A Fury of Fire & Ice E-Book

A Fury of Fire & Ice Sarah Massey

Chapter 1

May thirteenth; A day looked back on in agony by one, and forever

glanced over as a normal day by all the rest.

~
Running down the hillside, two elven boys were laughing and chasing each other in a
game of tag. The smaller, orange-headed, boy tripped. Abroxus was very lanky which made
him a bit clumsy. Abroxus was sent tumbling down the hill past Fireball, his best friend.
Fireball, chased after the rolling boy, and flinched at the pain of his friend. Abroxus, slid to a
stop, his face stuck in the dirt. When Fireball finally caught up to Abroxus, he knelt down
and tried to comfort his now crying friend.
“Ouch! That had to hurt. Hey, are you okay, Abroxus?” The crying elf sat up and let
out a wail of pain as a steady stream of tears fell down his face. “Ow, ow, ow, ow!” he
clutched his nose and continued to bawl. Fireball gave a sort of chuckle that quickly became
giddy laughter. Abroxus, still crying, scowled at his oh-so-happy friend.
“Hey, look, it's Ellie,” Fireball gestured towards the gleeful little elf girl skipping their
way yelling, “Bubbi, Bubbi!”
Abroxus, not wanting anyone else to see him crying, immediately stood up and
wiped away his tears along with whatever dirt he had gathered on the way down. Of
course, Fireball wasn't all too pleased with the suddenty of Abroxus being crisp and clean
again after having to endure his screams.
Abroxus picked up the little girl with a “Hey, baby girl.” Elizabeth was four years
younger than Abroxus and Fireball, and she adored her big brother Abroxus.
She gave Abroxus a big hug and said, “Takey's here! Takey's here!”
Ellie was four years old, but she was pretty smart. Her strong personality made her
stand out. Normally, elf women either became rouges or stay at home mothers. Ellie didn't
want to be either of those. She had a wild soul and wasn't afraid to show it. She loved to
play adventurer, and she definitely had the potential to become a real one. Never once did
she say she wanted a real job, or to be the elder, or to be anything ordinary. She was

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destined to carve her own path.
Fireball looked over to Abroxus with eyes widened, “Did she just say what I think she

said?” Abroxus looked back to meet Fireball's stare. “Sounds like it to me.” The two boys
went quiet, if only for a moment. Abroxus gently put his little sister down and told her to go
home and tell their mom. Ellie gave a nod and went skipping back the way she came. The
entire world seemed to go still. With an excited yell from Fireball and Abroxus they began
sprinting towards the main gate. Grinning and gulping down the air as the ran as fast as
possible. However, Abroxus's grin quickly faded as they neared the corner.

“H-Hey, Fireball.”
“Yeah?” Fireball looked over, still smiling.
“Do you think that Takeshi's gonna be mad?”
Takeshi was a traveling archaeologist that made his money by teaching combatives.
Abroxus and Fireball were students of Takeshi when he was in town. Takeshi expected a lot
out of the boys and could be very intimidating. However, it was Takeshi's don't-tell-me-
what-to-do personality that kept getting him into trouble.
Fireball began to slow down to a jog alongside Abroxus. “What do you mean? Why
would he be mad?” The corner was practically upon them. Around that corner was the
main entrance to the town, and that's where he'd be.
“Well, you know how he told us to practice at least three times a week? In the four
months he's been gone, we've only practiced twice.”
The reality struck Fireball almost immediately, but it was too late. Abroxus and
Fireball rounded the corner and came face to face with a tall human man with long white
hair brushing the back of his knees. The elven boys shivered as they peered behind his hair
into the ocean blue eyes beneath. He was carrying a longbow—probably made of elm—at
his side. Fireball took a small step back, leaned over to Abroxus, and whispered, “Run.” They
both turned and attempted to run, but were caught by their collars by the human.
“C'mon, I just got here! Don't go running away from me yet, I haven't even said
hello.”
He dropped the two of them right in front of him and smiled. Abroxus began to cower
and tears welled in his eyes, but Fireball just stood there gawking in fear. The tall man stood
there smiling, probably waiting for a hello, for about a minute. Finally, Fireball shook his
head and swallowed all of his fear.
“Hello, Takeshi,” Fireball spit out.
Abroxus, followed his lead. “H-Hello, Takeshi.”
“Hey guys, I know it's been a while, but no need to be so formal. Anyway, I'll give you
your presents in a second,” they relaxed for a moment, “But I need you two to tell me
something, and be honest... How many times did you two practice?” Every muscle in their
body became taut. Why did he have to ask that question? Abroxus began cowering again

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and Fireball gave Takeshi a series of “ums,” and “uhs.” But cowering wasn't all that Abroxus
was doing. He was thinking. Thinking of a way to get out of this situation. Only one answer
seemed to be the right one, but Fireball probably wouldn't like it.

“Twice.”
Fireball's head whipped over to look at Abroxus. He couldn't believe Abroxus said
that. Quickly, his head was turned, once more staring at Takeshi. They could no longer see
his eyes behind his hair and he was standing with deadly stillness. They heard what might
have been a sigh of disappointment.
Takeshi's hands were hovering over Abroxus and Fireball's heads. Fireball flinched,
expecting some sort of smack. He gave the two elves a gentle pat on their heads as he
walked pass them. He turned his head and said, “Well, it can't be helped, I guess,” he
smiled, “Just meet me at the training ground in ten.”
Abroxus took note of a few details. One: he was most definitely tired. Two: everyone
smiled and said hello to him as he passed. It always seemed normal, but Abroxus knew it
wasn't like this in every elven town or village.
Silver Wood was a special place. A long time ago, elves despised humans. They
believed that humans were inferior in every possible way, and should be treated that way.
Most elves still believed that. It was rare to find an elf and a human walking side by side or
even looking at each other. Silver Wood was like that at one point, too. It used to be a
village that taught elves to use a bow and arrow, and every year a competition would be
held to see who was the best out of the middle aged or old. Elves from around the world
came to compete, but one day a human showed up. His name was Kiest. He walked inside
the village's borders and every creature within the area knew he was there. There was
some sort of presence to him, and they all knew it. However, they were arrogant and
allowed him to join the competition, just so they could prove which race was better. Kiest
beat every elf in the village without even trying. The elves were ashamed, but weren't given
the time to recover as they were attacked by a neighboring barbaric tribe of Bone Elves.
The only reason Silver Wood came out on top was because Kiest helped them. Since that
day, humans have been great friends of Silver Wood.
“Oh no,” Fireball grimaced.
“What?”
“I have to get my dad's bow from Mom.”
“Oh,” there was a pause. Fireball's mother was too paranoid to let Fireball do
anything on his own, so he had to sneak in and out pretty often. His father, on the other
hand, knew that Fireball needed to experience life in order to learn; that's just who he was.
Fireball's father, the local priest, was lenient when it came to archery and adventuring.
“Well, good luck,” said Abroxus as Fireball began his swift jog home.

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~
Abroxus went home to get his father's bow for practice. When Abroxus opened the
door, his mother turned around. She was holding a freshly baked pie, probably apple. She
gave him a smile and said she heard about Takeshi being in town. She then asked if Abroxus
could bring him a slice of the pie. Of course, Abroxus said he would, but first he needed his
father's bow. “Do you know where father's bow is? Takeshi will skin me alive if I don't have
it for practice today.”
“It's in his closet,” she replied with such a sweet and caring tone. To Abroxus, she was
the best person in the world. Abroxus hopped up the stairs and flew into his parents' room.
Just like she had said, it was in the closet. When he came back down, his mother was
holding a woven basket with the pie inside. She gave him a kiss on his head and sent him
off. “Oh wait,” she called for Abroxus as he was leaving, “Have you seen Ellie?” After
Abroxus explained that he last saw her with Amma, their grandmother, while he was
running home, he was off again, trying not to trip.
Abroxus was almost at the edge of town when he was jumped. Tristan and his two
lackeys were three years older than Abroxus, who was eight, and they had a grudge against
him for tattling. It wasn't the first time they tried to beat him up, but normally Fireball was
there to help. Tristan punched him in the jaw, knocking him over and bringing him to tears.
The pie spilled everywhere, his father's bow was sent flying, and Abroxus quickly saw
Tristan peering over him. Tristan's friends soon surrounded Abroxus and Abroxus tried to
stop crying. Tristan, with a sort of sick smile, picked up Abroxus by his hair and asked, “Did
you really think we would let you get away with telling?”
Ten days before their Coming of Age Ceremony, there was an exam of sorts to test if
they were prepared for their journeys as adults. This exam must be taken by elf boys at age
eight and girls have to take two exams, depending on what they wish to do or be, when
they're eleven. One exam that goes for both girls and boys, is the Hunting Exam. The
Hunting Exam tests one's abilities to survive in the wilderness by themselves. This exam
must be taken individually and without outside help.
Tristan took it upon himself to not only bully others out of taking the exam, but he
also had his two friends, Ukan and Loen, give him outside assistance. Tristan was banned
from taking the exam for three more years because Abroxus caught him and turned him in.
Abroxus was only five when it happened, but he knew that what Tristan did was
wrong and had to be reported.
Another fist to the face. Abroxus was hit over and over, and could barely see from his
left eye. After Tristan almost had his fill, he dropped Abroxus and let Ukan and Loen beat
him around like a pinball. They were relentless. Abroxus attempted to throw a couple of
punches, but he was never given the opportunity. He was bleeding, disoriented, and was

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afraid he was going to throw up. He started to wonder if this was how he would die.

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A Fury of Fire & Ice Sarah Massey

Chapter 2

Fireball was outside peering into his house through the living room window. No one
was inside. Fireball's mother, Ana, was more of a stay at home mom, so it was rare to see
her out of the house. There were only three explanations. The first was that she was
checking on his Coming of Age preparations, and the second was that she was outside
doing laundry. The last explanation was the scariest, being that she was working on her
award winning azaleas near his bedroom window. Fireball was really hoping she'd be at the
church with his father, but then he heard the backdoor open and close.

She walked over to the kitchen and started washing the dishes. Unfortunately, if she
turned around she could plainly see the living room. Fireball needed another way in.

If he couldn't go through one of the windows on the bottom floor, then maybe he
could go in through a window on the second floor. There might have been a ladder
somewhere, but that would cause too much of a ruckus. There had to be another way. If
Abroxus were there, he would have known what to do. Abroxus was good at sneaking
around, but today Fireball was on his own. Fireball decided a distraction was necessary. He
decided he needed to make some noise.

That was the best plan he could come up with. He needed to find a way to make a lot
of noise to draw her outside. Then, he'd rush in, grab the bow, and be on his way. The real
question was how he'd make the noise. After a minute of quite searching and pleading, he
finally found someone who'd make some noise for him. His name was Brendan, a teenager
who was pretty fond of making a scene. That was exactly what Fireball needed. It was
finally time.

Bang, crash, boom!
As planned, Fireball's mother came rushing outside. Through the open front door and
up the stairs, Fireball sprinted with all his might. Behind his bed, that's where he left it. It
was gone. Fireball searched around his entire room, but he couldn't find it. That probably
meant that his mom got to it first. The noise outside had stopped.

