Curse of Stolen Flame (Firebird, #1)

CHAPTER 41

Two days later, Kindra was sprinting down the castle stairs, her soft cream dress billowing out behind her.

Her mother was here.

For the last several weeks, she had tried to swallow how badly she missed her mother. But she’d never been separated from her before. And though she’d come to appreciate certain freedoms that came with not living together, she was desperate for the familiarity of her mother’s touch, her voice, her companionship.

And she couldn’t deny that she was excited for her to meet Jasper. Not the facade he’d put on when he’d come to retrieve her—the real Jasper. She was excited for her to meet Helena and Emeline, Ryle and Terryn, even Tess, though the Firefury had been making herself scarce recently. They’d hardly trained together in the last few weeks. When they did, it felt stiff and awkward, all work and no play.

But Kindra did not let that reminder dull her enthusiasm as she raced through the halls, her shoes smacking against the marble floors.

She reached the large doors and didn’t wait for assistance from the guards to push them open, stepping out into the cold winter air. Snow was falling gently from the sky, coating the trees and ground in a dusting of white; the first of the season.

“Lady Kindra, you may need a cloak—” one of them started, but she was already out of earshot, hurling down the steps and towards the carriage that was coming to a stop. She would have hardly registered the cold anyway, but with the additional adrenaline, she couldn’t feel it at all .

The carriage door swung open, and her mother had barely set her feet on the ground before Kindra threw her arms around her, happy tears streaming down her face.

“Mama,” she cried, feeling like she was a small child again. Her mother held her just as tightly, and for a moment, the two of them stood there, crying into each other’s arms.

“Oh, for gods’ sake, let me have a look at you,” Sera Bedelyn gasped, pulling away just enough so that she could look her daughter over. Her eyes grew wide as she took her in.

Kindra knew she looked different—vastly so. The past couple months of good eating and training had filled out her slender frame. Sala had smoothed away the under-eye bags that used to be a constant companion, so that even without cosmetics Kindra’s skin appeared glowing and flawless. Her curls were no longer a wild, half-tangled mess thanks to the various oils Cerulle put on them each morning. But it wasn’t any of those things that caused her mother to suck in a shocked breath.

It was her eyes.

They shone more brilliantly than ever. It had been so subtle and gradual a change she’d hardly noticed until she’d looked in the mirror a few days ago and was suddenly aware of the transformation. The gold in them was now almost startling, it was so bright.

With every day she trained, she grew stronger, and her golden eyes grew bolder. Now, when Sala or Cerulle lined her eyes with kohl, it made her look nearly mythical, which did not help quell the God-blessed cursebreaker whispers that followed her wherever she went—at all.

“Kindra,” her mother breathed, awestruck. “You look…”

“It’s the eyes, isn’t it?” Jasper’s voice sounded from behind them. Kindra turned to face him. A red cloak was draped over his shoulders. Snowflakes caught in his hair, his eyelashes, the cold turning his nose and cheeks a soft pink. She couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face at the sight. “Makes her look rather awe-inspiring, does it not?” He returned her smile with one of his own.

Sera dipped into a deep bow as Jasper came to stand before her. “Your Highness,” she murmured, and Kindra’s heart twinged at the fear she saw on her mother’s face .

“Please, Lady Bedelyn, none of that. We are to be family soon, after all, are we not?” He paused, and a guilty look crossed his face. “Though, I suppose our last encounter did not paint me in a very good light. For that, I must offer my deepest, sincerest apologies. If your daughter has taught me anything in her time here so far, it is that I need to be more mindful of my words. To have threatened your life—well. I am very ashamed of myself. I only hope I can make it up to you.” He looked down at his feet, less a prince and more a guilty child awaiting punishment. Her mother could only gape. She looked at Kindra, searching for an indication that Jasper was sincere. Kindra gave her a small nod.

“Well,” Sera said, voice still shaky, “I suppose the first way you can begin making it up to me is by pointing me in the direction of the nearest bath. And perhaps a cup of tea.”

