Breeze Corinth (Book 1): Sky Shatter Read Online Free Page A

him in everything he did. She often took him to run errands in town. She would tell his father they would be back soon but if they were late, no worries. “We might drive out to see my sister,” she would always say
    Breeze’s aunt lived on the other side of town, but on the way to her home, his mother would sometimes take a different route.
    “This isn’t the way to Auntie Hazel’s house!” Breeze would always shout with delight.
    “I know sweetie, we’re going to see our friends in the mountains. But you know that already. Don’t be silly.” She would say with laughter in her voice. “And don’t tell Daddy. Remember that Mommy says it’s okay to tell a little white lie. Tell him we went to see Aunt Hazel.”
    “Why do you call it white lie?”
    She paused for a moment before answering. “Because it’s a lie that’s….clean. It’s not meant to hurt anyone.”
    His memories would become fuzzy from then on. He could only remember seeing men in white coats. They always smiled, and with his mother by his side, would kneel down in front of him and tell him things. Things that he would remember when the time was right about how to use his gifts and not be ashamed of them, and to use them to help, never to harm.
    He shook his head to wake himself up. He felt like he was trapped in a dream. He looked around and realized how fast he was moving through the air. He looked down to see the town of Conception was just below him. The glow of its lights was like a torch that could be seen for miles around. He ignored them and pressed on. He had a different destination in mind.
    He veered off to his right and headed west. There was a mountain range there. The same mountains his mother would take him to as a child to see the men in white coats.
    The flat desert turned into jagged mountains. He had to ascend to clear the peaks. He wobbled a little and gritted his teeth as he struggled to maintain control.
    The mountain range gave way to a wide open plain of pure white sand that seemed to stretch forever. Off in the distance was a solitary mountain. As he drew near he could see the moonlight reflecting off a vast lake that lay before it.
    He aimed for the shoreline of the lake as he prepared to land. He never wanted to get close to the mountain. Though it seemed inviting, something deep inside his mind warned him to stay away. For now, at least.
    He descended gradually, and then panic gripped him as he began to wobble. His landings were often disastrous, and this was one was shaping up to be no better.
    The earth raced up to meet him as he arched his back and glided perpendicularly over it. He flailed his legs wildly just before touching down then stumbled upon contact, coming to a stop by falling headfirst into the sand.
    He groaned as he sat up and took in his surroundings while brushing sand from his face. The night was quiet and still. Not even a light wind was stirring.
    He stood up to admire the lake and how it reflected the stars above perfectly. It was like a portal into heaven.
    He turned to face the solitary mountain in the distance. He often came here to see the lights that emanated from it. They started off slowly at first with a single ball of light that would rise up from the mountain, followed by a second and a third, until the night was filled with balls of lights zipping about haphazardly, then abruptly ending their wild maneuvers to begin forming geometric patterns. The shapes they created ranged from circles and squares to more complex octagons and tetrahedrons of intricate detail.
    He came here for many reasons, one of them was that it was the last real connection to his mother that he had. He also came because he felt compelled, as if the lights were trying to convey a message to him that he needed to decipher. It seemed as if they were pleading with him to understand their meaning. He didn’t have a clue what they were trying to say.
    He had tried to approach the mountain many times before while flying,