Free A Shadow Flame (Book 7) by Jordan Baker Page A

nearly overwhelming, but he knew that it was not yet time, and he must wait, and he would only likely anger her, the way he was now. Aaron stared at Ehlena, who stood before him, shifting in the air like a spirit, curious that she seemed different, and he could tell that she was using her magic to hide something, but he did not have the power to see through what it was.
    "What are you doing here?" he whispered.
    "You can speak, Aaron," Ehlena said. "She cannot hear you."
    "It is dangerous for you to be here, Ehlena," Aaron warned, still worried that Calexis might awaken, and feeling an odd presence within her, something he had noticed a few times before. "I am sorry if I hurt you."
    "I am fine," she said. "I woke you, and you do sleep in a very dangerous place. What is happening to you, Aaron? I can feel the shadow all around you, and the fire of your power has nearly turned to darkness."
    "I will resist it until the mages complete their work," he told her. "I can feel what they are doing, and they have almost finished."
    "I already know this," Ehlena said. "But once they have finished the spell, what will you do?"
    "I will do what must be done and fight the shadow with my flames," Aaron said. "I don't know how, but you must try to get the people to safety. Perhaps Stavros can use his magic, but once Calexis learns of this, I will only be able to hold her off for a short time before things will become very dangerous here. She has spoken of others coming to Maramyr. Perhaps they can help, but they will face many enemies in the city, and more in the palace."
    "Ariana leads an army of Maramyrian and Kandaran soldiers, with Borrican and a number of dragons, who fought to defend the elven forest," Ehlena told him. "The elves send a force, and there are ships with even more who will fight, coming up from the Aghlar coast, led by Carly."
    "What of the Ansari?" Aaron asked.
    "I have heard a few whispers on the wind, but after the battle at Elvanar my power is not as strong as it was. It is strange that they are not decisive about this, for the Ansari do not waver once they have perceived an enemy."
    "I cannot tell what she is planning, but I do not doubt that it will involve the power of the shadow," Aaron told her. "Tell the others they must get the people as far away as possible once the battle begins, for I fear the destruction that may be caused either by the darkness itself should I fail, or the fire that it will take to destroy it."
    "I will," Ehlena said. "We will do as much as we can."
    "As will I," he replied, then he looked at her a little more closely, the power deepening in his eyes for a moment. "What happened to you at Elvanar, Ehlena?"
    "The poison of the shadow," she said, and reached out her hand tentatively toward the dark tendrils that hung in the air around him. "It is very strange that this power no longer seeks me, though I cannot bear to be near it." They moved slightly at her touch, but it was as though the shadow was somehow blind to her power.
    "How did the shadow touch you?" Aaron asked, curious at what he saw. He could feel the hunger of the dark power, determined to consume his power and the life of anything that came near to it, but through his connection to it, he could tell that it paid Ehlena little notice, as though she held no power, and yet he could also sense that even though she was weakened, she was by no means weak.
    "It was the poison stones the Darga used," she said. "They gave off a deadly smoke that withered much of the elven forest, and killed many of the elves as well. I used the wind to draw it away from the trees, but time was short so I drew it toward me. Thankfully, most of it was burned away with dragonfire."
    "And some remained," Aaron said, with a somber sigh.
    "Yes," Ehlena told him. "In time, perhaps I will be free of the poison that lingers, but I do not know. I can only hope, and carry on, for I would like to continue to be in the world."
    "Of course," Aaron said, with a tired