From Flame and Ash

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  That left Easton and me on the training field, sweat making my skin damp and my hair stick to my face. I’d had my hair back in a loose braid, much like Wyn, but now, parts of it were out, and I was sure there was dirt on my face. I likely didn’t look at all interesting. I actually probably looked more like a dirt-covered rat.

  And yet, Easton just stared at me. It made me really uncomfortable.

  “What?” I asked finally. “What’s wrong with you?”

  He shook his head as if coming out of a trance. Or as if he’d ignored everything I’d just said. Same difference.

  “If you walk away when you’re tired, you’re going to end up hurt later when it really matters. You have to keep fighting. Keep pushing through.”

  “I am.”

  “No, you’re not. And no one’s truly testing you.”

  “Hey,” Wyn put in, but Teagan pulled her back. I noticed that she looked down at where he touched her and frowned. I wondered what that was about. Then again, it wasn’t any of my business.

  “If you’re so picky about how I’m being trained, why aren’t you helping? Your friends are. Your uncle is. But you haven’t helped at all.”

  “I have more important things to do in this kingdom than try to help you.”

  I didn’t know why that hurt, but it did. The other three mumbled under their breath at each other, or rather Teagan and Wyn grumbled, and Arwin just looked at them, his eyes wide.

  “I understand. You’re the king. I don’t expect you to help me. But I do expect you to not treat me like trash just because you think I’m not training the way you want me to. If you want me trained a certain way, then do it yourself. If not? Then butt out.”

  “She has you there,” Teagan said with a laugh.

  “Oh, shut up,” Easton snapped, though thankfully, not at me. If he had, I probably would’ve used my inner Wielding to toss him off his feet. King or no.

  “Forces are coming, Lyric. Things that are stronger than all of us.”

  I froze, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. “What do you mean?”

  “Can’t you feel it? Don’t you know that there’s something greater than all of us pulling the strings?”

  His words. They meant something…but, what?

  I didn’t know.

  I didn’t understand.

  I nodded, unaware that I was doing so until it was already done. “I’ve always felt like that, but I thought it was just because I was new to this.”

  “No, there’s something. We need to keep fighting. You need to push. And I’m going to be mean. I’m going to be a bastard. But all that is just me wanting to make sure that my people can live through this. If we have to rely on you, then you have to be the strongest you can be. My friends there? They’re the people I trust with my life. I’m entrusting your life to them. I can’t help because I have to make sure everyone else is breathing. That whatever Lore did to my people isn’t lasting.

  “But we already know it is. We already know that I may lose more of my people because of what that sick psycho did. That’s what I’m forcing others to do. I’m training them. I’m teaching myself. I’m trying to keep this kingdom intact. And to do that, I need to know you’re protected. I need to know that you’re ready for what’s to come. That means I can’t be there to hold your hand.

  “So, get your act together and be the best Earth Wielder you can possibly be. And find a way to unlock that Fire Wielding. Because once you’re the full Spirit Priestess, you need to be stronger than you ever thought possible. I don’t know if I’m the person to help you with that, but I trust in my people. And they’re the ones who will do it.”

  Then Easton turned on his heel and walked away, leaving me completely lost.

  I had never seen him so impassioned, yet I shouldn’t have been surprised. I knew he loved his people. He hadn’t been out searching for the Spirit Priestess like Rhodes had because Easton had been forced to step back and deal with what was in front of him. Help with what was tangible: the fact that his people were dying.

  Apparently, Rhodes had had the luxury—at least according to Easton—of searching for me.

  Rhodes had found me. He had saved me.

  Now, Easton apparently needed me.

  Then again, they all did.

  The walk back to the castle was quiet with Arwin right at my side and Teagan and Wyn behind me.

  We didn’t say anything. Really, there wasn’t much left to say. Easton had said it all.

  We were training, and not just for fun. Because something was coming.

  Only we didn’t know what that was.

  I was caught in the middle, lost just like last time.

  But I wasn’t going to run. Not like before. I was going to fight. I just had to be strong enough. Easton had seen. Easton had seen I wasn’t enough.

  I would show him. I was going to show all of them. I would be strong enough.

  No matter what.

  Chapter Eight

  I ate most of my meals in the dining hall with the other Wielders, sitting by Wyn, Teagan, and sometimes Arwin. I usually ate my other meals alone in my room, poring over textbooks that Ridley and the quiet and grumpy Justise had given me. Everybody seemed to want me to learn how to Wield Earth and Air with the best of my abilities. They all had this idea that I had some higher purpose. And while the prophecy said I did, it was still hard to get really deep down into it.

  But I knew the details would come.

  First, I had to finish training.

  So, while I generally ate my meals with people I knew, I was also surrounded by those I didn’t. Some came to introduce themselves to me but were pretty quiet about it. No one really sat long enough for me to get to know them, or for them to get to know me. I didn’t know if it was because I was intimidating or if I just looked scared.

