Free The Spell of Binding (Part One) by Glen Johnson Page A

living in the deep wastelands?
    Then the first ambassador for the elves approached the human race, in all his splendor and magnificence. It was a time of suspicion and open hostility. Where did they come from? The elves were tightlipped and only imparted limited information . Decades passed . Skills were traded. Trust was eventually gained. The elves became trusted advisors to great magi’s, and kings of old.
    Then somethi ng different appeared – dwarfs!
    At least dwarves look similar, simply smaller. But people whispered, what more was coming? How much sparse land did they have to give up? The suspicion started all over again. Three races trying to live side-by-side. Each with its own laws and rulers. Each with its own beliefs and customs. Times were har d. At first bickering turned in to fighting. Small wars broke out. Eventually all-out war. It was a complete massacre.
    Over the years everything settled down, people became accustom to the new arrivals, even though no real answers as to where th ey came from w as ever given.
    Eventually acceptance was granted. They became New Mankind. Three races, living side-by-side as one. Small skirmishes – mainly land disputes –still erupted from time to time, but nothing major. The kings at the time sorted the disputes out.
    Simeon’s eyes flickered. The aching rushed back over his old worn body. He slumped back to the flagstone flooring, unable to conjure the strength to lift his body. Dizziness returned.
    Memories flooded his aching mind. Flashes of the distance past. He was young and carefree. A diffe rent time completely. Decades had passed, elves, dwarfs and humans now lived side-by-side.
    Simeon remembered training as a young apprentice, strong willed and eager to learn. A physically perfect body, schooled in the arts of athletics and warfare. This was years before he had to take his place in defending a city against the destructive hordes of hell. A time of relative peace. He had been cocooned from all the violence behind tall, magically protected walls. He had never left the protection of the city. Everything outside was just stories. He was happy with what he had.
    A memory jump to a different age, the age of fighting, when he had to face the creatures for the first time. It was horrific. Stories and training hadn’t prepared him for what he had to face.
    He could easily imagine the complete destruction when they had first appeared . What New Mankind had managed to build was destroyed so quickly by them. How they were scattered, lost without direction, and utterly confused. Picked off with ease and violence. It had taken years to rally the magi to fight back. Years to organize a decent defense. Years to create a magical barrier that they couldn’t penetrate . A barrier they now all took for granted . The three races of New Mankind had to pull together as never before. They had no choice. Unite or die was the new banner they all rallied under.
    Simeon’s eyes fluttered again. This time his senses started to return. The images of his minds eye were banished bac k to old corners of his memory.
    Every inch of his old body ached with a fierce intensity. He managed to prop himself up on one elbow and scan his surroundings. His memory returned like a kick in the face, he almos t flinched at the recall .
    Someone had betrayed him. Hurt him. Tried to cause him real physical pain – and succeeded. His anger started to burn, washi ng away the pain his body felt.
    He lay across the base of the statue, with the swirling moat of runes still encircling him. He cast his eyes down to the runes sown into the hem of his garment. The cause of his suffering. Someone had tampered with them ; chang ed them. He received clean clothes each day, laid out by an assistant.
    How had someone managed to tamper with my runes ?
    Long ago he used to check them, make sure they were joined properly –sown rig ht. Over time he had slipped in to a habit of simply putting t hem on.
    Who would want to