Soul Blaze Read Online Free PDF Page B

I’d somehow conjured
lit in my hand like a white hot fireball. Fear flickered in
her eyes.
“How did you do that?” she demanded, though I could
hear the tremor in her voice.
    Instead of answering, I tore the other chain out of the
floor so that both of my arms were free. Then I stood up,
the collar around my neck only tugging slightly before the
chain that anchored it to the floor broke as well.
    The woman lifted her hands in front of her, and I saw
the gleam of fire in both of them. Before I could think, I
flung both of my hands forward, and she was engulfed in
white flames.
    The fire was taking too much of me. As the tongue of
flame subsided, I felt my limbs grow heavy. The cell,
which had burst into brilliant light due to the fire, grew
dark, the torches extinguished. I saw the woman fall the
ground, her robes charred and smoking.
    I teetered, struggling to regain my balance. I could hear
people yelling, and footsteps began to thunder down the
steps towards my cell. Someone came barrelling down, a
young man with golden hair. He took one look at the
woman on the ground, and then looked up fearfully.
His expression changed immediately.
“Sky?” he asked, but I was gone again.
~
When I woke, I was tucked into a warm bed. My eyes
flickered, and I took in the high, vaulted ceiling.
    There was a knock at the door. I sat up warily, still
wearing my cow pyjamas. I searched the room for some
kind of weapon, but besides the bed, it was empty.
    “Come in,” I called nervously, banking on the hope that
a hostile visitor wouldn’t bother knocking on the door
first.
    The door opened, admitting a young woman around my
age. Her hair was rolled into a neat bun, but her large
brown eyes wide. Her fingers shook as she lowered the
tray she was carrying onto my bedside table.
“Here you are... miss,” she said, her soft voice showing
none of the tremor in her hands.
    She scuttled out of the room before I could question
her. I lifted the lid of the tray off cautiously. So they were
buttering me up with breakfast now, were they?
    Well, it worked. I wolfed the toast and eggs down, and
then swung my legs out of bed. The stone floor was cold
beneath my feet, but I ignored it and padded over to the
door. I tested the handle, but it was locked.
    There was a window at the foot of my bed. I
approached it and tried to pry it open, but it refused to
budge. I fought down the rising feeling of claustrophobia,
and instead laid my forehead against the glass. Directly
below me was a beautiful rose garden, and beyond that, a
large field bordered by a forest. As far as I could see, there
were no buildings, no roads, and no sign of civilization.
    I hit the glass experimentally, wondering if I could
break it. Though I’d have a difficult job getting down the
wall.
    “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting,” I jumped as the
old man spoke behind me. His eyes watched me, and I
suddenly felt exposed. “Please, dress. We have much to
discuss.”
I didn’t take the bundle of clothes he offered me.
“Where’s my Dad?” I asked, for I now remembered the
whispered words of the man.
    The man didn’t reply. Instead, he put the clothes on my
bed and swept towards the door. I could sense anger
rolling off of him in waves, but I didn’t care.
“My father,” I said loudly before he got to the door.
“Where is he? I want to see him.”
    He ignored me and left the room. The door swung back
into place, and I heard the lock click loudly. I stood where
I was, my heart thudding in my chest.
    My Dad. My father, who I’d never met before in my
life. Was he here somewhere? Was he the reason behind
my missing year?
    I crossed my arms, tucking my shaking hands against
my body. Eventually I crossed the room and held up the
shirt the man had left on my bed.
    It was a white shirt with half sleeves. I shot a furtive
look around the room before pulling off my pyjama shirt
and pulling the white one on. The top was loose, but