Jasper laughed, the sound wrapped in relief. “Of course. We felt much the same when we arrived.” He pointed to Heinrich, who hovered only a few feet away. “Heinrich here—you remember him, yes?—will escort you to your rooms. You are just down the hall from Kindra. Figured you’d want to be nearby after the time apart.”

“Thank you, Your High—Jasper.” The name clearly felt strange in her mother’s mouth. Kindra doubted she’d even allowed herself to think of him as anything other than Prince Jasper , or Your Highness . And why would she, when he’d been such an intimidating presence when she’d met him, coming to take her daughter away and threatening to kill her while he did?

Kindra’s smile grew, and she felt a surge of true happiness. Oh, how things had changed. Jasper watched her, clearly happy that she was happy. Before he left them with Heinrich, he leaned down and kissed her cheek. His lips were cold against her skin, and the shock of it caused Kindra to giggle. “I will see you later. Enjoy your time with your mother.” Sera watched the whole exchange with raised eyebrows.

“I see you’ve warmed up to him,” she said quietly as Heinrich led them back into the castle.

Kindra blushed. “You’ll be happy to know I made him work for it.”

Her mother laughed, eyes bright. “I would expect nothing less.”

Her mother’s reaction to the castle was as awestruck as Kindra’s had been, her eyes wide as Kindra led her through the halls. Kindra felt rather proud of herself that she’d come to be so familiar with such a massive place. Heinrich walked beside them, blue eyes alert but mouth mercifully shut. He seemed to have found nothing to nitpick or worry over for the time being. As they walked, Kindra pointed out where various turns and doors led. Sera was especially thrilled about the Great Library, vowing to visit it as soon as she could.

Still, underneath the excitement of their reunion, she could tell her mother was tired. The journey hadn’t been easy when Kindra had made it, and it would have only been harder with the colder weather and the hovering threat of war. They’d pushed the pace as well and had arrived almost two full days sooner than originally expected. Though Kindra was glad to have her mother back with her, the accelerated travel speed had no doubt worn her out.

When they reached the rooms her mother would be staying in—indeed, just down the hallway from Kindra—they were greeted by two servants. Kindra didn’t know their names but had seen both of them around the castle before. One was a dark-haired Windspinner, who introduced herself as Bella, the other a red-headed Healer named Arbigene. Heinrich bid them a hasty farewell and departed, eager to return to his post guarding Jasper.

Her mother’s rooms were a bit warmer than hers, with more red and orange accents among the cream-colored furniture. Still, the layout was much the same. Sera took it all in with that same shocked expression.

When she placed her hand on the soft bed, she said, “I understand how you look so well-rested, now that I know what you’re sleeping on.”

Kindra smiled. “It certainly does help.” She gestured to the door to the bathing room. “Please, Mama. Go take a bath. I’ll be here when you’re done.”

Though rather unwilling to leave her side, Sera went into the bathing room with Arbigene and Bella. A moment later, she heard her mother’s amazed cry through the closed door. “Oh! A toilet!”

Kindra chuckled to herself and settled down on the sofa to wait.

Her mother emerged from the bathing room half an hour later, adorned in a soft orange dress. Her hair, thick and dark like Kindra’s, had been combed through and pulled back out of her face with small, bejeweled clips. Arbigene and Bella hovered by the door, and Kindra gestured for them to leave with a wave of her hand and a polite smile. When they were gone, she turned to face her mother once more.

She looked incredibly beautiful. Kindra told her so.

“You look beautiful as well, you know,” her mother replied, settling down next to her. “I was so stunned by how different you look that I couldn’t even speak. And then, of course, to see Pri—er, Jasper, behave so kindly…”

“Do you like it? How I look?” Kindra asked quietly, needing her mother’s approval.

Sera’s eyes widened, and she nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, Kindra! You not only look healthier and stronger, but you also look… well, dare I say it—you look happy.” She frowned. “I don’t know if I ever saw you with such light in your eyes in Harthwin.”

Kindra looked down at her hands. “It is nicer here than I expected,” she admitted, and her mother smirked, the way she always did when she was trying not to say I told you so . “And there are definitely many things about it that are better than Harthwin.” At the mention of their home village, Kindra looked up at her mother anxiously. “Please tell me, is everyone there okay?”

