From Flame and Ash

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  I knew we would figure it out. We had to. Because there wasn’t going to be another choice.

  Wyn might not think that Easton blamed me for his mother’s death, but I could blame myself. I did. And I had a feeling that Easton held me responsible, too. How could he not?

  But I didn’t know him. I didn’t know this court. I didn’t know anybody except myself and the cat currently peeking over Teagan’s shoulder.

  I used to ask myself how everything could come to be like this, but not anymore. I knew that this was how it would always be from now on, no matter what.

  We walked for two days straight, only resting for a few hours at a time to sleep, eat, and drink water. It was weird, but the journey felt so much like the time I had moved from the Earth territory to the Fire one. We just kept walking. Nobody in the group spoke much, but Arwin was the quietest of them all. He seemed so sweet, though, always making sure I had enough water and food. And he really seemed to like Braelynn. He held her close, even carrying her in his arms so she could have a better look around. They were all warriors, I knew that, but Arwin seemed almost…innocent.

  It seemed weird that there could be innocence in a world where people died all the time because of other people’s greed. But there was goodness in the human world, as well. Sometimes I forgot that.

  My legs burned, and I was exhausted and really just wanted a bath, but I knew we were getting close.

  When the magic through my body shimmered, I looked down at the Air Wielding humming in my fingers, the earth rumbling beneath my feet.

  We were getting close.

  Or perhaps we had arrived.

  “Oh, it’s about time,” Teagan said with a grumble as we slid our way towards the wards. The magic looked like a soap bubble on a clear surface so I could see past it to the court ahead, but I couldn’t really tell what was blocking us.

  “You and Braelynn are invited, so you should be able to walk through the wards easily. You’ll also be able to leave because you’re not prisoners here,” Wyn explained as we moved our way through the magic. “It won’t hurt you, but if you hadn’t been invited or if you were Lumiére? Then it may hurt.”

  “I’m an Air Wielder, as well,” I put in.

  “Oh, we know. But you’re a guest here. The wards aren’t to hurt people, they’re to keep us safe. That’s the difference.”

  I didn’t know what she meant by difference. Maybe the other court’s wards were intended to hurt? Or perhaps I was reading too much into Wyn’s words.

  The court looked much the same as it had before, only shinier and brighter.

  This was the dark court, the Obscurité. In my head, before I had ever met Easton or the rest of them, I had thought them perhaps the enemy. The evil court. After all, I had only met those of the Lumiére before.

  Lumiére was light, good. But there was good and evil on both sides, something I would do well to remember. After all, I held elements within me from both kingdoms. One day, I hoped I would hold the other three elements, as well. Meaning I would be of both kingdoms and the Spirit territory.

  The dark castle before me was made of black stone and a nearly purple crystal. It was gorgeous with its turrets and even a moat. It looked very medieval but almost serene. It probably shouldn’t seem that way, but that was the word that came to me.

  As if there were peace or at least a semblance of it. And maybe that was the case since Lore was no more. His evil was no longer lurking and sucking the magic and life force from the Obscurité people. That darkness was gone.

  Yes, the crystal was still failing, but there wasn’t death surrounding them anymore, no shroud pulling the kingdom deeper.

  I really just wanted to brush my hair and teeth before we had to deal with anything, but I could tell that wasn’t going to be the case. Because before we’d even walked onto the bridge that led to the castle itself, a very familiar Wielder strutted out, his hair falling across his forehead.

  His light brown skin glistened under the sunlight, his black eyes narrowing even as his lips quirked into a familiar smirk.

  “It’s about time you got here. I was about to send out the cavalry, and then I realized you were my cavalry.”

  Easton.

  The king.

  But not my king.

  “Long time, no see,” I said, giving him my best haughty tone. I didn’t know why, but he just bugged me.

  “Ah, the fabled one. Welcome to your new training. And welcome to my home.” He gave me an exaggerated deep bow that almost made me smile. Almost.

  Teagan and Wyn both held back grins while Braelynn gave me a look over Teagan’s shoulder. Arwin, on the other hand, looked about ready to faint. Because the king was bowing to me? Or perhaps because I wasn’t curtseying back.

  Either way, I didn’t know, and it didn’t really matter.

  I was here. And there was no going back.

  But then again, there never had been.

  Chapter Five

  The last time I was here, I had died. Now that was a weird thought to think at this exact moment. I looked down at Braelynn, who was currently cleaning her paws while giving me a strange look. Seriously, only cats could do that.

  Well, the last time we had been here, we had both died. Only I had found my way through it and came out somewhat whole. Braelynn had come back a cat. With wings.

  My life had really taken a strange turn at some point. I don’t really remember the exact moment of that change.

  When Easton finally let us into the castle—yes, a real castle—the maids had sent me up alone to my room. It was a different suite than I had before, or at least I thought. I looked around again, frowning. No, this was the same room I had woken up in after the battle, it’d just been cleaned up a bit since then.

