Curse of Stolen Flame (Firebird, #1)

CHAPTER 2

Kindra hated Prince Jasper the moment he stepped into the room.

It had been two weeks since the letter came. Two weeks of walking into the woods, finding a clearing and setting herself aflame to give the anger somewhere to go. Two weeks of her mother trying to get her to find even a sliver of a silver lining. Two weeks of harboring a fury so strong it threatened to burn her up from inside.

Since before Kindra had been born—before her mother had been born, even—the Annalindis family had been arranging marriages with Wielders of noticeable strength regardless of their social class. This was all in an effort to break the century-long curse that had been placed on them, stealing the magic from their once-powerful bloodline. When they’d run out of noble families to marry themselves to, they expanded their options, giving commoners a fantasy life they could dream about one day attaining. Very few ever did. Though not of noble blood, most of the Alverinians chosen for royal marriage still came from wealthier families. The poor were, as usual, not given much thought.

When she’d been a child and still had friends, the other girls used to ramble on and on about getting chosen to marry one of the princes. They’d whisper and giggle about the prospect of being taken from Harthwin, transported to the massive city of Wendrith and living their lives in the castle, surrounded by grandeur and more wealth than they could ever possibly need. They’d gather around the few depictions they had of the grand capital, the ornate castle and its sprawling grounds, and imagine all the ways they’d spend their time as princesses.

Kindra had never entertained that fantasy much. Her father had died fighting for the Annalindis family; as far as she was concerned, they’d essentially killed him themselves. Why would she want to marry one of them?

Over time, her disinterest morphed from misplaced anger about her father’s death, into a fierce love for her freedom. She was poor—in Harthwin, they all were—but she was free to do what she wished with her life and her time. Her choice to marry, to have children, to use her magic—all of that was for her to decide. She cherished that freedom deeply.

The horrifying irony was not lost on her, that out of all the people in her village, she had been the one chosen.

There was nobody in Harthwin who could have wanted this less than Kindra.

So when Prince Jasper walked into their humble cottage, all the rage that had been brewing for the last fortnight finally found its target and sharpened into a scorching knife of hatred. So Kindra did not bow. She did not curtsy. She did not smile. She held her head high, as though she were royalty and the prince was common. He seemed to find this amusing rather than infuriating and met her fiery golden gaze with a gentle steel gray one, lips turning up slightly in a smile, his cheeks dimpling. Kindra felt sparks fighting to ignite at her fingertips in frustration and curled them into fists to suppress them.

“Are you Miss Kindra Bedelyn?” The guard by Prince Jasper’s side asked, reading off a sheet of paper. The guard’s eyes were a brilliant blue, a sharp contrast to his dark brown skin. If that hadn’t given him away, the canister of water belted to him would have. A Wavebreaker.

I wish I wasn’t , she thought to herself as her mother finally raised herself out of her bow to nod.

“Yes, this is my daughter Kindra, Your Highness,” Sera said, forcing a smile. Kindra fought back a wave of nausea.

“And she has been blessed by the gods with the gift of magic?” The guard asked her mother, picking up rather quickly on the fact that Kindra was not happy to see them. Beside him, Prince Jasper’s smirk only deepened.

“Yes, she is a Firefury. She is very talented—” Her mother started, but was interrupted by the guard.

“Age?” he asked.

“She is twenty-two, sir. ”

The guard ran his watery gaze over her. “Any conditions we should know of?”

Smoke began to filter from Kindra’s closed fists.

“She’s of peak health, I can assure you, sir,” her mother stammered, surprised by the question. “She’s very honored to have been given this opportunity.” Another wave of nausea at the massive, horrible lie.

Kindra hated to see her mother pander like this, hated watching her suck up to a sniveling guard, hated hearing her offer such empty assurances. But she could feel the fear radiating from her mother and resisted the urge to reach out and squeeze her hand.

The guard peppered Sera with more questions: her education, her family, her wielding training. Kindra was so busy trying not to set the cottage on fire that she didn’t process a single word. It was demeaning; being evaluated as if she were nothing more than an animal at auction, making sure she was going to be worth purchasing.

The prince also was hardly paying attention to the conversation between her mother and his guard. Instead, he was staring intently at her, his gray eyes alight with curiosity. He had yet to speak.

