Original: To Fire It Shall Return

Chapter 1

The Guildhall was resplendent, as usual, and made even more so by the arrival of the wizards and sorceresses of the White Order. The air around the mountain-top stronghold was filled with brilliant, gleaming white Horses who hovered until the way was clear for them to dive through the hole in the roof and land on the floor of the front hall. They unburdened themselves of their passengers, and were led away to the stables, deep in the network of caves that branched off from the huge front hall. The landing hall was a round room with a high, vaulted ceiling and a portal through which an endless stream of flying Horses entered. The air was chilled by the extreme northern location of this stronghold, which was the most northern site in Anata. The wizards and sorceresses left the cold hall seeking the warmer, inner rooms of the Guildhall, chattering animatedly and greeting old friends with a hug and a kiss.

They reached the meeting room, another huge dome-ceilinged hall, which had a stage at the front, and was filled with rows upon rows of chairs. The chairs were quickly filled by the tide of smiling, chatting men and women, bedecked in gleaming white tunics and gowns. A large silver amulet, each set with a precious gem, hung from every neck. They patiently waited for the meeting to begin.

The Presiders of the Guild, Isak and Chenam, took their seats at the table on the stage, leaving the seat between them empty. Then a hush fell over the gathered people as the leader of Anata, the White Sorceress, Alainna, entered. Her silken, flowing white skirt brushed the floor, spilling from a well-formed bodice, also made of white silk. Her blonde hair spilled most of the way down her back, seeming to glow with an inner golden light. Her body, like that of everyone else in the room, was beautiful, enhanced by her magic to the absolute heights of perfection. A ruby glittered from the amulet hanging from her neck. A symbol - the crest of the White Sorceress - was carved into the face of the huge gem and the light caught it, refracting and swirling the colour. Her familiar, a white raven named Sharra, with whom she was in constant telepathic contact, perched on her shoulder, preening importantly. Birds, animals, even lizards, sat on the shoulders of everyone in the room. Isak's was a small white cat, while Chenam's familiar was a sparrow, also with gleaming white feathers.

Alainna mounted the steps up to the stage, her feet making no sound on the polished wood. Instead of taking her seat, she glided to the front of the stage and addressed the congregation.

"Thank you all for coming. I have been informed that there is a very important situation in the city of Koranna that must be dealt with." Her voice was soft, but reached every corner of the room. Even the stone walls seemed to shiver in ecstasy at the sound. She smiled welcomingly at the assembled sorceresses and wizards and sat in her chair. Isak stood up, placing his hands firmly on the tabletop and addressing the audience.

"We have received a report from our Observer in Koranna that a tower has appeared inexplicably just outside the city. Whoever is inside - a 'monster' by the report - seems to be abducting children." At this, a ripple of concern ran through the audience. "Since the report is written in Kelden's usual cryptic fashion-" the concerned chatter turned to titters of amusement, "-I will travel to Koranna to examine the situation and hopefully get rid of this 'monster'." Alainna's head suddenly jerked up in Isak's direction as he said this and she stood up to speak,

"Presider." She addressed him formally and the buzz in the audience died as they saw the urgency in her eyes. "I believe it would be best if I went. I has been a long time since I've been seen in a mortal city."

He looked down at her, an arrogant sneer curving his thin lips, "I don't think that would be wise. The last White Sorceress was killed on one such excursion. I remember, I was there." The cold glare in his eyes faded into the background as he recalled the details of an event that had happened more than a century before. "She was surrounded by people, all thrilled to be able to meet her. Then, without any warning, the Black Wizard appeared and stabbed her, then vanished. And the Guild was plunged into chaos. I know you remember. Surely you don't think this is important enough to risk your life over." This story was told with the faint air of a parent instructing a child and Alainna's face darkened.

"Actually, this situation seems extremely important to me." Her blue eyes had hardened to ice, and she spoke slowly and dangerously. Isak didn't flinch, but drew himself up importantly,

"I think this is an unacceptable risk. I beg you to be reasonable."

She stared at him for a long time, aware of the uncomfortable shuffling of the audience. Finally she could stand the silent battle of wills no longer.

"Isak, follow me. Chenam, move on to another matter." Alainna seized the man by his upper arm and marched him off the stage and into the hallway at the side. As she closed the heavy wooden door, she heard the gathered wizards and sorceresses erupt into furious chatter. Alainna closed her eyes in momentary despair. Quiet little Chenam wouldn't be able to control that crowd. Then, she turned her angry gaze on Isak. "Just what exactly do you think you are doing?" she demanded. He glared at her openly now, his heavy eyebrows pulling together.

