Free Exile by Lola Lebellier

staring out into the river.
    “You don’t look like a typical Centrallian,” he commented, examining Corin.
    Corin was a tiny bit shorter than him, but still a decent height. He had a reddish skin tone, quite typical of those from Central, but eyes and ears that were shaped similarly to Cyril’s. Corin had a large amount of muscle definition too, Aless noted, and his limbs were far too long to be purely Centrallian. People from that region were generally short and stocky, allowing them to more easily sleep in caves during the rough volcano seasons.
    Corin flushed at this, looking toward the ground. “My mother was a courtesan. My father was a soldier in Far East’s military.”
    Aless frowned. He had not intended to bring up any painful memories. “I apologize for prying,” he immediately stated. “You never had a chance to meet him?”
    “Not at all. I’m sure he was a good man in his own right…. Mother always said he was kind enough. It’s fine, Mas—I mean, Aless. I have learned to live with my past.”
    Aless took a seat beside the river, prying off his boots and dipping his feet in the cool water, inviting Corin to do the same. “Have you ever tried to track him down?”
    “I’ve never had a chance,” Corin explained, sitting beside Aless, closing his eyes. “My mother was poor. I worked to help feed us before I joined the clan.”
    “And what of her now?” Aless asked.
    “She died before I joined,” he answered, “only about a month before the recruiters came by. I don’t mean to be rude, and I don’t mind, but why are you asking me all these questions?”
    Aless smiled. “I’ve already told you I’d like you as an apprentice, and guardians are supposed to know their apprentices. It deepens the connection the two are supposed to have.”
    “Master Selena never did,” Corin insisted.
    “Selena doesn’t seem to do a lot of things, now, does she? Before my exile, this was the standard we were all expected to follow.”
    Corin paused. “Master Aless,I know we’re not supposed to talk about this… well, Master Selena said we weren’t supposed to, but… why were you exiled from the clan?”
    Aless widened his eyes. “You mean you don’t know? I knew Piers said it was forbidden, but I figured someone would have told you.”
    “We were told to never speak of it,” Corin replied, looking down to the river. “When I joined, there were still rebuilding efforts in place, but I was told not to ever ask of the events.”
    Aless sighed. “I can’t believe they’ve been keeping it under wraps.”
    “I’m sorry…” Corin muttered.
    “No, it isn’t your fault at all,” Aless replied, running a hand through his hair. “How much of the clan’s history do you know?”
    Corin blushed. “Very little. I was told to train my elemental skills from the first day I joined.”
    “Ah, well,” Aless began, “you know how the spirits are quelled, don’t you? I mean, how we stop them from warring with one another.”
    “Sort of. I know the spirits are sealed inside guardians—it’s what gives them their powers. And what causes those marks,” he replied, pointing to the blue lines on Aless’s skin.
    “Correct,” Aless said, “but the spirits had a side effect. They turned their guardians into feral beasts, essentially. Feral beasts with the power to control the elements.”
    Corin frowned. “The guardians I’ve seen don’t seem feral.”
    “That’s because we’re not,” Aless replied. “Roughly a thousand winters ago something happened. The details on it are pretty scarce, but there was a citizen in love with the clan’s future leader, before he accepted Alvah.”
    “And?” Corin asked, staring.
    “She didn’t want him to go feral,” he explained, simply, “and somehow, I don’t know the legend too well, I admit, she created five sets of restraints. When a guardian puts them on, they quell the demon’s anger, allowing the guardian to live a somewhat normal life. We’ve