Fire (The Six Elements Book 1) Read online

  The Six Elements

  FIRE

  Rosie Scott

  Copyright, 2017

  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission of the author, except for use in any review. This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, locales, and events are pure invention, and all incidents come from the author's imagination alone.

  Cover design by Jes Richardson.

  Map design by Rosie Scott.

  Dedication

  Many thanks to the readers who have followed me over to fantasy from The New World series. I hope this is another world I have built that you can be immersed in.

  I also dedicate this to anyone who is adopted and/or had a soul-searching experience in regards to their parentage. I was adopted and thus, this book became a personal journey for me. If you have chosen to search for your biological origins, may you be at peace with what you find.

  This book would not exist if it weren't for the many dedicated men and women who have created video games for the enjoyment of millions over the past decades. Gaming is the top entertainment industry for a reason. Thank you all—your worlds and characters inspire me daily.

  Most importantly, this is to my husband, Tim. My writing inspires your hobbies, and you inspire my writing. It is a fantastic cycle that I hope never ceases. I am immensely grateful for your love and support.

  Other Books by Rosie Scott:

  Dystopian

  The New World series (complete):

  The Resistance

  The Betrayal

  The Acquisition

  The Insurrection

  The Calamity

  Fantasy

  The Six Elements series (in progress):

  Fire

  Earth

  Water (TBA)

  Air (Planned)

  Life (Planned)

  Death (Planned)

  For More Information:

  Publisher's Website:

  www.amazon.com/author/rosiescott

  Author Blog:

  www.rosiescottbooks.wordpress.com/

  Business Inquiry Contact:

  [email protected]

  Important Terms and Characters

  Alderi – Casually referred to as dark elves. Blue, purple, or blackish in color with black eyes. A brutal and crude race suited to the underground and sly dealings.

  Alteration magic – A school of magic dealing in the altering of material objects. Used for practical purposes and for battle support. Includes spells like telekinesis, detect life, and shape shifting.

  Ancients – An ancient race of beings that not much is known about. Possibly based only in myth.

  Arrayis – The world, consisting of all continents and oceans.

  Bjorn Berg – The general of the Seran Army and a member of Sirius Sera's court.

  Cel Mountains – A mountain range between the Seran Forest and the forests of Celendar, containing the dwarven city of Brognel and the secluded Whispermere.

  Celdic – Casually referred to as wood elves. A peace-seeking race not prone to battle. Most have light complexions and stand slightly taller than humans. Most reside in the tree city of Celendar.

  Celendar – One of Chairel's four major cities, made of nothing but trees that date back to the time of the Ancients. The pearl-white bark of these trees is found nowhere else on Arrayis, and the trees rival the nearby Cel Mountains.

  Cerin Heliot – Kai Sera's childhood friend, come to learn life magic at the Seran University from the fishing village of Thornwell.

  Chairel – A rich country mostly known for its four major cities of Sera, Comercio, Celendar, and Narangar. A land of forests, grasslands, and mountains.

  Comercio – One of Chairel's major cities and its central trade hub. A city of merchants and fortune seekers. In the center of Chairel and connected to each other major city via Caravaneer Road.

  Dark Star – The season of winter.

  Dual Caster – A mage capable of wielding two elements.

  Elemental magic – Sometimes referred to as destruction magic. The hardest magic to wield given the power necessary. Deals in the elements of fire, earth, water, air, life, and death.

  Eran – The first, smaller moon of Arrayis. Shows itself in the sky all year round.

  Fortnight – A period of two weeks.

  Gods – An immortal race of creatures said to have been created by the Ancients. The source of most of the religions on Arrayis. While many claim they actually once existed as tangible beings, none have been heard from in hundreds of years.

  Golden Era – An era spanning 5782 years before the current Mortal Era, said to be a time of discovery, including the forming of most major nations of Arrayis. An era of which little is known for sure, given the mix of myth and history passed through the generations.

  Glacia – A continent that also serves as its own country, home to the Icilic elves, at the northern most point of Arrayis.

  Half-breed – A person who carries the blood of two separate races and contains traits from both.

  High Star – The season of summer.

  Human – The weakest of the mortal races, and the most common race to populate Chairel.

  Icilic – Casually referred to as snow elves. The oldest lineage of elves in all of Arrayis, known for their magical abilities and disdain for other races. Extreme isolationists.

  Illusion magic – A school of magic dealing in the creation of illusions for entertainment or nefarious purposes. Includes spells such as charm, frenzy, or invisibility.

  Kai Sera – Wielder of the six elements. Adopted daughter of Sirius Sera.

  Kilgorian Law – Named after its discoverer, Arturian Kilgor, it is a scientific law which states a mage's magic energy is pulled from reserves in a natural order: environment, weather, self.

  Material element – Another way to describe the elements of fire, earth, water, and air, due to magic energy being used for creating a material rather than being used as the actual element (as is the case for life or death).

