OBSIDIAN GUARD BOOK 2

POV Valeryen The morning light in the Obsidian Guard never won its territory easily. To reach the tower, the sun had to fight its way past the jagged peaks and the brooding volcano that shadowed the wealth I had nurtured in the valley below. It was fitting; nothing in this city was free while I was growing up, least of all the light. I took a cold delight in the effort the sun had to expend to reach us. It reminded me of myself. From the moment I was born, I had to claw for every inch of ground. I still do, in a way. Actually, thinking about it now, the sun has it easy. It only battles time and topography. I have to battle humans. To make this city mine, I had to dismantle two warring warlords and more rivals than I care to count. I forged the Thanes, a military force now legendary for being as intelligent as they are savage. They were my greatest masterpiece as defense against the constant, hungry threat of takeover. Our prosperity was carved from the earth. We were sought after for the five precious gemstones only this city could yield, stones that act as conduits, amplifying a Weaver's bloodline. I looked down at my hands, remembering the categories that defined our world: Rubies for the Blood Weavers, Obsidian for the Mind, Azure Lapis for the Elemental, and Amethyst for the Spirit. Recently, our mines had even surrendered Jade, a stone capable of honing a Weaver's precision and focus. I leaned my weight against the railing, looking out from the balcony at everything I cherished. My tower sat on the outskirts, its floors constructed of solid obsidian to act as a massive conductor for mental defense. To a Mind Weaver, these floors are an amplifier; to a Blood Weaver like me, they made an impregnable shield against mental attacks. I had built a fortress for my mind, a sanctuary that held even while I slept. The man who taught me to harness the stone had seen those defenses grow firsthand. Unfortunately, he had made the mistake of trying to infiltrate my thoughts one too many times during my training, convinced he was indispensable. He was wrong. Once I had bled his knowledge dry and perfected the walls he could no longer breach, I retired him to the dark of a mine shaft. Unlike him, the rest of my instructors knew their place; they now staff my military schools, molding the next generation into something formidable. They call me a prodigy, the only soul in our history to master all five stones and survive, but that title was bought in red. I have felt my heart stop under the crushing weight of the Azure Lapis. I have felt my spirit nearly drift into the ether under the influence of Amethyst. I have woken up on these very obsidian floors, bleeding from my eyes and ears after that very stone tried to shatter my psyche. Most who attempt to cross bloodlines lose their minds or their lives. I simply refused to let that happen.