Flame Caller
Authors: Jon Messenger
Tags: #clean teen publishing crimson tree publishing jon messenger world aflame wind warrior brink of distinction elements elemental
Jon Messenger
Clean Teen
Publishing
Copyright © 2013 by Jon
Messenger
All rights reserved, including the
right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form
whatsoever.
Cover concept and design by Marya
Heiman Copyright © 2013 by Clean Teen Publishing
Editing done by Cynthia
Shepp
Typography done by Courtney
Nuckels
Flame Caller
is a work of
fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are
products of the author’s over-active imagination or are used
fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or
persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Clean Teen Publishing
PO Box 561326
The Colony, TX 75056
http://www.cleanteenpublishing.com
Smashwords Edition, License
Notes
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.
To Jacki and Alistair
Who showed me that imagination can set
the world on fire.
THE EARTH GIVES WAY TO THE
SEA,
THE SEA BOWS BEFORE THE
WIND,
THE WIND FEEDS THE FLAME,
THE FLAME BURNS THE WORLD OF MAN DOWN
TO THE EARTH.
Xander Sirocco laced his fingers
behind his head and lay back on the bed. His gaze drifted to the
marbled ceiling above him and the faded mosaic that had once been
elaborately painted on its surface. The images had faded until they
were barely recognizable as people. Only the image of a man and
woman holding hands hadn’t been worn away from constant exposure to
the sun and salt water. The older couple stared at one another
romantically amidst a boiling storm.
Reaching up, he wiped away tears that
welled in his eyes. The woman in the painting had long, dark hair
that cascaded over her shoulders as she looked up at the man. The
older man also had dark hair similar to Xander’s. Both of their
features had been worn away from exposure and age, but they
reminded him remarkably of his parents.
A knot grew in his throat. He was
forced to roll onto his side and look out the window before the
emotion overwhelmed him. Outside the window, bright sun glistened
off a wall of water that surrounded the narrow island. The
red-tiled roofs baked in the warm sunlight and the white marble
walls of the buildings reflected the light, bathing the entire
island in its glow. At another time, it would have been a tropical
paradise; a piece of ancient Roman architecture transplanted to the
Gulf of Mexico. Xander didn’t have the heart to admire its beauty,
however. He brought his knees up to his chest and stared out the
window without seeing anything beyond its open shutters.
While he was staring out the window
lost in his thoughts, he heard the faint click of footsteps
ascending the marble staircase outside his bedroom door. He rolled
toward the door as the footsteps came to a stop on the landing and
a hand gently knocked. Without awaiting a response from Xander, the
door opened and Sammy entered.
Her blonde hair was pinned up with
small ringlets resting on the back of her neck. An airy, white
blouse that was tied closed around her narrow waist had replaced
her dark leathers. Her alabaster skin was marred only by the faint
pink of sunburn.
