Curse of Stolen Flame (Firebird, #1)

CHAPTER 26

Over the next week, Kindra sparred with nearly two dozen people, some more than once. None of the matches went as long as her match with Tess had, so she had much more energy that she’d initially expected.

She’d fought Terryn thrice, emerging victorious every time, although he’d come close during the third match. He was a formidable opponent. They all were, but she found many of them lacked a real desire to win. They wanted to beat her, of course, but they didn’t know the desperation with which she fought each match. They hadn’t faced the same things she had while growing up, they didn’t have anything to prove to the king; they’d proven themselves already, and that was why they were here, in the Royal Guard.

But several did best her. Ryle, the Windspinner who first accepted her challenge, did. He fought with a type of ruthlessness she thought bordered on psychotic: he’d cut off her air supply until she was on the edge of unconsciousness during their match. Jasper—who, of course, was there as often as possible—had nearly lost his mind because of it.

“Are you insane? Were you trying to kill her?” he’d shouted, Tess and Emeline barely holding him back.

Ryle had denied it profusely, dark gray eyes wide with alarm. “She has to learn how to fight Windspinners,” he’d argued. “We pose a bigger threat to her than any other elemental.”

Kindra had sided with him once she’d regained her breath. Jasper had brooded for the rest of the day because of it. She’d snapped at him for it that night over dinner. It was the closest they’d come to a fight in days, but it didn’t boil over. Kindra had acknowledged his protectiveness and had even swallowed her pride enough to thank him for it .

And Jasper did not get angry at anybody who defeated her anymore.

Tess also beat her in their rematch. It wasn’t nearly as long as their first, but it came close. Tess was adapting to her, figuring out her fighting style and modifying hers accordingly. Kindra might have more power, but Tess was a far smarter fighter, and it showed. Despite her initial victory, she doubted she would beat the guardswoman again anytime soon—and was glad of it, if it meant fewer comments about the strength of her magic.

Emeline even sparred with her, to Kindra’s surprise and delight. She was fast on her feet and entirely unpredictable: a storm turned to flesh. Their match was a draw. Kindra had been drenched to the bone, her skin littered with a dozen cuts from the shards of ice Emeline loved to use, and Emeline was covered in an equal amount of burns, the end of her long, braided hair singed.

The Earthwardens were the easiest to fight. She could rely on sheer power to overwhelm them, and she’d grown used to battling them during her time in Harthwin, as they were the most common Elemental Wielder.

The Wavebreakers were harder: she had to be smarter, faster to outmaneuver them, or else she’d find herself too wet to light a single spark.

But the Windspinners were practically impossible. They could suffocate her from yards away, could send her flying across the ring with a wave of one hand. They snuffed out much of her fire with ease.

She lost to all of them.

It was for this reason Jasper once again broached the subject of her using physical weapons alongside her magic.

“I think it would be good to have a backup plan, Kindra,” he argued. They were walking in the gardens. The air was crisp, but the sun was shining, still offering some warmth to them. It was midafternoon. They had just eaten lunch together after Kindra bathed off the sweat from the morning’s sparring session.

She’d fought five matches and won three of them. The two she’d lost to were both Windspinners, but her continuous defeat by them didn’t frustrate her as much as it made her more determined to figure out a way to best them.

Kindra sighed, shaking her head. “I don’t even know how to use a sword. I don’t see how that would help me. ”

“You could learn!” Jasper’s voice was strained, teeming with exasperation. It grated mildly on Kindra’s nerves. Despite how much easier their relationship had become over the last week, she still didn’t like it when he told her what to do. Even though that wasn’t necessarily what he was doing, she still bristled at every piece of advice or idea he offered. “It could prove useful to have something else to fall back on if your magic fails you.” He felt her stiffen and squeezed her arm where it was looped through his. “Oh, gods above, Kindra, you know I don’t mean it like that.”

She gave a soft hmm in response, swallowing down the spike of annoyance.

“Look.” Jasper stopped and turned to face her. “You think beating a Windspinner is hard in a sparring match? Try doing it when they’re actually trying to kill you. There’s a reason they make up the bulk of the Royal Guard. Ryle is intense in the ring, sure. But he was in my class at Grydmarth, and what you’re seeing in these matches is nothing compared to what he’s really capable of. I’ve seen him kill people before, when we had to serve along the border for a year. They didn’t stand a fucking chance. It was over in seconds. I’m not insulting you when I say I think you should learn how to fight with more than just your magic. I’m saying that when a Windspinner cuts off your air supply and you can’t produce a single ember, you could at least have a dagger on you so you could chuck it at their stomach and give yourself a fighting chance.”