  Meir – Arrayis's second moon, and the largest. Only appears above Chairel twice a year, and for weeks at a time.

  Moons – Another word for seasons, as in, there are four moons in a year. Sometimes used as a method to describe the passing of time.

  Mortal Era – The current era, directly following the Golden Era, said to belong to the mortal races of Arrayis given the disappearance of the immortal races such as the Ancients and the gods. Any dates referred to in The Six Elements are of the Mortal Era, unless otherwise specified.

  Nahara – A poorer country known for its giant beasts and vast deserts. Just south of Chairel.

  Narangar – The dwarven capital in southwest Chairel, nestled deep in the Golden Peaks just above the Chairel/Nahara Border.

  Necromancy – Another term for death magic, and the only element that is banned across Chairel. Deals in the reanimation of the dead, the leeching of energy from life, and the decomposition or plague of living forms.

  New Moon – The season of spring.

  Nyx Sephtis – Kai Sera's Alderi best friend. Former assassin.

  Orders of the Mages – The name that encompasses all of Sera's mage armies, broken down into different Orders.

  Queen Edrys – The ruler of Chairel. Has a regent in each of the four major cities. Resides in Comercio.

  Red Moon – The season of autumn.

  Sera – A rich, mostly human city that was built on the edge of a mountain. Attracts tourists and seekers of magic services. Home to The Twelve, and the famous Orders of the Mages. Ruled by Sirius Sera, who also serves as headmaster to the Seran University.

  Seran Univers
ity – The only place in the world that officially teaches magic and grants magic licenses to prospective mages.

  Servis Ocean – An ocean that borders the northern and western coasts of Chairel, separating the country from the continent of Glacia.

  Silas Galan – Kai Sera's bodyguard and former lover. A Celdic elf of royalty from Celendar.

  Sirius Sera – Headmaster of the Seran University and regent of Sera. Wielder of air and life magic.

  Terran Sera – Biological son of Sirius Sera, and heir to the Seran throne. Wielder of earth magic.

  Theron Boa – A human mercenary hired by Kai Sera. A ranger and tracker.

  The Twelve – A prestigious arm of the Seran Army, consisting of twelve of its highest ranked soldiers, utilized for reconnaissance missions and to serve justice in the name of Sirius Sera. Each of the twelve is awarded her or his own griffon mount.

  Whispermere – A secluded village high in the Cel Mountains. Isolated and secretive.

  Relevant Spells and Translations

  Fire

  Creatius les fiers – Create fire

  Creatius les fiers a nienda – Create fire that sticks to another spell (i.e. air)

  Earth

  Creatius la terra – Create earth

  Creatius el roc – Create rock

  Air

  Creatius le air – Create air

  Generat le funel – Generate tornado

  Generat la bolta – Generate lightning bolt

  Water

  Creatius la agua – Create water

  Creatius la agua a friz – Create frozen water

  Life

  Givara le life – Heal

  Givara la mana – Give energy

  Promotus le imun – Promote immunity

  Sheel a phisica – Shield for physical damage

  Sheel a mana – Shield for energy damage (ward)

  Death

  Enflic le plague – Inflict plague

  Corpa te risa – Raise corpse (singular)

  Corpa te risa a multipla – Raise corpses (area of effect)

  Absort la mana del life – Leech (translates to “absorb energy from life”)

  Prologue

  The dark blackness of night had pulled a curtain over the city of Sera, inviting the stars to twinkle seductively overhead. The fire of candles and the magic lights of the illusionists kept the cobblestone streets visible from the high window of my bedroom in the Seran University of Magic. Below, humans and elves of various nationalities walked along the streets, either visiting the famous city or possibly perusing its services of healing magic, which were not often found elsewhere.

  From my window in the highest tower of the university, I could see the entirety of the city and beyond its walls for a couple of miles. It was one of the perks of being the daughter of the university headmaster. I was treated like royalty here. Magic was a rare weapon to wield and had to be taken very seriously; the harnessing and use of energy took its toll on mortal bodies, slowly chipping away at life forces until the mage herself died an early death. It was a rare occasion to find someone who not only accepted this and still wanted to wield magic, but was good at it. At the Seran University, there were hundreds of us here, from all over the world. It was because of this rareness that magic was used as a commodity. Kingdoms took advantage of what few mages they did have, particularly healers. Getting a healer to even attempt to cure the illness of a family member was an expense few people could afford, even if they could travel all the way to Sera to try.

  I turned from the window, my thoughts on my studies. Being only fourteen, I had only just learned what elements I could wield. Out of all of the magics, elemental magic, consisting of six elements—fire, water, air, earth, life, and death—was the most challenging and dangerous to wield, and most mages were only strong enough to wield one. Few could wield two elements, and no known mage in the world's history could wield three or more. I was lucky enough to have been one of the few who could wield two.

