Adam's Anthology

Fantasy_Sucka.rtf

Chapter 1: Evergarde

The fire blazed a brilliant blue as sparks bloomed in the hazy air. The regular beat of the hammer upon the metal rang out with each hit, making the bar glow bright. The sweltering heat contrasting with the cold winter winds that blew through the open window. The forge seemed to be burning brighter than usual; the metal shaping like butter.

"Cool it down a bit, Asher!" Izabelle commanded, smiling as she struck the metal over and over. She barely blinked, and the firelight sparkled in her warm brown eyes, making her wide grin gleam with joy.

I lowered my hand, and the flames fell slightly, dropping the heat to something more bearable. The fire didn't affect me, in fact, it would be better to heat the forge even higher, if it weren't for Izabelle. She stood back a bit from the blaze, hammering her axe blade out, while I stood with my hands in the fire, sleeves rolled up, moulding a small silver ingot like clay. She moved away, having finished her project, and I finished up mine. A small pendant, made for a necklace, moulded in the shape of a dragon.

I pulled it out, and dunked it in a bowl of water, before placing it next to its counterpart, a large gold griffin pendant.

"Nice piece." Izabelle commented, smiling over at me. She was attaching the axe head to a mahogany handle.

"Not as good as your axe." I murmured. She winked at me, the golden blade gleaming in her hand.

"You go on, go watch the Royals come in. But be back in time to help me forge the Viscount his new sword, ok? Or I'll have you beaten!" She shouted, laughing heartily.

"Please mother! Not the cane!" I smirked.

I referred to Izabelle as 'mother' from time to time as a joke. She wasn't my birth mother, and she didn't pretend to be. She called herself my 'Adult roommate', although she was practically my foster mother. Apparently she'd found me wandering the woods as a child, with no memory of where I'd come from. She named me Asher, as my hair reminded her of some of the flames in her forge. She took good care of me, teaching me to read and write, until she decided I could help her out with the forge. And then my blue flames started appearing, and we became the best blacksmiths in the Southern kingdom, hence the Royal family visiting.

"Good, hurry on up. I've got to go make myself presentable, at least until I get ash all over my dress." She sighed, untying her chocolate brown hair.

I grinned and pushed open the door of the forge, stepping out into the snow.

()

The town of Evergarde wasn't the largest town, and wasn't the smallest either. It was part of the Central Kingdoms; one of the poorer areas of the country, but also one of the most sought after for its vast amount of farmland. So travellers were quite common. The downside to that was the sheer number of battles waged almost annually for the area. At the current time, Evergarde and the surrounding villages were under the control of the South, so soldiers, bards, and merchants were commonplace among the streets. The town itself was rather uniquely built. The buildings were reminiscent of a city, as once the West had tried to build a more Central Trading city for supplies. The stone and wood buildings were built up and out, growing high up into the air and arching over the small cobbled streets below. There were several of these buildings all clustered together, before they became more widespread and condensed the farther from the town centre you went.

I shivered for a moment, rubbing my hands together until a blue flame flowered into being on my palm. It was a power unique to me, as far as I knew; no other magician I'd met could summon blue fire in particular. Normally fire magicians had crimson flames, and the Viscount was famous for his cold black flames, but blue was unique to me. I walked on down the road, but turned the corner to see almost everyone in the village crammed into the tight street, jostling for a good look for when the Royals arrived. I tried to push into the crowd somewhere, but couldn't find a way in without being crushed by the sheer amount of people. I walked back a little, and ducked down a side alley which led onto a field that overlooked the road. I slipped on the ice a little as I climbed the slight incline, grabbing hold of a thin tree as I slipped.