  Maybe it was because I was sitting with what I figured must be the most powerful Wielders in the room, and everybody just sat with their friends.

  Or Easton had told everyone to leave me alone. That sounded more like it. Easton always had reasons for what he did, not that I actually understood any of them. Tonight, however, the fact that we were eating as a group in Easton’s personal quarters confused me.

  I had never been to this section of the castle before. I hadn’t even known it existed. I wished Braelynn were with me, but she’d wanted to spend time in my room curled up at the end of my bed. She trained with me most days, but she didn’t like coming to dinner or other places with other Wielders. Maybe it reminded her that while she might still be my best friend, she wasn’t really here anymore. It made me remember.

  And I didn’t know how to process any of that.

  “So, are you ready to see where the illusive Easton eats and sleeps and does all his breathing?” Wyn asked, elbowing me in the side.

  I looked at her, rolling my eyes. “Really? Really?”

  “What? I can’t help it. I’m never really allowed in his rooms.” She stopped where she was, and I almost tripped over myself to look back at her. “That sounded really bad. Not that I want to get into his rooms. I just like to bother him, and in order to do that, I have to be near him.”

  “You bother me just by existing,” Teagan said, deadpan.

  “You know, I can curse you. I can use my Wielding and curse you.” She narrowed her eyes on him, and Teagan grinned before wrapping his hand around the back of her head and placing a really hard, loud, very wet kiss on her lips. I just stood there, blinking as I looked between the two of them.

  “You know, I hate you,” she said as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She slung the moisture off exaggeratedly before she grinned.

  “Hey, you used to like my kisses.”

  “I used to like a lot of things. And those kisses…eh. I guess they were okay.”

  “Okay? I thought I was the god of all kissing.”

  “Son, you really don’t want her to keep wondering why you guys aren’t together anymore,” Justise said as he and
Ridley strolled into the hallway. “The first rule of being broken up is to never ask why when it might have to do with kissing and other deeds.”

  “Dear God, husband, was that a joke? Wow. Gasp,” Ridley said, clutching his hand over his heart and taking a couple of staggering steps back. “Quick, Lyric, protect us all. Surely the apocalypse has come.”

  “Ha ha, dear husband. I can be funny. I am hilarious.”

  Only Arwin laughed, but it was more like a nervous chuckle while the rest of us just stared at the men.

  “What?” Arwin said quickly. “I was afraid he was going to like, throw his hammer at me or something.”

  “I could still do it, boy,” Justise said, deepening his voice and lowering his brow.

  Ridley patted Justise’s cheek and grinned. “Ignore him, Arwin. He’s just a big teddy bear. A big, grumpy, growly teddy bear.”

  “You’re going to pay for that later, dear.”

  Ridley rolled his eyes and took Arwin by the arm before walking down the hallway. “Promises, husband. Promises, promises, promises.”

  And that was how I found myself laughing while leaning against Wyn as the rest of us headed into the small dining room that was part of Easton’s quarters.

  According to Wyn while we had been dressing, these had always been Easton’s rooms. He hadn’t moved in to the king and queen’s section of the estate, and I wasn’t sure he would. While I didn’t know him as well as the others did, I had a feeling that he had made his home here. Having to assume the mantle of king was already a major piece. A big change. Having to move everything into the place where his mother had once lived? Yeah, I didn’t know if I could ever do that. And knowing what I did of Easton, I wasn’t sure he would be able to do it either.

  Easton was near the window at the edge of the room when we entered, his hands clasped behind his back as he stared out at part of the kingdom.

  He looked so alone there, dark and maybe brooding like Wyn had said.

  It occurred to me that though he did have friends who tried to get to know him and joked with him, he was alone.

  He was a king without a queen, without a real court. I didn’t know how he was dealing with the Earth or the Fire Estates or how they were reacting to their new king. I hadn’t asked because I was honestly a little scared.

  Rhodes and I owed the Lord of Earth a favor. Not because he had saved our lives, but because he hadn’t killed us outright.

  I had a feeling that the Lord of Dirt, as Rhodes called him, would one day call upon us to cash in that favor.

  And that scared me. A favor to someone so high up for someone like me, one who might someday find connections that the lord might want to use for his own gain… I didn’t want to think about.

  The Lord of Fire and his lady had been nicer, if a little scarier.

  As far as I knew, they still had Emory trapped in their dungeons. I would’ve tried to get her out by now or found a way to help her, but I didn’t know how. And, apparently, she was a siphon, one that could take away Wielding from others.

  I still didn’t know how that had happened or what it might mean for her in the future, but one day I would have to talk with the Lord and Lady of Fire and figure out what to do for my former friend.

  Before all of that, though, I had to think about what to do with the king by the window, the one who still hadn’t spoken to us as everyone got their drinks off the sideboard and started to move around the table, taking their places.

  Apparently, this was not unusual for Easton, standing there letting others talk while he brooded or had deep thoughts.

