The Beast Within

CHAPTER FIFTY

Adrik called it, as usual, Ceraun felt his limbs go on high alert, his mind's eye focused on one thing, winning.

Auris soon faded from his sight as well as the terrain around them, all he could see was the rock in the distance.

He mapped out the fastest path to the rock with his instincts, his body primed for the race, he had to win this time.

The race began, Ceraun gritted his teeth together with the amount of energy he was putting into running that fast.

Auris was right beside him as usual, running with ease, her hair streaming behind her but he paid her no mind, barely remembering her presence.

They kept up with each other till they got to the rock and went around it, it was the return journey that decided the race.

One last spurt of speed from Ceraun and he was in the lead, getting to where Adrik and Haneul were seated moments before Auris flounced over.

Yelling in excitement, he pumped his fists in the air, jumping around.

He was the only one impressed with his victory however and perhaps Auris, she was amazed at his determination, no matter how many times she outran him, he kept insisting that they race one more time.

The others were relieved that finally he was going to give up on racing Auris and they could actually get some proper training done.

They had perhaps a couple of hours till the time came when they left for the town but no one was particularly interested in training, all perched quietly against boulders.

It was in this silence that Ceraun glanced in the direction of the town and frowned, he could see something suspicious in the distance, something gleaming but it was so far away he was surprised how he even caught sight of it.

"Adrik?" He called to the other, still staring intently at what has caught his eye.

Adrik looked up from where he was doodling on the ground. "What?"

"What is that?' He pointed in the direction of the gleam.

Adrik used his eyes to follow Ceraun's hand but saw nothing. "What is what?"

"That gleam, can you not see it?" He asked with a strange edge of desperation in his voice.

This attracted the attention of the others and everyone glanced at where he was so furtively pointing at but still claimed to see nothing.

"Use your bloody magic, Adrik." He growled at the other.

With patience that was long exhausted for the day, Adrik used his Anatomy Magic to enhance his eyesight.

He could still see nothing until he used his magic to its limit, then he saw the gleam that Ceraun had been claiming to see as well as the source of it.

Adrik jumped to his feet in shock, a curse falling from his lips as he kept his eyes fixed on the unmistakable figure of… Ceraun's mother.

Ceraun did the same, he could recognize that familiar glow sure as if there was an answering glow deep in his soul but he needed to be sure, that glow should not be here.

"What is it? Who is there?" Ceraun asked impatiently, eyeing up Adrik.

Adrik refused to take his eyes off Ceraun's mother, his words clogging up his throat.

"It is my mother, isn't it?" He asked in a toneless voice.

The shock expressive on Adrik's face as he glanced at Ceraun’s face was enough to confirm his question.

Before Adrik could reply, Ceraun was already long gone, running faster than he did when he was racing with Auris.

Adrik broke out into a run, a confused Haneul and Auris following after.

Ceraun had known the instant he saw the gleam that it was his mother's magic, his heart ran even faster than he did, why would his mother be using her magic in broad daylight so carelessly?

Adrik was still marvelling, how had Ceraun seen the blue fire? It was not night, neither was the magic bright, he had barely seen it himself, not till Ceraun's mother came into view.

That was the least of his worries, Ceraun's mother has not only been wielding her magic, she was also clutching bloody and torn robes as well as being covered in blood.

Haneul and Auris knew not to ask questions, they would find out soon enough what was wrong anyways.

Ceraun felt the ground jar under his feet with each step, the world tilting and twisting around him.

He saw his mother at the same moment that she saw him, they both froze up for a split second.

Tes stopped, her strength failing her when she saw the raw pain on her son’s face as their eyes met.

Ceraun ran forward, catching his mother just as she was about to fall to the ground, uncaring that her fire was still burning bright, her magic had never hurt him before, it was not going to start to do so now.

They both crumbled slowly to the ground, Tes placing her head on her son’s well-formed shoulders, tears slipping freely from the sides of her eyes as her shoulders shook.

Ceraun held his mother together for there was no one else to do it.

"Ceraun?" Tes called weakly, her voice feather soft and rough. "Elec is dead."

Ceraun's hold on his mother tightened, he barely ever heard his mother refer to his father by his name but he knew it well enough.

Firstly, he went numb and then a cold fire started in his middle, what he wanted to do then more than anything else was storm into the town, head for the gate and burn down the non-Mage settlements to the ground.

But he could not do that, he wanted his mother safe, he wanted to kill them all, that would ease his rage at the moment but it would not be enough, it would never be enough and yet still he would be dead before he got satisfied.

So he held his mother as her crying got more intense, his heart cracking when her sobbing tapered into a wail typical of women from Coldmaw.

Her wail was harsh and ugly, just like everything else in their life.

Ceraun's panic was expressive in his black eyes when fresh blood spilled from his mother's mouth with each wail she let out but he could not stop her, he also wanted to wail but his voice was trapped in his throat.

The rest ran up at this moment, standing frozen on the fringes of a tragedy that affected them deeply but they could not partake of.