The Firemage's Vengeance Read Online Free Page A

was so, the reverse must also be true. And so he said, not as a comfort, but as a lesson, “Even the best people have some evil in them.”
    Astrea pulled away from him and kept walking. “Yet the same deeds may be called evil in some, but not in others. If Isra were rich like Lilith, she might get more help. Everyone might not be so eager to call her a villain.”
    “Lilith received no special privilege because of her wealth,” said Ebon. “I saw her while she was under the knives of the Mystics. It was horrible. She was like a broken creature.”
    The girl shook her head. Not a rejection, but a refusal to hear. Ebon almost pressed the point, but then the Academy’s bell began to ring. Nine times it called out.
    “Blast,” said Ebon. “I am late. Jia requested me. I will come and see you again tomorrow. I swear it.”
    Astrea only shrugged. “Every day,” she muttered. “Every day the same.”
    He put an arm around her shoulders and ushered her back inside, through one of the white cedar doors.

four

    ONCE ASTREA WAS ON HER way up the stairs, Ebon ran for the dining hall. When he reached its wide oak doors, he nearly ran full-on into Kalem, who had come from the other direction.
    “At least I will not be the only one who is late,” said Ebon.
    “I lost track of the hour,” said Kalem, wheezing hard. He had never been athletic. “After she visited our ‘friend,’ Theren required some consolation.”
    Ebon frowned. “Is everything all right?”
    Kalem’s brows shot for the ceiling. “Of course not, Ebon. How can you even ask that?”
    He grimaced. “Later.”
    They pushed open the doors and entered the dining hall. But both of them froze in the doorway, for they found they were not the only ones present. Many other students had been called, and all of them were sitting at a few tables near the entrance. Some looked up curiously to see them standing there, but most kept their eyes on Jia.
    The instructor stood at the head of the little group, watching them all with a keen eye. She seemed ready to give a speech, but it did not appear she had started yet. As soon as she saw Ebon and Kalem, she waved them to the benches at once.
    “Come, come. Sit, sit,” she said. “There we are. Excellent. Now, I believe we may begin.”
    The other students began to quiet down. But Kalem whispered quickly in Ebon’s ear, “Why are we here, but not Theren? What is this?” Ebon shrugged.
    Jia lifted her chin. “This,” she began, “is a dangerous time. Not only for the Academy, nor for the Seat, but for all of Underrealm. The High King is beset on all sides, and she requires the help of every one of us to preserve the nine kingdoms.”
    She paused for a moment. The dining hall settled to silence. Ebon and Kalem stared at each other. Ebon was even more mystified than before.
    Suddenly Jia shook her head, as if she had remembered something. “Yes, she requires our help,” she went on. “But some may help more than others. Some have greater strength of arms—or spells, in our case. Some have larger armies, and some have deeper pockets. These must aid her according to her means—but it begins at the very roots, with each one of us, and not with the grand schemes of the kingdoms. Who better to defend Underrealm against its enemies, than the noble families of which you are a part? A short time ago, Lilith had the wise idea to form a group of you for just such a purpose. The Goldbag Society, I believe she called it, though it is an uncouth name.”
    Ebon’s blood ran cold. He looked at Kalem. The boy’s face had gone Elf-white. A quick glance around the room confirmed it: Ebon saw no one there but the children of merchants and royalty. These were the same children Lilith had called together when she was under Isra’s mindwyrd.
    Jia spoke on, but Ebon could scarcely hear the words. He leaned over to whisper in Kalem’s ear. “She is here.”
    “She cannot be,” said Kalem. “How could …?”
    “No time for