Talon calmed his mind and tried to summon the power. It was difficult to grasp. Sometimes it was like trying to hold water in your hands, and other times it was as easy as breathing. He was starting to get the hang of it. He went from failing to grab the power most of the time to successfully accessing it most of the time. He needed to get better.

Energy coursed through him like a river. It was exhilarating. He felt like he could do anything. That was the danger of the power. Any hesitation or fear disappeared; how could you be scared when feeling like this? Nothing could harm him when in this state.

That was the first thing the book discussed. The ability to constantly take hold of the power required mental discipline and keeping calm. In time, this restriction would go away as Talon’s body acclimated to this new ability. Emotions could increase the strength of his attacks. There was a catch, though; if he lost control of himself, he could do far more damage to everyone around him, and himself. Reaching out his hand, Talon tried to launch a fireball. Instead, the power left him so suddenly it was like he had never held it.

Exhaustion hit Talon like a hurricane, forcing him to sit down as he gasped for air. Losing control like this was tiring. The book reassured him that this was normal and that there were no repercussions. However, if he attempted something powerful or dangerous, losing control of the power could be disastrous.

Talon wanted to scream. Failures like this were frustrating, and he had to take a break. His body wouldn’t be capable of using the power until he recovered, which could take up to an hour. It slowed his progress as this was a common occurrence. Tossing the book aside, he stood up and his legs shook. Perhaps it’s time to leave. He’d been in this room for six hours. He had a council meeting to attend soon. Deciding he needed to get some food and a bath, he left the hidden archives.

He wished he had a teacher. Someone walking him through the techniques would be much easier than reading a book. No mage would help, and finding a rogue power user was even more unlikely. Talon sighed and kept walking.

His muscles were tight. Talon winced as he walked down the hallway. He was pushing himself too hard but there was no choice. The invaders could come anytime. If only his father could find the messenger and get more answers out of him about this upcoming invasion. Without a timetable, he had no option but to push himself hard.

One thing he wanted to learn was how to block someone from accessing the power. Talon had been reading a lot during his leisure time. Finding out this ability had caused him to look at another book that described blocking in more detail. When being blocked, it took a lot more effort to break through what was stopping the person from accessing the power. If equal strength, the blockage would remain until the person holding the block removed it or lost concentration. It was a technique he needed to learn, especially if a mage found out he could use the power. It could save his life someday.

Talon was lost in his thoughts and jumped when his father called his name. He whipped around and saw Lerin laughing. “You’re walking the wrong way,” Lerin said.

“Wrong way?” Talon was confused. How could he be walking the wrong way when he didn’t have a specific destination in mind?

“You forgot,” Lerin chided. “The council meeting is about to begin. Follow me.”

“Already?” Talon matched pace with the king. He had hoped to get some food and a bath before this meeting. Unfortunately, time waited for no one. He was starting to feel that these past few weeks of training. If only there was a way to slow down time.

“Yes, and this is the most important one of your life,” Lerin said. He had his hands behind his back as he walked. “You should know that the other council members won’t be happy with my proposals.”

“I know how important this meeting will be. Why would they not be happy with… whatever it is your planning?” Talon realized he had no idea what his father was going to do.

“You’ll see,” Lerin said and they walked the rest of the way in silence.

Two royal guards stood in front of the council chambers. One of them opened the door, and Lerin led the way in, with Talon following closely behind. The door shut a moment later, and Talon saw the other council members already in their seats.

Sitting in the middle of the group was Talon’s uncle, Besurlde Astero, who was rubbing his chin when they walked in. Besurlde lowered his hand and flashed Talon a smile. His uncle was always looking out for him. Sometimes, Besurlde watched over him a bit too much but Talon would rather his uncle look out for him than not.

On the left side of Besurlde was Alayna Barvooch. She was wearing a dark green dress and her hair was up in a tight bun. Her piercing green eyes scanned the room. Her family was almost as old as Talon’s and her mind was sharp. It was a mistake to underestimate Lady Alayna.

Daermod Manver was on the other side of Besurlde. He was a tad overweight, with a thick gray beard and hair. His eyesight wasn’t very good but the man could hear things most others couldn’t. He was part of another ancient family that had been around as long as Talon’s.

Hectar Yelen was sitting with his legs crossed. He was an older man, with wrinkles all over his face. He had been considered one of the strongest swordsmen thirty years ago. Due to his feats, he was made a lord and had worked his way up to becoming a council member. He had become a trusted advisor when he stopped a war from breaking out between Vandalor and Azzellia ten years ago.

The final member of the council was the commander of the army, Corvin Malice. Unlike most high-ranking officials in the city, he was fit and strong with short blond hair and blue eyes. He was considered an excellent strategist. Usually, he didn’t come to these meetings unless told to.

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Talon wasn’t surprised Corvin was here as there were likely to be discussions about the upcoming invasion. Lerin took a seat at the edge of the table and Talon took one next to him. Most of the council members had no idea what was coming, except for Corvin. Talon had no doubts his father had told the commander why he was needed. Out of all the lords and ladies in Carhan, Corvin was considered the most loyal—at least that’s what his father had told him.

A servant standing nearby handed out cups of wine. Lord Daermod was the first to take a drink. Alayna didn’t touch hers; she liked to keep her mind clear at meetings. Hectar took a deep sip before putting the cup down and Corvin waved the servant away. He believed wine tainted the mind and refused to drink it, along with anything else that could impair his thinking.

“That should be all of us,” Besurlde said.

“We have important matters to discuss,” Lerin began. He motioned for the servant to leave the room and took out a piece of paper. “I want you all to read this. It is a message from Malvarian.” He passed the note to Talon first.