His beauty was that of a slender Victorian prince. His eyes and hair were a nut brown, the strands thin, lying against his pale forehead with no more thickness than an autumn leaf. His nose was long and almost beaky, flanked by high cheekbones and underscored by the line of thin lips. The simple white tunic and pants hung loosely on his body. It was a delicate, aristocratic beauty, and the glow of Isak's good health and magical powers were the only things that kept his pale skin and narrow features from seeming like those of an invalid. The emerald on his chest glittered in the flickering torchlight. His eyes were coldly arrogant.

"I'm just trying to protect you Sorceress," he said, his formality sounding like an insult. Alainna took a breath,

"I know we don't like each other much, Presider," she said, returning the contemptuous use of the honorific, "but this is ridiculous. I haven't been seen in public since I took this position a hundred years ago. The mortals need to see me. How am I supposed to hold their loyalty and love if I am never around?"

"It's too dangerous, and the memory of Marsia's death is still too close to the members of the Guild."

"So what? This isn't their decision. The people in Koranna need me. We're talking about children Isak." He seemed to relent. His shoulders sagged and the smile disappeared, but the glint didn't leave his eyes and Alainna wondered what he was up to.

"Very well. We will put it to a vote. We owe the members of the Guild that much at least." Sharra, on Alainna's shoulder, squawked despite herself.

The raven's voice echoed in Alainna's mind, It'll never make it through a vote, love. They're too worried that we'll go through the same hell again that we did when Marsia died.

I know, answered Alainna. To Isak she muttered, "Damn you." A vote was the only action that the Presiders could take without her approval, and the results were binding beyond her power. He smiled; knowing instantly that the battle was over. After a pause, Alainna took a deep breath, smoothing down her golden hair in a token gesture of composure. "You win, but if it's too dangerous for me, with my superior magic, it's too dangerous for you too. Send someone to check it out, but don't let them confront this, this thing without coming to me first."

"Of course, Sorceress," he said graciously.

On the outskirts of Koranna, Chyrie strode across the field toward the tower, the jubilant cheers of the citizens still in her ears. The shouts of loyalty and love seemed like mockery to her and she couldn't just stand by and not do anything about the monstrosity that assailed this town. She had seen Kelden in the crowd that met her when she arrived. She recognized him from the few Guild meetings that he had bothered to come to, but he had been Observing for longer than she had been a sorceress, so she hadn't seen him often. She hadn't dared to speak to him - it was crucial that the mortals not discover his connections to the Guild. If she spoke to him, it would bring suspicion down on him and undermine his purpose. It was impossible to know how the mortals would react to knowing that a wizard was living among them, reporting back to Alainna.

She paid no attention to her surroundings until she entered the tower and nearly tripped on the first step of the stairway just inside the door. She stopped at the foot of the stone steps to take a breath and collect herself, before drawing her sword and climbing the stairs. She hadn't intended to do this originally, in fact, Alainna had specifically requested her protégé not to, so she hadn't thought to bring her own dagger. But when she had seen the children - those angels - all possible victims of the tower 'monster', she had borrowed a sword and headed to avert their fate. She ignored her familiar, a swallow named Soren, who was trying to remind her that she couldn't risk herself, as she was next in line to be the White Sorceress if Alainna were to die. Some things were more important.

Chyrie began to climb the steps inside. She never returned. Soren was found a few metres from the tower, lying on the ground, her plumage gradually fading from magical, pristine white to the normal markings of her kind. The bird died within an hour, on a soft pillow in the house of a mortal, Chyrie's blood soaking into the pale blue cotton.

Corin mounted the stone steps toward the massive oak doors, with his sword held out in front of him. The doors were set into the face of a cliff, a touch of civilization in the cold wildness of the tops of the Western Mountains. Pausing to rest, he looked around at the breathtaking view below him. He was standing on a narrow rock staircase that lead from the mesa below up to the doors. The edge of the stairs fell away on either side of him, affording a dizzying view down to the rocks below. As he looked, a strong gust of wind ruffled his brown hair, blasting him with a face-full of snow. Sputtering and turning his face away from the assault, his muscular, bulky frame shuddered with cold. He proceeded to move quickly up the stairs, preferring the dubious safety of the doors to the staircase where he was exposed to the elements.

The top of the stairs widened into a platform that led to the great oak doors. The cliff's face provided some shelter from the wind and blowing snow. But Corin continued to shiver, now from a terror that was barely percnd sighed. He sheathed his sword and grasped one of the rings in both hands. He gasped in surprise at the warmth that flowed from the metal. There was a deep hum emanating from it that was felt more through his hands rather than heard. He took a deep breath and pulled as hard as he could. Buoyed by the magic coursing through it, the door flew open easily, banging loudly against the cliff wall, and knocking Corin off his feet.

