Catalyst (Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

I said, sounding like a small child.
    “Then what are you going to do?”
    I bit my lip. “I don't know. All I know is, I don't want to leave you. You need me.”
    “I'm an adult, Hellsfire. I'll get along fine, just like I did before you were born and after your father died.”
    She had a point. With one less mouth to feed, things would be a lot easier. “Can't things go back to the way they were?”
    She kissed my hands. “Things will never be the same again, Hellsfire.”
    My emotions raged against one another. I cried, seeing my mother's face. She was willing to put her only son in danger. She had a lot of faith—not just in the angel, but in me.
    “Mother, I—”
    My inner anguish over staying or leaving spilled over. The heat within me rose again. This time it didn't release through my eyes. It went to where my mother held me tightly—my hands.
    “Mother!” I released her hands as quickly as I could. I wasn't fast enough. Flames exploded from my hands. She screamed in pain. My mother was on the floor, squirming, blowing on her hands. I wanted to rush to her, but I couldn't while my hands were on fire.
    I tried my best to concentrate and extinguish the flames. I couldn't do it. I kept thinking of my mother and what I had done to her. I closed my eyes, doing my best to think of something else. I visualized water, ice, snow, the lake. Slowly, the cool pictures helped the fire disappear.
    When my hands were back to normal, I rushed to help my mother up. I bent down to touch her, and she flinched away from me. The look of fear in her eyes cut me deeper than any sword could. I took a few steps away from her.
    “Mother, are you all right?”
    “Yes. Please help me up.”
    I was relieved, but didn’t move. The image of her being afraid of me was burned into my mind.
    “Are you sure?”
    “Yes.”
    I did as she asked. She stared at her hands, checking to see if they were burned.
    “I'm fine. There's no more pain. It was like touching a hot stove for a second. See?” She held her hands in front of me. After inspecting them and seeing no marks, I breathed easier.
    “I'm sorry,” I said. I cried like I had when I was a small child—loud and bubbling. I couldn't believe I had hurt the one person I loved more than anything.
    “It's all right, son. Shhh.”
    Whatever fear my mother had of me earlier was no longer there. She swept me into her strong arms and held me. Her warmth overcame me as I continued to cry and apologize. She reassured me that I had done nothing wrong, but I was never going to be able to forgive myself.
    Finally, I pulled away from her. She wiped my tears with her thumbs. “I'll leave, mother. I have to. Just tell me where I have to go.”
    She went to her bed and reached underneath, where she kept a box with her few treasures. She returned with a scroll, handing it to me. “You’re going to need this to get where you’re going.” It was a map, showing a path to the dangerous and mysterious White Mountain.
    I gasped. Out of all the places in the world, I had to go there? I might as well go to the Wastelands while I was at it. “The White Mountain? You’re joking right?”
    “You must.”
    “But how in the world am I going to survive with no help? I’ve heard the tales. No one has climbed the White Mountain and lived. How can I possibly make it to the top? I’m only a fourteen and—”
    My mother put a finger to my lips. “I believe in you, son. You can do anything you put your mind to. If you weren’t meant to survive this journey, the angel wouldn’t have told me to send you there. Have faith, and you will find the answers you seek. He will guide you. You have the power of fire. Use your gift and it will protect you from the cold…Hellsfire.” She teased me, but not in the way some of the others did. My mother smiled, and, despite my nervousness, I couldn’t help but do the same thing.
    “Help me gather your things,” she said. “You’re going to have to buy some supplies