She now knew. Palemon didn’t want the riches of the eldran homeland. He wanted the children of Sindara. Marrix and his people had been fighting for their freedom . . . For their very existence.

‘Nisos finally solved the problem. He found a way to enthrall a dragon in the grip of magical chains. The strongest fighters and most powerful sorcerers became riders of dragons, each worth a thousand men on the battlefield, able to roam the length and breadth of the Aleuthean Empire, which they called their Realm. Palemon captured as many eldren as he could, warring against their entire race, driving them to either flee their homeland or fight until they turned wild. Marrix fought back, but it was only after he’d lost everything that he managed to destroy Aleuthea.’

The magus again met Chloe’s eyes.

‘The Oracle helped Marrix to do it.’

Chloe drew back, surprised.

Zedo continued. ‘What you and I think of as solid ground is actually a thin crust with molten fire below it. Beneath Aleuthea was a dangerous seam, a place of special sensitivity. The Oracle saw the future and discovered that in a thousand years nature would take its course, the seam would fracture, and the island would topple. By giving this knowledge to Marrix, she brought that future forward, and helped bring about the end of Palemon’s reign.’

His lips thinned. ‘By then the Aleutheans had conquered Athos and torn down our temples. We once had a thriving settlement here; now it is as you see it. But that isn’t why the Oracle acted as she did. After the fall of Sindara, the dragons in captivity eventually died, until Palemon had no more. He began to lose control of his empire. In desperation, he turned to Nisos.

‘The archmagus, now an old man, studied the Wellspring in Cinder Fen, and the Source here at Athos. As the far-flung reaches of the Realm began to revolt, he found a solution to his king’s problem. It took the form of a powerful artifact, but an artifact with a fatal flaw. The Oracle saw that it had the potential to destroy the world. It was then that she sought out Marrix, and told him how he could have his vengeance, consigning Aleuthea to the depths of the sea.’

The priest of Athos smiled grimly.

‘So, there is the Aleuthean way, and the true path. We teach that you must be in complete control of your power; it must rise up of its own accord. You must meditate regularly in order to keep it quelled. And only when you have learned to make the fire inside you go cold, will you be able to leave this island, with a reasonable chance that it won’t kill you.’

Chloe took a deep breath and then nodded. She promised herself she would learn.