Brightflame Accension (Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

a wink. Matthew gently led Soulfire out of the stable.
    “Goodbye, William!” his parents called after him, Elizabeth in Ma tthew’s arms. They waved farewell to their only child. Will’s own emotions were touched with uncertainty. The snippets of fear rattled around his head annoyingly. 
    What am I getting myself into? This school, what is its purpose? Why were we attacked? Because of my magic? Will pushed these doubts to the back of his mind and attempted to replace them with excitement and a sense of adventure.
    Sensing the change in mood, Soulfire whinnied, shaking his head causing his black mane to whip wildly about. The great horse was pleased to be in the open air, free to run and prance. 
    Will laughed, looking back at his parents standing before their broken home one last time before yelling, “Ayah! Soulfire, ayah!” The horse slightly reared before bolting away through the ripening fields.

 
    New Faces
     
    The mid-autumn sun shone down on Will’s neck as his horse, Soulfire, tirelessly trotted towards their destination. Eventually, as the doubts that Will had stowed in the back of his mind reemerged, Will was forced to ponder the thoughts that were floating around in his head like so many restless ghosts.
    Among them was his fear of the distance the school was from his home. Another of the uncertainties that occupied his mind was the loneliness he felt. Without his family, Will felt naked. He had no friends, nor had he ever, he supposed. At least, no true friends of age with him. Long ago, there was the miller’s youngest daughter who had been friendly to him, but Will could not recall if he ever knew her name. The next time he had visited the market, she had gone, married to a swarthy widower who kept a tavern along the river.
    Will did not know how people would treat him in this new place. Would he be ignored? Or worse, hated?
    It won’t be as bad as all that, Will thought. How hard can it be to find a friend anyway? Everyone and his brother will be the same as me: freshly recruited and looking to befriend their comrades.
    Will was so deep in thought that he hadn’t realized that Soulfire had come to a stop before a boy riding a weathered palomino. The boy had freckles on his nose, which seemed to have been broken several times in the past. His long, brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail. 
    The boy had said something, but Will did not hear. However, the noise brought him out of his reverie. “Hullo?” Will blurted out. He stared at the unknown rider and smiled awkwardly. “Riding to the Academy meeting?”
    The boy frowned at Will. “Typically, one does not so quickly reveal his destination to a stranger on the road.” Will looked horrified at his mistake. The boy broke into an easy laugh, “Fear not, friend. I recognize you from the fair in Jaohn. I make for Bladebeard as well. My name is Arthur,” the boy offered. “Call me Art though, everyone does.” 
    “Right, Art. I’m William Stormhand. Will for short,” Will added hesitantly, for now Arthur was gaping at him with utter astonishment. 
    “William Stormhand, son of the Matthew Stormhand, famous champion of the Empire, part-time adventurer, and renowned general of the Imperial Army?” Art rambled. 
    “Well, I suppose so... but my father is a farmer, not an esteemed warrior,” Will lied weakly. 
    “What farmer’s son is accepted to the Academy? Ponder that for a moment. I’ll bet your father is rather handy with a blade.”
    “He is,” Will admitted. “But he remains a farmer.”
    “Aye, I heard something about that. He met a beautiful lady in his travels. Then, he settled down somewhere quiet to... um, well I don’t know exactly, but he settled down. I suppose he settled down to farm and whelp a clot that doesn’t know his family’s history,” Art laughed good-naturedly at the insult.
    Will smiled. “What’s your story then? The artist who spawned you mustn’t have been very good; he got the nose all