Darkness Rising: Disciples of the Horned One Volume One (Soul Force Saga Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

Seconds later Damien peered over his shoulder. The Citadel looked like a child’s toy; the students training, bugs gathered around a sugar cube. Master Shen circled The Citadel once, perhaps imagining that Damien wanted a moment to say goodbye. If Master Shen believed that he was seriously mistaken. Damien was happy to leave the place, with its bullies and expectations, far behind.
    Master Shen made one last pass then turned east, the beast picking up speed. After a minute Damien realized there wasn’t any wind and the griffin’s wings, while spread, never beat.
    “Master, why does your beast not breathe or beat its wings?”
    “It’s not alive, Damien. The griffin is a soul force construct. I like to use a griffin, but I could have made it look like anything.” Master Shen put his hand beside the griffin’s flank and the creature flowed like soft clay. A moment later the griffin had shifted and Damien sat on a horse with no wings. The movement and feel of the thing hadn’t changed a bit. “See, nothing to it. The construct is just to give us a place to sit while we fly. I could’ve shaped a couch for all the difference it would make, but a flying couch is beneath the dignity of a sorcerer.”
    Damien couldn’t see his face, but he suspected from Master Shen’s tone he was smiling. “Why is there no wind?”
    “Since I don’t care to pick bugs out of my teeth, I wrapped us in a windscreen.”
    Amazing. The things a warlord could do astonished Damien, but this, this seemed impossible. “Will I be able to do this sort of thing, Master?”
    “Of course, conjuring soul force constructs is a basic skill for a sorcerer. You should be able to manage a flying mount by the end of your first year.”
    A year? Damien goggled. In a year he’d be able to fly around like a bird whenever he wanted to? It was beyond comprehension.
    He looked down and watched the green treetops whiz by. That had to be the Great Green, the largest forest in the kingdom. It was over a day’s ride from The Citadel and they were already well into it. How fast did the griffin fly? Ahead of them the edge of the forest raced closer, the lumber camp that sat beside the tree line resembling nothing so much as markers on the map in strategy class.
    “We’re almost there.” Master Shen turned his head to look at Damien. “How are you?”
    Damien grinned. “Eager to learn how to fly on my own.”
    Master Shen smiled as well. “I remember that feeling. Hang on to it when you get frustrated.”
    The sorcerer turned back and pointed ahead and a little to the right. A great black tower jutted into the sky. Around it several smaller buildings huddled in the shadow of the surrounding wall. North of the complex sat a circular amphitheater, a well-worn path connecting it to the northern gate. A few miles distant from the tower, a little town had sprouted up. Like the one near The Citadel, it sat close enough to provide services for the masters, but far enough away to keep from tempting the students to sneak out and play.
    Their mount descended and as they flew closer to the school Damien got a sense of just how huge the tower was. It had to be a hundred and fifty feet tall and a hundred feet on each side. Though the shape differed he suspected the tower was every bit as big as The Citadel.
    Master Shen brought the horse in for a gentle landing. The belt holding him in place faded away and Damien hopped down to the ground. The sorcerer joined him and a moment later the horse vanished. Damien turned a slow circle. The yard was empty. Up on the wall he saw an occasional guard carrying a crossbow and wearing a sword strapped to his back. The way they were slumped suggested to Damien they didn’t expect trouble. Lucky for them his father wasn’t here. Even if they weren’t expecting trouble he’d have given them a thorough talking to about staying alert on duty.
    “Where is everyone, Master?”
    Master Shen glanced at the shadow of The Tower. “It’s