The Fire Mage Trilogy, Tome 2 : Flamethroat

Chapter One

Home

Jack and I soared high above endless greenery, our spirits soared even higher as we made our way to Mortlock. Of course, on Hawthorne, my flying fox, the journey would pass in the blink of an eye. We would probably cover the fifty miles within a matter of hours.

I was completely at ease riding Hawthorne. It felt natural, as though he were an extension of my own body. Jack however, did not like the time we spent in the air. He got motion sick very easily and we had to stop often because of it. When we only had approximately one hour left of travel time, I was determined not to make any more stops.

Jack huddled against my back and groaned in my ear. He was a tall, lanky man of twenty-one, with messy black hair, bright blue eyes and rather large ears. Jack was my best friend, he had agreed to accompany me on the journey to my hometown of Mortlock. This was the first time he had ever left Frost Arch, the city in which he had been born and raised by the servants of the Forsythe manor. Jack’s mother had died giving birth to him and his father had abandoned him at ten years old.

Hawthorne was my pet. I disliked the word pet, but there was no other way to explain our relationship to those who did not understand it. Hawthorne was a part of me. We were connected. The size of a bear, stark white, with enormous wings, Hawthorne was my friend and my protector. He had the appearance of a fox, but was far more intelligent than any other animal I had ever encountered.

Hawthorne was stolen from a deliveryman called Jefferson several months ago, when he was just a pup. I didn’t know how special he was at the time, but I had sensed that he needed rescuing. Little did I know that stealing Hawthorne would have some serious repercussions.

I was eager to see my family. It had been months. I had run away to Frost Arch because I couldn’t control my Power around my Human sister. I was a Fire-Mage – probably one of the worst kinds of Mage you could hope to be. Fire-Mage’s had terrible reputations. We were called all sorts of names; fire demons, devils, bringers of destruction. Luckily I had not endured much discrimination in Frost Arch, but I knew that the residents of Mortlock were not so open-minded. My family lived on the outskirts of town and they were highly unpopular, even though they could control their Powers spectacularly.

I, on the other hand, had little control over my Power. This was why I had run away in the first place. I was a danger to my little sister, Helena. I had accidentally burned her on more than one occasion.

Would my family be mad when they saw me? Would they allow me to live there again? These thoughts made my stomach do uncomfortable back flips.

Behind me, Jack was groaning and whining. I pretended not to hear him. He was cold. I assumed the air was crisp, though I could not feel it. He tried to cuddle up against my warm back. My skin was always warmer than other peoples because I was a Fire-Mage. Jack had once referred to me as his personal heater. Being so close to him made my skin tingle.

Almost an hour passed. We were soaring above familiar land now. A thick forest raced by underneath us. As I looked ahead, a small village came into focus.

‘We’re almost there!’ I yelled over the sound of the rushing wind. ‘My family lives by the edge of the forest! We’ll be able to land in the trees!’ I called to Hawthorne.

We began to fly lower now. I could see Hawthorne’s shadow on the tops of the trees, growing larger and larger every second. Hawthorne began his final decent. He searched for a gap in the trees and dove for it. He landed clumsily on the soft dirt of the forest floor. Jack and I almost lost our grip, but we managed to hang on. Hawthorne kept up a steady trot as we made our way to the edge of the forest. My heart was beating wildly.

‘I can’t wait for you to meet my parents,’ I said excitedly, ‘and my sister. Oh! That’s it! I can see my house!’

We drew closer and I felt my heart pounding against my ribcage. I was sure Jack would be able to hear it.

‘Okay Hawthorne … this is far enough,’ I told him.

Jack clambered down from Hawthorne’s back and then helped me down.

I patted Hawthorne’s shoulder shakily. ‘We will be back soon. Just stay hidden, okay?’

Hawthorne snorted and began sniffing around in the dirt. I knew he didn’t like being away from me. It made him anxious.

‘Let’s go.’ Jack put a hand on my shoulder and steered me towards the clearing.