  This was the space where I had finally seen Rosamond again, sitting at the end of my bed with Braelynn in her lap. Right before she had handed me the large book that I had left behind back at my house in the human realm. It had been too heavy for me to carry for the long journey, and I had most of it memorized anyway. It was really the only book, other than the history books from my own world that I had read in the past year.

  I had hidden it under my bed and hoped that my parents wouldn’t find it. If they did for some reason, maybe I could explain to them that it was just a dictionary and history of fantasy and wasn’t real.

  It wasn’t as if I could tell them that any of this was real.

  Regardless, this was the room that I had been in when I tried to wake up and realize exactly what I needed to do next. I had felt so lost, trying to figure out who I was and what the next step should be. It wasn’t as if I had known what I was supposed to do back then. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do right now.

  Almost dying had scared me to the point that I needed to take some time for myself. And I had taken it.

  Now, it was time to train—as Easton had put it.

  Wyn, Teagan, and Arwin had left me to my own devices, but all had promised that I would see them again.

  So, I took a bath and washed away the grunge from the past day’s walk. The maids and other staff had left hot water for me in the cast iron tub, and I was grateful. The one thing I truly missed about my world was full indoor plumbing. The castle seemed to have some of it, at least from what I remembered, but not in this room. No, this suite was a little medieval.

  And maybe Easton had put me in it because of that fact.

  Or perhaps he had just put me in here because it had been my room before and thought I might need something familiar.

  I still didn’t know why he had been the one to call on me and not Rhodes. It worried me, but it wasn’t like I knew what I was doing. I needed to learn how to better control my Earth Wielding abilities. And at some point, I needed to unlock my Fire Wielding. Easton would be the one to teach me that—or at least one of his people would be. I hoped.

  And one day soon, I hoped I would go to the Lumiére Kingdom and learn how to better Wield my Air and unlock my Water W
ielding. It didn’t make any of this easier, but I would find my way through. I had already done a lot, and I would just keep going.

  I dressed in soft leather pants, boots, and a long tunic that had flowers embroidered on the edges of the hem and cuffs, and paired it with a belt to cinch it at the waist. I sort of looked like a mix between what I had been before and what I was now. They weren’t the same battle leathers that I had worn when I was here last, nor was it the same type of leathers that Wyn had worn when I first met her in the Spirit territory.

  This seemed more like just casualwear without having to wear a dress. And for that, I was grateful. I wasn’t the most graceful person when it came to dresses, so maybe I could move around better in this.

  There was a knock on the door. Before I could answer, it opened, and Wyn stuck her head through the gap, her hair falling into her face before she tucked it behind her ear. “Oh, good, you’re dressed. Easton wants you to meet a few people and to show you around.”

  “Oh? Am I going to start training today then?” I bent down and scratched Braelynn behind the ears, needing the way she purred against my leg to keep me steady.

  “I don’t really know if training’s going to start today, but for sure tomorrow. I think today you’re just going to get settled. I know we’re technically at war with the Lumiére, but if you want, I can find a way for you to contact your friends.” She whispered the last part, and my eyes widened.

  “You would do that?”

  “You’re the Spirit Priestess. You’re the one who’s supposed to make us all come together and save the world. How can I help you do that if I don’t let you contact those of the Lumiére? Just think about it. I have my ways.” She winked and then walked fully into the room to kneel down on the ground. Braelynn looked at me and then swished her tail before going right over to Wyn and jumping into her arms.

  I held back a smile. “I see that Braelynn trusts you.”

  “Of course, she does. I’m very trustworthy. I’ll hang out with her for now if you want. That way, she’s not alone while I show her around the court a bit. I don’t want others to think that she’s just some ordinary cat.” Wyn looked down at Braelynn and trailed her finger along one of Brae’s wings. “Not that anyone’s really going to believe that. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anyone like her before. And I’ve seen a lot of different things considering where I grew up.”

  I perked up, wanting to know more about these people I would be staying with. “Where did you grow up?”

  Wyn’s brow rose, and she gave me a wry smile. “My parents are the Lord and Lady of Earth. Technically, I’m a princess of Obscurité, a lady in her own right.”

  I blinked, remembering my last, not-so-nice encounter with the Earth Estate. “I…I didn’t know that.”

  Wyn just snorted. “Yeah, I see you know them. And, yes, I’m their daughter. I grew up in the court though because my parents had this idea that I should marry Easton. So, they stuck us together.”

  That made me blink again. “Oh?”

  This time, Wyn laughed. “We’re a court system. As long as the bloodlines aren’t mixed too much, our families like to marry within and keep the power with them. Easton and I found it funny and trained so I would be in his inner circle as a warrior instead of just his wife.”

  I felt like I was four steps behind again. “I have no idea what to say to that.”

  Wyn just shrugged. “There isn’t much to say. But it’s not important. Really. I’m here to protect this kingdom. And Easton is my king. It’s what we do. You’ll learn more about it all on your own today when you go off with Easton.”

  “So you’re not coming with me today?” I asked, feeling a little lost. Of course, that was something I was quite used to these days.

  “No, I don’t think you need me. After all, you’ve known Easton longer than you’ve known me. Just don’t let him push you around. He gets all grumpy when he’s stressed out, and he’s really stressed out right now.”

