Free The Vaetra Chronicles: Book 01 - Vaetra Unveiled by Daniel R. Marvello Page A

new status as a Channeler , and whatever that might imply.
    "Nothing," said Sulana. "Unless you want to do something about it. You can just go back to your life and pretend all this never happened. Or you can travel to the Archives and learn how to use your gift. It's up to you."
    It was too much to think about right then. I had a life. It had its frustrations, but I was busy enough already just trying to get back on my feet. The idea of running off to become a sorcerer held little appeal. I knew nothing about that world, and wasn't sure I wanted to.
    Then again, operating the Seeker, even without realizing what I was doing, had been...interesting. No, more than that. In spite of it being a bit scary and disorienting, it had been exciting to make the Seeker work.

Chapter 6
    T alon and Barek bundled up the dead thief in the blood-stained sheet he was lying on, and took him outside to be tied across his horse. It was an ignoble end to an ignoble life. The horse shied and sidled away when it scented the blood on its former master, so Talon held the reins and calmed the animal while Barek secured the corpse.
    Meanwhile, Sulana negotiated with Meghan for a few samples of healing herbs and tonics that the healer was willing to sell. The two of them seemed to have settled into an unsteady truce, although I suspected Meghan was charging a premium, which Sulana accepted without haggling. Sulana seemed to have mastered the art of human relations through commerce.
    I stood away from the others. My eyes wandered unfocused over their activities while I grappled with my first sorcery experience and tried to decide what I was going to do about it. Part of me longed to understand and explore the sensation that the Seeker had stirred within me, but I'd been taught to fear and avoid sorcery all of my life.
    When I was seven years old, my mother took me home after a visit with a group of her women friends. Night had fallen, and the dark buildings lining the street loomed over us. Our lantern did little to fend off the darkness, and my little hand gripped hers tightly. We turned a street corner and saw an eerie red light moving down the street toward us. My mother stopped short and pulled me closer, her hold on my hand tightening so much that I squirmed with pain. As the light got closer, I could see it was bobbing at the top of a walking staff being carried by a man in a long, black, hooded cloak. Most of his face was hidden by his hood, but I saw him nod to my mother as he passed us. A small globe at the top of his staff gave off a high-pitched sound in addition to more light than a lantern could possibly produce. I stared in fascination as he passed, watching him continue down the street in a radiant halo of crimson luminosity.
    My mother started walking again, pulling me along as fast as we could go. I tried to ask her about the man and his glowing staff, but she shushed me. She then told me something that has never left my mind. "You just stay away from people like that. Trafficking in magic will only bring you grief."
    As I grew older, I learned that sorcerers had once tried to rule the world and that their rule had resulted in widespread death and destruction. After the Wizard Wars were over and the sorcerers were defeated, the Sorcery Accords ensured that sorcerers would never again hold dominion over mundane affairs. But now even centuries later, fear and distrust ran strong, and everyone believed that given the opportunity, sorcerers would try to rule again.
    The idea that I might have the ability to work with magic, or "vaetra" as Sulana called it, made me feel a little ashamed and dirty. I even felt a little nauseous, but I couldn't tell if that was because of my concerns about this new discovery or because of a reaction to channeling.
    Besides, the very idea of dropping everything and going off to the Archives for training was ridiculous. I had responsibilities at the Snow Creek Inn and issues to work out with Dela. I didn't want to