Free Firebrand by R.M. Prioleau Page A

it’s trying to bite me and make me sick.”
    “It wants to eat us, Master!” Rorick whined, crawling out from under the table and hiding behind his brother. “I don’t wanna have green spots on me!”
    “Green spots?” Jarial arched his eyebrow.
    “Uh-huh!” Rorick nodded and pointed a finger at his brother. “Kaijin said—”
    “Rorick!” Kaijin glowered at him.
    Jarial folded his arms and eyed Kaijin sternly.
    Kaijin met his master’s gaze. “It’s true, Master. I read about it in a book.”
    Jarial scoffed. “Certainly, not one of my books.” He paused and observed the bat, which remained in its spot on the ceiling. “See here, you two ...” He did not take his eyes off the small animal. “It’s not going to bite you unless you provoke it. And it’s certainly not going to eat you.” He uttered a series of phrases to the animal and watched as it immediately detached itself from the ceiling and landed on his shoulder. “This is called a fruit bat . Their diet gave rise to their name. Fruit bats are practically harmless to humans. This one in particular seems to understand magic.”
    The boys gawked as he handled the furry animal, which remained fixated on Kaijin.
    “You said this bat kept following you, Kaijin?”
    Kaijin nodded solemnly. “Yes, Master. What does it want? It scared me!”
    Jarial stroked his chin. “Extend your hand like this.” He extended his own hand, palm up.
    As soon as Kaijin held out his hand, the bat promptly flew from Jarial’s shoulder and landed on Kaijin’s palm. “It tickles!” Kaijin nearly dropped it, but Jarial reached out and steadied him.
    “Just as I thought. It’s obvious this bat has developed a strong magical attachment to you. The phenomenon is no different from how Sable first found me. The bat is bonded to you now, Kaijin, so get used to it.”
    The animal moved in Kaijin’s hand, its tiny claws digging into his palm. The boy winced and flung the animal away. “No, Master! I don’t want it near me. It might bite me. I want it to go away. Leave me alone, bat! Go away!”
    As the bat was hurled into the air, it took flight for the ceiling where it settled and remained.
    Kaijin gasped. “It ... It’s gone?!”
    “No.” Jarial pointed to the ceiling. “It’s still up there waiting for you—and will continue to do so for as long as you two are bound.”
    Kaijin frowned when he spied the animal. “‘Bound?’ What does that mean? It—It’s not going to attack me again, is it, Master?”
    “You told it to leave you alone, didn’t you?”
    “Uh, yeah, I did.” Kaijin beamed. “I did! It listened to me!”
     Jarial nodded. “Indeed. I must warn you, however. Do not bring any harm to that bat lest you wish to experience some ... extremely painful consequences.”
    Kaijin’s smile faded. “What kind of consequences, Master?”
    “You and the bat are both magically linked. Any harm brought to either of you will risk breaking that link. It is like severing a limb from your own body, only worse—far, far worse.” Jarial’s eyes bore down on the boy. “Treat that bat as though it were the rarest, most valuable treasure in the world.”
    Kaijin’s eyes traveled to Rorick, who watched him enviously.
    “I wish I could do that!” Rorick cast Jarial a hopeful smile. “Will you teach me to train animals, too, Master?”
    Jarial hissed. “This bat is not trained like some pet, Rorick. It is bound—a magical link that is shared between a master and his familiar.”
    Rorick nodded solemnly.
    Jarial saw through the boy’s poor attempt at feigning intelligence. “When you’ve mastered that book of definitions, perhaps I will teach you more about familiars.”
    Rorick’s face brightened.
    “Listen carefully, Kaijin.” Jarial turned to the older boy. “The bat will listen to your speech, as well as your thoughts. If you tell it to go, it will go. If you tell it to come, it will come. The animal—familiar—is virtually an extension of