by S A Edwards
We hurried along the silent streets, as though driven by shuddering fear, until we reached the end of the village and plunged into the forest.
Leaves and twigs hindered my progress and ignited with my touch.
Matriarch showed no fear at my flames. She strode purposefully, not breaking stride despite the dark.
The moons hid behind the thick canopy, yet all remained clear, each leaf and branch standing out as clearly as though it were day. I had never strayed into this part of the forest at night, never able to make out my route in the dark. Tonight was different.
A pointed ledge hanging hundreds of meters over the sea emerged ahead beyond the treeline. The Overhang. Still part of the village, I had no idea how far the boundary wall extended beyond the edge, but I rarely came up here, always unsettled with the sheer height of the cliff. The moons reflection mirrored on the water’s surface and flooded the scene with light.
Matriarch pulled me toward the edge.
I clutched my shoulder, exhausted from my efforts, and my stomach sank. “We’re trapped.”
Two beasts leapt from the shadows, fur bristling.
Matriarch released me and strode toward them.
The first row of trees ignited.
She peered back at me.
One snarled at her, reclaiming her focus, and barked twice.
Her eyes widened. “Get back.” She pushed me across the rock, toward the cliff edge, her focus on the shadows under the forest and flames.
My spine prickled, my hair standing on end.
“There is no escape.” The words cut into my mind, sending shivers through me, reaching the very depths of my soul.
I gasped. “What is that?”
“The Seeker,” Matriarch whispered. Her fingers found the sword in her belt and drew it out, crossing her arm in front of me. Silver light bounced off the polished blade.
The beasts came together, creating a barrier between the oncoming Seeker and us.
The fear smelled sweet, sickening. My tongue tingled under the taste, the touch of sweat on the air. My breathing quickened.
The rock between us caught fire. Flames crept up my arms, searing my wound. I cried out, clutching at the flesh.
One of the beasts rocketed backward and slammed against the rock with a yelp. The ground shuddered. A light breeze kissed the fur of the unmoving creature.
The remaining shifted position, its snarl tearing the air.
I watched on bated breath, searching for movement. Everything was still.
The remaining beast whipped forward, snatched into the treeline in an instant. It roared, knocking leaves from the burning canopy.
Silence fell.
Shadows moved, hidden despite the firelight.
Purple sparked in the darkness.
Matriarch turned. Her eyes pierced mine, twisted with fear and determination. Her grip tightened on the swords.
“We’ve done all we can. It’s up to you now.”
She gripped my tunic, shoving me backward toward the cliff edge. Her eyes glowed yellow, like the beasts in the forest.
I gripped her wrist, unbalanced, heart thudding. “Matriarch!”
“Good luck.” She pushed me.
6
I fell from the cliff and screamed.
Above me, Matriarch threw the sword, the blade glinting in the moons’ light, and fur burst out over her bare arms.
Wind hammered against my body, whipping my hair against my face, yet flames raged across my skin, undeterred.
A huge shadow with outstretched, black wings rushed toward me. Claws glinted in the light and curled round my arm.
My body jolted, dragged to the side, and I dangled hundreds of feet above the water, no longer falling, wind slapping my face. My shoulder stung in the cold, forcing a cry from my lips.
Breath-taking forest, hills, and rivers stretched into the distance beside the water, far as the horizon.
My flames drew across my chest and arms and flared up the leg of the creature. Sapphire scales gleamed under their glow. The claws tightened, and the winged monster dropped, swerved, and soared over the treetops. It dipped lower. Branch tips lashed at my feet, and then we plunged below the treeline, winding between the trunks with speed I hadn’t thought possible.
I squirmed and wriggled against its grip, but the claws only squeezed tighter. I fought to keep my eyes open against the wind. The ground passed in a blur.
A steep hill rose ahead.
The creature released me, and I dropped to the hard ground, rolling and bouncing down the slope. Dust curled up, stinging my eyes, attacking my clothes. The floor levelled out, and I lay still, coughing on the dirt and grasping my screaming shoulder. The bloody scent almost masked the refreshing pine, dust and smoke. The crackle of burning nature drummed at my ears. Above, blue light flickered on the canopy, smoking under the power of my flames. The monster had gone.
