Primeval Fire (Scarlet Odyssey, #3)

by C.T. Rwizi

So sincere is her tone, Niko would swear she speaks the truth even though he can’t understand her directly. Addi himself might as well be hypnotized. “‘What they call a curse was a noble sacrifice,’” the boy continues. “‘Our forebears were accomplished scholars of the secret dimensions between worlds, and in their explorations of these hidden spaces, they came upon a great evil lurking, waiting, bent on destroying humanity. They could have saved themselves, retreated into their caves while the evil rampaged across the world. Instead, they dedicated all their knowledge and resources toward building a prison to contain this evil and save not just themselves but all of humankind.’” Addi shakes his head, incredulous. “I can’t believe my ears. This can’t be true, can it?” “Focus, Addi,” Niko says. “She’s not done yet.” “Right. She’s saying the prison was a double-edged sword. The same power that would hold back the evil would weaken the ancient Faraswa as well . . . and they would lose their magic. They made the sacrifice anyway, knowing that the alternative was to stand by and watch the world burn. They gave everything they had to save a world that would not thank them and were rewarded with slavery, strife, and oppression.”