Read Firebrand for Free Online Page B

I swear it.”
    Kaijin nodded. “Good. Now what is it?”
    “What does this say?” Rorick pointed to one of the words in his book.
    A brief glance of the term seemed to be all that Kaijin needed to reply. “Somatic.”
    “What is that?”
    Kaijin pointed to the definition beside the word. “Well, it says here, ‘of the body, specifically the use of the hands as a component of spells.’ Now do you understand?”
    Rorick followed along with his brother’s reading and slowly nodded. “You’re a good teacher, big brother. I wish Master would let you help me.”
    Kaijin smiled apologetically. He skimmed over a few more terms in the book. “I learned to read this stuff before you were born, Rorick.” He cast a quick glance at the door before scooting closer to Rorick. “Let’s look at this word. Read each syllable slowly.” He pointed.
    Rorick let out a small gasp. He’s really going to help me! Containing his excitement, he concentrated on the word and attempted to read each syllable aloud. “En ... chant ... ment.”
    “That’s very good, Rorick! You read it all by yourself!”
    Rorick beamed. Even he was surprised by his own efforts. “I did!”
    Kaijin helped Rorick with more words for several minutes. When Rorick felt a little more confident, Kaijin let him alone to continue.
    Rorick watched Kaijin resume his writing. Arching his brow, he asked, “Kaijin, did you really accidentally burn your hands on the candle?”
    The question seemed to take Kaijin by surprise. “I, uh ... of course I did. I couldn’t sleep with the light from the candle, so I tried to move it, and—”
    “But didn’t it hurt really, really bad?” Rorick widened his eyes. “I remember a long time ago when I got burned. It hurt so bad I couldn’t feel my fingers.”
    Kaijin tried to smile. “It hurts, but ... well ... it’s not so bad now, I guess.” He paused and examined his scorched fingertips. The skin blistered and flaked in some spots, and a small amount of thick, yellowish liquid oozed from one of the open wounds.
    “Why do you like fire so much, big brother?”
    Kaijin paused, appearing deep in thought about something and then gave him a light shrug. “I don’t know, Rorick. Why do you like lizards?”
    “Lizards are fun to play with.” Rorick simpered. “They’re tiny and scaly, and they don’t hurt like fire does.”
    Kaijin smiled. “Well, fire is fun to play with. Sometimes it’s not tiny, it’s never scaly, and sometimes it doesn’t hurt that bad.”
    Rorick chortled. “Papa always says you’re strange ’cause you like playing with fire.”
    “Yeah. I know.” Kaijin’s smile quickly faded, and he glanced down at his report. “Look, let’s get back to our assignments, all right? I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Try your best with reading those terms and definitions, Rorick. Remember, practice makes perfect.”
    Rorick smiled sheepishly and slumped down in his chair. His eyes scanned the pages of the book while his mind pondered his brother’s words.
     
    *  *  *
     
    The boys broke for lunch a few hours later. Kaijin was the first to make his way to the kitchen, followed by Rorick, who dragged his feet, exhausted.
    Once the boys were seated, Jarial set a plate of mixed fruit slices in the center of the table. “How are those assignments coming, lads?”
    Rorick reached for a large, juicy apple slice and stuffed it in his mouth, ensuring that he wouldn’t be the first to speak. Rorick eyed his brother expectantly, his cheeks bulging with apple.
    “I’m working on my report now, Master.” Kaijin grinned. “It’s such an amazing book. I didn’t realize there were so many different types of magic.”
    Jarial nodded and took a long sip of cider from his mug, hiding his amused smile. “Over time, as your lessons progress, you’ll learn how to manipulate the different forms of magic.”
    “How long will it take, Master?” Kaijin helped himself to some pear slices.
    Jarial