CHAPTER 1

Ben had come to cherish the stillness of the pre-dawn morning at Plasmos.Despite the winter's chilling bite, he rose each day, before necessary, toenjoy a few, brief moments of peace. Goran, ever-vigilant, joined himin the waning moonlight and long shadows at the edge of his platform.Below them, the moon's pale luster shone upon the fresh blankets ofsnow. The mountain lay dormant, utterly content to savor the warmth ofits hearths rather than brave the bitterness of winter. The sun would soonrise behind them and stir the tranquility back to life. Today was a day ofgreat importance, but Ben could not help wishing that time would granthim an extension to his reprieve; that it would freeze like the banks of theriver below. Regrettably, like most of nature's divinity, no such alterationswere possible.

Being Champion of the Elemental Tournament had certainly come withperks. Each morning, despite his lowly rank, the senior most members of hisElemental kin stationed at Plasmos would escort him to the head of the linein the Mess Hall. Ben could not help but marvel at the smiles of his brethrenas he passed through the throng each day. The Lightning Elementalsembraced him as a brother, as one of their own. The Quartermaster andKnowledge Ming both considered him advanced enough, as comparedto his fellow rank mates, that he had been excused from any formaltraining until such time as his broken clavicle was sufficiently healed. Itwas as though Lord Furion Roth himself had ordered that Ben be left tohis own devices and undisturbed by the general comings and goings ofthe mountain stronghold.

Ben had made the most of the fortuitous situation. He rested in his quartersduring the day to make up for the long flights each night from Haven toPlasmos. Brielle Connor was worth it. The touch of her hand, the scent ofher skin, and the taste of her lips were worth any bodily or mental fatigue.He would forgo sleep for the rest of his life if it meant he could spend thetime with her. As Ben stood in the frozen silence, his mind returned to theshores of Haven once more. He could feel the warmth of her embrace andsee the desperate, passionate love radiating from her penetrating, blueeyes. The cadence of her heart beating powerfully enough that he couldfeel it through her military tunic echoed like a cascading soundtrack to hismemories. Together, they had lived out the fantasy of Ben's letter for thebetter part of two perfect weeks. Today, everything would change andBen desperately wished the continuation of his destiny could just wait afew more nights. As they clung to one another beneath the setting sun ofthe previous day, they had both known it would wait no longer.

Ben sighed audibly as he slipped back into the present. The wisps of hisbreath curled away into the lingering darkness. The cold sting upon hischeek bones would soon force him to retreat to the waiting fireside. Hepatted the chest feathers of his stalwart companion apologetically before,at last, turning toward his quarters to obey the steady aching from his leftshoulder. Today, he would officially be welcomed into the fighting ranksof the storied Elemental tradition of Hyperion, and still, he could wish fornothing else than the postponement of such a welcome. His heart wasconsumed elsewhere.

Once at his fireside table, basking in the glow of the ember coals andpurple-hued blood of the mountain alike, Ben took up his symbol guide.This symbol was complex by its very design. As he scanned it again, forthe tenth time, searching out any remaining details previously unnoticed,he was finally satisfied with his ability to master it within his mind's eye.The all too familiar itch at the fringes of his consciousness alerted him ofthe impending telepathic communication. Ben could scarcely recall thetime when others could break freely into his mind with their thoughts.Since coming to Hyperion, his defenses had strengthened, like the restof his classmates from the surface realm, such that now, none werepermitted into his mind without his direct consent. The pleasant voice of abroadcaster entered his thoughts as he permitted it.

"Sir Meaks, Furion Roth summons you to the Parade Grounds immediately."

The communication cut off as abruptly as it began, and Ben focused thesymbol, despite its complexity, with ease to his mind's eye. He let it danceabout there while slowly unraveling the linen sling from around his neck andleft forearm, before letting the symbol slip again from his consciousness.Though far from healed, he had decided that his first marshalling with theElemental Battalions called for a show of strength. He would manage thepain to preserve his honor. As the sling slipped gently to the floor, Ben exitedhis quarters once more. Goran was waiting for him. Ben mounted, Goranthrust them aloft, and a brief moment held in the clutches of space and timelater, he dismounted his mighty companion upon the grassy hill of Haven.

"Enjoy yourself, but don't stray too far. I'll return for you when I'm allowedto."

Ben ruffled the slate-grey feathers above Goran's golden left eye beforehe locked the Parade Ground's symbol firmly in the center of his mentalvision. The rushing wind filled his ears as the corresponding, brilliant lightsoverran his vision. His destiny would indeed wait no longer.

The crisp air of the morning stuck briefly in his nostrils upon arrival.Automatically, Ben levitated away from the teleportation symbol beforetaking stock of his new surroundings so as not to disrupt the arrival of hisbrethren. When he reached the white, stone railing of the arrival platform,the slow smile of pride spread across his face. Arrayed before him, belowthe arrival platform, were the gathering Elemental Battalions in all theirglory. Thousands of warriors, moving with grace and purpose amid theseemingly chaotic mass of humanity, were slowly bringing formation anddiscipline to the scene. Ben marveled at the display of his new kin. Headsof brilliantly-shaded hair rested upon shoulders adorned with the crispmilitary tunics of their Academies. Each subtle shift of the crowd produceda new painting of breathtaking color and form. Ben savored the moment.

A hundred yards to his right, the Council's platform rose up from the massivestone base of the Parade Grounds. A single, imposing, carved-stone seatstood before the immaculately crafted sculptures of Avan heads fromeach mighty lineage. Ben felt a tinge of regret that Goran was not withhim to experience these hallowed grounds. His mighty companion was asdeserving of these sights as Ben.

Ben forced himself away from the impressive landscape view and joinedthe procession of his fellow Elementals to the grounds below. Once henavigated the spiraling ramp to its base, the daunting spectacle thathad appeared graceful from above took on a new light. Everywhere helooked, men and women levitated with what appeared to be random,listless directionality. Ben was helpless but to follow the ebb and flow ofthe human tide. He managed to locate a white head of hair, his kinsmanfrom Plasmos, and latched onto the man visually, navigating the crowd inhis wake. With painstaking precision, the man waded through the massesand, at last, settled shoulder-to-shoulder beside a young woman withsandy-blonde, white-streaked hair. Ben took up a position in silence onthe man's other shoulder.

The minutes drifted by them upon the bobbing heads of the multitudesuntil, finally, the morning was still and the Battalions, arranged in longcolumns ten...