TBC: Chapter One
A man, darkened by lust for power, forgot all current desires of expanding his empire as watched the girl who slept soundly in a large bed before him. Zye Mordán's expression softened as he gazed at the girl's long, curly blonde hair.
The girl, whose face carried a look of innocence, sighed in her sleep and turned her face deeper into the plush pillow that cradled her head.
"You did not retrieve the Libran," a soft voice whispered from a dark corner of the room.
Mordán turned to the cloaked figure emerging from the shadows. "You should not be here, Akila," he replied. "If any of the Council besides Lucian discovers your presence, they will withdraw their support."
"Do not worry, Sire. Remaining in the shadows is one of my talents. I hid for many years after Malik killed my father, after all."
The star witch lowered the hood of her cloak, revealing the long black hair that framed her thin, glowing white face.
She glanced at the girl with her silver-blue, chrome eyes and smiled slyly. "I see that Lesiana is still receptive to my magic."
"Shouldn't she be?" Mordán replied.
Akila gave a small shrug. "Her brother is a light warrior, so there is no way to know."
Mordán sighed in frustration. "I want her to be clear of these spells!"
Akila eyed Mordán closely. "You are forgetting that it was a spell that has kept her here willingly."
He glanced down at Lesiana one more time and sighed. "Follow me," he whispered.
Akila followed Mordán to a hidden opening in the chamber wall that led to a small study. The door shut behind Akila without touch. "The Libran, Sire—where is it?"
Mordán poured himself a drink and faced Akila. "It was not at the Celestine Temple anywhere I searched. Granted, I didn't have the time to rummage through Malik's belongings, but he must have taken or hidden it somehow. Why is it so important for us to have as it is?"
"It is a means of intel for the warriors. Malik uses the book as a tool for gathering vital information for the Order," she responded. "It's not surprising that you did not discover it. I should have gone myself to retrieve it. If it is as important as I suspect, Malik would have cast protective spells over it to keep it hidden."
"I went because I had to make sure that the temple was destroyed." He took a drink of whiskey. "The Vaznaun are getting harder to control. There are not many I can trust."
"Malik recently returned to Gawl Forest, so he is becoming increasingly suspicious.
Mordán's eyes narrowed. "Malik suspects something?"
Akila nodded and walked to a small window that overlooked the temple grounds. "Traces of magic cannot be kept hidden for long from a star wizard as powerful as Malik. He will eventually learn of my presence."
"We must kill him."
"You leave that to me," said Akila calmly. "I promised my mother long ago that Malik would pay for what he did to my father. Besides, your efforts would be wasted. He cannot die by normal means. You must concentrate on destroying the light warriors. Otherwise, you will not succeed in your plan for control."
"As soon as I gather reinforcements from the Nardan armies of the south, I will begin to gain control over the rest of Elsaria. The light warriors will not stand a chance against my forces."
"Your arrogance deceives you, Sire." Akila approached Mordán slowly, her expression turning eerie as the room's soft lights reflected off the blue, tribal markings beneath her eyes. "You forget that power does not necessarily reside in numbers. The warriors must be taken down by means other than external force."
"And how do you propose we do it?" he replied irritably.
"The light warriors draw much of their power from natural energy and the united focus among them, creating a bond that makes their light impenetrable. If you attempt to overpower it externally, the circle simply interlocks and solidifies even more."
He sighed. "I understand that, Akila. What must we do, specifically?"
"You must weaken it in the only other possible way. To destroy a circle of energy, we must—"
Mordán met Akila's gaze.
"—break it from the inside."
***
