Embraced by Embers

by Kasey Mackenzie

  Grim faces and resolute nods met my gaze everywhere I looked. Seeing the consensus that this was the right and just thing to do had me breathing a little easier. At least we were offering them a choice. That was more than my father had done. More than he would do had they committed treason against him.

  The Clan Firsts began casting the spell that would reverse the one upon the body bags, making the fallen Elementals revivable once more. That was my cue to lead the second spell that would meld Spirit with all four Elements to make their mass resurrection damned near instantaneous. A spell I had worked out based on more of Hikaru’s writings that Clan Zi members from Japan and China had sent our way a couple weeks earlier.

  A very tiny amount of Spirit, thank goodness, since channeling the fifth element was more exhausting than all four physical elements put together. I tapped into the abilities of Dia, Nic, and Jake for this spell, both because I was so used to working with them and because choosing to use Keith’s Dragon powers instead would have hurt my bondmate tremendously. Slowly, I layered their three elements with my own Fire, and then I even more painstakingly added tendrils of Spirit to weave a delicate, sprawling web of shimmering multicolored light that I lowered over the entire expanse of the outer circle; careful to make sure each body was at least partially covered by that ephemeral shroud.

  Color exploded in the air as vibrant magic met lifeless Elemental, and the web dissolved in a blinding flash of light. A clang of discordant chimes rang out before slowly becoming more melodic and harmonious. As the much more palatable bell tones faded, the choked gasps and surprised cries of a dozen Elementals beginning to breathe took their place. The body bags shuddered and, one by one, our captives squirmed out of their shrouds and glanced around wildly. Relief at recognizing those nearest to them quickly dissolved when they saw that far more enemies surrounded them. Their gazes panned around the courtyard before settling unerringly upon me.

  Considering I didn’t know any of them personally, that meant my father had thoughtfully provided them pictures so they could recognize me. Most likely in the hopes they’d be able to capture and return me to his paternalistic embrace. Because he always takes such tender care of me before burning me to death or detonating a homemade bomb filled with shrapnel.

  I managed to keep the eye roll that thought inspired internal only. Now that they’d all stumbled back to the land of the living, it was ultimatum time.

  My back remained ramrod straight as I stepped slightly forward of my liegesworn to regard the silent captives gravely. “I can see by your expressions that you recognize me. I am Cassidy Grant Zi, who might have been named Cassidy Garrett Li had circumstances gone otherwise. I have the honor of serving as the chosen liegelord of both Clan Zi and Hikaru’s Own. And you twelve have the dishonor of being accused traitors to your own kind. We stand here today to conduct your trial and punishment as dictated by our laws. A guilty verdict brings at the very least the stripping of your Elemental abilities and at the very worst permanent death.” Each one shuddered in revulsion at my using the dreaded S word. Most Elementals would far rather permanent death than losing the ability to channel magic. “Unless…”

  One of them—the oldest-looking, which could have made him their most senior member but was no guarantee given the way Elementals aged—pounced upon the hope my words suggested. “Unless what?”

  I couldn’t help the tiny smile that touched my lips for the simple fact that he didn’t bother denying who they were or what they had done. “Unless you willingly forsake all traitorous oaths given to my father Elijah Garrett and/or his son Drew and take up oath to me as your own chosen liegelord. You will be required to also take oaths to Hikaru’s Own, which is scheduled to become Cassidy’s Own at the completion of this trial and sentencing. Or at the end of this oathtaking ceremony, whichever you choose this to be.”

  The gray-haired man with dark brown skin narrowed his equally dark brown eyes. “You expect us to take your word that we will be neither stripped nor executed should we simply take oaths as liegesworn and Cassidy’s Own? What’s to stop you from using us as mere cannon fodder to throw against your father or execute us for this crime the moment we displease you?”

  “I do so expect you to take my word, but unlike my father or brother, I never ask from my fellow Elementals or liegesworn what I myself am not willing to give. If you take oath to me, I will take oath to you as well, swearing that you will be completely absolved of any and all crimes you may have committed in service of my father. We’re well aware that he and Dorian Garcia used magical and/or emotional manipulation to force many of you to serve him. But that absolution will not apply to any future wrongdoings.”

  Another captive, this one a red-haired and green-eyed woman with bright red lipstick (which caught my eye because it contrasted so starkly against her pale white skin) who couldn’t have been much older than Rhianne, crossed her arms across her chest angrily. Something about her seemed familiar, although I couldn’t pinpoint why. “Why should we believe you’re any better than either of them? How is this not the same type of manipulation just to get what you want out of us?”

  My mouth opened to respond, but Keith held up a hand and spoke into the tense silence her words had inspired. “You should believe she’s better than both of them, than all three of them, for the simple fact that I stand here before you as her trusted liegesworn rather than rotting six feet beneath the ground after a beheading. Most of you will recognize me as Garrett’s cousin, formerly one of his most trusted followers. I may have been coerced to follow him, but the sins that darken my soul are nearly as black as his. I can never atone for them all, but I would far rather try than roll over to serve an evil tyrant. I chose to pledge my oath to Cassidy the same day that you committed open treason against this Clan. They have done nothing but honor their word to me since that time. I willingly fight by their sides to right the wrongs I have done.