  I walked up to the lone candle holder on my wall that was not lit, intent on practicing what little magic I did know. I lifted my right hand, palm up, toward the candle, and whispered words I had studied intensely over the days before.

  “Creatius les fiers.” With a crackle of heat, a ball of flame conjured over my palm, warming me. The intense heat of the flame was kept safely tucked away from burning me with a protective energy barrier between my skin and the fire. It was part of the spell. If I were to mess up the spell, it was possible it wouldn't be there, and I could burn myself to death. It was little wonder why an entire university was necessary to teach these magics.

  I directed my attention to the wick of the candle, and the fire in my palm transferred to the wick in a tunnel of heat that was gone a moment later. The candle was lit, now, like all the others.

  Again, I lifted my palm. “Creatius le air,” I whispered. If it hadn't been for feeling the swirling air above my palm, I wouldn't have seen it there. Once more, I directed the energy to the wick, where the oxygen fed the flame. The fire burst upward and out, and I stepped back, a little in shock at the strength of its response.

  “Kai.” The rough voice called my attention to the door, and I turned quickly. My father stood in the doorway, having seen the last of my practice, his eyes still on the candle. If he was impressed, he said nothing of it. As always, his eyes held authority and distance, a cool gray in comparison to my own golden pair. His dark hair was specked with silver from the stress of his responsibilities. He looked so different than I. Of course, I wasn't his biological daughter, and it wasn't only our physical differences that reminded me of this daily. “Your power is not to be played with like a toy.”

  My eyes fell to the ground, and I nodded. “Yes, father. I was only trying to practice.”

  “Remember what I told you?” He waited a moment for my answer, which did not come. “Kai?”

  “You've told me many things, father.”

  “The day you become a mage is the day you become a woman. A woman wields power. A girl plays with toys.”

  I nodded.

  “You have the unbelievable talent of being a dual caster, Kai. Do not disappoint me by wasting your talents on frivolous things.”

  “I'm sorry.”

  “Apologies are words, not actions. Now get to bed. You have class in the morning.”

  He was out of the room again before I had time to respond. It was times like these when I wondered why he had ever bothered to take me under his wing. I had been dropped off as an infant to the front steps of the Seran University, as if my parents had known I would be capable of wielding magic. That is why my father had taken me in; it was assumed I would have skill. Now, after years of worrying I wouldn't live up to that notion, I had found out I was a dual caster. And yet, he still wasn't happy with me.

  The next morning, my older brother Terran stopped by to take me to class. He was my father's only biological son, and the obvious pick to be the headmaster in my father's place when that time would come. Terran had been a nice enough sibling, I supposed. I was a good seven years younger than him, so we had little in common, but when we would socialize he treated me much better than father ever had. It was his work ethic that bothered me. He was a wielder of earth magic, and while he was skilled, he did not take his position very seriously. For being the future headmaster of the university, the one person who basically had a key to the city and was like a second ruler to all of the nation of Chairel, he didn't seem to have a care in the world.

  It made me a little bitter, if I were being honest with myself. Terran was not as talented as I was, nor as serious at his job, but he had father's approval and could look forward to a prestigious future.

  Terran's long, deep brown locks were kept back in a lazy ponytail as he walked with me through the long stone hallways of the University. He looked fatigued, and smelled of ale. I knew then that he had been out the previous night partying again with his group of friends.

  “Did you hear I can wield b
oth fire and air?” I asked him, because we hadn't yet spoken of it. His face brightened a bit, and he grinned over at me, despite the circles beneath his eyes.

  “Yes, sister, I did. Don't let it get to your head, now.” He turned around a corner of an intersection of hallways, before we continued down another. The university was bigger than even the castles of the nation, and could be a maze to anyone who walked through it and didn't live there. “I wouldn't want to dual cast, myself. I love life. Want to live as much of it as I can.”

  “Do you think dual casters live even shorter lives than other mages?” I asked, morbidly curious.

  “No, I don't think it, I know it. The more magic you wield, the bigger the toll. And you're no elf, sister. You have a short enough lifespan as it is. I wouldn't be using your powers fruitlessly.”

  His last words reminded me of father catching me practicing the night before. “Did father tell you of last night?”

  “He did,” Terran replied, just as shortly. He stopped, then, because we had reached our destination. My first class of the day sat in the room ahead. I could already hear the students within chatting and giggling amongst themselves. My brother took one last look at me, and said, “Magic is serious business. Please be careful with it.”

  Please be careful with it. I could have asked Terran to follow his own advice, but I knew he was only looking out for me. “I will. Thanks, Terran.”

  He nodded with a boyish smile, before turning and heading off to wherever he needed to go.

  I made my way into the classroom a moment later, avoiding stares and whispers. For the few years I'd been going to classes at the university, I was used to my classmates keeping me at a distance. Perhaps they were uncomfortable with going to class with the headmaster's daughter. Days before, when I'd come to know I was a dual caster, things had gotten even worse. Now the tinges of jealousy were in the glares of my peers.