Crystal Throne (Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

sleeping on the ground, which made him regret not bring a pack; then again his travel gear was years old and still in Farlan. Before Thad could find a place to sleep, Humanius bent down and placed his hand on the ground and a large wooden stricter popped into being. At the same time the building began to build itself, the gemlike grass began to break apart and turn into dust.
    “Not even we can directly draw magic,” Humanius explained. “It is too strong. We would be consumed by it. The only way we can work magic is to pull it from the gems that have collected it. I would suggest you do the same though I would still take care. Compared to us or your son you are like a blade of grass to a tree. Take care, I have grown… fond of you during our time together and I would hate to see you as a burnt out husk laying in the dirt.”
    “I will take that under advisement,” Thad said as he looked at the building. It was small yet detailed, far more detailed than was needed for one night.
    It would seem that your friend has a flair for the dramatic.
    “That it would,” Thad replied.
    The inside of the building was as elegant as the outside and even came with large beds, though they looked good they were not very comfortable. After more than an hour of trying to sleep Thad gave it up and went outside for some fresh air. Shortly after he left the building he heard the door and turned to find his son standing there.
    “Having trouble sleeping as well?” Thad asked looking toward Bren.
    “It’s the magic,” Bren replied. “Doesn’t it bother you as well? It’s like a gentle tugging at my mind.”
    “I can feel the magic though I bet it is not the same,” Thad said looking at his son. “I can feel it, though it does not call to me.”
    “You have never felt the call of the magic?” Bren asked his eyes brimming with curiosity.
    “I have felt the call of many things over the years the foremost of those was that of your mother,” Thad said with a smile. “Maybe it has to do with the fact that I am enchanter, and not a regular mage.”
    “How do you see magic?” Bren asked.
    “I see magic like threads,” Thad answered. “Most the time the threads are thin and easy to pull and manipulate into the shapes I want. Here it is a bit different; the strands are too thick for me to hold, but they are still nothing more than strands of energy. What about you?”
    “I see them more like rivers of mist. I bend them to my will and shape them. I can feel them as well. They are alive,” Bren replied hesitantly. “I find myself getting lost in them sometimes.”
    Thad laughed and Bren quickly gave him an annoyed look. “I used to view them like rivers as well, though not of mist. I could bend them to my will, but it wasn’t easy. I will agree they are alive, but I learned long ago that it was much easier to move them by giving them the idea that I wanted then forcing it upon them. As long as you know how something works you can make it. Why do you think mages spend so much time pouring over books? Thuraman told me that you are far stronger than I am and honestly I could tell that with one look, but you must learn. The more you know…The more you understand the easier magic will come to you.”
    “I remember Thuraman saying the same thing,” Bren said with a faint smile. “He always said that while I have more power than you ever dreamed of, I was still weaker than you because I lacked knowledge and even worse, I lacked the desire for knowledge.”
    “That is not always a bad thing, though with magic it can prove to be deadly,” Thad replied patting his son gently on the shoulder. “Magic is a gift and one that we do not choose. I have known men who could sing better than any troubadour, yet they hated crowds. Magic, like any other gift, is only one part of us and we shouldn’t let it decide the course of our life. Yet you should still yearn to learn to use it properly.”
    “I wish you would have been around to say