When their eyes met again, he cocked his head slightly and raised an eyebrow, as if he were challenging her, as if this whole humiliating conversation was a test. The thought twisted into her like a dagger, and she felt the flames swelling inside her, growing stronger and stronger, until—

“I think those are enough questions, Heinrich,” Prince Jasper said, his voice smoother than Kindra had expected. The surprise ruptured her rising fury enough to quell the fire that had been building. “And please, Mrs. Bedelyn, there’s no need to lie. It’s glaringly obvious that Miss Kindra is horribly displeased by our presence.”

“Your Highness,” Sera began to form an apology, but Prince Jasper raised his hand to silence her.

“Don’t apologize, please.” He gave another easy smile. “It’s understandable. We are about to ask quite a lot of you both, as I’m sure you know.” He strode over to the table and sat down in one of the chairs. He crossed his legs at the knee and leaned back, assuming an alarmingly casual posture for a prince. “Shall we discuss? ”

Her mother hurried over to join him, but Kindra did not move from where she stood by the front door. She wanted to run out of the cottage that moment, and escape from the torture that awaited her.

“Miss Kindra, please.” Prince Jasper’s voice cut through her thoughts. He gestured to an empty chair. “Would you join us? Please?”

Despite her best efforts to bite her tongue, Kindra huffed out a sharp laugh, finally speaking. “You use ‘please’ a lot for someone who’s never had to ask for anything before. I’m amazed they even wasted time teaching you manners.”

There was a moment of silence, in which Sera dawned a horrified expression, Heinrich frowned, and then Prince Jasper… laughed.

“The spirit matches the element, I see,” he chuckled, cheek dimpling again. “Would you rather I have Heinrich here encase you in water? Hold the threat of drowning you where you stand over your head? Is that the kind of behavior you expected?” His eyes flashed with warning; he would do it if he had to.

“So that’s why you have a Wavebreaker with you.” Of course. Of course, they came prepared in case she was dangerous. She frowned at Heinrich. “Aren’t Wavebreakers pacifists?”

“Heinrich is one of my most capable guards. Their supposed pacifism is an age-old stereotype that holds little truth these days. But they are rather effective at dealing with those who have more… fiery temperaments.” He beamed, proud of his joke. Kindra curled her lip in a snarl.

“Shitty puns won’t make me like you,” she sneered, but she sat down at the table. Heinrich and her mother each gave a relieved sigh.

Prince Jasper hummed softly, glancing down at his hands, then looked up to meet her gaze again. This time, she detected a hint of steel in his eyes. A hardening of some sort, as though he were closing part of himself off. “Unfortunately, whether or not you like me has little bearing here, doesn’t it?” His voice was soft, but the words slammed into her anyway.

“No,” she muttered, her hands sparking again, “I suppose it doesn’t.” Beside her, her mother shifted anxiously in her seat.

“Right. Heinrich, if you would be so kind?”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Heinrich returned to the paper he’d pulled out when he’d arrived, cleared his throat, and began to read. “Miss Kindra Bedelyn, it has come to the attention of Their Majesties, King and Queen Annalindis of the Great Kingdom of Alverin, that you have been blessed by the gods with the ability to wield magic. As such, you have been summoned to the capital city of Wendrith. Soon after your arrival you will be wed to His Highness, Prince Jasper Annalindis, with the intention of bearing children with magical blood to restore the Annalindis bloodline to its former greatness and power.”

Heinrich glanced up at her, trying to gauge her reaction, then continued, “As a magical citizen of Alverin, it is imperative that you use the powers bestowed upon you for the greater good and do your part in fighting for Alverin’s survival. Your family will be compensated greatly and will be allowed to relocate to the capital if they so choose. You will reside in the castle with Prince Jasper. You will be expected to produce a child once every four years, at minimum, until you reach the age of thirty-five, unless the Head Healer deems you unable.”

Another pause, then, “While the importance of your duty during these times cannot be overstated, let it be known that you are not above the law. To attempt to flee is treason—punishable by death. To attempt to terminate a pregnancy, or to succeed in terminating a pregnancy is treason—punishable by death. To plot against any member of the royal family, whether to assassinate, overthrow, or otherwise harm, is treason—punishable by death. To be romantically involved with any person other than Prince Jasper is treason—punishable by death. You will be allowed to participate in court, assist in planning festivals and balls, and have some involvement in the issues Alverin faces, but your main priority is and must always be to produce a magical heir and restore magic to the Annalindis bloodline. Do you understand?”

Kindra did not respond. Instead, she glared at the table, clenching her smoking fists so tightly her nails were cutting into her palms. Her breath came in shaky erratic bursts.

