Free Halfstone: A Tale of the Narathlands by Daniel White Page B

imagine.”
    “Well, the wielder part isn’t so bad.”
    Jon chuckled. “Just you wait, my boy.”
    It was late now. They arranged seating in an arc around the fire
and sat in silence, staring into the nonchalant flames. Télia’s brew of tea was
the best Aldrick had tasted—strong and bitter, with the aroma of a spring
meadow lingering somewhere in the background. As he drank he felt strange.
Accepting all that Jon had told him now came with ease, though much of it
remained foreign to him. He was in uncharted waters and did not know the ropes.
    Télia sat close at Aldrick’s side. She was without tea and appeared
anxious. He imagined she feared for her family and homeland. He wanted her to
somehow be at peace.
    “It’s all right,” he said, nudging her softly. “Everything will
be. I’m going to make sure of it.”
    She nodded and offered up an unconvincing smile.
    Jon was eying Aldrick with a faint smile of his own. “You are
indeed your parents’ son. They would be very proud.”
    “Surely the Synod is aware of Malath’s return,” said Télia, now
voicing her qualms. “That is why I was repurposed to protect Aldrick. I was
sent word on my journey here to do so without hesitation.”
    Jon sipped his tea. “Oh, I am quite certain they are well aware.
Malath was always one to flaunt his power. He has probably paraded himself
through the streets of Galdrem.”
    “But he can’t be left free to continue his old plans!” cried
Télia. “I grew up in fear of him, even as a powerless outcast. What he intended
to do—slay humanity—that’s unthinkable! Would the Synod stand idle and see that
happen?!”
    “Let us hope not. They were wise enough to presume Aldrick would
become a target.”
    “And what of the Shard of Heart’s Storm? Is it adequately
guarded?”
    “After Malath’s first attempt to gain access to it nearly
succeeded—the attempt Aldrick’s parents foiled—the holding chamber was sealed
with the most powerful of warding enchantments, one not even he can break.”
    “The Shard of Heart’s Storm. That is the great power in the temple
you mentioned earlier?” Aldrick asked, feeling increasingly distanced from the
span of his knowledge.
    Jon nodded. “Yes, in the Temple Darkna. You see, it is a common
belief among wielders that our storm originates from the heart of the world.
Some wielders believe it religiously so. The Shard is a piece of that heart. It
was found deep in a mine over a thousand years ago; the only piece ever
unearthed.”
    “That’s incredible… the thought that our world is founded on some
great body of storm. If just a shard bears such power, imagine what power lies
within the heart itself…”
    “A thought many wielders have entertained. But come, now is not
the time to linger on it. Télia’s fear that Malath seeks to acquire the Shard
and fulfil his evil desires is not without warrant. There is no doubt in my
mind that he will try to find a way into its holding chamber. He is far too
ambitious not to. If he cannot achieve it by his own hand he will find the
necessary means to.”
    “So we must do something,” said Télia urgently.
    Jon looked flustered. “Yes, yes. But exactly what is the
question.”
    “Well, it’s clear I have my part to play,” said Aldrick. “I will
use my mother’s ability in the same way she did to trap Malath’s storm.”
    “But the stone she used was the key. Without that, you could never
withhold his storm long enough to allow a reliable chance to strike, and you
would find yourself rendered defenceless in the attempt. Your mother had barely
mastered wielding that ability herself. You have yet to learn even the most
basic of wielding techniques.”
    “I made thunder and lightning,” argued Aldrick.
    “Yes, but that was with your emotions flowing freely. Occasions
like that are incredibly rare.”
    “Oh,” he said, feeling somewhat disenchanted. “So we need the
stone then.”
    “Absolutely, I won’t have you go