The message discussed the recent events that required their immediate attention. That an alliance wouldn’t be considered until the rebellion was resolved, with a hint that an agreement was more likely with assistance.

Once he was finished reading, Talon passed the paper to Corvin. Eventually it was passed all the way around. Why his father didn’t read the note aloud eluded Talon. He would have to ask him later.

“Why bring this to us? We have no reason to help Malvarian with their internal affairs,” Besurlde said. Being the brother of the king, he had no fear of disagreeing openly when others might have to be more subtle.

Lerin’s lips twitched but he ignored the comment and continued. “A war is coming, and it will threaten all of Aidris. I have sent letters to all the major nations letting them know of this threat. Malvarian was the first to respond and I am thinking of helping them with their rebellion problem.”

Alayna’s eyes widened. Daermod almost spit out his wine and Hectar took another sip of his. Talon watched his uncle closely, noticing his irritation, something he rarely saw in him.

“You must be joking!” Besurlde spat.

“This is not a joke,” Lerin said.

“Why would we help? You don’t believe the Malvarian’s would agree to help us, do you? It’s a ploy to get help and then they’ll make an excuse as to why they can’t sign an alliance,” Besurlde said.

Alayna nodded while the other council members stayed impassive.

“You may be right,” Lerin conceded, to Talon’s surprise. “The threat to us all makes this worth the risk. This isn’t a negotiation. I am going to assist Malvarian and Corvin is going to help.”

Besurlde’s eyes flashed with anger. “Then why tell us?” he demanded.

“Because you all need to know the situation. It’s time we change our philosophy toward our neighbors. If we don’t work together, this invasion will be the end of us all,” Lerin said.

Talon was surprised at his uncle’s reaction. Besurlde threw his hands in the air in frustration. Usually, his uncle loved helping others. Why was he angry?

“Sire,” Alayna began, getting everyone’s attention with her smooth voice. “If we decide to help these other nations, why not hire mercenaries? Perhaps we can get the Malvarians to help pay them. That way we won’t risk our people fighting in someone else’s war.”

“I wouldn’t be opposed to that,” Lerin said.

“Nor would I,” Corvin said, and everyone turned in his direction. When he spoke, others listened. “I will want to go where the conflict is to make sure things are being dealt with appropriately. Using mercenaries means we can send fewer of our people to be involved in these conflicts.”

“How can you be so sure about this threat?” Besurlde asked. “We’ve heard the story, but what if this is some plot hatched by one of the other nations? We could be betrayed.”

“Unlikely,” Corvin said, calmly. “My spies have kept up to date on the other nations and I haven’t received any odd reports. Besides, this is affecting all nations. The only nation that hasn’t seen any rebellions is ours.”

Talon watched the conversation with fascination. It made him wonder, what did the other nations believe? Did they think Azzellia was behind these rebellions? He couldn’t blame anyone for thinking so. Azzellia’s history was no cleaner than any others.

Daermod poured himself another cup of wine. Hectar clasped his hands together and voiced his support. “This threat is real. The warning that stranger gave over two years ago came true and we all dismissed it. It would be foolish of us to dismiss the rest of his warning,” he said.

The other council members were split. Daermod agreed with Besurlde and Alayna was careful not to voice support for either side. The decision had been made and Lerin wasn’t going to change his mind regardless of which side Alayna supported.

“If we had taken this warning seriously, Arindall may not have been destroyed. We bear some guilt for the lives lost there,” Lerin said gravely. An expression of regret crossed his face before disappearing behind a mask. “This brings me to my next point. The mages have told me they will not help us.”

“Are any of you surprised?” Besurlde said. “You have a better chance of turning the ocean into lava than getting the mages’ support.”

Talon silently agreed. Mortham Tower was not a nation, but no one could challenge the mages. Or perhaps I can. The thought came out of nowhere and he shook his head.

“I have sent scouts to the coasts. If another attack comes, we should be told much sooner than last time,” Corvin said.

“More attacks are expected. We must prepare and try to get the other nations to join us,” Lerin said.

Besurlde stood up. “It sounds like our opinions don’t matter. Is there anything else you want to tell us?”

Lerin stared his brother down, not blinking until Besurlde averted his gaze. “We can adjourn for now. The important parts of today’s meeting have been accomplished. We’ll meet again in a few days to hammer out further details.”

Besurlde rose and stormed out of the room. The other council members bowed and followed after him.

Talon wasn’t sure what to make of the other council members’ opinions. Alayna adapted; that’s what she did. Daermod could be shifty, though his father told him he was loyal. Hectar was loyal but Talon wasn’t sure how far he trusted the man.

The only person Talon truly trusted, other than his uncle, was Corvin Malice. He enjoyed talking to the commander. He had learned a lot from him and hoped to continue learning more, especially when he became king. Hopefully, that time was far away. He would like to join Corvin on some of his expeditions once he mastered the power.

Once everyone was gone, Talon stood. “Why was Uncle so angry? I’ve never seen him so mad before. I would have thought he would love to help the other nations!”

Lerin chuckled as he stood up and put his hand on his son’s shoulder. “My boy, your uncle may like to help people, but only in Azzellia. He’s had his issues with the other nations in the past, which is why he wants nothing to do with them. He’ll come around in time.”

Talon nodded in agreement. He’d watched his uncle help the poor and provide opportunities for the less fortunate. Besurlde was loved by the people of Azzellia. “I’m going to get back to my training,” Talon said.

“Come back in a couple of hours. We don’t want rumors going around about why you’re disappearing,” Lerin said.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back before you know it,” Talon said and headed to the library. He would master the power. He just needed to keep practicing.