“When I left, everyone was still alive and well. And as far as I know, Pryllia hasn’t made any move to cross the border.” Her mother worried her bottom lip. “But people are leaving. At least half a dozen families since you left have packed up and made for the bigger cities. Bridgewood, mainly.”

Though it hurt Kindra to hear that her home was shrinking, she knew that seeking refuge in the cities was the smart choice. Might not do them much good, in the end , she thought glumly, but didn’t speak it aloud. “I’m glad to hear it,” she said instead.

“They speak of you differently now that you are gone,” her mother told her, voice edged with bitterness. “Now, they are unafraid to say you were the village’s guardian. Harthwin’s hero, they’d say to me.” She rolled her eyes. “Took everything in me not to slap them across the head. ”

Kindra’s jaw tightened. “Well, nobody wants to admit they shunned a princess of the Annalindis family, do they?” she muttered.

Sera shook her head. “Enough of that,” she said decisively. “I want to hear about you.” She smiled. “You’ve clearly been training.”

Kindra grinned as well, grateful for the subject change. “Nearly every day, Mama. There are huge training grounds here, and I’ve been sparring with all sorts of Wielders. There are Firefuries here as well—one of them has been training me—Tess.” She faltered over the name, but she barreled on. “I’ve been learning so much, and there are some really great people on the Royal Guard that have been teaching me—plus, Jasper’s been showing me how to use a sword.” She felt overwhelmed by all she had to tell her mother, so much so that her words seemed to stumble and fall all over each other. But her mother only listened raptly, a smile on her face the whole time. So Kindra continued, “I’ve become quite close with Jasper’s sister, Helena, and her wife Emeline, too. I’m hoping you’ll get to meet them soon. And I want you to talk to Jasper more, as well. There’s so much—” She paused for a moment, trying to find the right words. “There’s so much about him that surprised me. He’s not really at all like the nasty prince that came to get me all those weeks ago.”

“Perhaps he should have led with his true self,” her mother said dryly. “It certainly would’ve made a better impression.”

Kindra nodded. “His family—well, our family now, I guess—is very complicated. Helena and Emeline are great, but…” She trailed off, unsure of how to describe the rest of the Annalindis family. “His older brothers, the king…”

“What’s the king like? Have you seen much of him?”

She grimaced. “He’s as terrifying as you’d expect. And from the very first day, he’s made it very clear he holds me to a different standard. Even during Novon’s Trial, he sent a message.”

“Novon’s Trial?”

So Kindra told her mother about Novon’s Trial, and all the sparring she’d been doing, and all the moments in between. She talked of the king’s fraying composure, of Antone and Sebastian’s snobbery, and even of Queen Cordilya’s emptiness.

When she got to the bombing, her words failed her briefly, and Sera went pale. “You were there?” she whispered. “They didn’t—we didn’t hear much of it in Harthwin, just that it had occurred. But nobody said you were there .”

Kindra picked at her fingernails, not wanting to meet her mother’s eyes. “Yeah, I was there.” I held a child as he died , she wanted to scream, to sob, but didn’t. “It was…” She cleared her throat. “It was bad.” She mustered up a weak smile. “But I’m safe, and okay.”

Sera glanced away, sweeping her gaze around the grand room. “And I thought you’d be safer here,” she murmured, more to herself than to Kindra.

Kindra sighed. “I’m to be an Annalindis, Mother. There’s no family on all of Istreria with a bloodier history than them.” She reached out and grabbed her mother’s hands. “War is coming. In many ways, it’s already arrived. And no matter what, above all else, we will get out of it alive,” she vowed. “That’s all I care about. Nothing— nothing —else matters more than that.”

Her mother looked into her eyes, and Kindra knew what she saw there: that Kindra would kill, even be killed, to keep her safe, just as she had done for the last ten years.

Sera could say nothing to that, so she simply pulled her daughter close to her chest, and for several minutes, held her as tight as she could.