Free Rise of the Citadel (The Search for the Brights Book 2) by Aaron Thomas

fire magic when a
new wizard or weapon bearer had no teacher. Kara would have normally found them
very exciting, but every time she wanted to try something she read about,
Twilix would say no. She said that it could be dangerous without an experience
fire wizard to watch over her.
    She read them
anyway.
    She had started
with one that Twilix recommended to learn to control her anger. Kara was
already in control of her emotions and had barely skimmed the pages of the old,
fragile book with burnt pages and binding. Next had been a book on creating
flames as an outlet for anger, and the one after that was on using anger to
increase heat in a flame. The books were nothing that she had wanted to read
until she came across one called “Inferno Fire.” She’d read it with particular
interest. In its binding it contained instructions to create a sphere of heat
smashed together on top of a ball of more heat. Each layer of heat adding
intensity to the sphere. When the swirling ball of heat was released it could
burn through a stone wall, or melt the skin off of a warrior without even
touching them.
    The effects of
the weapon didn’t interest her, but the instructions on how to make it were
fascinating. Turning the fire inside itself like rolling a ball of yarn,
smashing it together while feeding heat in at the same time. The fire would
turn a color of white and begin to shake with the fury contained in the ball of
flame. The book said there was so much fury contained in a ball of Inferno Fire
that it should be used only as a last resort. Kara wanted to make sure she knew
how to use it in case that time ever came. Today she started reading the book
again in case she got the chance to make one, she would need no instruction.
    From outside she
heard a commotion amongst the guards. She gently put the book down and went to
the tent flaps, only to be knocked over by a rushing Twilix. The water wizard’s
arms were full of blankets and food. Kara hadn’t seen her wake, but she
obviously had not brushed her hair or washed properly. Twilix looked frantic
and then Kara saw it. What she thought were white gloves on the wizard was
actually a thin layer of frost. Twilix turned to face Kara, her eyes were
hollow and dark. She looked pale, like she might sick up at any moment.
    “I need your
help Kara,” she forced out through strained voice.
    Kara placed a
hand on Twilix’s arm, which was so cold that she yanked her hand back,
“Whatever I can do.”
    Twilix put out a
hand and lowered herself on to the bed, “I need you to help me to stay alive.
Normally a water wizard would watch over one like myself, but they have all
gone to war. I am the only one left. I need you to keep me warm or the magic
will freeze me solid.”
    Kara opened her
arms and put her palms up and brought a flame to live in each. “What is wrong
with you? Why is the magic trying to kill you?” Kara asked concerned.
    Twilix closed
her eyes and seemed to welcome the warmth of the flames. “It’s not trying to
kill me, Kara. I’m aging. It’s something that happens to young wizards like you
and I. Normal humans take a long time to age,” Twilix let out a groan of pain.
Kara brought the flames closer to the bed and watched as the thin layer of
frost melted, making the blonde wizard’s skin glisten with droplets of
moisture. Twilix continued through obvious pain, “Normal beings take sometimes
several years to pass from children to teenagers. When wizards age, the magic
we posses fuels us in our process. Some magics are easier to age through than
others. I’m sorry that I must tell you that fire seems to be the worst. Water
is not so bad. Water magic helps to heal my body as it changes. The process
will change my body like a caterpillar into a butterfly. In a short time, my
body will mature into one of a woman. I would like it if you helped me through
this trial.”
    Kara was scared,
the wizard seemed to be freezing, yet sweating due to the pain. “How can I
help?