Floating out from the brightly-lit interior, a faint cackling could be heard.

Picking himself up, he frowned in irritation at the wound to his pride. He straightened his armour, unsheathed his sword again and marched boldly over the threshold.

The interior was warm, since the walls were lined with candles that burned brightly in the alcoves in which they were placed. The candles bathed everything in a yellow, flickering glow that relaxed his twisted stomach and gave him some measure of control over his shaking hands. Seven tunnels, like the spokes of a wheel, led away from the main hall that Corin was standing in. The cackling seemed to be coming from one off to his right. As he listened, Corin's pride swelled at the mockery and he turned, forgetting his fear and charging angrily down the corridor.

As Corin ran down the corridor, the cackling abruptly stopped. A huge white creature swooped out of nowhere and dove at his face, screeching maniacally. Corin threw his arms up to protect his face and heard the scream of claws scraping against armour. The creature came to rest on a perch that jutted out of the wall high above Corin's head and he was able to get a good look at it. With a shock of embarrassment, he realized that the horrible monster which he had just battled was a bird. It opened its mouth and let out another cackle, seeming to smile down at him from the safety of its perch.

The sound of the oak door slamming made him jump and he turned around. He looked back along the corridor to see a woman standing in front of the door with her back to him, one hand outstretched toward the doors. A strange, bluish glow emanated from her hand, which made it look to be bathed with some strange flickering ice. As he watched, the glow quickly faded and then vanished. The woman dropped her arm and turned away from the door, showing Corin the face of the terror that he had journeyed a week to find. His heart beating frantically in fear, he gazed at her, absorbing every detail. Her dress was made of smooth silk, hugging her upper body with erotic intimacy. Her waist was tiny, but the bodice swelled as his eyes moved upward, forming perfect breasts that strained under the fabric. Her golden hair and pale skin called to him with their softness, and he felt himself burning with the desire - no, the need to touch that hair, kiss those full lips… he pushed the feeling away with an effort. The only thing that didn't seem to fit with this vision of beauty was the dagger strapped to the leather belt that hung from her waist. He focused on the dagger, trying to escape the hypnotizing quality of her gaze and his own overpowering desire for her.

"Come Sharra." she said. Her voice was low and musical, and Corin shivered at the sound despite himself. The raven squawked and took to the air, gliding over and landing on the woman's shoulder.

She approached Corin, seeming to glide over the stone floor. "My name is Alainna. Can I help you, Corin?"

"How do you know my name?" he croaked, feeling foolish. She smiled, displaying a countenance that seemed to convey distant amusement and an acceptance of him that helped to calm his frantically beating heart, but didn't answer him. She continued to walk, passing so close that the smell and sound of her nearly overwhelmed him.

"Follow me, Corin," she said, the candlelight casting alluring shadows on her golden hair. Obediently, he fell into step close behind her and followed her down the corridor.

A sudden bang and a gust of cold air made Alainna start and look around in irritation. The amorphous cloud of Worked magic flickered and vanished, ruining the spell that she had been working on. Her stomach rumbled and she checked her timepiece. It was a simple bowl of water covered with a dome of crystal. The whorls of cloudy vapour floating on the water coalesced and formed numbers before her eyes.

"I've been in a trance too long." she muttered. Three days was too long at a stretch, and now she had to start all over again. After sending Chyrie to Koranna to see what was going on, she had thrown herself into creating this rather useless spell in an attempt to distract herself from her cabin fever. She Worked a quick Divining and saw the dark-haired oaf who was swaggering around Solarna. She learned his name and intentions and then let her concentration slip, ending the vision. Well, she thought, I'd better get this over with, then I can get something to eat. She closed the book containing her spells and moved quickly out of the room and down the stone hallway. As she drew closer to the main entrance, the rock under her bare feet grew cold, leeching the heat from her body. Snow was blowing in the open door, bringing gusts of cold air which sent her body into convulsive shivers. As she entered the entranceway proper, she held up a hand and a bluish glow began to emanate from it. Then, a strand of energy leapt out from her fingers and ensnared the ring on the door, pulling it closed. She waited for the glow to fade and then turned to face the intruder, Corin.