  “I willingly serve Cassidy Grant Zi as her liegesworn. And this is nothing like that manipulation because of the simple fact that we did commit treason against our kind. Perhaps not out of completely free choice, but commit it we did. And unlike her father, brother, or that snake Garcia, Cassidy offers the chance of redemption and future freedom rather than permanent death or the bleakness of a life lived without magic.”

  Several of them considered his words with thoughtful expressions, others leaning close to have muttered conversations as they debated their options. Which were admittedly few and not pretty. But sometimes you just had to make the best choice you could from the crappy selections life threw your way.

  And I firmly believed that living to fight another day was way better than the alternative.

  The grizzled gentleman appearing to be their spokesperson had a terse conversation with the redhead who’d been the only other to speak her concerns out loud. She scowled before reluctantly nodding. The man turned to give a slow nod of his own. “I for one only took oath to that son of a bitch because Garcia brainwashed me. I’ve been fighting to break that conditioning for years. Is it true that taking oath to you will help keep them both out of our minds?”

  Some of the tension holding my body stiff eased slightly. “It is absolutely true that becoming liegesworn grants you a measure of immunity to mental coercion from both my father and brother. Garcia’s manipulation is grounded in some special affinity he seems to have with his Earth magic, but I believe that a liegebond with me will help shield you from his abilities as well. The first thing we’ll do for those who choose to take this oath is magically scan them for any hidden tendrils of magic any of them may have placed dormant inside you. This will make it almost certain that your minds will be completely free from further manipulation by them.”

  The redhead’s scowl increased. “Almost certain? What good does that do us?”

  The man shot her a frustrated look that she completely ignored. I merely smiled, something that had her lips tightening. “I make it a point to be completely truthful, especially with matter
s as serious as these. I’d rather admit to you that I’m not 100% certain about this rather than take the easier path of lying to get what I want.”

  Finally, those words seemed to have something besides a negative effect. She let out a deep breath and her body slumped with the exhaustion she’d been hiding. “A Mindbender who embraces telling the truth over lying? That sounds like a novel concept. I guess I’d rather take oath in the hopes that you are a better person than lose a life I’ve barely begun to live.”

  Another woman spoke up tentatively from just behind the redhead. “W—what about those of us with family serving your father and brother, liegelord?”

  Her words tugged at my heartstrings. I hadn’t even thought about the fact that my father might be holding relatives of these people hostage to manipulate them into continued cooperation. “Those of you with family serving my father may remain here at the monastery for the time-being, so that he considers you still among the dead. If you give me identifying information about your relatives, I will do everything in my power to free them from his clutches. There is plenty that you can do here in the meantime.”

  When several of them exchanged skeptical glances, Keith gave a cocky grin. “Her track record of saving loved ones from my cousin’s ironclad clutches is thus far flawless.”

  I let a fierce smile tug my lips upward. “Indeed. He took my sister-in-law, Rhianne first. Not only did I save her, but I also won back Keith. Should he prove himself trustworthy, he will be granted freedom just like the rest of you will be. Dorian stole both my best friend Si Si and my adoptive mother, Kari. Absolutely despicable that he brought humans into this conflict. We rescued them both and sent Garcia’s itty bitty pieces back to Garrett in a body bag very much like the ones you all just popped out of. He abducted my sister Dia and brother Nic, and they now stand here as my liegesworn. The adoptive parents of Nic’s that he held hostage against my brother? They’re now safe here at this monastery as well.”

  The woman who’d posed that question about loved ones bowed her head, lips moving soundlessly in what I assumed was a prayer. Hope lit in her eyes, and she stepped up to the edge of the firewall to face me directly before kneeling. “I will take oath here and now if only you swear to rescue my bondmate and children from Garrett should the chance arise.”

  The grizzled man joined her seconds later. As if that opened the floodgates, the others quickly joined them along that circular edge, fanning out as closely together as possible. Tension filled my body as the redheaded woman who’d challenged my intentions remained standing. Her eyes narrowed as she watched the others kneel one by one until only she remained on her feet. She didn’t allow their actions to sway her own decision-making process, something I admired even though it had my stomach roiling. For some reason it was important to me that all twelve of these enemies join our cause. Then again, that shouldn’t really surprise me. The thought of permanently killing anyone except in self-defense disgusted me. Even if I acknowledged that it would someday prove inevitable once this war escalated to the next level.

  That doesn’t mean I have to like it! In fact, far better for everyone if I keep right on hating its necessity.

  Some emotion I couldn’t identify flashed across the redhead’s face. I almost thought a smidge of Spirit shimmered around her, but that was mere fancy. The only Spirit-users among my father’s forces were he and Drew.

  She finally let out a huff of air and sank to her knees behind the woman who’d been first to kneel. “You better be the real deal, Cassidy Grant Zi. I hope I don’t live to regret this choice.”

  Dia let out a bark of laughter and then she and I exchanged an amused glance. My sister had expressed a very similar sentiment when she’d agreed to become my liegesworn. I smoothed away all sign of amusement before meeting the redhead’s gaze. Her tightened lips and narrowed eyes made her seem like someone who’d just swallowed something nasty.