“Miss Kindra,” Heinrich repeated, blue eyes widening with worry, “do you understand?”

Slowly, Kindra nodded. Her whole body burned. She felt like she was seconds away from setting the table on fire.

“Good. And you accept?”

The question threw her, and her head snapped up. “Oh, do I have a choice? ”

“Well,” Heinrich glanced at Prince Jasper nervously. “Um, the question is just a formality, really—”

“What if I said no? What if I refused you?” She stood, flames beginning to lick at her fingertips. Heinrich stood as well, visibly alarmed, his hand twisting off the lid of his canister.

“Kindra!” Her mother cried, grabbing at her arm, trying to pull her back into her seat.

Kindra shook her off, tears pricking in the corners of her eyes. She looked down at her hands, which were engulfed in flames now, then up at Prince Jasper, who hadn’t moved from his relaxed position. A sneer formed on her lips. “What would happen, really? I suppose you’d just kill me, right? After all, wouldn’t that be treason ; refusing an order of the Crown?” Her voice grew sharp. “How many women have said no? How many women have you pieces of shit murdered—”

“Your Highness, perhaps she is not the one.” Heinrich tugged at the prince’s shoulder with one hand and pulled water from his canister with the other. The fear on his face brought a ping of satisfaction to Kindra, but she ignored it, the flames snaking their way up her arms, starting to nip at the sleeves of her tunic.

“You will have to kill me,” she snarled, “ I am not going .”

A sob fell from her mother’s mouth, and she ignored that, too. But still, Prince Jasper made no move, not to attack her nor to flee. Finally, he spoke, and despite the scene in front of him, there was still a soft, calm expression on his face. Only his eyes, hard and cold, betrayed the tension he felt.

“Kindra, you do not scare me. And, despite your best efforts, we will not kill you.”

She struggled not to falter. “What?”

“No, we won’t kill you.” He cocked his head to the side again just as he had earlier—another test was coming. “We will not kill you, but refusing an order of the Crown is treason, and punishable by death. In this situation, though, the question is, whose death will it be? Whose death will be worth something?” His gray eyes glinted, sharp like steel, and for the first time she saw the face of the prince she’d expected him to be. “Your mother’s, perhaps?”

The flames sputtered out. “What?” Kindra said again, this time in a shocked whisper. Her mother whimpered .

“Yes, I suppose it would be your dear mother, who has been so lovely and kind, who would have to pay the price for your crime. You would be free to go, of course, as you wanted, but would it be worth it?”

Kindra collapsed back into her chair. “You—how dare you.” The words held no weight.

“It would be a lovely life, Kindra, for you and your mother. No more harsh, starving winters. No more poverty. You would live in luxury and comfort—both of you. Is the thought of marrying me really so terrible that you would turn that down?”

What you offer me is a life in a cage, she wanted to scream at him. But he could not possibly understand.

She glared at him, studying his face. He was handsome, as she supposed all princes were, with blonde wavy hair and a sun-kissed complexion. And of course, there were the eyes, which were staring back, sharp and focused. A few minutes prior, she might have admitted that, no, it wouldn’t be so terrible, but he had just threatened the life of her mother. “You are as horrible as I imagined you’d be,” she hissed, “Threatening an innocent woman’s life just to get what you want.”

Prince Jasper set his jaw, but Kindra could have sworn he flinched; nothing more than a minuscule movement. “Well, I tried to be nice about it, but you didn’t exactly make it easy.” He stood, stretching his arms over his head. “At ease, Heinrich, she won’t hurt us now.” He patted the man’s shoulder, who reluctantly let the water circling his fist drift back into its container. “We depart in three hours—want to get a head start on the journey before nightfall. That should be enough time to pack. You won’t need much—you’ll be fitted for new clothes once we get to your new home. Just bring anything of importance to you and whatever you might need for the journey. A month after your arrival, a carriage will return to bring your mother to the capital. A few weeks after her arrival, we will be wed.”

He smiled broadly, but unlike earlier, this one lacked the same shine and charm. It seemed pained, almost. “It will be a wonderful occasion, I’m sure.”

The prince headed towards the door, Heinrich following. Sera hurried to formally show them out, her face still streaked with tears. The door had just about closed behind them when Prince Jasper’s hand caught it, and he stuck his head back in.

“Oh, and Kindra? Don’t bother trying to run. I meant what I said. It’s in you and your mother’s best interest that you cooperate. I’m done saying please.”

Then he vanished and the door slammed shut behind him.