Hidden Power by Tracy Lane Page A

My power!”
    Long after his minions had left, scouring north, south, east and west in pursuit of the squire, the girl and the Orb, Kronos remained in the barn, picturing a darker world, picturing his world, where the light mages cowered like rats in the corner, and humans served the dark mages like steeds under a heavy plow.

21

    Aurora clung tight to the straps over her shoulders and peered into the darkness that stretched before her, as far as the eyes could see. Her ears were attuned to these woods. They were, after all, her backyard. She heard nothing, sensed nothing, smelled nothing.
    “I think it’s safe to make a fire,” she said, Kayne lingering closely at her side. He seemed tense and uncertain in this new environment, eying her carefully in the little bit of moonlight that filtered through the treetops above to splash across his handsome face.
    “I’m worried about what’s following us,” he said, looking behind him as if for emphasis. 
    “You keep saying that,” she sighed, worn from the day as well. “But I haven’t seen anything all day.”
    He nodded in agreement. “That doesn’t mean they’re not out there,” he said, turning back to face her. 
    She nodded, listening once more to the eerie silence that filled the dark, thick woods. They’d walked all day and well into the night, making steady progress despite Kayne’s insistence on stopping every few hours to listen for these “minions” he was so concerned about.
    She had no doubt that Kayne’s fear was grounded in reality. What little she’d seen of Ythulia and the mages who lived there had convinced her that not only was magic real, but it could be dangerous. At the same time, she was a child of Synurgus, the planet Below that the mages had sworn to protect and serve eons ago.
    That meant she was born of flesh and blood, raised in these very woods, accustomed to the sounds and smells that filled her every waking hour. Despite his magical training, Aurora could see things Kayne could not. At least here, so near her home.
    In Mage City, he might have been on familiar ground. The land Below was her turf, and she had vowed to make it home alive, no matter the cost to herself.
    She turned to him then, so close to each other their noses were almost touching. “If these minions are created of magic, then shouldn’t they be able to sense us with or without a fire?”
    He chuckled dryly, inching backward so that they could see each other better. “I suppose you’re right.”
    “Good then.” She shook her head, bending low to the ground in search of twigs and branches to start, then feed, a healthy fire to beat back the darkness. “I was afraid we’d be sitting in the dark all night, freezing to death before his minions could find us.”
    Kayne grunted. “That might be a preferable death than the one Kronos has in store for us, Aurora.”
    “Thanks,” she chuckled, shaking her head. “You really know how to rally the troops.”
    She wasted little time after that, foraging for kindling close to their camp as he prepared a small space in the middle of the small clearing she’d scouted for them. 
    When at last there was enough wood to last the night stacked by the small triangle of kindling she’d foraged, she knelt to her work, smashing two flint stones until sparks lit the night.
    She heard footsteps and turned, finding Kayne leaning down beside her. She smiled to herself—spooked by her own traveling companion. So much for knowing the land Below like the back of her hand!
    “Here,” he offered, holding out an empty palm. “Let me try a quieter, quicker way.”
    His palm extended, Kayne let down the hood of his white cloak and focused his attention on the center of his hand. Beside her, Aurora felt the ripple of energy snake through her body, the way her shuffling feet sometimes built up static electricity in the winter. 
    “Kronos has been teaching me this spell for the last few weeks,” Kayne explained as the hairs on the