Curse of Stolen Flame (Firebird, #1)

CHAPTER 36

Two days later and there still was no sign of Tess.

Kindra hadn't breathed a word of what she'd seen to anybody. Perhaps if it was anyone else she'd seen slinking down the hall at night and vanishing, she would have. But it was Tess .

Tess, the first Firefury she'd ever known besides herself. Who'd brought her power to new heights. Who'd amazed Kindra with her resilience and bravery.

So no, Kindra didn't tell anybody, not even Jasper or Emeline. She respected Tess and trusted her.

Even if creeping around the castle in the dark and mysteriously disappearing from a tiny closet with only one exit was extremely suspicious.

Kindra had been training with Ryle and Terryn the past couple of days since Tess was gone. Nobody else seemed surprised by this. In fact, when she'd asked, Ryle had merely shrugged.

"Tess goes on missions to outposts all the time," he'd informed her. "That’s probably where she is."

And on the surface, that made sense. Kindra tried hard to convince herself that it was really that simple. But the more she thought about it, it just didn't add up.

Why sneak out through a broom closet if she'd been on a mission ordered by the king or the Council? Why hide herself under a cloak to make sure nobody saw her?

Kindra had only two distractions from her spiraling thoughts: training and Jasper. Even late nights spent gossiping and drinking with Emeline and Helena weren't enough. It had to be something physical, something so intense she couldn't think about anything else.

So naturally, that was either sparring with somebody like Ryle, who was still kicking her ass pretty regularly, or kissing Jasper.

If he noted her distracted air for the last few days, he didn't comment on it. He merely accepted her affection with open arms and returned it just as eagerly. The relief he felt was palpable. Kindra could feel it in every touch, every word: relief that she felt the same way for him as he did her; relief that their marriage might not be a loveless one.

So she let him be relieved, let him think the time spent learning the contour of each other's bodies was rooted purely in sheer, wild desire. It wasn't entirely false. It just wasn't entirely true, either.

These moments were pretty tame, all things considered. Neither of them wanted to take the next step into the realm of actually sleeping together, so their trysts remained, for the most part, clothed. They were both getting more handsy, though, so who knew how long they'd be able to last before they crossed that line.

Kindra knew a large reason neither of them suggested doing so was because once they started having sex, the clock started ticking. And why add that worry when there was already so much else to worry about?

Time passed in a blur, her concern for Tess an ever-present weight on her chest. Then finally, on the third day, Jasper presented her with something exciting: another outing into Wendrith.

"I have something to show you," he said, smiling so that his cheeks dimpled.

"Are they really letting us go out into Wendrith, so soon after the attack?" Kindra asked.

He nodded. "With an army, practically, but yes." He grabbed her hand. "We leave in an hour."

Sure enough, they were accompanied by not one, but three squads of guards. Their carriage took them to the industrial area of the city, where people worked in tanneries, smithies, and other shops, making the kinds of goods a kingdom couldn't survive without: tools, armor, weapons, and more .

They came to a halt outside a forge. Jasper helped Kindra down from the carriage, nodding and waving to some of the people who'd stopped to gawk at them.

She took in the shop before her. It was just an ordinary blacksmith shop, and so similar to Elric's that it made her heart ache. She wondered, briefly, about the Earthwarden, and those thoughts spread quickly to how all of Harthwin was faring. She'd heard nothing more about her mother or if the party from Wendrith had reached her already. Kindra tried not to think too much about that.

Jasper read all this on her face and gave her hand a comforting squeeze. "I know," he murmured. "Just trust me."

He led her into the shop, followed by an oppressive number of guards. It was already hot due to the forge burning in the open workshop, though it wouldn't have been too bad if only Jasper and she had entered. But the addition of the half-dozen heavily armed men taking up posts around the room made it hotter and more cramped.

A man—who looked nothing like Elric, thank the gods—emerged from a back room. He was younger, maybe in his early thirties, with golden tan skin and long reddish-brown hair tied back from his face. He was tall, too, towering over even Jasper, who had to be over six foot. The smith’s eyes were a rich forest green, and they lit up when he saw who had entered his shop.

"Your Highness," he said, bowing low, "I was wondering when I'd see you again." His gaze turned to Kindra, and he bowed once more to her. "And Lady Kindra. Such a pleasure to have the cursebreaker herself in my humble shop."

She was glad his gaze was fixed on the floor when he said it, so he did not have to see her flinch.

"Is it finished, Master Geryn?" Jasper bounced on his toes slightly, betraying his eagerness.

"I asked you to please call me Orril, Your Highness," the blacksmith responded.

"And I told you to call me Jasper."

Orril laughed, a loud, booming sound. Then he nodded, gesturing them over to the counter. "It is done, yes. I think she will be very pleased."

"She?" Kindra's eyes widened. Surely not.. .

Orril vanished into the back room once more, returning a moment later with a long box. He set it on the counter and lifted the lid.

Kindra gasped.

Inside was a longsword, befit for a king or queen. The steel blade was polished and sharp, the bronze hilt was engraved with designs so intricate only an Earthwarden could achieve them: swirling flames and burning suns, wrapping up from the hilt to the base of the blade.

