The Paragon

Chapter Ten

When Phoenix ended training that day—a bit earlier than normal—I stayed behind in the room. He didn't object; rather he seemed lost in his own thoughts as he left. I had a feeling I wouldn't be seeing him at dinner. Was he just considering all the new training we had ahead of us now, or was it something more?

At any rate, I stood at the table, still staring at the candle. We'd practiced more extensively, still on the same trick. I'd managed to light several more candles, though those were blown out now. Only one was left burning, a simple and clean bouncing flame.

That flame was proof—I could do this. Lighting it seemed to have unleashed something in me, showing me exactly what I hadn't been noticing properly before. There was this hum all around me, the tiniest vibration on my skin. I could feel the energy of the world around me. It was like I could touch it, if not with my hands, then with my mind.

It was fascinating how enthralled I was with it—I could never have watched a candle flickering for more than a few seconds before. But now, I couldn't take my eyes off of it.

Now that I had done this though, what was next? That question slammed into my mind quickly and without warning. Obviously, I'd need to learn more than just a flame trick, but now that I could feel it and understand it, the task didn't seem as monumental as before. In fact, I almost felt confident about my ability to learn magic now. But what did they expect me to do once all the training was over and I was actually a fully-realized Paragon?

I'd not spent a lot of time thinking on that, having been too worried about the short term. But there was a reason they had bowed and looked at me like a queen and spoken about me in terms of grandeur. There was a reason the people had cried and cheered when Maric had spoken about me my first day here, treating me like a hero—the Paragon was meant to be one.

With a quick exhalation of breath, I extinguished the candle. I didn't bother to put anything in the room away, simply left and walked down the hall. If there was ever a person I wanted to ask these questions it was Phoenix; somehow, though, I had a feeling he didn't want to be disturbed. Still, he wasn't the only person in this fortress who could answer me—and if I remembered correctly there was actually an entire group of people meant to be dedicated to helping me.

It didn't take long for me to find my way back to the Hub. I let myself into the waiting area in the center column and asked the wide-eyed girl at the desk if the council was in session—when she said they were, I thanked her and made my way towards the elevator.

"Wait!" she called out, and I looked back. She seemed almost terrified to address me. "I have to ask them if they can receive you first—they're in the middle of important business."

"I'm the Paragon," I pointed out, looking away from her to press the call button for the elevator. It was already here, and the doors opened immediately. I stepped inside. "Somehow, I don't think I need permission."

The young woman nodded. "Of course, Paragon," she said, though I could see her frantically typing a message on her keyboard as the elevator doors closed. I sighed, taking the time of the elevator's ride up to collect my thoughts a bit more, and then quickly found myself inside the council chamber.

Every head in the room looked up. I swallowed almost nervously at their eyes on me, and looked towards the center of the table instead, at the holographic display. A map of what looked like the continent, with red dots indicating certain locations on it. What was their 'important business' they were discussing? "Imogen," Maric said, grabbing my attention again as he rose from his place at the table. "To what do we owe this unexpected pleasure?"

I cleared my throat. "I can make fire," I said, and for good measure held my hand out. Using what I'd done before, I brought a tiny ball of flame to life in my palm, allowing it to smoke out after only a few seconds.