A Collection of Fantasy and Science Fiction Short Stories - Special ...

Aken shook his head and leaned his body against a tree. “They are only
acquaintances,” he said with a dismissive flourish of his hand. “My father would rather
have one of my sisters’ potential husbands inherit his wealth instead of me.”
I moved closer to him, but I was not foolish enough to make myself within his
arms reach. “That can’t be true. You’re his blood, his first and only son.”
“He made it clear to me this evening that he was not pleased with me. He told me
he would soon disown me if I didn’t correct myself.”
For a moment, I could think of nothing to say. Aken was known for his desire to
enjoy life. He went to parties nearly every week, he spent large amounts of his father’s
money on new clothes, and he flirted shamelessly with nearly every woman he saw. Aken
had just reached the age of adulthood a month ago, but Aloshen refused to acknowledge
it, claiming that his son was still a child.
“Well,” I said when I could finally voice something worth saying, “what were you
expecting to do with your life after running away? Do you have anyone to stay with?”
I saw him shrug in the darkness, a gesture that his mother always berated him for.
He really was still a boy in many ways. I spoke again when it became apparent that he
had nothing to say. “Maybe you should think this over and try running away another
time?”
He opened his mouth to speak, but a loud, earthshaking crash stopped him.
We both cried out and turned toward the manor to see that it was being hit by
flying balls of fire. I felt my magic stirring within me and realized that those flames were
not natural, but magic cast by a firewalker, a much stronger one than myself.
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