Free Analindë (The Chronicles of Lóresse) by Melissa Bitter Page A

game to supplement their rations, pitched tents, and checked the area for traps or wards set against them. They did so quietly, not wanting to intrude upon the thoughtful, grieving silence that their leader maintained. Compounding their silence was the burden of not knowing what, if anything, they wanted to say. Other than that they grieved with him as they felt the loss of this family almost as much as he.
    At dinner, heavy silence underscored the merry crackle of the fire as they ate. Bright stars blazed overhead, reminding them of ancestors long since passed and the new friends that had joined them. A mild breeze wafted, keeping the early autumn night chilly. Dinner was put away and bed-rolls were laid out before their leader finally broke the silence to speak.
    “Riian and I went to school together. I know that we run toward his grave, and my heart grieves. For he would not have escaped to safety but would have stood firm to protect what was his from harm.” He stared at the fire as it burned low, flames licked the sides of the logs, wood popped and sparks filled the cool night air. “If five are dead, then he is one of them, for his parents were far greater mages than he.”
    Eyes turned toward him, offering support and sympathy. Urúvion spoke softly, “It’s not an easy thing we do, and it is made especially difficult by grief. We’ll fight for those who can’t and will find the Humans so they can inflict no more harm upon the Realm.” Urúvion glanced at the hot glowing embers in the fire, then back up at his friends to growl, “We will travel quickly and catch them unaware.”

    The next morning the quintet of scouts broke camp at dawn’s first light and ate the remainder of their meal from the night before.
    Setting off before the sun had fully risen, they made good time. The quintet traveled quickly for two more days, stopping only to eat and sleep. At the end of the third full day they set up camp along the rim of the Valley of Lindënolwë. Weary and travel worn, they slept soundly that night.

The Fifth Chapter

    In the Hollow of the Tree
    H aving decided on a plan of action, Analindë paused to check her pool of Energy before venturing out of the hollow in the tree. Slipping into magesight and turning her sight inward, she sat back in wonder and surprise. A giant internal cistern now resided where the little pool had been before. It appeared as if each time she had reached for Energy tonight her capacity to hold Energy had increased tenfold. It was almost as if her need for Energy had excavated the spot and then her power had trickled into the space in order to be more readily accessible.
    The change unnerved her until she remembered a discussion she’d had with her father years ago. He’d said that once she found the center of her power and continued to tap into it that her Energy would pull together from all over her body and condense into one place. She hadn’t understood what he’d meant at the time, but she was beginning to now.
    He’d said, “It will take several weeks for it to begin to happen, and as the years pass, the amount of Energy that you will be able to hold will increase until you can hold no more.” He had patted her on the head, then tried to distract her by showing her a new plant species he’d been developing. Something to do with metal; she couldn’t remember.
    Analindë surveyed the cistern of Energy tucked deep within her soul with a bit of unease. According to her father, it shouldn’t have formed this quickly. She thought of her shields and her wild flight through the forest. She’d needed quite a bit of Energy while hiding and forming shields. Maybe that’s why the pool of Energy had morphed into a gigantic, nearly-empty cistern.
    She was fatigued and her reserves were scant. She turned her thoughts outward, slipping out of magesight, and thought of the exercise her mother had her do each time she’d finished working with Energy. If she were honest with herself,