Read The Ranger (Book 1) for Free Online

presentation.” Auna announced calmly. “There are two tokens which are so rare that only a handful of knights are privileged to hold. The Token of Water has not been instructed in this Academy since the fall of the Kingdom of Pallà, although there are a select few who have gained its mastery through other means. For this reason, the Token of Water will not be demonstrated tonight.
    “The other token, the Token of Fire, is equally rare. It has been many centuries since this academy has had the privilege of witnessing the presentation of the token of fire. It is therefore obvious that finding masters of the token to demonstrate it might be difficult, however, we are fortunate to have Master Jason Silva with us tonight, who will assist me in demonstrating the potential of the Token of Fire.”
    To Vincent’s surprise, the man in black who had accompanied Abbot Markov rose to his feet and joined Auna on the field. The man had a cold air about him, his face was completely expressionless. The crowd grew deathly silent in anticipation of what was surely to be a memorable experience. The token of fire was now used by only a handful of people making this demonstration a true rarity.
    Master Auna and the man in black saluted each other in the customary manner. Their gloved hands already glowed deep red. The aura seemed to roll like flames, licking at their sleeves. The torches around the field suddenly erupted into white flames which rose into the air and shot toward the motionless men. The flames stopped in a tight ring around the two. They each reached up and grabbed a ball of fire from the air. An excited smile was growing on Auna’s face.
    “Begin.”
    They each sent their ball flying at the other at lightning speeds, and to Vincent’s surprise, they both dodged, bending in ways Vincent didn’t think possible. As their bodies contorted to dodge the flames they each managed to grab another ball and send it flying. It looked like an extremely precise dance as they moved in perfect harmony with the whirling flames. Vincent could see the excitement growing on Master Auna’s face, the strange light in his eyes growing brighter and brighter.
    Suddenly, Auna grabbed a ball of fire and pulled it into himself, forming armour. The man in black did the same. The white flames elongated from their hands, creating swords from the roaring fire.  They both jumped into the air, unnaturally high, and met in a fiery ball. They moved faster than Vincent could follow with his eyes. Blades whirled with deadly accuracy, yet each strike was always met with a parrying blow.
    They jumped apart, landing at opposite ends of the field. Raising their hands into the air they started to create enormous balls of flame that grew bigger and bigger, as they laughed maniacally. Heat was pouring off the balls, washing over the crowd, and it was growing more and more intense by the second.
    “Jerome! That’s enough.”
    The balls of fire puffed out and with them went the heat as the two turned to look at Abbot Markov, who was now standing.
    “Forgive me, Lord Abbot,” Auna said breathlessly, “I got carried away.”
    “See that it doesn’t happen again.” The Abbot said softly, a dangerous edge in his voice.
    “Yes, well,” Auna flustered, “we will now have the last presentation of an initiate, Vincent Alexander.” Auna returned to his seat to catch his breath.
    Vincent took a deep calming breath before striding forward. As he took his place, the same familiar energy flowed through his body gathering in his hands which took on a red aura. He closed his eyes. The flames of the twelve torches around the field glowed through the darkness, in his mind. It was an awe inspiring sensation. He could tell exactly how far apart each flame was, as though he were looking at them with his natural eye. He grabbed hold of the lights with his token and guided them with his hands until they all formed one giant ball of flame above his head.
    He opened his eyes as