Curse of Stolen Flame (Firebird, #1)

CHAPTER 16

“What exactly is the Council?” The words flew from Kindra’s mouth before she could stop them, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Tess moved away from her, creating a bit of distance. She stretched her arms behind her head, loosening up her muscles. Kindra copied her, feeling the tightness leave her body as she did.

“The Council,” Tess finally answered, “are the assholes who manage everything the king doesn’t have time for. Or interest in.”

“So, just about everything?”

Tess laughed. “You’re catching on quick. Yes, that’s basically everything. Besides war and the curse, of course. The king basically signs off on whatever they send him. They need his seal of approval, but he generally has no arguments against what they suggest.”

Kindra let a string of fire wrap itself around her wrist. “They can’t be doing too bad, though. I mean, the whole city has clean, running water. I saw people when I arrived. Nobody looked destitute or starved.”

Tess brought forth a ball of flame, and it danced in her palm. “Their interest ends at the big cities. The trading hubs. The… beacons of Alverin. It’s all an effort to show the other kingdoms that we’re doing so great, even with a curse that sapped us of our firepower. Literally.” She gave Kindra a pointed look. “You know that, being from Harthwin.”

Kindra decided not to comment on that. “The curse didn’t take away magic from other families though, just the royal family,” she pointed out. “There are plenty of powerful Wielders still in Alverin. In this very castle.”

Tess hummed softly. “So it seems,” she said cryptically. And then her face changed, all interest in the topic at hand disappearing. “Well, are we doing this? ”

Kindra’s heart began to pound. “I’ve never dueled another Firefury,” she admitted, “so go easy on me.”

“Of course. Just until you get your bearings, though.” The fire in Tess’s hands grew. “First things first: battling within one element is about willpower. It’s about control. You can fling fireballs at an Earthwarden all day, and what can they do about it? Nothing. But when you’re fighting another Firefury, your mind must be sharp, on constant guard. Because if you slip up,” she warned, the fire jumping suddenly from one hand to the other, “then your fire becomes theirs .”

“How can you get it back?” Kindra asked.

“In the heat of battle, I’d advise against trying to win back fire you’ve lost. Just make more and get your shit together, which is easier said than done. The feeling of your own magic being ripped out of your control, and used against you… it’s jarring at best, and paralyzing at worst.” Tess’s face twisted, the burned side twitching involuntarily.

“Do it,” Kindra said. “I need to know how it feels.”

Tess nodded. “Alright, hit me.”

Kindra breathed in, the thin line of fire around her wrist growing so that it engulfed her entire hand. Then she raised it, and with one thrust, sent a blast of it shooting towards Tess.

What happened next didn’t seem real: One second, her fire was flying towards Tess’s face. The next, the other Wielder had harnessed it under her control and sent it flying right back at her. Kindra reached out one hand, then both, as she realized she could not redirect it away from her or bring it to a stop. Panic—a panic that was unlike anything she’d ever felt—coursed through her body, and she stumbled backwards, falling.

The flames dissipated into nothing just a few feet from her, leaving her panting and shaking on the ground. Tess walked over, offering her hand to help Kindra back up. “Terrifying, isn’t it?” she asked.

Kindra only nodded as she took Tess’s outstretched hand and stood, the fear she’d felt not yet gone. “How… how do I protect myself from that?” she inquired once she’d found her voice again.

“Training. Lots of training. And not just the physical stuff. You must have the mental strength to make sure your magic stays yours—something you’ve never had to worry about before. So if you want to master this, make it so it’s as easy as breathing, as the rest of wielding is to you, you’ve gotta fully commit. I’m talking practicing deep breathing, stilling your mind, staying calm even when your betrothed makes you want to scream—yes, I have heard about that—all of it, okay?” She took a step closer, so she was mere inches from Kindra. “If you’re anything like me, Kindra, which I think you are, you’ll want to be as prepared as you can be when they come for you. And the only way that’s possible is to make your mind, your control, unbreakable.”