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He was whispering to himself while briskly pacing around the room, “No, no, no.” He
heard the front door close. He stopped everything, even his breathing. He allowed himself a
breath when he heard the dishes clattering again. There was a possibility that it was in his
parents' bedroom. Fireball had a new game plan, but it was risky. First, he needed to sneak
out of his room, across the hall, and into his parents' room. From there, he'd have to grab
the bow and crawl out the window and down the wall. It seemed so simple in his head, but
it was time to test it.

As quietly as possible, he tip-toed across the hall. The door to his mom and dad's
room was open, thankfully. He was in the room, now all he needed was the bow. Fireball
checked in the closet, under the bed, behind the dresser, but he couldn't find it. If he was
his mother, where would he put a dangerous longbow to hide it from her son? It would
have to be somewhere he would never dare to look. He knew where it was, but that didn't
make him want to look anymore than on any other day. It had to be in his mother's
underwear drawer. He nearly gagged thinking about it.

It would be sickening, but he had to do it. Fireball slowly slid the drawer open, and
held his breath. There it was, his father's longbow. He swiftly grabbed it and shut the
drawer. He grimaced.

It was time to crawl out the window. He gently opened it and peered down.
Underneath him were around seven azalea bushes. He could possibly jump, but he had
fallen into azaleas before and it wasn't fun. That wasn't the only danger of doing that either.
His mother simply adored those flowers. She was known around town for her prize winning
azaleas. It was a point of pride for her. She would be devastated if they got crushed. He
hated the thought of upsetting his mother, but there didn't seem to be many hand holds on
the side of his house, so it was his only option.

Jumping off the second story of a house was one of the less dangerous things he had
done, but that didn't change the fact that it was dangerous. With a quick prayer to
Ketephys, the elven god of hunting and running, Fireball jumped.

Fireball landed on the outer edge of the bush intentionally, so that the plant wouldn't
be too damaged. Of course, that wasn't helpful for his landing. He was covered in scratches
from the small branches inside the bush and bruises from tumbling afterwards. Fireball was
pretty used to jumping off of high platforms, so he knew how to land properly without
breaking any bones. He wasn't, however, prepared for the loud sounds of branches
breaking and himself crashing to the earth.

As soon as he made sure he and the bow were intact, he got up and heard his mother
running through the back door near where he was. If there was one word used to describe
Fireball, it would be “fast.” He quickly made it around the corner so that he was not seen,
but his heart ached as he listened to his mother cry out in anguish. He would turn himself in
after training, but training came first.

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Fireball began running towards the edge of town, where their small training ground
was. He nearly made it there when he saw three boys, Tristan, Ukan, and Loen beating
some kid to a pulp. He couldn't stand watching someone be helplessly thrashed, especially
when it was for no good reason. As he got closer he heard one of them say the name of the
person closest to him. Had Fireball not heard that name, the three may have gotten away
without too much harm done to them. The moment they said “Abroxus,” Fireball lost all
sense of self control.

Fireball immediately dropped his father's longbow and sprinted like some sort of wild
animal. He threw a tightened fist through Tristan's smirking, arrogant, horse-like face. He
was not willing to give the three thugs any mercy, not when they beat his best friend. Ukan
and Loen turned and froze when they saw Fireball.

~

Fireball was almost constantly putting them back into their place. Although he didn't
look like much with his skinny arms, Fireball had to have been one of the strongest boys in
Silver Wood. Tristan was sent flying as soon as Fireball showed up. Abroxus's hero arrived
just in time. With a ferocious, beast-like glare, Ukan and Loen were tripping over
themselves trying to get away. Moments passed. Tristan was unconscious with a broken
nose, twisted arm, and a big lump on his head. Alongside him was Ukan with a black eye
and shoulder out of socket, and Loen whose teeth were either chipped or in his hand and a
shattered nose that bent to the side. Those two, however, were still conscious.

Fireball knelt down by Abroxus and started checking his injuries. He was bloody and
bruised and was in a lot of pain. Nothing was broken and Fireball was sure Abroxus would
recover swiftly. Surprisingly, Abroxus didn't have tears streaming down his cheeks. When
Fireball mentioned it, Abroxus said, “I couldn't let them think that I was willing to say I was
wrong for turning them in. Cheating on the Hunting Exam is as bad as swearing and
slapping your own mother.” Fireball gave him a relieved smile. It made him happy to know
that he wasn't broken enough to have him loose his sense of justice. Abroxus was clumsy
and small but he was the most stubborn person Fireball had ever met, even if he cried a lot.

Fireball sighed, “You know, you really can be a pain in the neck sometimes,” Abroxus
lowered his head in a sort of apologetic manner, “But, that doesn't really matter. What
matters right now is that we get you fixed up and head over to Takeshi.”

Abroxus lifted his head, “I don't need fixing! I don't wanna keep Takeshi waiting.”
“That wasn't a suggestion. C'mon, you're going home. Your mom can help you with
that shiner you got on your eye and that pie on the ground over there,” Fireball stood up
and lowered a hand down to Abroxus. He had completely forgotten about the pie.

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They walked briskly back to Abroxus's mother and she patched him up as well as any
cleric would. She then proceeded to grab an extra slice she had from the pie she made for
Ellie and put it into another basket. She sat down in front of Abroxus and Fireball and said
with quite a stern tone, “What happened?” Abroxus shrank back in his chair, not wanting to
get his mother involved. Fireball, seeing this, described what he could about the incident.
She scrubbed her face with her hands and mumbled, “I shouldn't be, but I'm glad you got to
them before I did.” The two boys chuckled to themselves. “Anyway, you should get going or
Takeshi just might stop training you two.”

Once reminded about training, Fireball and Abroxus jumped out of their chairs,
nearly knocking them over and began towards the door. Helen, Abroxus's mother, told them
not to drop this pie, so Fireball carried it.

~

Fireball and Abroxus were once again at the edge of town, but this time they actually
made it to the small clearing that they called a training ground.

Leading up to the clearing was a small dirt path and the clearing itself was just a small
gap between the Elm trees. Hanging on two of the trees were two targets, respectively. Not
too far from those targets was Takeshi sitting against an ancient Elm in his usual spot,
“You're late. By twenty minutes, no less. Is there a reason for that?” Takeshi was normally
very patient, but since he just arrived in town and was waiting for his two knuckleheaded
students to show up, it was understandable that he was a bit irritated. However, his
irritation slipped away when he saw Abroxus covered in bruises. Instead, he furrowed his
brow in an angry manner. He closed his eyes and said in almost a whisper, “Never mind.”
Fireball handed him the basket and said it was a gift from Abroxus's mother.

Takeshi stood up, patted their heads, and told them to get into their positions twenty
yards away from the targets. “I know it's been a while, but I hope you still remember the
basics. Are you ready?” they nodded. “Alright then. Slack.” Abroxus and Fireball put one
arrow into their bows, but kept the bow slacked at their sides. “Draw.” They drew back
their bows, keeping them taut by their heads. They were steadily aiming at their targets.
Takeshi was planning on leaving them like that for one minute, but after about thirty
seconds Abroxus's arms started shaking. “Slack. Abroxus, why are your arms shaking? If you
can't hold up your bow for at least a minute, you won't be able to come close to surviving
on your own.”

“I can hold it!” Abroxus stubbornly protested.
“It's too heavy isn't it?” Abroxus's eyes widened for a moment. He was surprised he
guessed it on the first try. Takeshi noticed the surprise and stated that he figured as much.

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Abroxus made an ashamed expression. “Hm,” Takeshi paused, “Okay, try getting through
today, at least. Can you do that?”

“Yeah! Like I said, I can hold it as long as I need to.” Yeah, stubborn was definitely the
word for Abroxus, even if he was young.

“Good. Now, draw!” One minute later and Abroxus was shaking, but still holding on.
“Release.” The arrows whizzed through the air and struck the targets with a thud. Fireball's
arrow hit the outside of the third ring on the four ringed target. Abroxus's, even with his
unsteady arms, hit the inner portion of the second ring.

“Aww man,” Fireball's shoulders slouched, “I lost again.” Fireball dropped to his knees
and began his fifty push-ups. That was a rule that Abroxus and Fireball came up with as
motivation to get better. The loser wasn't the only one who had to work, though. After
hearing the rule his students came up with, Takeshi made another rule. The rule was that
the winner had to do twenty-five sit-ups, so that they weren't waiting around.

After they were done with their short workout, they did it all again. They continued
this routine until lunch-time, which made that session last around three and a half hours;
extremely short for training with Takeshi. When questioned about it, all he would say was,
“I'm too tired to handle such energetic kids right now. Tomorrow, it will be longer.”

When the three of them returned to Abroxus's home, they were greeted by little Ellie
who had apple pie smeared all over her face.

“Hello, Mrs. Westfall, Mr. Westfall,” Takeshi extended a friendly hand.
“Please, call me Ziek,” Abroxus's father said as he shook hands with Takeshi.
“It's good to see you again, Takeshi,” said Helen.
As the three adults talked, Abroxus and Fireball sat at the table, tired and hungry.
Another knock on the door and in came the Hayes, Fireball's parents. Fireball stiffened
when he saw his mother. His shoulders were back, his back was straight, and his eyes
struggled to stay wide open. He didn't forget what he did to his mother's flowers and he felt
absolutely awful. He could still see some redness around her eyes from her tears.
They greeted Takeshi and the Westfalls and after some chatting, all of the adults sat
down at the table. Fireball's father, whose name was Isaac, lead the prayer, and they ate.

~

After they ate, Abroxus, Fireball, Ziek, and Isaac all went fishing together for their
dinner that night. After being begged by Fireball and Abroxus, Takeshi joined them. Fireball
managed to catch the biggest fish out of all of them and he wouldn't let Abroxus forget,
either. Then, Isaac and Ziek taught Takeshi and their boys how to cook and clean the fish
they caught. They were welcomed back by Helen, Ana, and Ellie.

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It was nearing dark so Fireball and his family decided it was time to go home and
cook their fish. Takeshi had his own home there, but he was always alone. The Westfalls
offered him a room at their house, but he refused. Takeshi thanked them and then
remembered his gifts for his students.

For Fireball, he pulled out a pocket knife lined with silver. Ana Hale was not very
excited about that, so Fireball's father carried it home. Fireball seemed a little disappointed
that he still hadn't gotten a bolo tie, but he was still content with the knife.

For Abroxus, he pulled a box out of his backpack. Abroxus pulled out a string. Abroxus
asked Takeshi what it was and he replied with, “It's a spider's galdur silk.” Everyone in the
room tensed at the word galdur, but only for a second. The silk wasn't the only item in the
box, however. In the box, at the bottom, there was a bolo tie. Abroxus had previously asked
Takeshi to get it, so that he could give it to Fireball for his birthday in twelve days, so he was
very happy to see that Takeshi hadn't forgotten.

Everything was perfect, and Abroxus could only hope that it would stay that way.

