struggled to separate what had happened with what could. Asgar didn’t share the same struggles. It was that reason that Asgar had not minded working with Incendin when Asboel struggled against what they had done to him.
But Asboel also had forgotten much over the years. Some of that had to do with the time he’d spent frozen beneath the lake, but some Asboel had blamed on the bond, as if the connection to Tan had changed him in some way. Likely it had. The bond had changed Tan significantly.
Amia looked up from her book and met his eyes. “Asboel would want you to do what was right. And that means determining what you know is right, Tan. He trusted you. I think you were the only person he could trust.” Her eyes lingered on him as he approached the fire, placing his hands practically into the flames. “You think to use saa to reach the elementals of Par-shon?” she asked.
Tan pulled his hands away from the fire and glanced over his shoulder. “The elementals will know more about Par-shon than I do. I thought that they had been forced to serve, but what if I was wrong? What if I was misguided when I first returned?”
“I don’t think you can be misguided if you only want to help the elementals.”
Tan hoped that was true, but Incendin had only wanted to keep their people safe, and some of their greatest shapers had embraced fire to do so. Wasn’t that misguided? The lisincend would never admit that they had done anything wrong. Fur certainly wouldn’t. But there had to have been another way. If the experiences he’d been through had taught him anything, it was that everyone had a reason for what they did.
He breathed out and focused on Saa, marveling again that it wasn’t as difficult as at home. Amia’s idea had been sound, to try to talk to the fire elemental. It seemed bound to Par-shon somehow, and that was what he sought to understand.
When he’d been trapped in Par-shon, he had sensed the strength from saa, a sense of power and control that Tan didn’t have in the kingdoms. Asboel had once explained to him the elementals all represented aspects of fire, and saa was no different. The draasin were the powerful and authoritarian sense of fire, the need for control. Saa was something else, the soft, seductive, simmering part of fire. Within the fire bond, he could tell the difference easily.
Saa. Tan sent the request to the elemental, using the connection to the fire bond to build a bridge between them. He had no real bond with saa other than the connection he shared to fire, and to the elementals in general, but Tan had no doubt that saa would answer.
Maelen.
The voice was so different from that of the draasin. Within the draasin, there was a strength, a sense of power and pride. With saa, it was a slow-burning longing, like the soft hissing of steam from a teapot boiling.
I would ask a question of saa.
For Maelen, saa will answer.
Tan focused on the voice connecting to him through the fire bond. It matched the elemental that swirled in the flames of the hearth, a surging power that he knew to expect but still felt surprise when he realized exactly how powerful this elemental would be. When he had worked with the children, he claimed that the elementals would grant a name when they bonded, but that wasn’t always the case. With the nymid, they were a community, and Tan had essentially bonded to many.
With the draasin, there was no way that he would have managed to bond to more than Asboel. At times, it took all of his concentration to remain focused when Asboel had shouted in his mind. With Asgar, it was another story. Tan had gained experience over time and Asgar, while strong, had none of the same depth of experience and power as his father. Over time, it was possible that Asgar would grow even stronger, but for now, Tan was able to suppress the shouts in his mind. It created a better balance with Asgar than what Tan had with Asboel. Asgar viewed Tan more as equals, knowing Tan only as
But Asboel also had forgotten much over the years. Some of that had to do with the time he’d spent frozen beneath the lake, but some Asboel had blamed on the bond, as if the connection to Tan had changed him in some way. Likely it had. The bond had changed Tan significantly.
Amia looked up from her book and met his eyes. “Asboel would want you to do what was right. And that means determining what you know is right, Tan. He trusted you. I think you were the only person he could trust.” Her eyes lingered on him as he approached the fire, placing his hands practically into the flames. “You think to use saa to reach the elementals of Par-shon?” she asked.
Tan pulled his hands away from the fire and glanced over his shoulder. “The elementals will know more about Par-shon than I do. I thought that they had been forced to serve, but what if I was wrong? What if I was misguided when I first returned?”
“I don’t think you can be misguided if you only want to help the elementals.”
Tan hoped that was true, but Incendin had only wanted to keep their people safe, and some of their greatest shapers had embraced fire to do so. Wasn’t that misguided? The lisincend would never admit that they had done anything wrong. Fur certainly wouldn’t. But there had to have been another way. If the experiences he’d been through had taught him anything, it was that everyone had a reason for what they did.
He breathed out and focused on Saa, marveling again that it wasn’t as difficult as at home. Amia’s idea had been sound, to try to talk to the fire elemental. It seemed bound to Par-shon somehow, and that was what he sought to understand.
When he’d been trapped in Par-shon, he had sensed the strength from saa, a sense of power and control that Tan didn’t have in the kingdoms. Asboel had once explained to him the elementals all represented aspects of fire, and saa was no different. The draasin were the powerful and authoritarian sense of fire, the need for control. Saa was something else, the soft, seductive, simmering part of fire. Within the fire bond, he could tell the difference easily.
Saa. Tan sent the request to the elemental, using the connection to the fire bond to build a bridge between them. He had no real bond with saa other than the connection he shared to fire, and to the elementals in general, but Tan had no doubt that saa would answer.
Maelen.
The voice was so different from that of the draasin. Within the draasin, there was a strength, a sense of power and pride. With saa, it was a slow-burning longing, like the soft hissing of steam from a teapot boiling.
I would ask a question of saa.
For Maelen, saa will answer.
Tan focused on the voice connecting to him through the fire bond. It matched the elemental that swirled in the flames of the hearth, a surging power that he knew to expect but still felt surprise when he realized exactly how powerful this elemental would be. When he had worked with the children, he claimed that the elementals would grant a name when they bonded, but that wasn’t always the case. With the nymid, they were a community, and Tan had essentially bonded to many.
With the draasin, there was no way that he would have managed to bond to more than Asboel. At times, it took all of his concentration to remain focused when Asboel had shouted in his mind. With Asgar, it was another story. Tan had gained experience over time and Asgar, while strong, had none of the same depth of experience and power as his father. Over time, it was possible that Asgar would grow even stronger, but for now, Tan was able to suppress the shouts in his mind. It created a better balance with Asgar than what Tan had with Asboel. Asgar viewed Tan more as equals, knowing Tan only as
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