And despite all her stubbornness, Kindra found she couldn’t argue against that.

“Fine,” she conceded, and Jasper’s face lit up victoriously. She turned away, and they resumed walking, arms still linked. “I’ll wear Elric’s dagger tomorrow. I haven’t a clue how to use it, though, so I doubt it will be much help.”

“I’ll teach you,” he offered, and when she raised an eyebrow, he said, “Master swordsman, remember?”

After thinking about it for a moment, she agreed. “Okay, you can teach me. Perhaps we can have night sessions, so I have a bit of a break during the afternoon to relax.”

Jasper clearly hadn’t expected her to be so open to him teaching her. He blinked, at a loss for words momentarily. Then he said, “Sure. Yes. That could work. We could train every other day. You deserve to have more than just afternoons off. You’ll run yourself ragged.”

She nodded. “Every other night, then.”

And that was that.

Kindra strode into the training grounds the next day with Elric’s dagger strapped to her thigh. Jasper was already there, standing with Tess and Ryle, which was odd. His expression was even odder: his mouth was drawn tight with worry, and his eyes had a panicked, wild look in them.

There was a fairly large crowd in the seats around the huge ring. She didn’t pay much attention to it; she’d acquired a bit of an audience over the last week. While most of the people she’d sparred with so far had been members of the guard, she’d also gone up against a couple Wielders of noble rank. She’d started hearing talk from courtiers about who was daring enough to get into the ring with her and even people suggesting they start placing bets. It was irritating and trivial, but she welcomed any chance to improve her skills, so she wasn’t going to say no to anybody, even when it was some snotty, privileged heir.

Besides, completely obliterating them was far too satisfying.

“I wore the dagger, as promised.” She gestured to her leg. “Why do you look so sick?”

Jasper stared past her, over her shoulder. “I think you got what you wanted, Kindra,” he said, voice thin.

She turned around, and her heart plummeted to her stomach.

King Leofric, along with all six members of the Council, were sitting in the stands, right in the front row.

“Oh, shit,” was all she could say. Then, weakly, “I thought it would’ve taken a bit longer.” She wished to have had more time to get better. More time to figure out how to beat a Windspinner.

“You should probably go say hello,” Tess said. Even her voice was tense, lacking its usual dry humor. Her eyes kept darting anxiously to the king and the Council. Kindra knew that she was looking at one Councilman in particular.

Kindra steeled herself and silently uttered a prayer to Yvangil, the god of luck. She’d never given that deity much thought before, but now she begged him for even the smallest of blessings as she made her way over to stand beneath King Leofric.

She bowed low, hands pressed flat against her sides to hide their shaking. “Your Majesty,” she called up, “I’m honored to see you here today.” She nodded to the Council, acknowledging each of them in turn. “I am honored to see you here as well, Councilmen.”

King Leofric smiled, and once again she was struck with how terrifying it was. “We simply had to come and see our fierce little Firefury at work. Word travels fast around the castle, Lady Kindra.” His grin turned lupine. “You’ve bested quite a few of my guards and courtiers in combat these last couple of days. It’s sent quite the message about your power.”

He knows what I want. She realized, and now she was really praying to Yvangil and Scaldor and Cyrie, and every deity she could think of. “I have been bested myself quite a few times as well, Your Majesty,” she replied, very aware of how quiet it was; she’d never heard the ring be so quiet. She tried for humility. “I’m just doing what I can to improve my skills and prove my worthiness to you. I have quite a bit to learn, as this is my first time receiving any kind of formal training.”

“Yes, Guardswoman Avis has been teaching you, hasn’t she?” One of the Councilmen was speaking. Kindra looked at him, took in his silver-streaked brown hair and rodent-like face. She didn’t need to see the gray of his eyes to know who he was: Lord Avis, Tess’s estranged caregiver.

“Guardswoman Orindyn has been, yes. She’s been most helpful,” she replied before she could stop herself. His face twitched, his eyes narrowing with fury.

The king’s grin only grew. “I have a request, Lady Kindra, if you would be so kind.” He folded his hands in his lap, looking almost casual.

“Yes, Your Majesty?” Her heart stuttered in her chest.

“You’ve proven by now that you’re more than capable of defeating Earthwardens. You’ve held your own against some of our best Wavebreakers, and you’ve defeated one of the Royal Guard’s most notorious Firefuries.” Her stomach sank. “But you’ve yet to emerge victorious against a Windspinner.” He cocked his head to the side, his gaze sharp as knives. “I want to see you defeat one, today.”