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Chapter 3

The sun rose once more, as it always had. Abroxus hopped out of bed and got
dressed. It was dawn, so Takeshi was already waiting for them. Abroxus grabbed his father's
longbow, kissed his mother, and ran out the door, forgetting about breakfast. Once outside,
he dashed over to Fireball's house, hoping Fireball would be ready to leave.

He knocked on their door, but there was no answer.
He tried again.
No answer.
He knocked again, this time yelling Fireball's name.
Still, no answer.
“Fireball! Fireball, we're going to be late!” Abroxus yelled with all his might. The door
creaked open.
“Stop yelling, would ya? It's barely morning, go back to sleep,” Fireball squinted at
Abroxus, still in his night clothes. Abroxus narrowed his eyes and reminded Fireball about
training with Takeshi that morning. Fireball looked as though he had forgotten to say happy
birthday to someone as he said, “That's today? Okay, gimme two seconds!” He slammed
the door in Abroxus's face. The door opened again almost immediately.
Fireball was still trying to put his shirt on as they ran to the clearing. The two were
surprised to see Takeshi surrounded by seven different piles of wood. He was sitting where
he normally would, but something was definitely different.
“What's all this?” Abroxus asked while poking around the pile of elm wood.
“Today, you two will be making your own bows,” Takeshi replied flatly. Abroxus and
Fireball whipped their heads to look at Takeshi. They obviously had some questions, but
didn't want to ask them. “Those bows weren't yours in the first place. Your fathers had to
make them, so now it's your turn to make your own. Plus,” he paused and glanced at
Abroxus, “This is the perfect chance for Abroxus to make a short bow for himself.”
Takeshi told Fireball and Abroxus that they could only use materials around the

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forest, or the materials of their own. He told them that they had two hours to make the
bow they'd be stuck with for life. Although it was an obvious bluff to scare them into
making a good bow, the boys took his every word as gospel. Most times, what Takeshi said,
he meant.

“Two hours?!” Fireball and Abroxus shouted simultaneously in utter disbelief.
“Yes, that should be enough time for me to take a quick nap. When I wake up, I
expect to see two well made bows.” Takeshi looked up to see Abroxus and Fireball
nervously looking around at the piles and then at each other. Takeshi closed his eyes and
smirked, “Your two hours start now.”
The two elves were frantically running from pile to pile, looking for the wood they'd
use for their bows. Fireball pulled out the pocket knife Takeshi gave him and stared at the
pile of oak wood. Abroxus had forgotten that he needed to get a knife to whittle down the
bow, so he told Fireball he'd be back and ran for his home.
As Fireball began his first attempt at making a bow, Abroxus ran into his house and
asked where a knife was. He ran out to his father's work shed and began looking. While
searching for a knife, he spotted the galdur silk and grabbed it. Abroxus's father walked into
the shed to find Abroxus frantically throwing around various tools and supplies. He told
Abroxus to calm down and wait a moment. In that moment, he went over to his desk and
brought Abroxus a pocket knife. Although, because of Abroxus's... clumsy nature, his father
decided to carry the knife to the clearing for Abroxus.
They made it to the clearing and Abroxus grabbed the pocket knife out of his father's
hands.
Abroxus immediately began weighing the different types of wood and found the
lightest and most flexible one. He sat down and began whittling the bamboo into a curved
shape, but when he looked over, he saw Fireball having some issues with his bow. From the
look of it, Fireball had already tried making a bow twice while Abroxus was away. Abroxus
couldn't help to chuckle at the struggle of his best friend.
Upon realizing his own choice in materials, Abroxus noted that he chose the most
flexible, durable, and light weight wood out of all of them. He was proud of his decision, but
he didn't have the time to pat himself on the back with only an hour and a half left to work.
So he worked.
Very few words were shared between Fireball and Abroxus due to the intensity of the
assignment, but there were still a couple of comments such as: “What's your fail count
now?”
Abroxus looked over and saw around five failed bows laying around Fireball. “Uh, two
I think?” Abroxus said. Abroxus looked around himself and made sure that their were only
two broken bows around himself. At that moment, Abroxus remembered the galdur silk he
had in his pocket. He laid it next to him and continued his whittling.

~13~

A Fury of Fire & Ice Sarah Massey

~

The two hours were up and so was Takeshi. He sat up and said with a loud yawn,
“Alright, show me what you've done in the two hours I gave you.”

Fireball proudly held up a longbow made of oak. It was rough to say the least, but
Takeshi looked at it and said that it wasn't too bad. He said that it would be better if he
could manage to draw it back. Fireball tried, but the bow was not willing to budge.

Takeshi glanced over to Abroxus, it was his turn to present. Abroxus held in front of
Takeshi a beautifully well formed short bow made of bamboo. Even Fireball was left
speechless at his friend's work. Takeshi gave him a stunning smile, “It's very well made. But
appearance won't save you in combat, so I'll tell you once more.” His eyes narrowed, but his
grin stayed put. “Draw.”

Abroxus managed to hold his bow steady for three minutes. He probably could have
gone longer, had Fireball not gotten bored.

Takeshi patted them on their backs and let out a jolly laugh. Abroxus and Fireball
joined him for a moment, but Abroxus remembered something that worried him.

“Your Hunting Exam is tomorrow isn't it?” The question was hard for Abroxus to spit
out, since if Fireball were to leave for ten days, Abroxus would be by himself.

“Hmm? I thought you take the Hunting Exam ten days before you turn nine?” Takeshi
asked, slightly confused. Fireball looked up at his forgetful tutor who had clearly forgotten
his birthday.

“Yeah, that's right. I'm gonna be nine in eleven days.” Fireball puffed out his chest as
if he were the coolest kid around. Takeshi looked at Fireball in disbelief, then turned his
head to Abroxus for some sort of reassurance. Abroxus nodded and gave an involuntary
chuckle as Takeshi began his frantic attempt to cover up his mistake.

“Well, since that's the case,” Takeshi turned away in a half mumble, half cough. He
then walked over and grabbed a chopped log of elm wood and tossed it to Fireball. Fireball
dropped his bow and caught the small log, fumbling it a bit. “Then I guess you don't have a
lot of time to waste! After you finish making your bow, I'll help you practice hunting. But
this time, try to make the bow a bit more, you know... Nimble.” Takeshi waved a hand to
Abroxus, telling him to do his workout for a while. While Fireball was receiving advice from
Takeshi, Abroxus managed one hundred push-ups, sit-ups, burpees, and two hundred
jumping-jacks.

~

~14~

A Fury of Fire & Ice Sarah Massey

It was noon and Abroxus was winded from the seemingly never-ending workout.
Fireball had finally finished his elm bow. It was a long, and somewhat choppy, bow that
could flex and slack well enough for Takeshi's standards. Takeshi was going to practice with
Fireball one-on-one for a while, so he sent Abroxus to the town's study to catch up on the
history of the Fae race. Although Abroxus was the top archer, he was still a little slow when
it came to history.

Abroxus went home first, so he could wash up a little before he went into a clean, and
public, study. Drenched in sweat, Abroxus trotted up the stairs and into his dresser for some
clean clothes. He quickly changed and went outside. When he opened the door, Ellie was
walking home with his Amma and Afi, grandma and grandpa, hand-in-hand. “Hello, my little
carrot,” Amma greeted Abroxus with a heartwarming smile.

“Now, now, Alena,” Abroxus's grandfather warned his lovely old wife, “He's not so
little anymore. Soon enough he'll be nine years old.” He gave a wink to Abroxus that just
spelled out “Your welcome.” Abroxus chuckled at this and gave his Amma and Afi a hug. He
patted his sister on the head, but she didn't like being left out of hugs.

“I have to go study now, but I'm sure Mom wants to see you.”
“Yes, yes. You go fill that big brain of yours, don't let us stop you,” it was Amma's turn
to pat Abroxus's head.
Abroxus shook a hand through his hair to put it back in it's messy place. “I'll see you
later Amma,” he tripped remembering the others, “Oh, a-and Afi and Ellie, too!” Abroxus
called back with a giant and genuine smile. He loved his family, and he loved his town.
Abroxus opened the grand doors into the expansive array of books and scrolls. He
had been there hundreds of times, but the vast amount of knowledge contained in each
document never ceased to overwhelm him. He walked between the many bookshelves to
try and find the librarian somewhere in the mess of books. “Mr. Librarian? It's Abroxus, I'm
here for another history book,” Abroxus called out and heard his own echo. The study was a
strange place. On the outside it looked like an average two story building, but the inside
seemed like it was an empty castle.
“Oh, hello there, Abroxus,” there was a slight unsteadiness to the old and nasally
voice. Abroxus peeked around the corner of a shelf, expecting to see the librarian. He
wasn't there. “I'm over here,” echoed the voice. Abroxus followed where he heard the voice
at its strongest. He rounded a corner for the fifth time and saw a tall and wobbly ladder
swaying from one wheeled leg to the other.
To Abroxus's surprise, the librarian, also know as Study or Mr. S, was on the very top
of the ladder with at least ten books in his arms. Abroxus immediately grabbed the ladder
to steady it a bit.
Mr. S gracefully slid down the long ladder with amazing nimbleness. However, he was
unaware of Abroxus underneath him as he landed.

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A Fury of Fire & Ice Sarah Massey

Squish.
“Hm, I don't remember my books being so squishy.”
There was a mumble.
“Abroxus, I'm over here, my boy!” he yelled out into the study.
Another mumble. Then a poke.
Mr. S looked down to see a boy underneath him. He gasped and hopped up, peering
over Abroxus. Abroxus gulped at the dusty air, trying to catch his breath. He put a hand over
his nose, “Ow-ow-ow-ow.”
Mr. S offered Abroxus a friendly, and apologetic, hand. “Are you okay? I didn't think
anyone could find me that quickly in this mess. Props to you, sir.”
Abroxus let out a chuckle of relief and pain. He was crying, but he wiped away the
tears fairly quickly. “A-Anyway,” Abroxus stood up and swept off some dust, “I need a new
history book to read.”
Mr. S adjusted his spectacles, “You've finished the other two?”
He nodded.
“I'm impressed. But have you learned anything through the reading?”
“Well, sure. I learned that Elves and Fairies- Uh, I mean Finen- are descendants from
the Fae race, although purebred Faes don't exist anymore. Elves are more direct
descendants, but the Finen are a little further off,” Abroxus said as he helped pick up some
of the books Mr. S dropped.
Mr. S raised his head. Even though he was much older than Abroxus, he was smaller.
Mr. S seemed surprised. He was astounded by Abroxus's capability to read and take in all of
the information from a hundred year old scroll. The writing style from that time was much
more sophisticated than the way they wrote at the current day. “I see.”
“But, Mr. S, is it really true that humans killed each other just to prove which of their
deities was better?”
“Yes, that's right.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean?” Mr. S gave Abroxus a quizzical look.
Abroxus returned the look, however, a sadder expression appeared shortly after.
“Why would anyone kill another just to prove a point? They're still people.” Abroxus walked
over to a table and set down the giant pile of books he had collected. Mr. S followed him
and smiled.
Very few elves at the time considered humans as “people,” even the elves in Silver
Wood rarely referred to them as such. That was what Mr. S thought, and why he smiled. It
truly touched him that a child from his town would be the one to go against the social
injustice's of the world. It made him truly happy.
“I'm not really sure why. That's just how it is,” Mr. S said. That doesn't mean you have

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A Fury of Fire & Ice Sarah Massey

to agree with it. One day, I hope the invisible boundary between the races is shattered. Now
if only someone would take that step...”

