The Tears of Elios Read Online Free PDF Page A

to close the gate.”
    “That was a foolish thing to do, Kira! How many times have I told you not to be so reckless with magic! You could have been trapped in another realm of existence, or worse, severed in half between here and there. Besides, we could’ve closed the gate on this side.” He snatched the pink crystal from the stone arch in front of them to prove his point.
    “Oh.” Kira avoided his gaze. He was right—she hadn’t thought about the crystal on this side. “But still, now we have a matching set, and we can build new gates if we need to.”
    “Don't try and change the subject. You still have much to learn. There's a reason why I've earned a Master's cloak,” he said and gestured to his dark blue robe, “and you haven't.”
    “Well if you wouldn't keep so many secrets from me, maybe I wouldn't be so reckless!”
    A flash of blue magic from his fingers shot past her, reducing the stone arch into a pile of rubble. He sank onto one of the large rocks and rubbed his eyes. “Very well, Kira, I suppose I owe you a bit of an explanation.”
    She knelt at his feet. “I think I deserve to know the whole truth, Master Tyrrus.”
    He stared at her as if seeing her as an adult for the first time.”As you wish. Are you familiar with the Clearances?” She nodded. “Curse King Anilayus and his arrogant plan to cleanse the Kingdom of the other races. He’d rather annihilate his enemies and claim their lands than negotiate any more treaties with them. Tell me, child, have you ever seen an elf? No—because most of them fled the Kingdom before you were born. But I remember them clearly. In fact, some of the magic I've learned came from an elvan Master.”
    He paused to catch his breath. “For the last decade, I've been doing all I can to aid the other races. At first, I helped them to safety, to the lands west of the Kingdom's borders. Lately, I've been acting as a spy for the Resistance and helping others like me.”
    “Why are you trying to overthrow the King?”
    “Is that what you think I’m trying to do, you silly girl?” He rubbed his brow. “I want all the races to live in peace together, but Anilayus seems opposed to that idea. Either we defeat the King, or we form a new kingdom of our own. That's what the Resistance has been doing—trying to make sure people aren’t killed because of their race.”
    “So why not form a new kingdom? There has to be good land to the west of here.”
    “It's not that simple. The Resistance is trying to form a new government, but Anilayus won't stand for it. He sees it as a threat to his kingdom and, as such, is preparing accordingly. Even now, he's gathering a massive army of soldiers and mages with the goal of wiping out the Resistance. We think he'll attack as soon as the snow melts.”
    “So is that why the Azekborn were following you? Because you're helping the Resistance?”
    He hesitated. “It's a bit more complicated than that.”
    “Master Tyrrus—”
    “Calm down, Kira, I'll tell you. Those two men we helped today—they were what remained of a party of five men that came to Dromore to recover a certain magical artifact. An artifact that was in the possession of the King until this morning. This object is sacred to the elves and may prove useful to the Resistance.”
    “You mean to tell me that those two men stole something from the King, and you led them to our home?”
    “I had to get them out of Dromore as quickly as possible. I had no idea they’d been successful in recovering it until I realized the Azekborn were after us. By that time, I had already promised to help them. I am a man of my word, after all.”
    “I know, I know.” His honor had gotten them into a fine mess now. Kira pulled herself up and looked around. The rising sun illuminated the rolling brown hills with half-melted patches of grey snow nestled in the crevices. The barren landscape stretched out around them. “Where are we anyway?”
    “On the western border of the