He was staring at her stupidly, in other words, much like she was stared at by nearly every 'heroic' mortal who chose to grace her doorstep. Sharra was sitting on a perch, where, she informed Alainna, she had retreated after the fool had attacked her. Alainna smiled faintly, good-naturedly ignoring the obvious lie. She responded by summoning her aloud to her shoulder. The comforting weight and tiny pin-pricks of her familiar's claws digging into her shoulder gave the Sorceress the strength to deal with Corin. She moved toward him, trying to ignore the way his hungry eyes traced her magically-perfected figure. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of pride at this. She quashed the shameful feeling and decided to give the boy a shock. Based on what she had learned during the Divining, he certainly deserved it.

"My name is Alainna," she said. "Can I help you, Corin?" His vacant eyes widened even more - if that was possible.

"How do you know my name?" Predictable. This one was worse than she'd thought. She barely managed to avoid laughing at him, forcing her face into a small smile instead.

"Follow me, Corin," she said, walking past him and continuing down the corridor. She didn't need to turn to see if he followed, she could almost feel his hot breath on the back of her neck.

At the end of this hallway was one of her two spell rooms, each equipped with all of the normal condiments a mortal would expect; parts of various animals in jars, powders, a cauldron, and more candles. In truth, few of these items were useful for any but the most powerful and complex spells, but Corin didn't have to know that. This wasn't her main spell room; the one she usually used was too cluttered from the spell she had been Working when she was interrupted.

Sharra took up a position on her perch, (a gnarled tree root, polished and inset with chips of quartz,) and Alainna turned to face Corin, feeling cramped in the small room. Though she already knew why he had come, she decided to teach him a lesson for his arrogance. He believed that he could come to her to help fulfill his unsavoury agenda, but he was about to be surprised.

"Why have you come to Solarna, Corin?" she asked sharply.

He seemed to have been waiting for her to ask the question all this time. His chest puffed up as he began what was to be a long, heroic monologue.

"I have come from Koranna-"

"I did not ask you where you came from, I asked you why you had come!" she interrupted. That seemed to deflate his ego slightly. He seemed diminished as he tried again.

"There is a terrible monster terrorizing our city. It has built some kind of stone tower nearby and demands that we send him one child a night - for what purpose I cannot say - or he will descend on us and kill everyone in Koranna." His voice grew more impassioned as he continued, "Many men have tried to destroy him but all have failed and died. You must help me to stop him. Give me a magic sword, or a potion of strength to help me destroy this beast-"

"I do not take kindly to demands from arrogant fools," Alainna said, her blue eyes shining like flecks of ice, "What is the true reason you have come?"

"I came to save my people-"

"Liar! You came because you wanted to be the one. Selfish bastard! You want to take all the credit - and a reward - and don't care a whit about your people."

"But Sorceress-"

"My name is Alainna." Her formerly rising voice was now a whisper that seemed to carry even more danger than her shout had done.

"Alainna," he corrected, "That's not true, I-" She smiled coldly, an expression that halted him in his tracks. She stepped forward, drawing herself up and rounding on him as she dropped the bombshell.

"I will not help you, or any of your people. Any town that can spawn a creature like you is not worth saving." The quiet, dangerous conviction in her voice finally got through to him. At her words, Corin threw himself down on his knees before her, his eyes brimming with tears. He raised his hands up toward her in supplication.

"Please Sorceress - I mean - Alainna! You're right, I wanted to take the glory, but that wasn't the only reason I came. The people in Koranna deserve to be saved. Please, I beg of you, help us."

"If you had waited before coming, you would have known that a sorceress went to Koranna and that once she returns, we will deal with this; however, since you are already here, I will give you what you asked for." Corin seemed to stop breathing momentarily as his surprise gripped him.

Inwardly, Alainna was smiling. She had gotten what she wanted. She had never really intended to refuse help, but it would be a long time before Corin even thought of exacting monetary payment for a good deed again. She snatched a canister of orange powder off a shelf and threw it at him.

"Take this, it will kill your monster. Sprinkle it throughout his tower to trap him and then sprinkle the rest on him to kill him. Now, get out of my sight!"

As she was speaking, she picked up a canister of green powder. Now she tossed a palmful of it at him. The powder coalesced around him and he disappeared with a flash, going straight to Koranna, instead of having to travel on foot again.

You sure took that boy down a notch. Sharra chuckled. Alainna smiled distractedly.

Yes, I did

At her tone, the bird sobered, You seem troubled, what is it?

I wonder where this 'monster' came from, could it be that the Black Wizard has resurfaced?

Surely not. Sharra sniffed, He hasn't been seen in a hundred years, besides, this isn't his style.

You're right, love, agreed Alainna, but she stared at the spot where Corin had been standing, wondering.

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