Izikiel Read Online Free Page A

long time now,’ the voice continued as the figure moved closer. Izikiel was still unable to see their face but a strange feeling was beginning to build within him. Thoughts of the flaming plasma began to encroach on his mind as he struggled to hold them at bay.
    ‘ What do you mean? Who are you?’ he asked.
    The black robed figure finally stepped into the light cast by the glowing rocks. Izikiel sucked in his breath as he beheld a face which had been burned nearly beyond recognition. The man’s skin had healed but it was difficult to recognise him as human. Folds of new skin had grown over scarred tissue, creating a deeply marred texture. A pair of milky white eyes stared directly at Izikiel from the disfigured face. Lifting an equally scarred left arm, the man gestured around the chamber.
    ‘ I am Da’Amo. Welcome to my home.’

EIGHT
    The white robes assembled within the audience chamber slowly bowed their heads one by one. Watching them, Izikiel’s mind produced a distant memory of worshipers showing respect to their messiah. Looking at the black robed figure standing atop the stone dais, he suspected that he wasn’t far from the truth.
    ‘ Leave us,’ Da’Amo commanded.
    The white robed men raised their heads and filed out of the audience chamber. Only Izikiel and Te’Anne remained. Stepping down from the dais, Da’Amo reached up and pulled back his hood. Te’Anne gasped as the man’s head was revealed.
    Da’Amo’s scalp was in even worse condition that his face. No hair remained and his ears had been reduced to small ridges of flesh. Folds of new skin had sealed over much of his head. Izikiel marvelled at how the man had survived such a burning.
    As if sensing his discomfort, Da’Amo said, ‘Do not be ashamed. All those who see me for the first time are surprised by my appearance.’
    ‘ What happened to you?’ Izikiel asked, lowering his gaze in embarrassment.
    ‘ This is the price one pays to become a true believer,’ Da’Amo replied calmly, his vapid eyes continuing to look directly at Izikiel. Flinching slightly under Da’Amo’s unwavering gaze, Izikiel absently wondered if he could actually see him.
    ‘ You mean the Eternal Flame?’ Izikiel asked.
    ‘ Yes’
    ‘ But how could you allow anyone to do this to you?’ Te’Anne asked.
    Turning his sig htless eyes towards her, Da’Amo’s face contorted into something which Izikiel identified as a smile.
    ‘ I did this willingly. Becoming one with the Eternal Flame is the final step in demonstrating ones faith.’
    ‘ But...why? Why would anyone do this to themselves?’ Te’Anne exclaimed, falling back a step in apprehension.
    ‘ True faith and joining with the Eternal Flame allows you to move into a different state of awareness. It also grants you power.’
    ‘ What kind of power?’ Izikiel asked.
    ‘ The power to affect the Universe around you, much the same as the Eternal Flame does. In the old days, before the colonisation of space, mankind existed on a single planet called Earth. It was there that an ancient language was first uttered, the language of the Eternal Flame. That language holds incredible power.’
    ‘Wait! I heard a voice speak a word that I couldn’t understand just after we were attacked,’ Izikiel said, recalling the encounter with the desert wolves. ‘That was you?’
    Da’Amo attempted a smile again as his mouth opened and he spoke a single word.
    ‘ Aduro ’
    The palm of his right hand erupted in blue flame. Te’Anne and Izikiel sucked in their breath, suitably impressed.
    ‘ Incredible! Da’Amo, I had always thought you to be a simple trader. But this...’ Te’Anne’s voice trailed off as she groped for the right word.
    ‘ My disguise was necessary to hide what I am and to protect those who live here. I fear that by rescuing you I may have attracted the attention of the Void Lords. But I knew that I had to act. To save you,’ Da’Amo said, pausing only to turn his sightless eyes towards