Read Online Chain of Illusions (Bringer and the Bane) by Boone Brux - Free Book Online

The group looked at each other. Their stoic faces showed the same shock he was experiencing.
    “The information we just imparted happened more than a thousand years ago, before the Thousand Year War between the Bringer and the Bane.” Magnus slid his stool back and stood. He paced in front of the table, as if struggling with the memories of the past. “As you have seen, King Arron was victorious over his father. In an effort to ease the suffering of the humans, he allowed them to pass into Inness. He hoped that by giving them a world of their own, they would be free to live without persecution.” Magnus stopped at the table and leaned his fists against the wood. “Are there any questions?”
    The group exchanged glances. Siban, for one, had a hundred questions. He focused on the specifics of what Magnus had showed them. “So, humans originated in Bael and were originally Bringers but without power?”
    “Yes.” Brita gracefully rose from her seat. “It was not unusual to bear a child without powers, but as with many have-and-have-not situations, the greedy preyed on the weak. To not bear a mark became a badge of shame in itself. By letting those humans and their families pass through the Mystic Arch, King Arron had hoped to put an end to their suffering.”
    “Did it?” Rell asked.
    Brita gave a delicate shrug. “For the most part. But during that same battle, King Arron’s firstborn son was kidnapped. We believe it was in retaliation by those who opposed the human’s exodus.
    “And the child was never found?” Disbelief tinged Ravyn’s question.
    “No.” Magnus paced at the end of the table. “Our strongest Tells assured us that the child still lived, and since Gregory can not open the portal from this side—” he stopped and looked at the group— “we’ve surmised that the child was secreted here, to Inness.”
    Brita moved around the table to stand beside Magnus. Though her action was subtle, she placed a hand on his arm. Calming waves emanated from her, flowing over Siban. Magnus’s stance visibly relaxed, as did most sitting at the table.
    Magnus inhaled and then exhaled deeply. “Are there any other questions about what you were shown today?”
    “You mentioned this was before the Bane War,” Rhys said. “Were the Bane already on Inness?”
    “We’re not sure.” Magnus locked his hands behind his back, his brow furrowing. “Until the human queen, Anna , i mplored King Arron for help that day at the Arch, we never knew of the Bane. We assume they originated in Inness. Once the Arch reopened to help Anna battle the Bane, several demons slipped through to Bael. Fortunately they were quickly dispatched.”
    “The man beside the king,” Siban said, “Who was he?”
    Brita’s gaze turned hard. “King Harlin’s brother, Ander.”
    “What happened to him?” Jade asked. “Was he also beheaded?”
    “Worse.” Magnus pointed to his chest. “Perhaps you noticed the eight-pointed star on his chest.” The group nodded. “It’s called a chaotic star and is the symbol of the Summoner. The Summoners were another clan of Bringers, but because of their dark natures, King Harlin had them rounded up and imprisoned.”
    “Even his own brother?” Meran asked.
    “Oh yes. The Summoners were the most powerful group of Bringers. They drew their abilities from dark magic, which eventually corrupted nearly all of them.” Brita slowly moved around the table, weaving her tale. “When King Harlin realized his brother had been scheming to take the crown, he created an inescapable prison and threw each of the Summoners into it—including his own mother.” She paused. “The Abyss is that prison.”
    “His own mother?” Rell shook her head. “Were such drastic measures necessary?”
    “Most definitely.” Brita stopped at the opposite end of the table. “She had corrupted Ander into believing that he should be king and in so doing, he would be able to set the Summoners above all other Bringers