We stopped at the very edge of the forest and Jack turned to me.

‘I won’t go in with you,’ he told me. ‘You need to see them on your own. When you’re ready, you can come to get me and introduce me to them.’

Jack was right. I held my breath and stared at him. He didn’t blink.

‘Okay,’ I exhaled. ‘Wait here.’

Jack ruffled my hair and I turned to face the house. My legs were weak. I barely noticed I was walking. It felt as though someone else was in control of my body. My pace quickened. Before I knew it, I was running. Familiar smells overwhelmed my nose, flowers and long grass. Clothes were hanging from the line, flapping in the wind. I watched my feet as I clambered up the steps to the front porch. I looked up and lifted a hand, ready to turn the doorknob. I stopped dead. The front door lay broken upon the hearth. The wood was splintered and littered the entrance. My eyes wandered down the hall. The house was dark. The curtains were shut even though it was a beautiful, sunny day. I took one step into the house and knew instantly that something was very wrong. The house smelled of charred wood. Some forest animals had apparently made homes within the house. This was wrong. Very wrong.

My mouth felt dry and my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth.

‘Mum?’ I called hesitantly. ‘Dad?’

Things were upturned. I could see that things were missing.

‘Helena?’

The only sound I could hear were the birds nesting in the rooftop, their hatchlings crying for food. No one had been here for weeks.

The walls were black and the roof beams were crumbling. My heart felt as though it was stuck in my throat. I ran for the exit, tripping over the door that lay in the hall. I stood, panting on the porch.

‘Jack!’ I cried. I hoped he would hear me. ‘Jack!’

Several seconds passed before I heard the sound of Jack lumbering clumsily through the tall grass. He saw me standing alone and frowned.

‘What’s wrong?’ Jack stepped onto the porch and tilted my chin up to face him.

‘They’re gone!’ I choked. ‘It looks like no one has been here for weeks.’

Jack looked past me, at the broken door strewn across the floor. ‘Do you think they were burgled?’ he asked.

‘No … no, something bad happened here, I can sense it. I expect the house was looted afterwards.’ I could hear the panic rising in my voice. Jack looked around warily. His eyes paused on the letterbox at the front of the house.

‘There’s something on the letterbox.’ He pointed towards the front lawn.

I turned and saw what he meant. A piece of parchment flapped in the wind. It had been nailed to the letterbox. I lurched forwards and pushed Jack out of my way.

‘Avalon, stop!’ Jack ran after me.

His legs were longer. He beat me to the parchment and snatched it away.

‘Let me read it!’ I demanded

‘I recognise the stamp,’ said Jack, staring at the notice.

‘And?’

‘It’s the mark of The Realm’ he said, looking up at me.

I fell silent. ‘Don’t be ridiculous’ I snatched the letter from his grasp, almost ripping it. My eyes instantly fell upon the large, red stamp at the bottom of the letter. It was definitely the seal of The Realm of Mages. It featured a dragon breathing fire with a large letter ‘M’ on its chest.

My hands were shaking, but I managed to read the letter quickly.

PUBLIC NOTICE:

HUMANS ARE NOT EQUALS.

THE REALM OF MAGES WOULD LIKE TO REMIND ALL CITIZENS OF MORTLOCK THAT IT IS ILLEGAL TO OWN AND TREAT ANY HUMAN AS AN EQUAL.

IT IS ILLEGAL TO TEACH HUMANS OUR LANGUAGE.

HUMANS ARE DANGEROUS AND MUST BE REGISTERED AT THE HUMAN REGISTRATION OFFICE IN CONCORD CITY.

FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN SEVERE PENALTIES.

ANY MAGE FOUND HARBOURING HUMANS AND TREATING THEM WITH DIGNITY WILL FEEL THE FULL FORCE OF THE LAW.

REGARDS,

KORRA WATERSON

REGISTRATION OFFICER

REALM OF MAGES - HUMAN REGISTRATION OFFICE