Free Prelude to Fire: Parts 1 and 2 by D. K. Holmberg Page B

opened at the end of the hall. If he went down, he could reach the quarters granted to him by Ilton. They had never really been his home, though he was thankful for someplace to claim as his own. Once Theondar had moved into the palace, given rooms by Althem, it had felt even less welcoming.
    But he had no intention of going down, not until he knew whether Ilianna would see him. Instead, he looked up the stairs.
    “Who’s up there?” Jayna asked.
    “Ilianna.”
    “The princess?” she asked. Lacertin nodded. “Why do you need to see the princess?”
    “She can help,” Lacertin answered.
    Jayna paused as they climbed the steps. “And if she doesn’t?”
    If Ilianna wouldn’t help, then he had to be prepared to descend the stairs and find Theondar. The idea pained him, but what other choice did he have?
    The stair led to a wide hall on the second level. This end was comprised entirely of Ilianna’s rooms, while the other end would be all Althem. Lacertin glanced down the hall, not interested in seeing the prince, but not really expecting to, either. With Althem focused on ruling in his father’s stead, he wouldn’t be here. The lack of any guards present also made it clear that he wasn’t. As far as Lacertin knew, Althem couldn’t shape.
    One of the doors at the end of the hall was open, but there weren’t any guards standing watch for Ilianna’s rooms either, so maybe she was gone. If that was the case, then he’d wasted his time coming here, time that he could have spent seeing if there was anything that he could do to help Veran.
    Lacertin stopped in the open door. The decorations inside were ornate. A massive tapestry hung on the wall. It depicted the Great Mother and the great elementals. Beneath it was an intricate ceramic pot with swirls of color, making it likely Doma made. Two oversized chairs angled toward the door, and a hearth lined the wall. The room was empty.
    A basin of water steamed along the wall. If she was gone, at least she had recently been here.
    “How many rooms does she have?” Jayna asked.
    Lacertin turned to her and smiled. “She’s the princess.”
    “What does that mean?”
    “It means she’ll have as many rooms as she wants.”
    Jayna laughed and loosened her grip enough so that she could step toward the tapestry. She studied it, reaching a hand toward the depiction of the water elemental udilm as a face in a wave along the bottom left.
    “Once we spoke to the elementals so easily,” Jayna said softly.
    “There are some who still claim to speak to them,” Lacertin said.
    She looked back at him. “They do? You’ve seen this?” Her accent thickened with the question, and Lacertin realized that he still hadn’t discovered where she was from. Not from Vatten, though she was a water shaper. She sounded nothing like Veran, and most considered his accent mild.
    Lacertin shrugged. “I can’t say that I’ve seen it, only that I’ve heard of it happening. Who is to say that they don’t?”
    “Only the fact that it’s been centuries since any have spoken to the elementals.”
    “Openly,” Lacertin said.
    As a younger shaper, it was a discussion he’d had many times before. The elementals once spoke to shapers, and once guided their earliest shapings. It was the reason most felt that shaping quality had diminished over time.
    There was no question that the shapers of today were much weaker than those of the past. Not only weaker, but also lacking in creativity. He would never be able to create some of the shaped items found within the university. The way lighting ran through it was only one example. The kingdoms shapers now could manage strength and skill, but they lacked finesse.
    “If there are those who speak to the elementals, why wouldn’t they share that with others? Think of how much could be learned if they were only willing—”
    Lacertin’s pained laugh cut her off. “And you make my point for me. Were I able to speak to the elementals, I would keep