Page 5 of Up In Flames
“Why are we whispering?” he asked. “Everyone knows you're training with Death.”
“I haven't been lately,” I said in a normal tone. “I'm not so sure about him anymore.”
“Why?”
“He keeps telling me that the Corrupter is only a man. That he was once like me.”
Caleb snorted. “No one is like you.”
“Thanks?” I scrunched up my face at him.
“I meant it as a compliment. You are human, but you possess as much magic as the Emperor.”
“Shh!” I hissed and looked around, but no one had overheard. “You can't say shit like that.”
“But it's true, isn't it? If it wasn't, he'd be the one prophesied to end the war.”
I took a bite of a custard-filled bun and considered this. “It's not me alone who will end the war. It's my men and me. Only united can we defeat the Corrupter. So comparing me to the Emperor would mean comparing all of us as a unit, and that's not a fair comparison.”
“You're the key,” Caleb said. “But I do think Death has a point.”
“About what?”
“The Corrupter. He is just a man.”
I dropped the bun.
Caleb laughed. “He's a powerful man, one with magic, but still a man. He can be killed.”
“Yes, he can. And I'm going to kill him,” I growled.
Caleb leaned back.
“Sorry,” I said. “I'm so angry.”
“I know. I'm angry too.” Then he frowned. “What exactly did Death say about the Corrupter?”
“He said the Corrupter doesn't hate me and that he was once a man like me.”
“Did you ask him why he said that?”
“Why? No, I didn't.”
“It sounds to me as if he was trying to point out the Corrupter's weaknesses.”
I sat back. “Huh. His weaknesses. Maybe.”
“Why did the Corrupter start the war?”
“Because he wanted to rule Varr.”
“Are you sure?” Caleb frowned. “He doesn't seem like he wants to rule. If he did, why would he kill everyone? If he wins, he won't have anyone to rule.”
“I don't think he wants to kill everyone. I think he wants to oppress them. Make them scared enough to accept his rule.”
“Maybe. What else do you know about him?”
“Well, the Emperor said they were friends once. Then Aranren found a book on Death Magic. The magic changed him, which is why everyone is so wary of me using it.”
