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Back Copper Chain Save as PDF
Chapters (62)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Dedication
  4. CONTENTS
  5. MAP
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. 54
  60. 55
  61. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  62. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nearly two weeks of listening to the wind passed before Zedo asked her to join him in the academy.

She now promised herself she would follow Zedo’s instructions and learn to control her power. If she succeeded, she would be free to leave and return to Phalesia. If she failed, the headaches would return, and at some point she would die.

Seated across from Chloe, the magus’s gaunt face appeared ghostly in the low light. ‘First, Chloe,’ he said, staring directly at her. ‘Tell me what you know of the four materia.’

‘Gold is light. Silver is wind. Copper is sound. Iron is fire.’

‘Good. What else?’

‘Gold makes people feel devotion, but also greed. Silver can bring clarity, but also confusion. Copper can charm. Iron inspires violence.’

‘Keep going.’

Chloe hesitated. ‘These feelings can be used to summon the power.’

‘No,’ the magus suddenly said sharply. He cut the air with his hand. ‘Your first teacher, if you can call him that, was the descendant of Aleuthean sorcerers. You learned the Aleuthean way, which carries more risk of feedback.’

‘Feedback?’

‘Rather than projecting fire, it is the magus who burns. Rather than creating light, the magus goes blind. The Aleuthean way is not the true path.’

He sighed when he saw her expression.

‘I can see that I am going to have to explain some things. About our magic and the time when, hundreds of years ago, Aleuthea came to dominate the world.’

He looked into her eyes as he spoke.

‘Long ago, when Athos was at the height of its power, and the only sorcerers were those who were taught on this island, a magus named Nisos completed his training and left with our blessing. But Nisos wasn’t content to be the high priest of our temple at Aleuthea. Soon after arriving at his new post, he became restless. He wanted power.’

Zedo paused to let his words sink in.

‘A skilled sorcerer, Nisos offered his services to Aleuthea’s newly crowned king. He revealed our secrets, and the king, a young man named Palemon, was duly impressed.’

Chloe frowned. Her first teacher, Vikram, had said that the Aleutheans were magic users, but he’d never said that they’d stolen the knowledge from somewhere else.