  Perhaps a spoonful of sugar will help this medicine go down?

  “If you do come to regret your choice, it won’t be because of any treachery on my part. The good news is that it means you will live. And I can promise the chance at vengeance against my father and brother.”

  That dose of sugar did seem to cheer her somewhat. Her lips loosened and her eyes widened in thoughtfulness. I looked away from her to glance toward Li Ming in the center of the inner circle. “We’re ready for the oathtaking, First Selkie.”

  She nodded and spun so the Firsts could work their magic. While they did, I motioned to everyone around me to prepare themselves. I dropped both firewalls, something that the kneeling Elementals appeared to register but didn’t otherwise react to. Still, the rest of us kept hawklike gazes upon them as the Firsts summoned the spell that would begin the ceremony binding me to twelve more people; these even bigger strangers than the first four had been.

  One by one, they spoke their oaths and stood as magic exploded between us. Fortunately, this time I had my liegesworn bonds to buffer the vast amounts of Elemental magic flooding into me. That buffering effect only increased with each new liegesworn I took, something that had me sighing in relief. I’d been worried bonding this many people at once might literally knock me on my ass. Then again, the Firsts likely would have insisted we spread this out among multiple sessions if that were the case. Hikaru and Imani, the only two liegelords whose own words I’d been able to read, had taken on large numbers of liegesworn in their days. Their battles with their own evil genius parents had demanded it.

  The fact I had not only a Mindbender father but his Mini-Me Drew to worry about made bonding multiple liegesworn especially crucial. Even then, I could only pray it would be enough. And that I wouldn’t have to go kamikaze to end their reign of terror the way Hikaru had been forced to do with his mother Yukari…

  They went in the order that they had knelt, and I brushed each with a tendril of Spirit as our bond solidified to latch onto their immediate thoughts. With my first three liegesworn, that had happened involuntarily. This time it was very much strategic.

  The first woman’s thoughts were extremely hopeful and concerned solely with making the right choice for her family. The grizzled veteran of the group seemed more cautious but hopeful that I would provide the chance to strike back at those he most hated. Each of the others ranged somewhere between those two on the spectrum, with only a few making me take note of their faces and names as someone to keep a closer eye on. Finally, only the young, outspoken red-haired woman remained.

  Surprisingly, she didn’t try to stall for time. Her voice rang out confidently across the courtyard as she began speaking the words that would bind her to me. I prepared to speak my own oath once she finished—except that she didn’t.

  Instead, shock dawned in her dark green eyes and her hands darted up to her throat. She made a choking sound as convulsions racked her body and she fell to the ground. My own eyes widened as memory struck. Visions of Nic’s own convulsing body and anguished sounds as his oaths to Garrett conflicted with his attempt to forge a new bond with me. I was already opening my mouth to order her to forsake all existing bonds when a new element registered in my mind. Cords of glittering black wrapped around her neck like a vice, causing her eyes to bulge as she began to lose consciousness.

  “Shit! Someone’s attacking her with Spirit!”

  I rushed toward her, only to find myself restrained by Jake on one side and Keith on the other. My glare blistered them with more heat than channeling Fire would have done, but then I caught sight of Nic, Dia, and Liam darting forward to assist Colin and Riku as they worked to unravel the threads of Spirit from her neck.

  Logic that they were doing the smart thing in trying to save my would-be liegesworn without putting me at risk if this were a trap to ensnare me warred with frustration. I didn’t want to hang back and let others do what I could do better and faster. And yet, that was not only arrogant in the extreme but also foolhardy. No matter how impressive my powers might be, they didn’t make me invincible.

&nb
sp; Frustration had me tapping my foot impatiently while events unfolded. Colin and Riku worked furiously to counter the Spirit choking the woman to death, but their best efforts just weren’t enough. Her lips began to turn blue as her eyes bulged still further, and then she died. Right in front of dozens of Elementals who should have been able to help. She died.

  My new liegesworn pressed themselves as close to me as the looming Jake and Keith would allow. Fear writ itself large upon their faces. That had me inwardly swearing. We so did not need them freaking out from fear that not even I would be able to protect them from my father and brother. Oh hell no! I thought angrily before channeling Fire into enough strength to break free from my overprotective shadows. I gave each a try-me glare before stalking toward the still—twitching body to revive it myself.

  Only I never got the chance. I had barely made it half the distance toward the fallen woman when an intense flash of bright white light shot through with shards of glittering ebony flared in the air. By the time I managed to blink my overwhelmed vision back into some semblance of clarity, the woman’s body had vanished without a trace.

  Chapter 4

  Shocked mutters swept across the courtyard, and dozens of Elementals already on high alert grew even more tense. Suspicious stares ran over my new liegesworn as others sought to confer with the monastery’s perimeter guards to make sure no breaches had occurred. That seemed unlikely, however. Only my use of a Spirit-soaked firewall had gotten us past their wards on that day not so long ago that we’d snuck past this courtyard to search the nearby lake for any trace of Colin’s remains.

  But here we stood in the same courtyard, confounded by the disappearance of another set of remains.