Abroxus didn't know it at the time, but Mr. S just lit the match for his future.
After a bit of searching, Mr. S found a couple books that he thought would be good
for Abroxus to read. “They aren't exactly history books, but they do contain some historical
facts,” he explained as he handed Abroxus a book on culture and a book on religions. “I
think it's something you should look into.”
Abroxus thanked him and went to the upstairs study area to read. The windows in
this area were small and it only contained a couple of tables. Abroxus sat there reading for
the next three hours, but he still only managed to get halfway through the first book. It was
nearly sundown and Abroxus was intent on finishing the first book. Then he heard the doors
creak open and someone shouted “Abroxus!”
Abroxus folded the corner of the massive book and closed it. He peered over the lofty
edge of the balcony down onto the tall bookshelves. When he looked over at the door he
saw Fireball standing with his hand cupped around his mouth, “Abroxus, it's time to go
home!”
Abroxus smiled, he was finally done training. He yelled back down to Fireball that he
was on his way. He grabbed his two giant books and heaved his way down the stairs.
Fireball greeted Abroxus at the door and grabbed a book for him. Fireball looked worn out.
“What's in these books? Bricks?” He grinned. Fireball felt bad about making Abroxus
shove his nose in those giant books all day.
Abroxus chuckled, trying not to drop his book. All was quiet.
Fireball sighed, “Little A?”
“I told you not to call me that anymore. You're only four months older than me,”
Abroxus quickly realized that his friend had something on his mind. “What's wrong?”
Fireball raised his head to the sky and filled his lungs with the crisp air. “When I die, I
hope that my body will disappear, leaving nothing behind except a little heart that shows
my scars.”
The hairs on the back of Abroxus's neck stood up. “What in the world made you think
about that?! You're not going to die anytime soon,” Fireball glanced over to the boy with a
fiery passion shown in his eyes, “No way I'll let you die! You're my best friend. You're not
allowed to die until I do! Got that?”
Fireball started laughing so hard that he dropped the giant book on his foot. He was
hopping around on one leg in circles until Abroxus finally asked what was so funny. He
picked up the book again and looked over to his buddy and started talking again. “Obviously
not now, but one day, when I do die, that's what I want to happen.”
“Why? Then no one could have anything to really remember you by, except for that
weird heart thing. Also, why so specific?”

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A Fury of Fire & Ice Sarah Massey

“Well, if there's nothing left, then no one will suffer. If I'm forgotten forever, then no
one would have to deal with heartbreak. I got the idea from a book I read the other day and
I can't stop thinking about it, weird huh? But now that you mention it, I want you to
promise me something, Little A.”

“What is it?” The two made it back to the Westfall house. Fireball put the book down
on one of the stairs and turned to Abroxus. He followed Fireball's lead.

“Promise me, that if that does happen and all that's left is a weird heart shaped
thing,” Fireball held out his pinky, waiting for Abroxus to link theirs together, “Promise that
you'll throw it into the deepest part of the ocean.”

Fireball had said it with a bright smile, and although there was no real light, Abroxus
wanted to avert his eyes from his friend's blinding radiance. Though the topic was a bit
depressing, Abroxus did think Fireball was pretty cool to think that far ahead.

Abroxus linked his pinky with Fireball's and made it a promise. He didn't like the idea,
but Fireball would never leave until he promised.

“Well... I mean, I guess I can,” Abroxus murmured, “But then we wouldn't have died
together. You know, as buddies.” Fireball chuckled, patted Abroxus's little orange head,
picked up one of the books, and went inside.

What's gotten into him? Why in the world would he say stuff like that?
Abroxus followed his best friend into the house.
Once inside, Fireball and Abroxus saw Takeshi waiting for them. He told them to drop
the books, grab a fishing rod, and head down to the dock. He grabbed the pole next to him
and strode though the door like a shadow.
They did what they were told and went to the docks. In the distance, they saw
Takeshi put one leg up on the edge of a small boat . He looked like a fishing lunatic with his
straw coolie hat and green vest littered with different baits and bobs. Along with the crazy
outfit, Takeshi threw on a crazy smile as he quickly braided his long white hair.
“Well?,” his blue eyes gleaming with a sort of mischief, “Get in the boat.”
“This guy gelineny scares me,” Fireball muttered.
“Genuinely, and yeah, me too,” Abroxus corrected.
They climbed into the boat and set off.
Most of the time, they were all intensely concentrated on fishing and horrible fish
jokes, but Fireball finally told Abroxus what he was going to do after his Faith Ceremony,
another name for the Coming of Age Ceremony. Abroxus had been asking for a while, but
he stopped after Fireball said he wasn't sure and he wasn't going to tell until he was.
Fireball went on about wanting to see the world back before all of the greed and
hatred. He said he had heard from a passing fish merchant that there was a tribe of people
who discovered a way to travel back in time. Unfortunately, he said that those people,
known as the Sogu, lived far away and had been studying history and magic for years, so

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they wouldn't let just anyone learn from them. Apparently, they made those curious
enough to ask face several intense challenges involving history.

“Well luckily for you, you're a history genius. You shouldn't have any trouble getting
them to teach you,” Abroxus praised. He was quite jealous of Fireball's knack for history
trivia.

“I doubt they'd accept answers out of a history book. They probably want those with
knowledge beyond that of an ordinary person,” Takeshi retorted.

“Yeah.” Fireball had obviously been thinking about it for a while. “But that doesn't
matter,” He seemed to be back to his normal, spunky self again, “Cause I'm gonna have
them teach me, whether they like it or not!” His fiery grin had returned, as well.

Fireball explained to his mentor and his friend that no one knew how they did it.
Scientists and wizards alike had been searching for centuries for a way to travel back in
time, but none had prevailed. He told them that he heard about this a while ago and how
he had been thinking about it ever since.

It had became his passion.
He went on and on about how he was going to travel the world and study the history
of every place he visited, the real history. He said he would then find the Sogu and take
their test.
The sun soon started falling below the horizon and the three boys headed back to the
dock. They all returned as glorious fishermen with giant fish, one almost the size of
Abroxus, Takeshi caught it and he wouldn't let anyone forget about it. After the long day,
they all had a long dinner until finally, it was time to rest.
Fireball confessed that he was a bit nervous for the exam, but he also said he knew
he'd make it all the way through the ten days.
Abroxus was anxious, too, it nearly put him in tears. He was afraid for his friend,
afraid to loose his friend in eleven days. After hearing Fireball's story and seeing the sheer
joy in his eyes, it made Abroxus realize that he'd be left alone after Fireball went off on his
journey. Abroxus had felt this feeling of abandonment once before, after his cat left him as
a child.
He didn't want to be alone again, and he was scared, scared of being consumed by
sadness just like how he was before he met Fireball. But that wouldn't stop him from
leaving.

~

It was sunrise. It was time for Fireball to begin his Hunting Exam. Abroxus prayed for
his friend.

~19~

A Fury of Fire & Ice Sarah Massey

Chapter 4

The ten days Fireball was gone seemed to be the longest ten days of

Abroxus's life so far.
It was the morning of the eleventh day, and Fireball was coming home. His mother

was frantic and worried sick. Abroxus was, too.
It took Fireball twenty minutes to return home after sunrise, but steadily, he came

walking back. He was healthy, happy- unscathed. It brought tears to Mrs. Hayes and
Abroxus, both.

Not only did Fireball return the same as the day he left, but he even brought back a
couple of hares and hides. It truly was an amazing sight for the town.

Later that day, around six in the morning, Fireball's father, the priest, began the Faith
Ceremony for his son. After the introduction and Mr. Hayes's proud speech, it was Fireball's
turn to speak.

“It took me a long time to write a long and pretty speech,” he began, “But I don't like
the way it sounds, so I'm scrapping it. I didn't really understand the purpose of having a ten
day exam at first, it just sounded silly to me. I get it now. I understand its purpose. It's ten
full days of thinking, of praying. But it wasn't just fear and loneliness out there because you
were never alone. I thought of everyone here during the days. I understand why Ketephys,
the god of the Hunt, decided to live on this planet for the time he did. It's wonderful and
full of so much life. I never want to forget that, for as long as I live. I love this world, and I
love all the people in it.”

Fireball sounded so happy and sincere. After he stepped away from the podium,
Fireball walked over to the back room that was hidden behind a paper screen. The children
who still hadn't had their Faith Ceremony, including Abroxus, peeked into the room through
the crack in the sliding door. It was always interesting to watch.

Through the crack, they could see the priest dip the needle and thread into the ink
and began sewing it in and out of Fireball's skin.

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A Fury of Fire & Ice Sarah Massey

The first time Fireball and Abroxus saw the tattooing process, they agreed to both get
their tattoos on the upper part of their backs, stretching from shoulder to shoulder.

Fireball sat with his legs crossed. He had to keep his fists tight and his jaw clamped
down to stop himself from screaming. It was hardly noticeable to anyone besides Abroxus,
though. Abroxus knew Fireball all too well, he knew how he worked.

~

It took around eight hours and ended two hours past noon. When it was finished,
everyone marveled at the beautifully stitched markings along his back. Fireball strutted out
of the back room full of pride.

Abroxus was so happy, and then so sad. He remembered the silent promise Fireball
made. The promise to travel back in time and see the world along the way. When Fireball
said he'd do something, he'd do it. That's another trait Abroxus was jealous of.

Fireball turned to show his tattoo to everyone. It showed a large radiant sun in the
center of his back, the rays of light shown spreading to his shoulders where the rays
changed into the outline of howling wolves. Then he looked over his shoulder so everyone
could see his smile and know how happy he was.

An hour or so passed and Fireball walked out of his house holding a stuffed pack.
Abroxus walked up to his best friend, and Fireball nodded. They walked to the edge of town
together. The two were met by the entire town, Takeshi included.

Abroxus paused as they approached the crowd. He grabbed Fireball's sleeve and he
stopped. Fireball couldn't really see the face Abroxus was making through his hair, but he
could tell he wasn't grinning.

Fireball gave him a weak smile, “Hey, you don't have to-” Fireball froze. He saw his
crybaby best friend lift his head. He was smiling, but he was crying, too. Abroxus reached a
hand into his pocket and pulled out a bolo tie. The ornament was silver with a blue
gemstone in the center, matching Fireball's eyes. Fireball's eyes widened and tears welled.

“I know how badly you wanted one, so I asked Takeshi to buy it with my money while
he was away. And, one more thing,” Abroxus tried wiping away his tears, but they didn't
stop. “I want to hear all of your crazy stories when you come back, so don't die, okay?” The
smile was genuine, but so were the tears.

