Fire Study Read Online Free PDF Page B

identify the Soulstealer because he may have harvested more souls,
    and only you can release those souls before we kill him,” Moon Man said with a flat

    and emotionless voice.
    I grabbed his arm. “Have you found any bodies?”
    “No. But I am concerned about what we will discover when we raid their camp.”
    The horror of the last two seasons threatened to overwhelm me. Eleven girls
    mutilated and raped by Ferde so he could steal their souls and gain more magical
    power. Valek and I had stopped him before he could collect the final soul. If he had
    succeeded, Sitia and Ixia would now be his to rule. Instead, I had released all those
    souls to the sky. To think that he might have started again was unbearable.
    “You’ve found their camp?” Leif asked.
    “Yes. We put our lives on hold,” Moon Man said. “The warriors of the clan have
    done a complete sweep of the plateau. We found a large encampment on the
    southern edge near the border of the Illiais Jungle.”
    And close to my family. I must have gasped because Moon Man touched my
    shoulder and squeezed.
    “Do not worry about your clan. Every Sandseed warrior is ready to attack if the
    Vermin show any signs of departing their camp. We will leave when the horses are
    rested.”
    I paced around the campfire, knowing I should get some sleep but unable to still
    my racing thoughts. Leif groomed the horses and Marrok slept. Moon Man reclined
    next to the fire, staring at the sky.
    Marrok woke as the sky darkened. His eye had stopped weeping blood, and the
    swelling was gone. He probed his cheek with a finger. Amazement lit his face until he
    spotted Moon Man standing next to him. He jumped to his feet and pulled his
    sword, brandishing the weapon at the Story Weaver. Even armed, Marrok looked
    slight next to the muscular Sandseed, who towered six inches over him.
    Moon Man laughed. “I see you are feeling better. Come. We have plans to
    make.”
    The four of us sat around the fire while Leif made dinner. Marrok settled next to
    me, and from the corner of my eye I could see that whenever Marrok touch his
    cheek, he stared at Moon Man with a fearful fascination. And his right hand never
    strayed far from the hilt of his sword.
    “We will leave at dawn,” Moon Man said.
    “Why does everything have to start at dawn?” I asked. “The horses have good
    night vision.”
    “That will give the horses a full day to recover. I will be riding with you on Kiki.
    She is the strongest. And once we reach the plateau, there will be no rest stops until
    we join the others.”
    “And then what?” I asked.
    “Then we will attack. You are to stay close to me and the other Story Weavers.
    The Soulstealer will be protected along with the Warpers. Once we break through
    the outer guards, then the hard part begins.”
    “Dealing with the Warpers,” I said.
    He nodded.
    “Can’t you move the Void again?” Leif asked.
    The Void was a hole in the power blanket where no magic existed. The last time
    the Sandseeds had uncovered a Vermin hideout, it had been protected by a shield of

    magic that created an illusion. The camp appeared to be occupied by only a few
    warriors. When the Sandseeds had moved the Void over the Vermin, the illusion was
    broken. Unfortunately, the encampment held four times the number of soldiers, and
    we had been vastly outnumbered.
    “They are aware of that trick and will be alerted to our presence if we try to move
    the power blanket,” Moon Man said.
    “Then how are you going to beat the Warpers?” I asked, worried. If the Vermin
    had access to magic it would be a difficult battle.
    “All the Sandseed Story Weavers will link together and form a strong magical net
    that will seize them and prevent them from using their magic. We will hold them long
    enough for you to find the Soulstealer.”
    Breaking his silence, Marrok asked, “What about Cahil?”
    “He helped the Soulstealer escape. He should be punished,” Moon Man said.
    “The Council wants to