It was beautiful.

"It's for you," Jasper said softly. "Consider it a wedding gift."

For the first time, the mention of the wedding didn't send a chill down her spine or a shock of dread through her. Instead, it made her feel warm.

"Jasper, I... I don't even know how to use this," she started, feeling overwhelmed.

"Well, I'll teach you. We discussed doing lessons, didn't we? Of course, then you had to go break three ribs in a fight with Ryle and then the city was bombed, so it was a bit low on the priority list, but... I'd like to teach you still, if you want to." His face was flushed, and not just because of the heat from the forge.

Kindra didn't hesitate to nod. "Yes," she said. "Definitely. I just... I can barely handle the dagger."

"We'll work up to the sword. You're probably not even strong enough to swing it—" She cut him off with a haughty glare, and reached for the sword, grasping the hilt with two hands and lifting it gingerly out of the box.

Oh, shit. It was heavy. Her arms strained slightly at the weight, and Jasper and Orril exchanged a knowing look.

"Wielding magic requires a different type of strength than wielding a sword. You'll learn quickly, though." He clapped Orril on the shoulder. "Orril has even added the same oil tube that's in your dagger."

The blacksmith laughed. "I had no idea what he was talking about, when he came in here talking about a sword that could be lit on fire. But he showed me the dagger, and I have to say... it's a genius idea. And it’s downright stupid that nobody's thought of it before."

"You stole my dagger?" she snapped, only slightly offended.

Jasper shrugged sheepishly. "I came here the day after your match with Ryle. You were still practically bedridden. It was returned before you ever knew it was missing. Besides," he added, "I wanted to do this before I lost my nerve."

She eyed the hilt and spotted a similar notch in the bottom of the hilt to the one on Elric's dagger. She pressed in, and surely enough, a thin coating of oil oozed its way down the blade. A wicked grin blossomed on her face, and she stepped back so that she was safely away from everyone. Then she touched her finger to the sword and lit it on fire.

It was even more magnificent than the dagger, which made it all the harder to control. Just holding it, it was fine, but she could tell that the act of fighting with it while controlling the flames would be taxing.

She ogled it for a few more minutes, then extinguished the sword, dipping it in a basin of water to cool it before handing it back to Orril. "It's beautiful," she complimented. "Thank you." She turned to Jasper and gave him a soft smile. "Thank you," she said again to him.

He returned her smile, looking rather proud of himself. "I was hoping you'd like it."

"I love it," she said emphatically, watching as Orril placed it back into the box, closing the lid over it. One of the guards stepped forward to take it. Jasper removed a small pouch from his pocket, setting it on the counter with a small clank. It was filled, Kindra knew, with gold. Probably enough to cover Orril's living expenses for the next few months at least.

The blacksmith's eyes grew wide and he shook his head. "Your Highness—Jasper," he corrected at the sight of Jasper's raised eyebrows, "I cannot take this. You already paid."

"Consider this my tip, then, for a job well done, Orril," Jasper said firmly, though not unkindly.

"I…" Orril seemed at a loss for words briefly. Then he nodded, blinking quickly, as if to fight away tears. "Thank you, Jasper. Thank you so much. It's an honor."

"You are this city's best blacksmith," Jasper declared. "You deserve to live comfortably for the amazing work you do." He held out his arm to Kindra. "Shall we?"

She took it and gave a wave to Orril as they made their way out of the shop. "Thank you again. It was nice to meet you."

Once in the carriage, she pressed a quick kiss to Jasper's cheek. "You really didn't have to do this."

He caught her face with one hand and kissed her lips softly. "Yes, I did. You're to be my wife. It's a requirement to shower you with gifts, is it not?"

She turned away, giggling, and looked out the window as the carriage jolted into motion.

Suddenly, her blood ran cold. There, leaning against the wall at the mouth of an alleyway, was Tess.

She tried not to go too still, so she wouldn't alert Jasper to what she saw, though why she felt the need to keep this from him, she couldn't quite put her finger on.

It was definitely Tess. Even with a cloak concealing most of her, Kindra could see the light reflecting off of a few stray strands of her hair. The way she held herself was the same. And when she looked up—straight at the carriage—she could see and feel the heat of her orange eyes from where she sat, and Kindra knew instantly that Tess was very aware that she had seen her. She leaned closer to the window, pulling away from Jasper entirely. Dimly, she was aware of him saying something, but she was too focused to listen.

A hand gripped her shoulder, pulling her away. She jerked around, annoyed.

"What is it?" Jasper asked.

Kindra looked back out the window. The alley where Tess had been standing just a second ago was now empty, save for the tail end of a dark cloak, swishing out of view.

"Nothing," she said, the lie rolling easily off her tongue. "I just thought I saw something." She turned back to him as the carriage rolled down the street. "But it was nothing. Just a little paranoid, that's all."

"Right," he replied, believing her so easily she felt a bit bad. "That makes sense."

She tucked herself into his side again. When he went to kiss her, she didn't pull away.