Fireball's lips shook and he gulped. He dropped his pack and wrapped his thin arms
around Abroxus. It was Fireball's turn to cry. With an uneven voice, Fireball squeaked out,
“You bet.”

He gently took the tie and wrapped it around his neck.
He stepped away and wiped off his face with his shirt. He picked up his bag and held

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his pinky out in front of Abroxus. Abroxus linked his own with Fireball's. It was a promise.
The goodbye wasn't very long. Fireball hugged his mother and father, and waved a

parting hand to the rest of the town. He turned his back and strutted out of town with
confidence. Abroxus couldn't stop crying, but they were no longer tears of anguish. They
were the tears of a peaceful parting, and the tears of anticipation for their joyful reunion.

Abroxus whispered to the wind, long after everyone else had gone back to their
normal lives, “Goodbye, big bro.”

~22~

A Fury of Fire & Ice Sarah Massey

Chapter 5

Nearly three months passed and Abroxus seemed like he was managing well enough.
Takeshi left town the day after Fireball did, and Abroxus was all alone. He would play pirate
or adventurer with Ellie from time to time, but she was usually with their Amma and Afi.
With each passing day, there was more news of the Duke's murderous rampage on wizards
and other innocents. It disgusted Abroxus to the core.

Abroxus began to practice regularly at the training ground with his new bow, in case
something were to happen to his town. He quickly became the best archer of his age group.
Then the town. Abroxus was a true prodigy.

Between resting periods and training, Abroxus would study. And not just history and
culture, but math, science, religion, literature, languages, and any other topic he could get
his hands on. He was looking for some way to get better, to spark some light in himself. It
was April twenty-sixth, only one week left until the Hunting Exam, and Abroxus wanted to
be ready for it.

His father finally got the chance to spend more time with Abroxus, so he helped
prepare him for the exam. He got himself and his son into shape over that week, but
Abroxus didn't seem happy. He looked... sad, most of the time. He would occasionally tear
up or become serious, but smiles, genuine smiles, became a rare sight.

~

It was May third, time to set off.
Abroxus left at midnight with only his bow, ten arrows, and the clothes on his back.
They all waved him off, and his adventure began.
The elm and oak woods were dense and vast. Though at first they seemed creepy, but
there was something magical about them. Even more so when the sun began to rise. The
sunlight trickled though the leaves in such a manner that Abroxus felt the warmth that left

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him months ago return. He started gathering materials to build a small hut when he saw a
giant oak tree.

The tree's height and width rivaled that of the ancient red wood. The difference was
a small entrance into the tree. Abroxus had heard of similar phenomenons, but those were
usually the cause of the Finen.

Is this a home of Finen? I didn't think there were any so close to Silver Wood...
He gently put down the materials he had gathered and slowly walked closer to the
entrance.
But why in the world would the entrance be big enough to fit an adult? I know that
the Finen are usually not hostile, but this is a little too weird. And it's so close to the town,
how has no one found it?
He crawled through the hole with caution. What he saw was not at all Finen.
A wrinkly old woman turned to meet the gaze of a curious young elf boy. She was
wearing a large shawl and a big puffy dress. Her hair was short and silver and she wore
giant round glasses that hid her eyes.
Oh crud! She definitely isn't a Fairy. What should I do? Wait, does this count as
outside assistance!? I need to leave, right now!
Sweat began to drip down his face. He knew he needed to run, but he couldn't move.
There was some force that kept him from moving.
This isn't good.
“What are you doing here, elf boy?!” She screamed, looking not at all in Abroxus's
direction, but still at him. It seemed like she could barely hear herself. Abroxus slowly
opened his jaw to speak, at least he could to that, but he was in for some serious trouble.
“S-Sorry, ma'am. I didn't realize you lived here, I thought you might have been a
Fairy,” she used her cane to drag the rest of Abroxus through the hole. He still couldn't
move. Maybe he needed a better excuse. “I'm sorry ma'am, but I am going through the
Hunting Exam and I should really get going.”
The old woman walked over to an old book that was covered in dust. She opened it
and started flipping through the pages. When she eventually got to the page she was
looking for, she folded the corner and set it onto the small table next to her.
“You interrupted my reading.”
“Um, I'm sorry, ma'am.” This is so bizarre...
“Why is it that you weep, but no tears fall?”
Abroxus was so surprised to hear that. How could she see his pain? Ever since Fireball
left, Abroxus felt so alone. The light, that beautiful, blinding light that followed Fireball was
gone. The light that guided Abroxus faded. He felt like he was only a spec in the expansive
universe. He was so stunned he couldn't speak. She was a total stranger, and yet she could
see right through him. Was he that easy to read?

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A Fury of Fire & Ice Sarah Massey

“I see, you lost your light.”
“How... How could you know?”
“You're as easy to read as this book,” she pat her hand on the book next to her.
“Stand up.” An order that he obeyed. “It's rare for me to have company. Only those in need
of help find this place.
Oh no. No, I can't have any help...! But, I feel so cold.
“So you finally realize your own suffering? Good.”
Abroxus put a hand to his face, it was wet. There were tears. It's been a month since
he cried, a month since he convinced himself that he wasn't sad. His lip shook. No!
Slap!
Abroxus struck his own face, and the tears stopped flowing. “I'm not suffering,
ma'am. I must leave, please excuse me.” He turned on his heel and began to walk towards
to exit.
“You are just like they say. Don't loose those precious keys of yours, this world needs
you to open the door.”
He was out the hole when he heard that, but when he turned to ask her, she was
gone, along with the hole in the tree.
“What just happened...?”

~25~

A Fury of Fire & Ice Sarah Massey

Chapter 6

Was that a dream?
Abroxus looked up to the tree tops, it was dark out. How long was he inside that
tree?
There was a rustle in the bushes. Abroxus quickly loaded and drew back his bow. A
small rabbit hopped out of the shrubs. Abroxus didn't really want to hurt it because it was
so cute, but he was so hungry. He let the arrow fly, and he soon had a rabbit kebab.
He built a fire pit and dug a quick den for him to spend the night in. After eating his
rabbit and crawling into the den, Abroxus prayed for his family, for his town, and lastly, for
Fireball. Abroxus didn't usually pray for himself because he knew he was blessed enough.

~
It was the tenth, and final, day. Abroxus packed up his things and headed towards
town. He wasn't allowed in until midnight, but he wanted to be close by. At midnight,
Abroxus would be nine, and he would be accepted by the community as a mature adult.
Something didn't feel right. He still hadn't seen or heard from that old witch. He still
wasn't sure if she was even real. If she was real, he would probably never get the chance to
see her again. Never get the chance to thank her.
Abroxus didn't want to believe that he was broken, that he was weak. But he was,
and she forced him to see it. Abroxus wanted to be stronger, he wanted to make a
difference to this world. He was only nine, but Abroxus was as smart as any adult in East
Elm. The only difference between most people and Abroxus was experience. Abroxus rarely
left Silver Wood, so he was still naive.
When Abroxus started the exam, he went as far away from the town as possible, so
he could experience something new.
It took him four hours to drag everything that he gathered back to the path that lead
to Silver Wood. He stopped and snacked on some hares that he cooked and rested up. After

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his break, he walked the two miles back to Silver Wood.
It was midnight.
Abroxus found his new light. He had created his own. He found happiness and

tranquility in every creature in the forest. They rubbed off on him and he was so thankful.
It took Abroxus five minutes to return home after midnight. They were all shocked

stiff when they saw their little carrot dragging a handmade leaf tarp and a giant pile of elk
on top. There were two or three elks on the tarp, and Abroxus was smiling and waving his
free hand to his loved ones. But the rarest and most surprising feature was his smile, his
honest and radiant smile.

The people of the town took care of the elk and Abroxus was given time to clean up.
He washed off in the river nearby and put on his normal clothes. It was his turn to grow up.

His father gave his short speech after the priest, and Abroxus walked over to the
podium. He always looked up to Fireball, learned from him, and now he was going to join
him in adulthood.

Abroxus still wasn't too sure what he was going to do after the ceremony, but luckily,
fate made that decision for him.

Unfortunately, fate isn't always kind.

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Chapter 7

“I've spent nine years in Silver Wood. My entire life was inside of our borders. It's all
I've ever really known. That changed ten days ago. When I left to take the exam, I was
merely the ghost of what I wanted to be. Today, I am solidifying my faith to Ketephys. That's
why we have the Hunting Exam, right? To show our loyalty and to understand what we are
supposed to be, and where we came from? The forest breathed its breath of life into my
soul. I once heard someone ask me, 'Why is it that you weep, but no tears fall?' It took me a
second to understand what she meant, but it was a second too late. I had to have someone
point it all out to me, even after I thought, I knew, I was strong. I believed that this exam
was just another milestone in the thousands I have stretched out before me. I was wrong,
oh how I was wrong. This test, this trial changes you. I thought everyone who spoke about it
was just exaggerating, but they were right. I changed, and I'm as happy as I was when my
baby sister was born. So, thank you, for all of this.”

There was a loud applause when Mr. Hayes guided Abroxus to the back room. He told
the priest exactly what Fireball had told him, “I would like my mark from here,” he pointed
from one shoulder, “to here,” he pointed to the other shoulder. Abroxus smiled that new
and dazzling smile.

Abroxus cried in the process, but he didn't wail. When it was finished eight hours
later, Abroxus showed off his tattoo. His tattoo was nearly identical to that of Fireball, but it
bore a large moon in the middle, with streams of moonlight forming into falcons in flight.
Only a handful of people were surprised that he got his mark in the same place Fireball got
his. Most of them knew the bond the two of them shared.

Abroxus put his shirt and poncho back on and was quickly congratulated by everyone.
When he went outside, his family gave him a hug and they all gave him their gifts.
The gift from his father was a knife. It was small and the blade was oddly shaped in a curve.
His mother handed Abroxus a button with the town's symbol on it. She kissed his head and
it was Ellie's turn to give him a present, even though he said she didn't need to. She held
out her favorite bracelet that she would always be found wearing. It was a perfect circle and

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there were round pearl-like beads hanging off of it. Abroxus managed to slip it onto his
wrist, it was a bit tight, but he loved to see his little sister smile.

~

Abroxus spent the next hour or so training where he normally would, when he heard

a scream and saw smoke drifting into the bright blue sky. He retrieved his arrows and
started running towards the town. Just as he was about to round the corner, Amma and Afi
grabbed him and started dragging him towards the lighthouse along the rocky beach near
town. He struggled and demanded answers, however, he stopped struggling after he saw
their faces. He turned around and ran along side them. He heard more screams. Abroxus
couldn't take it anymore, “What's happening?! Where's Mom, Dad, and Ellie?” the concern
lingered.

Afi grabbed his arm and looked Abroxus in the eye with a very cold look, “They will be
fine, now stop acting like a child and go to the lighthouse!” Abroxus was afraid, but he
nodded and continued to run with them.

