Mathieu (White Flame Trilogy) - By Paula Flumerfelt Page 0,128

body was far too interested in what those lips could do, not what they could say.

~*~

Yawning, Mathieu cuddled against the blond next to him, placing a kiss on Solomon’s ribs. Politely, no one had disturbed them for what he was sure were the past twenty-four hours.

Solomon ran his fingers through Mathieu’s hair. “Now can we talk?”

“Don’t get all mushy on me. I get it, Solomon. And as long as you don’t do something stupid, like freeze me out again, then I’m pretty sure things will be just fine. I don’t plan to go anywhere. Do you?” Mathieu asked.

“No, no I don’t.”

Chapter

Nineteen

“Okay, you two. Get your asses up. Seriously. Mathieu, you have work to do. And Solomon…well, you have to surrender our leader.” Jo’s hands were on his hips while he stood at the end of the bed, having woken them up from a dead sleep.

Groaning, Mathieu reached out for any article of his clothing he could reach. The first thing he found was a shirt and pulled it on, then realized it was Solomon's. He didn’t really mind. Next he found his boxers and was soon fully dressed. He kissed the blond on the forehead before following Jo out of the room and down into the kitchen.

Which was where he was met with a roomful of pointed grins. "Oh, shut up, all of you." He muttered, folding his arms and turning about fifteen shades of red.

"Eat." Erik was the only one not smiling. His face was etched with lines of concern and annoyance. He pushed a plate of food at Mathieu.

"Thanks." He sat at the counter, "Jo, go get my book, will you? And don’t bother Solomon." Mathieu ate while Jo was gone, then reached out for him book once he was back. "Okay, Zanika, Zerieve, and Jo. You're my first victims. Come on, you three." He patted Erik's shoulder as he passed and went outside, a half eaten piece of toast hanging out of his mouth.

One of the benefits of where the resistance headquarter was located, at the top of a cliff, was that it provided large areas of space without compromising privacy. Mathieu went to a circle of large, flat rocks and sat down. The three darkness users sat as well, along with Lione. "Oi, Lione, I didn't invite you."

"Nope. I did." Jo smiled, looking at his pet.

He sighed. "Fine, fine. Hold on a second." Mathieu took a moment to open his book and read to himself:

After Shapers come the Elementals. Within these groups there are also classifications or subcategories. The elements follow the path of life: Darkness, Air, Water, Light, Earth, and Fire.

Beyond the Elementals, there are Sensers and Seers, and the more common Magic Users. However, the three latter tend to be aware of their limitations, allowing them to access their full potential without guidance.

"That's not helpful at all, you useless book..." In response to his words, the book provided a few choice phrases before it headed a new page "Conduits and Insulators". The element users of darkness are referred to as Conduits and Insulators. There are a few key differences in the types of users.

"Okay, this is what we need." He skimmed all the information for a moment. "Jo, hang tight. Zanika and Zerieve, this is for you. Darkness users are called ‘Conduits’ and ‘Insulators’, blah blah blah. 'Conduits are those who can funnel the darkness into any form they require it to take, however, they must be able to interact with it. They tend to be dependent upon their powers instead of their non-darkness skills. This can be a weakness for them.'

'Exercises for Conduits need to center around their ability to regulate the flow of darkness. Also, developing fighting skills that don't involve their element is essential to success.'"

Zanika, who had lain back on the stones while Mathieu read, stuck her hand straight up in the air, "We know how to use swords; Darcia taught us. I just don't like them."

"That's good. It means that you just need a refresher course. Talk to Darcia. As for learning to regulate your darkness, I think I have an idea. Get up." Mathieu got to his feet and stretched, then he created a dense, medium sized ball of energy. He tossed it in the air and caught it a few times. This had been an exercise that he had done when he was working on strengthening his own magic. "You see this ball? Don't let it touch the ground. And you can't touch it, either. Work together."