“Clara!” Footsteps padded and hands touched my arm.
“Charlie,” I croaked.
His wide eyes clamped on the blood, horror etched into his features. “Custos! Quick!”
Questions exploded in my mind, and my expression twisted with confusion. The snap of fire on leaves grew louder. My fingers found Charlie’s wrist, his warmth pressing into my flesh, and I flinched, afraid to burn him if the flames returned. “How are you here? What happened to you?”
“I got lost when Lallana screamed.”
“But the beasts …”
“Yeah.” Dimples chased his grin. “Aren’t they cool?”
“Not the word I’d use.”
Someone else moved into view. He knelt, huge muscles rippling. Eyes as green as the forest gazed at my wound, his fingers pulling aside the fabric.
I tried to sit, uncomfortable with his proximity.
“Hold still,” he ordered, his focus still on my shoulder. His musky scent blended with the aromas around us. A crystal, the colour of his eyes, hung round his neck. Something about his face was familiar, though he hadn’t been in the village.
“Clara, I’m Custos.” His brow furrowed. “It’s not too deep. Come on.” Grasping me beneath the arm, he lifted me to my feet with surprising strength. Thoughts of Matriarch breaking the cabinet lock leapt to mind. He marched me across the dust and deeper into the woods.
Charlie followed close beside me, nose wrinkling when he glanced at the blood on my clothes. The tunic rubbed against my side, stiffening as it dried.
“Charlie, I’m sorry. I should never have taken you out there.” What must he think of me covered in dirt and blood? And he could have ended up much worse.
He peered at me, his eyebrows low.
“He was never in harm’s way,” Custos said.
I stared at him.
“You were being watched,” he added. “The moment you separated, I stepped in.”
“What is going on?” I asked. “Who are you? And what was that back at the village? The Seekers … Matriarch said they’re real. And the beasts …” My gaze snapped to Charlie. “Lallana, is she here?”
Custos chuckled, and then cast me a sideways smile. “Which do you want me to answer first?”
A torch flamed ahead, protruding out from an upheaved root. The orange glow sent shadows dancing over the scene. Voices murmured ahead.
We entered a clearing, filled with people and tents. Over half the people were strangers to me, with only a few of the villagers in sight.
The men were topless, muscles glistening in the low light. Woman flitted between the tents, long hair pulled back with torn fabric. A bowl of bloody rags sat on a crate beside Ruben. His dark hair dropped below his shoulders, scraggy and wet.
Lallana stood by his side, tending to a cut on his head, her cheeks red.
A jolt of relief surged through me.
“Clara!” She skipped to me and wrapped her arms round my waist.
I squeezed her back, a rush of lavender washing through the sweaty scent. “I see Ruben still has his robes on,” I whispered,
smiling despite the night’s events, welcoming the small sense of normalcy with my relief.
She flushed. “Don’t remind me.”
Rapid, heavy breathing cut through the air, and the ground shuddered. A beast padded into the encampment, a gash in its leg. It turned to us and limped over, teeth bared.
I gasped and tried to retreat, but Custos’ grip on me tightened.
Blue flames erupted from a bush beside us, heat blasting my face.
Charlie leapt away, wide-eyed, and Lallana’s grip on me loosened.
The monster hesitated, and then rose on its hind legs, claws flashing. Its body shrunk, fur changed to muscle, muzzle turned to nose.
I stared at the naked man before us, abdominals smeared with muck.
“Griff,” I whispered. “He’s a beast.”
“He’s a Mage,” Custos said.
Fire whipped across my palms, stinging, winding round my wrist. Lallana and Custos released me at once, retreating several steps.
“Clara.” Charlie shifted position and shuffled his feet. “They won’t hurt us.” He pointed at Custos. “He’s the Elder of the Beasts.”
“They did this.” I pointed at my shoulder.