The smell of smoke followed them.
The three of them arrived at the door of the lighthouse. Amma pushed Abroxus up
the stairs and Afi closed the door behind them. Paintings lined the seemingly never ending
stairs. Amma stopped at the painting of the town. She proceeded to take the painting off
the wall and open the small stone door hidden behind it. She was pretty strong for
someone her age.
Afi repeated his words of worry, “Come, now, hurry.”
The door skidded open and Amma pushed Abroxus inside. The little room was filled
with food and water, enough to last about a week. Abroxus looked around and turned find
his grandmother closing the door from the outside.
“Wait! Aren't you staying here, too? You're not just gonna leave me here, right?
Right?!” he pleaded.
She smiled weakly and shook her head. Afi looked into the small shelter and said to
Abroxus, “My boy, you possess the keys to this corrupt kingdom, so please lift your head.
Your story has only begun. We all expect great things from you.”
Amma finally said, “Goodbye, my little carrot.”
The stone door closed. Abroxus became frantic and pulled against the door with all
his might, but it wouldn't budge. He heard the footsteps of his grandparents slowly
disappear.
The room was as dark as the night itself. The only light floated through a tiny hole
only about half an inch tall and wide. Abroxus crawled over to it and peered through the

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hole to see something that would follow him forever.
His town, Silver Wood, was up in smoke. There were people running around

frantically trying to escape the men on horseback. They were wearing royal purple and
silver- the colors of Duke Wallis.

Why... Why would he do this!?
Silver Wood was a small trading town that traded with anyone passing by.
There was nothing Abroxus could do, he was trapped and alone. There was no saving
light, this time. Only the light of the houses and people that burned. Abroxus had a perfect
view of his house.
He saw Ellie and his mother escape into the house, but his father... Ziek Westfall
stood and defended his house and his family. However, the man covered in medals with a
bright flowing cape struck him down. Abroxus couldn't tell if his father died quickly or
slowly and painfully. But he knew he died.
The man in the cape had his grunt throw his father into the house he grew up in.
Abroxus wanted to cry. All of the pain, the fear, and the rage built up within him. He
felt like he was going to explode. His entire body felt cold, like there was a fan blasting at
him. Even so, this throat was burning. He couldn't make a sound, and he couldn't shed a
tear.
Anger began to build up and he let loose a blood curdling scream before passing out.

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Chapter 8

Abroxus spent five dreary days within the lighthouse, the light floating in through the
one peep hole keeping whatever sanity he had left in tact.

He refused to look at the ashes of his town. He had watched it burned, but he didn't
want to watch it blow away with the wind.

He just sat in front of the light, traumatized. He couldn't eat, he couldn't sleep. He
just sat there, wallowing in his own filth and sorrow, just waiting for death to take him away.

Abroxus Westfall had completely given up.
He no longer saw the need to pray. What's the point of praying to a god everyday if
they won't bat an eye when you need them most? Even still, he could not cry. He had cried
so many times over the nine years of his life, but not a tear could be shed.

~

After the five days and five nights passed, Abroxus heard footsteps. They were light
and gentle, but it was only one person from the sound of it. It couldn't have been Amma,
right?

The footsteps grew louder and louder until eventually, they stopped right in front of
the room Abroxus was in.

If his mind was awake, Abroxus might have even thought it was a soldier, either there
to kill him, or to save him.

Abroxus could hear the sound of the painting being taken of the wall. He turned his
head to look at the door, to see his savior or his killer. At the time, Abroxus was hoping for
the latter.

The heavy stone door slid open with ease. The light was too bright.
Abroxus closed his eyes. His head started to swirl. That was the last thing he felt. His
small, limp body collapsed onto the floor. He didn't manage a look at the one opening the
door, but somehow, he knew he was going to be safe.

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Chapter 9

Abroxus felt something soft brush his face, like hair? Abroxus slowly opened his eyes,
everything was blurry. He could see the silhouette of a pale woman with dull grey eyes. But
the feature that stood out the most, was her hair. It was a beautiful red, the color of a red
garnet or even a ruby. Abroxus had never seen anything like it before, and he thought it
would be the last time.

Abroxus fell asleep once more. He awoke to the smell of stew. He was so hungry.
Abroxus winced at the bright light when he opened his eyes. He tried to quickly take
in his surroundings, as he had been taught, but he was too weak to sit up.
A soft melody rang through the air, “Are you awake yet? Don't worry, dinner is almost
ready.” It was a woman's voice. It sounded like a sweet lullaby from a mother to her infant.
He had only heard that sweet voice from his own mother.
But his mother wasn't around anymore.
Abroxus lifted his head enough to see the woman's face. She looked very pretty and
young. Was she living here by herself?
“Why, no. She's got her incredibly handsome, kind, and intelligent husband with her,”
an old voice echoed from the hallway behind Abroxus.
What the... Did I say that out-loud? No, I didn't. Then how...?
“The question was simply written all over your face,” the old voice was closer.
“Come now, Tutrix. Stop being mysterious, you're scaring the poor boy.”
“Scaring him? No, that's not true,” the man that the voice belonged to, Tutrix, walked
in front of Abroxus. He was fairly short, but he had a very long beard, so long that it was
brushing the floor. His hair was as white as the snow, but not like Takeshi's. Takeshi had a
silver gleam to his hair, this man before Abroxus didn't have that.
The old man smiled a sort of mischievous smile, “No, he's not scared,” he sat down in
the chair next to Abroxus, “He's curious, intrigued, interested.”
The woman shrugged and went back to her cooking and the old man took off his
spectacles to look at Abroxus.
“My name is Tutrix, and the lovely lady cooking over there is my wife, Derry. Wanna

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tell me your name, kiddo?”
Abroxus opened his mouth and closed it again. He didn't know these people, for all

Abroxus knew, they were with the Duke. Abroxus was skeptical, but he dismissed the
thought right after thinking it. They saved his life, they couldn't be with Duke Wallis, right?

Abroxus wanted to say his name, but no sound would come out. He couldn't speak.
“I see...” Tutrix lowered his head. “I'm not quite sure what happened, but it
traumatized you. You're safe now, we won't hurt you, Abroxus.”
How did he-? Abroxus's thought was cut off by Derry's soft voice.
“All done, it's time to eat now.” She carried a bowl of stew over to Abroxus and
instructed Tutrix to get him some water.
Derry spoon fed Abroxus all of the stew. It was delicious! She made sure he was fed
well and had lots of water. Derry was acting as if Abroxus was her own son.
Where exactly am I? How far am I from my... home... The thought tugged at Abroxus's
heart. Right. He didn't have a home anymore. It almost didn't feel real - almost.
After his feast, Abroxus drifted off to sleep. Derry and Tutrix cleaned up the tiny
kitchen area and Tutrix went to bed. After Derry made sure Abroxus was comfortable, she
also went to bed.

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Chapter 10

Everything was dark.
“Where am I?”
“Hello? Is anyone here?” Abroxus called out into the darkness, the emptiness, but
there was no response.
There was nothing there. Then there was a light, but it wasn't comforting, it was
terrifying. The light was bright red. It was the light of fire, and Abroxus was surrounded by
it.
And then the screams flooded Abroxus's head.
“No- No, stop!” Abroxus covered his ears, but the screams only grew louder and
louder. Cries of agony and fear.
“Bubbi!”
Abroxus slowly turned around.
Ellie was sitting in front of him, she was crying. Then two, three, four more figures
faded into view. His mother, his father, Amma, and Afi. They all wore the face of
disappointment and shame.
“M-Mom, Dad, Ellie!” Abroxus stretched out his arm and started running. Abroxus
was running as fast as he could, but none of them came any closer. Until there was a voice
right behind him.
“You failed.”
Abroxus whipped around and his greatest fear came true. “Fireball, it's not what it
looks like. Please, help me! Help me save them, Fireball!”
Fireball's eyes were as black as the space around him. “I trusted you to take care of
everyone. I thought you finally grew up.”
“Fireball, I'm so sorr-” Abroxus couldn't say anything. His voice was gone, and he
couldn't warn his friend about the large man behind that him ran a blade through him. No!
He turned to his family behind him, he was looking for help, but all he found was
pain. His grandparents were nowhere to be seen and his father's head slid off his neck. The

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Duke appeared and tied up his mother and sister. He lit a match and threw it onto them.
They were set ablaze.

The Duke walked towards Abroxus. He tried to back up, but he ran into the man who
stabbed Fireball.

The Duke's voice was deep and dark, “You watched everything and everyone

you loved die, and you won't even shed a tear. Did you even care at all?”

~

His eyes snapped open. Abroxus sat up and looked around, one hand grasping his
shirt right over his racing heart.

It was a dream... But...
“You're alright. It was just a dream.” Abroxus turned to see Derry, her expression was
practically blank. She rested a hand on Abroxus's shoulder.
But it wasn't a dream, it happened. And I didn't do anything to try and stop it! I'm so
pathetic. I couldn't even fall with my loved ones.
“That doesn't make you weak, Abroxus,” Tutrix walked through the door. “Derry told
me what she saw, but we still don't know what happened. You're just a child. If you had
tried to stop that chaos you too would have died for no reason. Stop blaming yourself, right
now.”
That was a command, not a suggestion.
Abroxus tried to swallow, but his throat was dry.

It' been three days since they found Abroxus, two of those days he

spent sleeping...

Tutrix was carrying herbs in both hands. He dropped them off on the counter and
Derry stood. She walked over and started cleaning them in bowl that was also on the
counter. It looked like there was no water in the bowl, but then why was there water
washing over the leaves?

Tutrix turned back and saw the flabbergasted look that Abroxus wore. He grinned and
walked over to Abroxus. Abroxus couldn't take his eyes off of the bowl.

“You wanna know how she can do that?” Abroxus nodded, still staring at Derry. “Can
you stand?” he nodded again, “Then follow me.”

Abroxus stood up, he wobbled a bit, but he followed Tutrix out the front door. He
knew he could trust them, and even if Tutrix did try to kill him, it didn't really matter to

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Abroxus anymore. If Abroxus were to die that day, he wanted to die knowing how she did
that.

Tutrix lead him around the small house made of logs past the little herb garden. It
took a about two minuets to get to the stream.

It looked familiar to Abroxus. It reminded him of a stream near the area where he
stayed during the Hunting Exam. Sure, he thought, all streams look alike, but I know I've
seen that giant tree.

