Chased By Fire (Book 1) by D.K. Holmberg Page B

world than what you’ve seen. After gaining that perspective if you decide to return, then you won’t ever wonder what else you might have missed.”
    It was the same argument they’d had countless times since his father died. Only now he knew she was a shaper. That changed things for him somehow. “Do you miss shaping the wind?”
    “Sometimes,” she admitted. “It’s been so long that I can’t even call it consistently. That’s how it is with wind shaping.”
    “If I go,” he started, not really thinking he would ever see Ethea, “would you come with me?”
    She patted his hand and sighed. “That’s a journey you must take on your own. If I were to go with you, I’d only hold you back. You can’t worry about your mother when you’re studying at the university.”
    Tan sensed there was more. “You don’t want to go back to Ethea.”
    She smiled. “It’s been so long since I’ve been in Ethea that I’m not sure I do. I’m a different person now. Not the shaper I was when I last was there. Everything would be different for me.”
    Tan nodded. “And Roine? Who was he when you were there?”
    Some of the softness to her face faded. “It doesn’t matter who he was then. It matters who he is now. And he’s Athan to the king. He speaks with his voice.”
    “That’s not how you knew him.”
    She shook her head. “No. He went by a different name then. But as Athan, you need to lead him where he needs to go as quickly as possible. After that, you can decide what you’ll do. Stay or go on to Ethea. If you stay, you’ll have to begin thinking about what you will do next. You can’t stay living in the servants’ quarters. Lind has allowed it for this long, but I doubt he will permit it forever. Serve your king now, but prepare for a decision.”
    Tan nodded slowly. “I will help Roine.”  
    He sensed she wanted him to say more, but he wasn’t willing to. Not to commit to going to Ethea as she wanted. That meant serving the king. But suddenly the idea of staying in Nor became less appealing. What would he do if he stayed?
    She stood and pulled him into a tight hug. “Travel safe, Tan. If Roine is right and Incendin seeks the same item as him, there could be more danger than you know.”
    “I’ll bring my bow.”
    She smiled and nodded. “That’ll be good. But always listen. Trust the lessons your father taught you. If something seems amiss…run. Don’t try to fight off the hounds on your own.”
    There was a weight to her words. “You’ve faced the hounds before.”
    She flicked her eyes toward the mountains and nodded. “They are dangerous. Like so much else in Incendin, they are deadly. Bred to hunt and kill. Don’t try to face even one.” She took his hands. “And if their masters appear, do all you can to escape.”
    “Their masters?”  
    She shook her head and smiled. “A warning is all. As far as I know, the barrier still stands. Roine would have said if it were otherwise.”
    Another low howl echoed high up in the mountains. It ended abruptly.  
    Tan listened for it to return, sensing the forest, but the distance was too great for him to hear anything other than silence.
    After what had happened yesterday, it was the silence that worried him.

CHAPTER 11
Shattered Wagons

    Morning came quickly.
    After the conversation with his mother, Tan rested little that night. He tossed and turned, dreams of his mother shaping interrupting his sleep. At one point he awoke in a cold sweat, wondering why she hadn’t been summoned for the king instead of his father. Another question for later, he realized.  
    A soft knock on his door woke him from sleep. He stumbled out of bed and pulled it open. Roine looked back at him, his deep blue eyes crisp and alert. His silver hair was slicked back atop his head. The short sword hung at his side. A tightly packed bag was slung over one shoulder. He studied Tan for a moment before realization dawned on his face.
    “She told you.”
    Tan didn’t