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She was in his e and perilous world A terribly frighteningworld, but one that was full of stark beauty
Everything was angles, as if she’d fallen into theheart of a giant crystal Everything glittered, coldand clear and sharp There were flashes of color aslight shi transparency in every direction Like the fractured ice of a glacier
Really dangerous,Maggie thought The spikes of crystal around her had edges like swords The place looked as if it had never knoarht to Delos
Go awayDelos’s answering thought cagie said You can’t scare laciers beforeIt was then that she realized whatthis place reminded her of A summit The bareand icy top of a mountain where no plants-andcertainly no people-could survive
But didn’tanything goodever happen to you? shewondered Didn’t you ever have a friendor apet or so?
No friends,he said shortly No pets Get out of here before I hurt you
Maggie didn’t answer, because even as he said itthings were changing around her It was as if the glinting surfaces of the nearby crystals were suddenly reflecting scenes, perfect little pictures withpeople ie lookedat one, it swelled up and seemed to surround her
They were hisbits ofhis childhood
She saw a child who had been treated as aweapon from the time he was born It was all aboutsoatheredaround a little boy, four years old, whose blacklashed golden eyes ide and frightened
"No question about it," the oldest ie realized, the knowledge flowing to her because Delos knew it, and shewas in Delos’s mind
"This child is one of the Wild Powers," theteacher said, and his voice was full of awe andfear His tre hands sie saw it she knew that the scroll was terribly old and had been keptin the Dark Kingdom for centuries, preserved hereeven when it was lost to the outside world
"Four Wild Powers," the old man said, "illbe needed at the millennium to save the world-or-to destroy it The prophecy tells where they willcos long forgotten; One from the hearth which still holds the spark; One fro; One froht to be one with the dark",
The child Delos looked around the circle of gritheotten,"’ a as saying "That dom"
"Besides, we’ve seen what he can do," a big ht The bluefire is in his blood He’s learned to use it too early, though; he can’t control it See?"
He grabbed a small arers clawed and stiff, immobile
The little boy tried to pull his hand away, but hewas too weak The adults ignored hi wants us to find spells to hold thepower in," the woe hi us," the rough hed harshly
The little boy sat stiff and olden eyes were dryand his sive in to tears
That’s awful,Maggie said indignantly, aiht at the Delos of the present It’s a terrible way to grow up Wasn’t there anybody who cared about you? Your father?
Goaway, he said I don’t need your sy the cold eht Is that what happens toitwhen you use the blue fire?
He didn’t answer, not in a thought directed ather But another ie found herself drawn into it
She saw a five-year-old Delos with his armwrapped in what looked like splints or a brace Asshe looked at it, she kneasn’t just a brace It was made of spells and wards to confine the blue fire
"This is it," the wo to the circle of men "We can controlhim completely"
"Are you sure? You witches are careless sometimes You’re sure he can’t use it at all now?" Theman who said it was tall, with a chilly, austereface-and yellow eyes like Delos’s
Your father,Maggie said wonderingly to Delos And his nao on, but she was thinking that he didn’tlookfather He seemed just likethe others
"Until I remove the wards, he can’t use it at allI’m sure, majesty" The woie felt a little shockHearing so, soer they’re left on, the weaker he’ll be,"
the woman continued "And hecan’t take them offhimself But I can, at any time - "
"And then he’ll still be useful as a weapon?" "Yes But blood has to run before he can use the blue fire"
The king said brusquely, "Show me"
The woman murmured a feords and strippedthe brace off the boy’s arm She took a knife frorandash on his wrist
Five-year-old Delos didn’t flinch or olden eyes were fixed on his father’s faceas blood dripped onto the floor
"I don’t think this is a good idea," the old teachersaid "The blue fire isn’t es his ar interrupted, ignoring hi to the child for the first ti you are, son Turn the blue fire on " He glanced up deliberately at the teacher "Let’ssay-hiainstthe wall
The golden eyes ide and afraid
"Do it!" the king said sharply, and when the littleboy shook his head ie could see his fingerstighten painfully "Do what I tell you Now!" Delos turned his wide golden eyes on the oldhands held up as if to ward off a blow
The king changed his grip, lifted the boy’s arm
"Now, brat! Now!"
Blue fire erupted It poured in a continuousstreah-power fire hoseIt struck the old ainstthe wall, his eyes and mouth open with horror Andthen there was no old man There was only a shad owy silhouettesaid, dropping the boy’sarer had disappeared as quicklyasithad coht there would beht take out the wall"
"Give hihtlythick, and she ing over and over
"Well, no turned to look at the others in the roo Theend of the millennium means the end of the worldBut whatever happens outside, this kingdohout all of this, the little boy sat andstared at the place where the old e and fixed Hisface hite, but without expression
Maggie struggled to breathe
That’s-that’s theet the words of her thought out Theymade you kill your teacher-he made you do it Yourfather She didn’t knohat to say Sheturned blindly, trying to find Delos hi to talk to him directlyShe wanted to look at him, to hold him To corow uplike that
Don’t be stupid,he said I grew up to be strongThat’s what counts
You greithout anyone loving you,Maggiesaid
He sent a thought like ice Love is for weak people It’s a delusion And it can be deadly
Maggie didn’t kno to answer She wanted to shake him All that stuff about the end of the millennium and the end of the world-what did that mean?
Exactly what it sounded like,Delos said briefly The prophecies are co true The world o f hu ht People are going to rule again
And that’s why they turned a five-year-old into alethal weapon? Maggie wondered The thoughtwasn’t for Delos, but she could feel that he heard it