Aethersmith (Book 2) (74 page)

With no further explanation, Illiardra was gone. Even paying
attention that time, Kyrus could not see the magic she used.

Kyrus watched the flames for a moment, smelling the wood
smoke, noting the subtle exchange of the fading twilight for the growing
firelight. He made his way over, and took his turn upon the runed slab.

“The day I met Iridan, we were eight summers old, and at the
Academy together. He was shy and quiet, peasant born and wary of all the
highborn children about. I spent much of the winters that followed protecting
him, helping him, watching over him, as would an older brother, though he was
older than I by a turn of the moon,” Kyrus said, noticing that his voice was
wavering.
He was Brannis’s friend, not mine. I barely knew him.
Kyrus
wiped at his eyes. “We became the best of friends, constant companions. He was the
only one from the Academy who did not shun me after I left there.

“Once our paths diverged, he carved a place for himself. He
had a true talent for wardkeeping, and a bright future before him in the
Circle. I looked on with pride at his accomplishments, knowing that because I
had been there when he needed me, he could now stand on his own. He had become
the stronger of the two of us. But …” Kyrus found himself needing a pause to
collect himself.
But I remember everything so clearly. It is as if I was there
with them, with Brannis and Iridan as they grew up together.
He wiped his
eyes dry again on the end of his sleeve. “But he did still need me. I was not
there when he died. I could not save him.

“No, instead, all alone in some forsaken corner of a Megrenn-occupied
city, Iridan was overcome. Some bastard cut his head off, and no amount of
magic is going to undo that.”

The crowd began to grow nervous as the sorcerers present
began backing away from the pyre. There was a strong draw in Kyrus’s direction,
and the flow of aether was growing in strength.

“Iridan, I am sorry. I would do anything in my power to
bring you back to life, but I cannot. All I have to offer is vengeance, and a
proper farewell. I will not let this paltry fire be all the tribute you receive.
Let the heavens themselves mark your passing!”

The crowd scattered, pushing back to a safer distance as the
pyre erupted. A pillar of flame reached up into the night sky. A torrent of
aether flooded through Kyrus’s body, purging all the guilt, all the sorrows,
all the regrets … at least for a little while. The only thing it failed to burn
clean of him was anger.

When the fires subsided several moments later, when the
beacon trailed off into the starry sky, and faded away, Kyrus was left staring
across the glowing embers of a crater where once a pyre had been. He saw Rashan
Solaran, the only one who had remained unmoved, witnessing the awesome display
of power in his son’s name.

You are the one who killed him, you bastard! You may as
well have wielded the blade yourself!

* * * * * * * *

Don’t wait to find out how it ends! Buy
Sourcethief now.

Ready for Book 3 of the Twinborn
Trilogy?
Sourcethief
is available for your Kindle now on Amazon.

Buy
Sourcethief, book 3 of the Twinborn Trilogy, from Amazon

Support the Twinborn
Trilogy

If
you enjoyed Aethersmith, please consider leaving a rating & a review on
Amazon
or
Goodreads
.
It's like leaving a tip for your author, but free!

Connect
with me online

On my
blog at
jsmorin.com

On
Facebook at
facebook.com/authorjsmorin

On
Twitter at
twitter.com/authorjsmorin

Stay
up-to-date on more book releases and find out about bonus content first by
signing up for the J.S. Morin mailing list at
jsmorin.com/updates

About
The Author

Born in New Hampshire in 1977, J.S.
Morin found himself captivated by the wonders of fantasy novels at a young age.
He was introduced to the genre via the works of R.A. Salvatore, Ed Greenwood,
and Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman. He loved exploring other people’s worlds,
from Shadowdale to Hyrule. He also quickly found Dungeons and Dragons to be a
creative outlet for stories, characters, and new worlds of his own creation.

His other passion was for building
and designing things, and when it came time to choose a career, he went down
that road. A Mechanical Engineer by day, he spends his evenings with his wife
in their New Hampshire home, enjoying the simplicity of life in a quiet state.

By night he dreams elaborate dreams
of visiting fanciful worlds, performing acts of heroism, and solving intriguing
puzzles, which inspire him to craft stories that he hopes will help shape the
lives of the next generation of fantasy readers. He hopes to avoid finishing
growing up.