Abroxus sort of gasped. That was the tree where the witch lived.
Tutrix looked next to him to see Abroxus. He raised an eyebrow, asking a silent
question.
You know this place?
Abroxus looked up at Tutrix and nodded. Yeah, there's a witch lady in that tree over
there. Wait! Are you and Derry witches?
The old man let out a hardy laugh, “No, we're not witches,” Abroxus relaxed, “But we
can use galdur.”
Abroxus stifled a look of utter fear. Even so, his heart was in his throat.
Another hardy laugh, “I wasn't expecting you to act so calm. Yes, we are what most
people call 'wizards'.” He patted Abroxus's head. “And the 'witch lady' is Martha, she's a
friend. But that's not why we're here.” Abroxus cocked his head.
Tutrix pulled a towel out of his satchel. He plugged his nose with his forefinger and
thumb and insisted Abroxus took a bath. He left Abroxus the towel and said he'd be back
with clean clothes in ten minutes. Honestly, Abroxus wasn't quite expecting that.
Abroxus sniffed himself and gagged.
The water was ice cold. It didn't take him long to get used to it, which was surprising
since he usually couldn't stand being cold. It wasn't all that bad, though.
As Abroxus washed himself in the stream, he thought about what Tutrix had said.
“We are what most people call 'wizards'.” Huh... galdur... The ability to conjure
elements and then manipulate them to your will. Most wizards can only control the
elements they create, but I wonder if it's possible to control natural elements... What am I
talking about!? Wizards were outlawed by the king, and I'm living with two of them! This
isn't good...
While he was bathing, Abroxus thought long and hard about what he should do.
Should he stay with these people? Run? Or maybe he could learn galdur from them.
Abroxus's pondering was cut short when Tutrix showed up. “I think you're clean
enough, now. Derry sewed you some clothes, so hop out and put 'em on.”
Abroxus got out and dried off. Then he took the clothes from Tutrix and put them on.
They fit him perfectly. The outfit was similar to what he wore before. Instead of a
long sleeved brown shirt with a matching poncho, it was a light green sleeveless shirt with a

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light green poncho. Lining the bottom of the poncho was a streak of silver. The one major
difference was the strap connecting the two halves of the poncho. There were two buttons
on either side of the strap and one of them was his mother's. That way he would always
have a piece of her with him, so long as he didn't loose the poncho.

Wow, she made this?
“Yup, my wife's pretty awesome, isn't she?” Tutrix bragged.
It was still pretty weird that Tutrix could read his mind, but Abroxus didn't think it was
all bad, since he couldn't speak.

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Chapter 11

After a couple of months of living with Derry and Tutrix, Abroxus realized that he was
happy to be with them. Derry was like his mother, and Tutrix acted like a father towards
Abroxus. He hadn't forgotten his real mother and father, and he knew he never would, but
the two wacky wizards brought Abroxus comfort. And although he would never admit it,
Abroxus was happy to be treated like a child. He needed it.

Abroxus was given his own room shortly after arriving, and Derry finally gave him
back his bow a few weeks after. She had refused to return it until she thought he was
completely healthy again. She also returned his father's knife. Abroxus had never taken off
the bracelet, ever.

It took the entirety of three months to get Abroxus talking again.
Even though Abroxus could speak, he didn't really find the drive to. He was as
depressed as he was when he was stuck in the lighthouse. They only difference was that he
was able to hide it. So, he hid it in front of Derry and Tutrix, and when he was alone, he'd
revert back into a melancholy state. But he was content when he could finally speak his
mind instead of having it read for him.
It was the end of July and Abroxus finally felt like telling Derry and Tutrix what
happened in May.
They didn't seem too phased by it. They were very kind and understanding about the
fact, but they didn't pity him. Abroxus was grateful for that. And he understood that they
were on the run, so they had probably seen much worse than raids.
It was the middle of August when Tutrix asked Abroxus the question he had been
awaiting.
“So kiddo, you wanna learn how to use your galdur?”
“What do you mean by learn how to use my galdur? I don't have any.”
Tutrix couldn't help but laugh, “Everyone has a galdur. It's just the matter of waking
them up.”

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“Them?”
“Yes, some galdur influencers believe that this 'magic' is just an item to be wielded,
but those who have spent their life with it learn that galdur is alive. For example, drawing
power from your galdur is like using someone else's power. Get it?”
It took him a second to process it all, but Abroxus understood the most of it.

Abroxus's real journey was about to begin.

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Chapter 12

“Alright, now start with this book and then move on to this book.” Tutrix handed
Abroxus two giant books that were about four inches thick. They were dropped into
Abroxus's arms and carried him to the floor with their weight.

“Now don't get me wrong, if you so choose, you will learn spells and how to
communicate your galdur,” Abroxus smiled with a sort of relief hidden behind it, “However!
That will only come after you learn it's history.” The relief was gone and replaced by bitter
anticipation. “After you learn the history of galdur, you may become an influencer.”

“Galdur influencer” is what those who have mastered their galdur call themselves.
However, they are known by most as “wizards” or “magicians.” This is because most people
who haven't studied galdur don't even know what it is. They just think it's magic, but they
couldn't be further from the truth.

Derry insisted that Abroxus read outside since it was a nice day, but Abroxus wanted
to be by himself in his room. He was going to say no, but Derry pushed him outside.

“Okay, I guess I'll read out here.” He wandered over to the side of the house and sat
down. He leaned back into the wall and sighed.

She was right, it's really nice today. Just like on the 13th...
He looked down at the two giant books laying next to him. He had better get started.
As Abroxus read, as he learned, he thought about how his life was flipped upside-
down on his birthday and then again after meeting Derry and Tutrix, now he's learning
about the origin of galdur.
To think all of that happened in three months. I guess Murphy's Law is following me
around.
The sunlight slipped below the horizon and droplets of water started to splashed on
Abroxus's face. It was raining. Abroxus quickly grabbed his two books and began to head
inside. He had finished a quarter of the first book.
As Abroxus opened the door, he heard a whimper from behind him. He turned to see
an injured fox. He opened the door and put the books down on the inside. Abroxus quickly

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ran over the the limp fox and picked it up. Derry poked her head outside to see what was
going on. After seeing a hurt fox in Abroxus's arms, she told him to bring it inside and
grabbed a first aid kit they had in the cabinet.

Abroxus gently laid the beautiful creature onto the table. When Derry returned with
the small white box, Abroxus asked her, “Why don't you just use ma—I mean, galdur—to
heal it?”

“It's true that galdur can be used to heal, but it's not the same as having an injury
heal by nature's will. You should never take your galdur for granted, only use it to heal when
there are no other options left.”

~

The fox was back to its normal self in a week or so. Abroxus used the fox as an excuse
not to read, but he still managed to finish the first book in that week.

After learning about the guardians of the five continents called the “maldra,” Abroxus
was ecstatic that he could learn how to awaken and communicate with his galdur. But he
was also scared.

Ever since a pair of influencers tried to overthrow the king, all influencers have been
outlawed. If anyone was caught using galdur, they would be hanged.

Even so, Abroxus wanted to learn how to use his galdur. After getting the galdur
infused string, Abroxus felt different. He was more resistant to the cold, in fact, he wanted
to be surrounded by it. And now that he was with two influencers, he couldn't help but
jump at every opportunity to learn more about galdur.

“So, tell me what you've learned from the first book, be specific now,” Tutrix knelt
down and began collecting the herbs from the small garden. Abroxus wanted to be useful,
so he went over and started helping him with his harvesting.

“It mostly spoke about the legendary 'maldra' and how they only appear when the
world needs a shift in weight.”

“What does that mean, exactly?”
“When there has been an era of tyranny, the maldra appear to start a revolution. Or
when there has been too much bloodshed via a war, they show up to end things quickly.”
Abroxus glanced over and saw Tutrix nodding his head with each fact Abroxus gave. Guess I
should keep going...
“What about their descriptions? What do they look like?”
“O-Oh. Well, they're all different people each time. They're like reincarnations. But
one characteristic is carried from one maldra to the next.”
“And that would be?”

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“Their eyes. The Maldra from North Nut-Pine always have eyes like moonstones, the
Maldra from West Willow always have ruby red eyes, South Spruce's always has sapphire
eyes, and Yggdrasil's Maldra always has golden eyes.”

“You're forgetting one. What color does the Maldra of the East have?” Tutrix stopped
his movements and looked over to Abroxus. This was one of the kinds of “pop quizzes”
Tutrix gave him, but he seemed very focused on Abroxus's answers for this one.

“Emerald green. The Maldra from this continent has green eyes,” Abroxus stared back
at Tutrix. Why did he feel so tense all of the sudden?

There was a long pause.
“That is correct.” Abroxus sighed as if he had been holding his breath. But Tutrix was
still staring at him. No- through him.
Abroxus asked if everything was alright, Tutrix said he was fine and continued on.
Weird...

~

Abroxus and Tutrix laid the herbs they had collected on the counter for Derry who
was probably on her was back from a nearby town. The town was called Ikenstroth, and it
was where Tutrix and Derry got most of their groceries. It was a fairly large town a few
miles out from where Silver Wood used to be. Abroxus would always hear tradesmen
talking about Ikenstroth, but Abroxus had never gone there himself.

Supposedly, it was a highly guarded town since Duke Wallis had a home there.
Abroxus worried that Derry might get caught by a guard while shopping. When he shared
his concern with Tutrix, he just said that she was strong enough to take care of herself.

Derry finally returned home with groceries and books.
Abroxus was about to ask her if he could go with her next time, when Tutrix told him
to keep reading his second book.
The second book was about the history of galdur. It said that some believed that
galdur was alive—like it was another being within an influencer. It described them as being
humanoid beings that dwelt in the mind and soul of a wizard. This creature could be the
same or opposite gender as the “host,” and could draw your mind into its realm whenever
it pleased after having been awakened.
It took Abroxus three days to completely finish that book, but he was very satisfied to
have learned so much about galdur in such a short amount of time.
When Tutrix got around to quizzing him on the two books, Abroxus had practically
memorized them both.
Abroxus passed Tutrix's test with flying colors.

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Chapter 13

“There is only one way to awaken the galdur sleeping inside of your body,” Derry
began, “And that is to wake it up with traumatic stress to the body.” Abroxus started to get a
little worried about what he was getting himself into, but he knew that he wanted to do this
—needed to do this.

“To put it bluntly,” Tutrix continued, “We're going to chop off your hand.”
“Wait, what?!” Abroxus took a step back and slipped. He landed hard on the ground
staring up at Tutrix and Derry.
“You won't be conscious when it happens, so it shouldn't hurt a bit,” Tutrix helped
Abroxus up to his feet. “And it won't be gone forever. After I cut it off, I'll sew it back on with
my own magical ability. It'll be like it never left your arm in the first place.”
“Knowing all of this, do you still want to go through with it?” Derry asked in her
gentle voice.
Abroxus's brain was yelling at him to run far away, or at least say “no,” but he had
that feeling again. It wasn't a bad feeling, but more like a eager sensation. Abroxus might
have thought it over more had he not felt so strongly about becoming an influencer.
He still wasn't sure why he wanted to learn magic so badly, all he knew was that it
was something he was willing to do anything to learn.
“Absolutely!” Not a hint of doubt in his voice.
Tutrix used the herbs they had in the garden to create some sort of sleeping potion.
Tutrix said he wanted to get this done today so that Abroxus could rest that night.
It was finally time to begin.

~

Abroxus took a sniff of the potion and gagged. It smelled like raw sewage.
“How is that even possible if you just made it with herbs from the garden?”
“Stop asking about it and drink it!”

~43~

A Fury of Fire & Ice Sarah Massey

Abroxus plugged his nose and and drank the whole bottle. Within seconds, Abroxus
was out cold.

They gave it twenty seconds to make sure it took its full effect before Tutrix started.
The process was long and gruesome, but when it was done, Tutrix and Derry were satisfied
with the results.

