiromy, but Falcon never paid much attention to her. But everything changed once they went to Asturia. There, Falcon reconciled with his long-lost friend, Faith.
Seeing Falcon and Faith together brought forth a symphony of mixed emotions. She didn’t know what to make of them.
No. Those feelings are not important.
She closed her eyes and tried her best to push them away. But no matter how much she mediated, the river of emotions remained.
~~~
Faith remained quiet as she gazed at the stars.
“What is it?” asked Falcon.
“Um…nothing, I suppose. I thought I heard someone down there.” Faith took a second look down at the grass below, but there was no one in sight. “I guess I’m just a little jumpy. That tends to happen when you get a psychotic chaos wielder on your trial.”
Falcon remained quiet.
“Sorry,” said Faith. “We spoke more than enough about him tonight, no need for me to bring him up again.” Faith wanted to kick herself for being so careless. Volcseck had killed Falcon’s parents. How could she have been so tactless?
“Actually, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Yes?”
“Back in Sandoria, when Volcseck showed up, I almost lost control…again. The element of chaos almost took hold of me until you arrived.”
Faith thought back to that moment when Falcon’s anger overtook him and he began to change into some kind of monster.
Falcon continued. “The Ghost Knight suggested that when those feelings of chaos rage emerge, I concentrate my thoughts on someone I hold dear.”
“Oh, and who is that?” asked Faith. She quickly wished she could take the question back. Of course Falcon would think of Aya. The bond between them was inseparable. To Faith’s relief, Falcon didn’t appear to have heard her, or maybe he acted like he didn’t.
“When I was losing control and you touched me, I felt a peace I have never felt before. I think it was your holy energy spilling into me. I’ve demonstrated that I can wield most of the elements, including chaos, so maybe my body is more prone to taking in your holy energy than most people.”
“So you think we can use my holy energy to suppress the chaos energy inside you?”
Falcon ran his hand through his dark hair. “Maybe. It’s certainly something to think about, don’t you think?”
“Yes.” She yawned. “But I think for now I should go to sleep. I’m tired and I think better when I’m rested.
“Of course.”
Falcon jumped down first. He landed on the grass without making a noise. Faith doubted she could be that graceful. A childhood of falling of roofs could attest to that. Every time she found herself in high places, her heart rate quickened.
“It’s really not that much of a jump,” said Falcon noticing, the fear etched in her face. “What happened to that little girl that used to hop from tree to tree?”
“You forgot to mention that that little girl fell off more trees than she can count. I still got my share of scars to prove it.”
“Here, I’ll help you.” Falcon jumped atop a log and grabbed Faith by the waist. He hoisted her down to the ground.
Faith’s leg tangled with his and they crashed to the ground. She fell safely atop of him.
“I’m so sorry,” said Faith with hushed laughter. “I’m such a klutz. Are you well?”
“My wounded pride not withstanding, yes, I think I’m fine.”
She became quiet as she took in his gaze and musky aroma. She stared at his eyelashes, barely realizing how the curl of them made his eyes stand out.
Falcon reached out and brushed strands of her golden-brown hair back.
Faith’s entire world spun around her as she stood up. She nervously patted off the dirt that had settled on her white and pink jumpsuit.
“Sorry,” said Falcon. “I shouldn’t have dropped you like that.”
“No, no, no,” said Faith, sensing the presence of death around her. It was the same feeling she always got when that monster came for her.
Falcon waved his hand in front of her. “What is it?”
Faith hastily searched the forest for any clue of where he could be. No matter how much she scanned the woods, she saw nothing. “I thought I sens—” A hand reached behind her and clenched her throat shut.
“Looking for me?” sneered Volcseck.
~About The Author~
Cesar Gonzalez lives in Bakersfield, California, with his space-wielding son. To learn more about Cesar, visit his Web-site at http://cesarbak99.wix.com/element-wielder
Don’t forget to sign up to his e-mail newsletter (which can be found on his website) to get updates on new releases.
Cesar Gonzalez, Element Wielder (The Void Wielder Trilogy Book 1)
