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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

The fire grew, but this time it felt more . . . pure. From the inferno, a single tongue of flame the color of silver was rising, and she was in control of it. This time it brought no pain, no sensation of discomfort.

She opened her eyes and smiled. ‘It was silver. I think it worked.’

He returned the smile. ‘Well done. That is enough for today, but now, when you experience the wind, try to imagine it without temperature, without sound. You will feel your mind stretching. It is like mental gymnastics. Heat doesn’t actually require light, but we associate them so much that we think they belong together. Sound can move through metal or water as well as air, but we think of it as carried on the wind. It is about separating and identifying what makes each of the four materia unique.’

‘What else can I practice?’

‘You are eager, but be careful of pushing too hard. For now, sit far enough from a fire that you can look at the flames and imagine them to be cold. This gives you practice with light. The visual representation of the fire – the flames – is separate to the heat, which comes from the coals. Stare up at the moon on a cold night.’ He paused. ‘Then, after allowing your mind some rest, sit close to a fire, shut your eyes, and instead concentrate on the warmth, without light. Strike a copper bell and remember that sound and wind do not need to belong together. Separate. Separate. You understand?’

She nodded.

‘Good. Remember to meditate, and to give yourself time to recover. You have a question?’

‘What you said earlier. The Oracle truly played a part in the destruction of Aleuthea?’

‘Yes, she did. And there may yet be more work to be done.’

10

10

Dion closed his eyes and inhaled deeply; the sea air in Xanthos always smelled like home. Opening his eyes, his city soon came into view as the trireme rounded a headland. He saw the lofty Royal Palace with its gardened terraces standing proud and tall, flying crimson flags that snapped in the breeze. Nearby the bronze hoplite statue outside the Temple of Balal glistened in the bright rays of the sun. The cleft of the river that divided the narrow city into two halves, residential and royal, was hard to make out with so many warships pulled up onto the shore.

As the Liberty approached, a crowd of people waited on the sandy beach to greet their return. His uncle was absent – no doubt busy with one thing or another – but Roxana waited along with a group of sailors, cheering and waving as the Liberty picked a clear patch of shore and executed a series of skillful maneuvers to slot itself neatly between a pair of two smaller biremes.