A common defining feature of an influencer was the stitches on their left wrist. Of
course, they weren't always in this spot, but most people who chose to become a wizard
cut it there as a sign to the others of who and what they were. It became a common trend
known by just about every influencer out there.

Abroxus's stitches wrapped his left wrist. Each stitch was evenly spaced and close
together. Since the thread was infused with galdur, they would stay that way forever and
could never be broken by natural causes.

The next morning, Abroxus woke and shot up immediately. He grabbed his wrist with
his other hand to make sure it was still there. He slowly revealed the stitches to himself in
utter amazement. Abroxus studied the stitches from just about every angle and practiced
making a fist with his left hand. It worked just like before.

Tutrix wasn't kidding when he said it'd be like nothing happened! This is incredible.
Abroxus's door creaked open and Derry popped her head inside.” Oh, good, I'm glad
you're awake. Breakfast is ready.”
Abroxus loved to hear Derry's motherly voice—especially after waking up fearing his
hand was gone.
He got out of bed and walked out to the dining area. There, Tutrix and Derry were
sitting at the table waiting on him. On the table in front of Tutrix was a pair of gloves and
bandage wraps.
Abroxus had never really noticed before, but Tutrix's stitches were on his right hand
and Derry's were nowhere to be seen.
Where are her stitches? I know she can use galdur.
Abroxus pulled back his chair and sat down at his plate. Just when Abroxus was going
to ask Derry where her stitches were, Tutrix cut in.
“Which do you prefer, Abroxus? Gloves or wraps?”
“What are they for?”
“They're for you, knucklehead! You can't just waltz around town with your stitches
showing, everyone will know you're an influencer!”
“O-Oh, yeah, right. Uh, I guess I like the gloves, then”
“Good choice!” Tutrix tossed Abroxus the pair of gloves and began to chow down on
his meal.
Abroxus tried them on to be sure they fit. Not only did they fit beautifully, but they
were also very comfortable.

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A Fury of Fire & Ice Sarah Massey

“But wouldn't it be weird to walk around with gloves on in the summertime?”
Abroxus inquired as he slid off the gloves and picked up his fork.

“Normally, it would be, you're right,” Derry started to answer, “But it would be
perfectly normal if you were an archer with a bow at your side.”

“She's right. The only reason gloves are an option for you is because you have a viable
excuse for them. These gloves will be useful for hiding your identity and for keeping your
fingers from bleeding.”

Abroxus looked down at his hands. There were scars and scratches wrapping around
his forefinger and middle finger. When he would practice, the feathers and wood on the
arrows would scratch his fingers when he released. He never thought about wearing gloves
to prevent that, he just thought it was how it was supposed to go when you practiced a lot.

“That makes sense, I guess.” Abroxus decided he wanted to stop talking and eat, so
he did just that.

“So, my student,” Tutrix drank the last of his water and sat back in his seat, “When
shall we begin?”

~45~

A Fury of Fire & Ice Sarah Massey

Chapter 14

While Derry worked in the garden, Tutrix and Abroxus sat at the table with a bowl of
water in front of them.

“Before we start, I'm curious to know,” Tutrix glanced at Abroxus, “If you were given
the choice, what type of galdur would you like to have?”

There was a pause. Abroxus sat crisscrossed in his chair and looked into space as he
pondered the question.

There was a long silence before Abroxus finally answered.
Abroxus let out a disappointed sigh, “I don't know.”
Tutrix nearly fell out of his chair. He steadied himself and asked, “What do you
mean?”
“I mean, they all sound great to me. I can't bring myself to choose one.”
Tutrix let out a lighthearted laugh. Abroxus wasn't sure what was so funny, but he did
like to see the old man laugh.
After finally calming down, Tutrix wiped the tears from his eyes and said, “Well, you
sure will make a fine influencer, boy, with that attitude.” Abroxus smiled at the thought.
“Let's find out what type of galdur you got, kiddo. Put your hands on the sides of the bowl
and concentrate on nothing but the water.”
Abroxus did as he was told and concentrated on the water. In a matter of seconds,
the bowl was turned into solid ice. Abroxus moved his hands away due to his natural
reflexes, but he quickly turned to Tutrix to see his reaction.
“Incredible!” Tutrix gasped, astounded. He stood up and ran to the door. “Derry,
come see what this green-eyed carrot just accomplished!”
Derry dashed into the house and stared at the bowl. Her eyebrows flicked up and she
grinned. Derry ran over and hugged Abroxus, picking him up out of his chair and squeezing
the life out of him. His face was blue when she finally let go of him. “I'm so proud of you,
Abroxus!”
“Is it really that great?” Abroxus shrank back in an embarrassed motion as his face

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A Fury of Fire & Ice Sarah Massey

flushed red.
“Of course! Not many children your age can handle being an influencer—let alone

managing to completely freeze the water like that on their first try! Well, done!” Tutrix
patted him on the back and Abroxus grinned. “But enough flattery, time to practice
speaking with your ice galdur.”

Derry gave Abroxus another hug and went outside, her last words being, “Tonight,
we're going to have your favorite stew to celebrate!”

“As impressed as I am with your performance, you still have a long ways to go. But
you will be going that way with your galdur, so you probably ought to learn how to talk to
each other. Sit on the floor, legs crisscrossed, for your first attempt.” Abroxus sat
crisscrossed on the floor in front of the couch and awaited directions. “This might sound
strange, but you need to go to you 'quiet place' in your mind. Stay there for a while until
you hear a voice. Then respond to that voice. After that, you'll get to meet your galdur 'in
person' so to speak.” Tutrix pull a book off the bookshelf and sat down in his comfy chair.
He told Abroxus to begin and peeled open his book.

My “quiet place?” Okay...? I guess I'll give it a shot.

~
The room was a blinding white.
Abroxus shielded his eyes and tried to look around.
He was alone. He attempted calling for his galdur, but his voice wouldn't work.
This is just like when I was in the lighthouse, except back then, everything was pitch
black.
Abroxus remembered what Tutrix told him, and he waited. He sat crisscrossed on the
ground for ten minutes, but no voice could be heard.
Is it possible that I don't have a galdur? No, that can't be. I froze the water with my
bare hands. So, what's taking this guy—or girl—so long.
A few hours passed and not a sound was made.
I wonder what they look like—these magical beings. That is,if they even exist. Could
Tutrix have told me to do this just so he could get some peace and quiet? I can be quiet, he
didn't have to trick me into staying here by myself for hours!
In his frustration, Abroxus stood up and went back into the conscious world. When he
looked over, Tutrix had finished reading two books and was on his third.
“Did you meet 'em?” Tutrix asked, not even looking up from his book.
“No.”
“No? Then why are you here? Go back and keep waiting.”
Abroxus walked over to Tutrix and glared at him. “If you wanted me quiet, you only

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A Fury of Fire & Ice Sarah Massey

had to ask.”
“What are you talking about?” Tutrix queried, folding the corner of his book and

placing it on the side table.
“I sat there for hours, perfectly still and quite, and I didn't hear a single peep from

anything except my stomach.”
Tutrix chuckled, “Yeah, I heard that. C'mon, I fill you up with food. And don't worry, I

wasn't trying to get rid of you. Your galdur is probably just shy. Give 'em time.”
Abroxus was still steamed, but he gave in when his stomach growled again.

~48~

A Fury of Fire & Ice Sarah Massey

Chapter 15

The next day, Abroxus tried again to contact his galdur, and once again, he failed.
Abroxus begged Tutrix to let him skip that part and go straight to learning spells, but
he refused to teach Abroxus any spells or charms before he had successfully introduced
himself to his galdur.
Abroxus was becoming impatient, so Tutrix decided to share his deepest secret with
him.
“You see,” he began, “Derry and I, thirty years ago, we drank from the Fountain of
Immortality.” Abroxus couldn't believe it, in fact, he was going to testify, but Tutrix
continued with his story. “It wasn't on purpose, of course. Thirty years ago, Derry and I were
an amazing, adventuring, influencer couple. We caught word of the Fountain of Youth being
near Yggdrasil—the world's capital—and we set off to find it. When we found this legendary
place, we were met by a young boy who claimed to be the guardian of the Fountain. He
claimed to have been five thousand years old, which of course, seemed unbelievable. But
Derry and I managed to pin him down, away from the fountain. He put up a good fight for a
kid, though. The fountain was just a goblet filled to the brim with this magical water. Derry
and I drank it, but just before it hit our lips, the boy cried out a final word of warning, 'If you
drink that,' he said to us, 'this land will become dull to your human eyes, and your words
will cease to have meaning as history repeats its mistakes! Drink that, and your human
greed and hatred, those holes in your hearts, will remain empty!'”
“What happened?” Abroxus asked, now intent on hearing this story through.
“We drank it anyway. We were youngish. But when we drank it, we did not become
young. No, we became immortal. From that day all the way 'till now, Derry and I have not
aged a day, and we never will. We are unable to die, and unable to live.”
“Was he right?” Abroxus looked at Tutrix, confused, “Are you unhappy?”
Tutrix chuckled to himself, “No, no, we're not sad. But I will say for both of us, that
you have made our lives a bit brighter.”
Abroxus flushed red. He didn't know what to say.

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A Fury of Fire & Ice Sarah Massey

“Now, how about you try contacting your galdur again?”
Abroxus groaned. “Can we learn something else—just for today!”
“Alright, but only for today!” Tutrix patted Abroxus's head.
“Right! Thank you, Tutrix!”
Abroxus attempted it three days in a row with no luck. So, as a compromise, Tutrix
taught Abroxus the ins and outs of the “Magic Wheel.”
The Magic Wheel is what most galdur influencers use when figuring out what type of
magic they should learn.
“Just like artists use the Color Wheel, influencers use the Magic Wheel,” Tutrix
described. “The four inner circles are the four basic elements, which can be used as magic
itself.”
Tutrix pulled out an old picture of a Magic Wheel to show to Abroxus. There were
four big circles that overlapped each other and there were two smaller circles
corresponding to their respective element.
On the two smaller circles connected to water were “ICE” and “MIST.” Connected to
fire was “LIGHT” and “LIGHTNING.” Likewise, earth had “LIFE” and “SAND,” and wind had
“SOUND” and “STORM” connected to it.
“It is easiest to learn the magic on the same side and on the opposite side of the
wheel as where your galdur is.” Abroxus gave a confused look. “Meaning, since you have an
ice galdur, it'll be easier for you to learn the types of water and earth magic than it would
be for you to learn fire or wind magic—not to say it's not possible, just difficult.”
After Abroxus asked his questions and gave his comments on the Magic Wheel, Tutrix
told him it was time he tried to contact his galdur again.
Abroxus sat down and went into his quiet place. He stayed there all night and until
noon the next day. Even through all of that, he still couldn't manage to reach his galdur.
Although he was frustrated, Abroxus wasn't about to give up.

~

“Any luck, yet?” Derry asked Tutrix while Abroxus sat crisscrossed on the floor.
“Nope. He can't seem to draw out his galdur with his presence alone. We might have
to try a different tactic.”
“I see. Are you really willing to take him back there just to meet with his galdur?”
“When he gives up, I will, too.”

~

~50~