Kindra raised her eyebrows. “You’re the first person besides me who’s said ‘when’ instead of ‘if.’” She was struggling to keep her voice light.

“Firefuries have never been known for their idealism. Even I can’t fault the Annalindis family for that.” She stepped back, then made her way back across the ring. “Again,” she called. “We go until you can’t anymore.”

Kindra gathered fire in her palms once more, sending it racing towards Tess. She tried to keep a grip on the flames with her mind, but Tess was still able to wrest control from her without much effort. Instead of sending it back to Kindra, though, she simply extinguished it off to the side.

Over and over again, they did this. And slowly, over the course of the hour, it became a bit harder for Tess to ensnare Kindra’s fire, the fight for control becoming longer, if only by one fraction of a second at a time. Kindra’s attacks became smarter, too, no longer large indiscriminate blasts of flame, but pointed burning darts or twisting fiery snakes. She found that the more she thought about how she’d use her magic, the way she’d shape and move it, the more difficult it became for Tess to manipulate it. And though she was covered in sweat and her muscles were screaming, she was smiling, reveling in her new discoveries, joyous in the fact that for the first time in her life, she wasn’t so alone. She finally had somebody she could share her magic with.

Finally, Kindra shot a thin arrow of fire. She sent it whistling through the air, directly towards Tess’s face. The other Firefury only narrowly avoided it, ducking at the last minute and letting it slam into the wall behind her.

Kindra froze.

Tess grinned. “You sneaky bitch,” she laughed, clapping her hands. “You almost had me there.”

“I did?” Kindra couldn’t fight the huge smile spreading across her face. “I did!” She threw her fist victoriously in the air, whooping .

“I think that’s enough for today,” Tess decided, walking over to the side of the ring and grabbing a cloth from a bucket of water. She tossed Kindra one, and they wiped sweat from their faces. Kindra was certain that her makeup, already smudged from this morning, was streaming down her face by this point, if not gone entirely. But she didn’t care if she looked a mess. Her cheeks were cramping from smiling so much.

“Tomorrow, then?” she asked, already desperate to go again, even though she was exhausted.

Tess smiled. “Sure. I have the afternoon patrol block most days, so I’m free in the mornings until after midday.” She reached out and squeezed Kindra’s shoulder. “Good job today. I didn’t really believe what people were saying, about you being so powerful and all. But I believe it now. When I’m done with you…” Her smile grew devious. “You’re going to be unstoppable.” She looked over Kindra’s shoulder, raising her hand to wave. “Hope you enjoyed the show!” Her voice was teasing, and Kindra spun around to see who she was talking to.

“Oh, we did,” Jasper replied, his eyes meeting Kindra’s as the smile melted off her face. Emeline stood beside him, looking only slightly apologetic. Softly, he repeated, “I definitely did.”

Kindra did her best to stay calm as she walked with Jasper and Emeline out of the training grounds, practicing her deep breathing and mental fortitude and all that. Tess had bid them farewell, looking rather eager to escape the ever-present tension between the prince and his betrothed.

“So, you just learned how to do that today?” Jasper asked, trying to start a conversation.

Kindra only gave him a curt nod in response. She’d felt exposed when she’d turned to see him standing there, and betrayed when she’d realized Tess had known he’d been watching for gods know how long, and that Emeline had decided to bring him—or allow him, knowing Jasper—along. He was a constant reminder that despite the new friends she was making and the training she was finally receiving, her purpose here had nothing to do with either of those things.

“That’s amazing. I’ve read that it takes Wielders years to get a handle on that skill—the control it takes, the mental dexterity you have to build up… and you managed to do it successfully in just a couple hours.” The same admiration that had been in his voice the first time he’d seen her wield those weeks ago was back again, and Kindra grimaced.

“You know, I’d love to get down in the ring with you,” he continued, barreling on despite Kindra’s lack of interest. “I haven’t sparred with a Firefury in months—not since graduating Grydmarth. I don’t want to get too out of practice, considering—” Emeline coughed then, and he abruptly cut off. Kindra took note of that with mild suspicion.