Custos frowned. “Baird did this. He’s more aggressive than the others.”
“It’s proof that they aren’t safe.”
“He’s been dealt with. It will not happen again.”
Griff limped forward, panting.
A woman ran forward with a pair of shorts.
He slipped them on and smiled at Charlie, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“Are there more?” Custos asked.
Griff lowered his eyes. “The Seekers completely overran the village. We evacuated as many as we could, but we couldn’t …”
The Beast Elder nodded, expression grave. “Matriarch?”
For a moment, neither of them spoke. Custos bowed his head.
“She’s dead, isn’t she?” I asked.
Lallana stiffened.
Griff frowned at me. “The Seeker killed her after she pushed you from the overhang.”
“He killed her?” She had always been there: raised me, nurtured me, taught me. As strict as she was, she had been the mother of the village. The head of our family. And Lallana’s birth-mother. My own had died at my birth. I glanced at Lallana, a lump in my throat. My fault. If I hadn’t taken her through the arch this wouldn’t have happened. Matriarch would still be alive.
Lallana stared ahead, lip trembling.
One of the tents flared up, blue sparks spitting at the sky. The people near it scattered instantly, racing for the water barrels at the edge of the clearing.
Fire spread to my elbows.
Custos yanked Lallana away, his muscles gleaming in the blue light.
Charlie gasped. “Clara –”
“We were warned. We were safe in the village. If I hadn’t gone out, if we’d never found the arch –”
A pile of wooden crates exploded.
“It would have opened anyway,” Custos insisted. “What happened couldn’t have been avoided.”
“But why? What do the Seekers want?”
“You. Your death.”
My shoulders ignited. Heat seared at my skin, stabbing at my cut.
Custos stepped back. “Control it, Clara.”
“I can’t!” I would hurt them. If the trees could alight without my touch then the people here …
The fire spread across my chest.
Charlie reached toward me, but Custos grabbed him and held him back.
“She won’t hurt me.” Charlie struggled against his hold.
Lallana took his hand with both of hers, eyes glistening.
The leaves above lit up. Ash rained down.
“Clara, let us help you!” Custos pleaded.
Retreating from him, my back touched bark. The trunk flared up. Flames shot down my stomach, my legs, rustling Lallana’s hair in the heat.
“Clara!” Charlie continued to struggle.
“Orator!” Custos’ voice boomed above the noise.
Orator emerged in a cloud of purple smoke. His cloak hung just above the ground, flapping under the temperature.
I flailed under the fire, a new monster threatening the lives of my family.
“She’s out of control!” Custos shouted.
“I will take her to Vitora,” Orator called.
“The Seekers know she’s out. They’re searching for her.”
Orator paused a step from me, jaw tense. “She is the only one who can help her now.” He grabbed me.
7
Smoke billowed. The scene blurred. The forest, Custos, Charlie, and Lallana melted away, dissolving in purple smoke, and my feet sank into soft ground, sharp grains digging at my ankles. The heat intensified, my flames leaping higher. The smoke cleared.
Orator leapt away, shaking his arm. Blue fire tore at his sleeve and cloak.
“Orator!” A woman’s voice rang out. She raced down a huge, sandy ramp, black hair flapping. Behind her, a castle towered, almost blending in with the desert. Turrets stretched toward countless, glittering stars, and a sandy ramp led up to a large, arched entrance.
She raised both hands, and the flames on Orator diminished instantly.
He cradled his arm, expression twisted. Not much of his sleeve remained. Red, blistered skin shone in the light of both moons.
“Go to Sil,” the woman ordered. “I’ll take it from here.” Her red eyes focused on me, mouth set in a straight line. A crystal, fire-red, hung round her neck on a silver chain.
Smoke billowed from Orator’s cloak, and he vanished.
My skin prickled, stinging under the fire. The sand below ignited, spreading like a wave around me.
She reached out. “Give me your hands.”
“No, I’ll hurt you!” I backed away, afraid of causing further harm. Orator’s blistered skin clung to my mind.