  “So I guess you know Easton really well.” I wasn’t really asking too deep of a question, but it sounded far more curious than I had planned.

  Wyn just laughed. “Probably not the way you’re thinking. Easton and I have never been that close, at least not in that kind of relationship. But he is my best friend. At least, one of them. Teagan is the other.” She rolled her eyes. “Teagan, on the other hand…he I did date. But he’s a jerk—even though I love him.”

  I swallowed hard. “Oh.”

  Not really sure what else to say, I just sat there patting my hands against my thighs. I didn’t know how old Wyn or Teagan were. I still didn’t even know what kind of Wielding they had. I was so far out of my depth, it was crazy, but I’d find my way. I had to.

  “Sorry, I kind of blurt things out when I’m nervous.”

  “You’re nervous? Why would you be nervous? I thought I should be the nervous one.”

  “Oh, you have total rights to be nervous right now. And I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to run out that door and never talk to us again. It would be kind of strange to be in a realm that isn’t yours and get asked to do things that no one can explain or tell you what they actually entail. But I’m nervous because I can’t believe that Rhodes and his sister actually found you. I mean, I know you’re still Lyric, but you’re also the Spirit Priestess. And I guess that’s a lot to put on your shoulders. And I don’t like that. I’d love to be able to help, but I’ll just have to figure out how to do that while you figure out how to help yourself.” She paused. “And that made no sense. So just ignore me and let me take you to where Easton and the uncles are.”

  She turned on her heel, Braelynn still in her arms, and I followed, feeling more confused now than I had when I started.

  “So, uncles?” I walked next to Wyn, trying to look around as I did so. Part of the court had been destroyed when we fought against the knight and his men. So much magic running through the halls had broken some of the stone and the crystals. But a lot of it had been rebuilt in the year I’d been gone.

  There was still the dark stonework and even darker floors, but it had more of a shine to it than it had in the past. It wasn’t as dull, didn’t seem quite as…evil. Not that I thought that dark was evil and light was good, I had learned through reading Rosamond’s book and just from what I had seen that there was good and bad on both sides. I just needed to figure out which was which when I was facing it.

  “Justise is Easton’s uncle, Cameo’s brother. Not that everybody really knew that Justise was related to her. But that’s not my story to tell. Anyway, Justise is married to Ridley, who’s our healer. Justise is the blacksmith and helps with our weapons. They’re hanging out with Easton today and are dying to meet you.”

  “Oh, that’s…I didn’t realize people really knew about me. Or wanted to meet me.” I didn’t know what to say to that. I hadn’t realized I’d be meeting some of Easton’s family. Frankly, I just wanted to begin my training so I could go to the Lumiére Kingdom when it was time and try to figure out what the next step was. For some reason, this felt like a way station, and I really shouldn’t think about it that way. I had things to do, elements to learn, and I needed to focus and not yearn to be somewhere else when I was here.

  “You’ll like them, I promise. Justise is a grumpy butthead, but with what he’s been through, he’s earned it. Ridley is our not-so-grumpy healer. At least that’s what I call him. But I love the both of them, and Easton hasn’t had a father figure in his life for quite a long time, so I’ve always enjoyed the fact that he has his uncles with him.”

  Before I could say anything to that, wondering exactly what Easton thought of Wyn airing some of his possible secrets to me, we ended up in the middle of the courtyard with the sun shining down, and people milling about. This was far different from the last time I had been in the court with so many people hiding, so many scared.

  Maybe that was just the parts I remembered because I had been fighting for my life. I could still recall the sound o
f the children laughing and playing in the streets of the border to the Fire lands. There hadn’t been children hiding in pain or in terror. They had all been smiling. They had been happy. Yes, terrors were happening all around them, but there had still been hope.

  And now I could see some of that on the faces of the people that looked up to Easton as their king.

  There were so many of them around us. Some were Fire Wielders, some Earth, some I could sense were a mixture of the two. And some, yes, some were Danes, Maisons without any Wielding powers. I had learned from reading Rosamond’s book and from what the others had told me, that Danes were becoming far more prevalent as time passed. When the Maison realm had fractured in two, it had changed the way magic and Wielding moved within its own people.

  Before he died, the old knight had used the crystal that tried to protect its people against them. He had siphoned the magic and Wielding from them to create Danes. Some had been born that way, others were forced into it.

  When we were last here, Braelynn had been called a Dane, while Emory had just been considered human. I was neither because I was the foretold Spirit Priestess—or so they told me.

  Oh, I believed it now, but sometimes it was quite hard to keep on believing it when I didn’t have a clue what I was going to do about it, or even what I could do about it.

  Nobody knew why Braelynn had been considered a Dane, but maybe that was why she’d come back as she did after she died. Nobody explained to me exactly how it had happened, though I didn’t think anybody really knew. It was just one of those things, something that happened that I was supposed to just go along with.

  So, I would listen, and I would learn. I wouldn’t just go along with it this time.

  “Ah, you’re here,” Easton said, raising that dark brow of his.