Page 100 of Axis of Fire

The room filled with the sound of our breathing.

And the ache spreading through my chest.

Before it could crush me completely, I forced myself to change the subject.

“Is Tarven part of the Strongest Twelve too?”

“We walked that road together.”

I watched his body slowly relax again.

“He’s been in the academy since he was fifteen. His powers awakened too early as well.”

“And what’s his magic?”

“Earth.”

Airis glanced at me briefly.

“The strongest earth mage among them.”

I fell silent, turning onto my back as I thought over what Aars had told me earlier—that Airis was bound to the wind harpy, yet somehow represented Istarus.

And that the energy-being who created Istarus didn’t hide like the others.

Which meant that being had to be connected to someone too.

Just not the world’s representative.

Or maybe there could be more than one representative?

“Can there only be one representative per world?” I asked carefully.

“Yes,” Airis answered.

“Why?”

“How can a mage bound to a wind harpy represent Istarus?” I asked quietly.

Silence.

Everything happened instantly.

I didn’t even have time to blink before I found myself staring into Airis’s burning gaze as he loomed over me.

A cold dagger blade pressed against my throat.

I shouldn’t have asked.

But I realized that far too late.

Chapter 8.1

From the POV of a Hidden Character

The sound of the piano filled the small room, each note flowing flawlessly beneath my fingers.

Anyone who heard it could never remain indifferent.