Lusam: The Dragon Mage Wars Book One Read Online Free Page A

said, “Do we look like we have money to you?” All the time staring the man straight in the eyes. “I suggest you put the knife away, before you get hurt.”
    Lusam couldn't believe what she was doing, he slowly put a hand on her shoulder to try and make her see sense before either of them got hurt by this man. Neala just turned and winked casually at him, then returned her steady gaze back to the man.
    The man looked almost as shocked by her response as Lusam was. Then he started laughing, spat to the side again, and then said with a mocking tone in his voice, “And who’s going to hurt me little girl? You? … I warned you to pay up or else. Now …”
    Before he could finish his sentence Lusam noticed something flash in Neala's hands, it was so fast, it was barely visible. The man fell in a crumpled heap on the floor clutching at his throat, as he bled out on the cobbled street.
    “I warned you too,” Neala said to the man on the floor in front of her, now lying in a pool of his own blood. Dead. Standing there in complete shock, Lusam almost didn't hear the running footsteps behind him until it was too late. As he turned, he saw a huge man flying through the air at him, brandishing what looked like a meat cleaver. Without thinking, and on pure instinct, he released a huge blast of power towards his assailant. It literally stopped the man in mid-air, and blasted him back down the cobbled street, sending him crashing into the wall of The Arches. He hit the wall with such a sickening crunch it curled Lusam's toes, and the man sank to the floor, never to move again. He didn't need to go and see the results of what he had just done, he simply knew that nobody could have survived that kind of impact.
    Lusam and Neala stood there looking at each other with equal measures of shock and awe on their faces.
    “Let’s get out of here, before anyone else comes. The last thing we need is the town guard being called,” Neala said in a hushed voice. As they quickly walked away from the scene, Neala turned to Lusam and said, “What the hell was that you did back there?”
    “I could ask the same question of you,” replied Lusam defensively.
    “I've already told you that I grew up as part of a thieves' guild in Stelgad. You didn’t think they taught me to do needle-work there do you?” she spat back him. “I don’t remember however, having the conversation where you told me you were some kind of powerful sorcerer though!” she hissed at him.
    “That's because I'm not a sorcerer. I've no idea how I even did that back there. I just panicked, and the next thing I knew he was flying backwards into that wall,” Lusam said, trying to match the brisk pace Neala was now setting. “When I was younger, my grandmother taught me a few bits of magic, but nothing like that!” Lusam said in a hushed voice. “Oh … just like that, she taught you, `some magic tricks`. You say that like it's the most natural thing in the world Lusam. Magic is supposed to be only myth or legend Lusam, not something your grandmother teaches you!  We need to talk about this later. Here isn’t the place. Let's just get this job done, and go get paid,” she said looking at him warily.
    “Yeah, good idea,” he replied, as they both hurried to leave behind the shadier part of west Helveel.
    As they approached the apothecary, they noticed a man leaving the shop and begin locking the door.
    “Looks like we're just in time,” Lusam said, nodding towards the man.
    “Yeah, looks that way,” Neala agreed.
    When they got closer to the man, Lusam called out to him, “Excuse me sir. Are you Mr Zachery?”
    The man turned his head to look at them approaching, and after taking in their shabby appearance replied suspiciously, “That depends who's asking, and for what reason young man?”
    Lusam smiled at the man in an attempt to get him to relax, but it seemed to have the opposite effect.
    “Sorry sir. My name is Lusam, and this is Neala. We have a letter