Brightflame Accension (Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

creamy milk from his upper lip when his mother was upon him again with a new barrage of hugs and kisses.
    “Take this,” Elizabeth smiled. Will unfolded the parchment. It was a crudely drawn map, labeling Bladebeard Academy, the Imperial Capitol, and…  “So you can always find your way home.”
    “Mum,” Will said, choking with emotion. He threw his arms around his mother. She sobbed into his shoulder. Will gave a squeeze and reluctantly slipped from Elizabeth’s hold.
    Will embraced his father. His father murmured something along the lines of, “no wonder he got accepted” and “I’m so proud, son,” but Will could not decipher his exact wording. Will might have thought his father’s voice thick with emotion, but when he broke the embrace, Matthew’s gray eyes were clear and bright with happiness. 
    Will hugged his mother one final time before following his father to the stable. “You’ll ride Soulfire,” Matthew said, leading Will to the far side of the small stable, “He’s yours; take good care of him.”
    As if for the first time, Will gaped at the red draft whose shaggy, black mane hung long and wild. Soulfire tossed his great head anxiously and stamped the ground with large, feathered hooves. As Will approached the animal, it calmed, standing stock-still. Will reached out towards him and could feel the heat emanating from his horse. His own horse! Will beamed at his parents, who were both now telling him to get a move on or he would be late. At the entrance to the stable, Elizabeth began to sob as Will climbed into Soulfire’s saddle.
    “Will, I must tell you something before you leave us,” Matthew Stormhand said solemnly. “I have taught you to fight and ride, but you have to learn how to deal with people on your own.” It was true. Will remembered his not-so-patient father attempting to teach him the art of swordplay. And Will knew few enough people outside of his own family as they rarely entertained company. Matthew continued, “Not all men are friendly. Keep an eye open. I am not telling you to be wary of everyone, but there are enemies in the Academy. Remember who you are, do not forget the ones you love, and return to us whole,” Matthew paused. “Embrace your power and learn to use it.”
    “I am not ready,” Will protested. “I need more time.”
    “It has never been safe to practice magic here with only your mother and me to watch over you. If the wrong man was to ride close and pick up the trace… Well, we had a taste of what that could mean for us, yesterday.”
    “Father! I’m about to leave; yet you refuse to teach me a skill that I could use to protect you. When I go-”
    “Your mother and I will be all the safer!” Matthew interrupted, anger flashing on his face and in his eyes. His eyes are red! “You cannot see it, you cannot sense it yet, but the magic that runs in this family’s veins can be felt. It’s intoxicating. The air all about this field is rife with pulsations of power. With you gone, the traces will lessen, and your mother and I will be all the safer for it. We will miss you dearly, with all our hearts. Indeed, it breaks mine to see you go, but you were destined for more than this life. This meager existence is less than we all deserve, but it was the only way we could raise you in safety.”
    “Father, what are you talking about?” Will saw the passion in his father’s eyes. The love for Elizabeth and Will was there, but so were shame and guilt. “I love this life.”
    Matthew smiled weakly, “Look at me, I speak of old regrets on a day that, by rights, is yours. Your mother may be more right than I give her credit for; I am becoming an old man, sentimental, sharing my fears with those who have not a thing about which to worry. On this day and all the days to come, William, may you enjoy yourself and know no pain. Being recruited to the Academy is an honor to this house and one not wholly undeserved, I think,” Will’s father finished with