“You’ll do no such thing.” She stepped forward, into the flare. “Do it now.”
The fire grew stronger, burning against my legs.
My hands found hers, and she pulled me closer.
A cool sensation began in my fingers. It flowed up my arms, through my body, soothing the heat. Slowly, the flames died. Smoke curled from my sizzling, bare skin, drawing with it my strength.
My knees buckled, and I dropped to the sand, too afraid to feel relieved.
No signs of harm lingered on my flesh. The hot grains under my hands gleamed like the stars. So, this was what sand looked like. I’d only read of it in books.
Vitora removed her cloak, resting the smooth material on my shoulders. Darkness clouded my vision, my mind spun, and I gave in, unable to fight any longer.
*
I lay listening to the silence. Light pressed at my closed eyelids, and sweetness touched my nose. Vanilla?
The events of the previous night bombarded my memory, and I held still, willing for a familiar noise, a sign that it was just a dream. A nightmare. If I waited long enough, the homely bustle of the villagers preparing for work would sound outside my window.
A knock cut through my concentration, and my eyes shot open.
Sunlight streamed through a glass ceiling, filling the room with golden light. I sat, body aching. Marble covered every surface, reflective and bright.
Three quick raps rattled an intricately carved wooden door to one side.
“Hello?” The door opened, and a girl wandered in, perhaps only a year older than me. Her hair matched the colour of sand. Folded fabric rested in her hands. “Oh, good. You’re awake.” She smiled and dropped the material on the silky bed beside me. “Vitora sent these for you. When you’re dressed, I’m to take you to her.”
“Oh. Vitora, she’s, erm …”
“She brought you in last night. Well, technically Henrik did. You’d passed out. I mean, the Capital’s amazing and all, but if you pass out the moment you arrive how’re you planning on passing your test?”
“My test?”
“Yeah. You nervous? Course you are. I am, too, but I’m sure I’ll pass. I’ve been practicing all year. I was the only Refiner in my village, you know. Three had left for the Capital two years before me, so I was trained alone. Maybe that’ll help. I didn’t have the distractions, you know? What about you?”
“What about me?” No one my age had lived in the village. Were they all this chatty outside the boundary?
“You’re still kinda out of it, huh? Tell you what, you get ready. I’ll be in the corridor when you’re done. Vitora’s expecting you, anyway. I wonder if you’re getting tested before me. Seems weird. I’ve been here three days already.” She shrugged. “Her choice, I guess. Maybe she was waiting for you so she could test us on the same day.” She backed toward the door. “Hurry up anyway. I want to get started, and I can’t until I’ve brought you to her. Can’t stand here talking all day, you know?” She flashed me a smile, and then slipped out, closing the door behind her.
I blinked, staring at the door. Well, I had survived one whirlwind. Though after recent events, I had no doubt more would come. Starting with this test. Come to think of it, Orator had mentioned a test, and then abandoned me in the Shadow Realm. If that was what Vitora intended to do, I wanted no part in it.
I slipped out of bed, pain stabbing at my shoulder. A silken gown hung from my shoulders to the tiles, and my wound had been bound and dressed. Thoughts of my nakedness in the desert emerged, and my cheeks burned.
A bathroom covered in spotless marble led from the bedroom, with a large bath and shower. I washed silently, enjoying the stream of water on my skin despite my worries. Charlie and Lallana surrounded by the Beasts didn’t give me confidence. I hoped Custos was trustworthy and would protect them. Mostly I worried about Baird, the aggressive one.
Wrapping a towel around me, I inspected the bundle on the bed: a long-sleeved tunic and trousers and a pair of black, knee-length boots and belt. Dark in colour with streaks of red along the sides, they appeared to be my size. I held them up, eyebrows raised. They were hardly appropriate for the climate. I trusted whoever had chosen the outfit knew what they were doing. Either that or it was a cruel joke.
The clothes were lightweight and airy, nothing like the hard-wearing, thicker clothes at home used for training and land working. I slipped them on, and then plodded for the door, grasping the cool handle.