“You wouldn’t stand a chance against me,” she retorted, giving him a bored look. Only then, when she finally glanced in his direction, did she notice how nervous he looked. His eyes were darting around, looking everywhere but her. As if he were desperately trying to distract both her and himself from something else. Even Emeline appeared, for the first time, less amused by their interactions and more wary, which made the seed of suspicion inside her begin to take root.

Kindra stopped dead in her tracks, wheeling around to face Jasper head on. “What’s going on?”

“What do you mean?” He laughed, but it was fluttery and anxious, betraying him.

She caught his gaze again and held it. “You’re nervous. Both of you are. What’s happened?”

Jasper and Emeline exchanged a look, communicating silently. That was something she'd noticed happened a lot between the three of them—Jasper, Helena and Emeline—and it made her uncomfortable every time. Finally, Jasper turned back to her and said delicately, “It’s Pryllia.”

Her stomach twisted. “What’s going on in Pryllia?”

Jasper swallowed and looked around anxiously. Gently, he grabbed her by the shoulder, steering them off the path and into a small alcove of trees. Sala, who’d been following slightly behind, hovered nearby, but out of earshot. Once they were alone, he said, “Pryllian forces have been spotted gathering along the border.”

Kindra frowned. “I mean, their scouts have been coming into Alverin for years,” she replied. “I’ve fought them off several times.”

Emeline smiled grimly. “These aren’t scouts, Kindra.”

“Oh,” was all she could manage to say. Then, she choked out, “My mother—”

“We are monitoring the situation, and if necessary, the party organized to retrieve your mother will depart early,” Jasper told her.

“Now. They could depart now.” Panic swelled in Kindra, wild and unruly.

He ran a hand through his hair, and he looked genuinely apologetic. “I’m sorry, Kindra, but with this update, we need to use a lot of our immediate resources elsewhere. The soonest we could send them is in three weeks, maybe two.”

“Where along the border?” Kindra forced the words out, trying to keep them devoid of emotion and failing. “How—how far from Harthwin are they?”

“So far, they’ve only been spotted farther north. They’d probably be five, six days away at their fastest pace. It may be too out of their way—we imagine they’d want to get as far inland as possible, as quickly as they can, and not take any detours.”

War. This was war. Finally, after years of brewing, it was happening. And what horrid fucking timing.

“When did you find this out?” Accusation crept into her voice. Dread was pooling in her gut.

Jasper held his hands up defensively. “Just now—I was in the Council meeting this afternoon. I got out less than an hour ago. I swear, I haven’t been sitting on this, Kindra. I know how important Harthwin is to you. How important your mother is.”

She held his stare for a moment and decided she believed him. “How long do you think it’ll be before they attack? Before war breaks out?”

“They haven’t sent any messages officially declaring war yet, but the Council and my father don’t think they will. We suspect it will be a sudden attack—and soon. A few months at most. We’ve begun gathering a force to meet them, to try and stop them from getting too far, but…” He trailed off and sighed in frustration. “We’ve been focusing on Breyenth.”

Kindra felt the world begin to spin around her. “Do you think they planned this? Made it seem like Breyenth was going to attack first so most of the military would be stationed in the southwestern part of the kingdom?”

Briefly, the concerned, worried look on Jasper’s face cleared. “Yes,” he replied, “that’s exactly what we think. Pryllia’s been too quiet for years now, but Breyenth… I mean, we’ve practically been at war with them for decades, with all the border skirmishes between us.” Kindra grimaced, remembering her father. “The only thing missing has been an official declaration of war.”

“Well, I think you should’ve considered the possibility that everybody hates Alverin so much they’d be willing to work together to bring us down.”

Jasper opened, then closed his mouth, at a loss for words, and Kindra took the opportunity to end the conversation, turning away and beginning the walk back to the castle. The others had no choice but to follow mutely behind her.

Kindra kept her head high and put all her strength into not being sick.