  But I didn’t like him standing there alone, so I walked up to him, knowing it was probably a mistake.

  “Thanks for having us over for dinner tonight,” I said, my voice a little soft. The others were still talking, but I was fully aware that they were trying to listen in on our conversation and wondering what I was doing.

  “I figured it was about time.” Easton ran his hand through his hair and then frowned.

  “It’s beautiful here, did I tell you that?” I asked, wondering what I was supposed to say. I was never really good at any of this. I had never been. Dinner parties weren’t my thing and hadn’t been even when I was still in the human realm. My parents had them occasionally when they had to deal with work associates, and I had always been quiet. The one that people asked simple questions to and then ignored. Sometimes, I had my friends over for dinner, but it was just a normal meal before we were on our way.

  I really wasn’t good at small talk.

  Easton looked at me for a moment before looking out at his kingdom again. His kingdom. “The place is beautiful. It used to be more. Not so barren.”

  “I’ve seen some of the territory. It’s not barren. There’s so much growth and life in it.”

  “I suppose.” He shook his head and then turned to face me.

  His eyes were dark, reaching.

  They searched my face as if he were trying to see something that he wasn’t sure was there. Or maybe I was the one reaching.

  He had saved my life, even though he hadn’t been able to fully protect me. And now he had brought me here so I could train. I was grateful for that. Ridley was helping me stay calm, and the others were teaching me what they knew about Wielding. And while Alura had helped some, it was like I was back with Rhodes and Luken while they taught me Air Wielding.

  They had helped me so much, and now this new group of people was helping me, as well.

  But sometimes I couldn’t help but feel as though I were caught in the middle of one war and then another. Or as if I were caught in the middle of two separate people that I didn’t really understand.

  “So, I hear you’re better at your Earth Wielding.”

  “Really? They said that?” I was pleasantly surprised, and it knocked me out of whatever mood I was in.

  “Well, Teagan, Wyn, and Arwin say you’re pretty good. Or at least, you could be if you weren’t so far in your head.”

  “We did not say that,” Wyn corrected. “Lyric, we did not say that.”

  I snorted, looking at Easton. “Oh, I assumed Easton was the one who thought it. Even though I’m pretty sure you’re the one who’s always in your head. Correct, oh, wise one?”

  That made Justise laugh.

  “Why are you laughing at her calling me wise?” Easton asked his uncle, shaking his head.

  “Oh, pretty much the obvious reason. My king.”

  Easton flipped him off, and I smiled. Apparently, no matter what realm you were in, that action seemed to be the same. Or, it was the fact that we were near the Americas and therefore it was something they’d learned from crisscrossing the realms. I still didn’t know if there were more access points to other realms in other parts of the world. While the book had alluded to them, I hadn’t outright asked yet. I was a little too worried about what would happen if I did. Because the world seemed too large as it was, finding out that there was even more out there than just what I was standing in?

  Nope, not going to think about that.

  “Okay, let’s eat,” Easton said, taking my hand and pulling me towards the table.

  I stumbled slightly, looking down at his hand over mine.

  Easton generally did his best to avoid touching me, something I was just now noticing. Was it because I was the reason his mother was dead? I wouldn’t blame him for that if it were.

  I wouldn’t blame him for a lot of things.

  He gave my hand a squeeze, flashed me a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, and then went to sit at the head of the table. Wyn had left me a seat on the other end, and that put me the farthest distance away from Easton as possible.

  Since that was basically what he had been doing the entire time I had been there so far, keeping as much distance as possible between us, it didn’t bother me in the slightest.

  The food was amazing: rich and tasty, with the sweets at the end perfection. Even though I was staying in a castle at the moment, we didn’t usually e
at like this. Most of the time, it was good food but rations.

  Teagan and Wyn had explained to me that a lot of the food that might usually come to the castle was now being sent back to the land and its people rather than being kept for the court itself. Lore had hurt the people more than by just making the Maisons Danes and stripping them of their powers. He’d also begun to take their land and food, as well as supplies and other things. Lore had done so much damage under his title of knight. I wasn’t sorry he was dead.

  Even if it was by my hands.

  I didn’t understand how the queen hadn’t seen everything her knight had been doing. But for all I knew, the knight had used magic to ensure that didn’t happen. Cameo hadn’t been my favorite person. She’d scared me. I’d thought she tried to take Rosamond and her Seer powers. I’d thought I had almost died multiple times for her. And though quietly, she had still been at war with the King of Lumiére because they couldn’t find common ground. But she had given her life for mine, so I was never going to talk bad about her. However, I had to wonder how the kingdom had come to this.

  But, not right then. Now, I was going to eat some amazing food, laugh with my new friends, and hope that tomorrow I’d be able to train a little bit harder and learn more.

  Because something was coming. Easton had said that before, and he was right. I could feel it. Something was orchestrating all of this. And there was a reason I was here. Therefore, I was going to fight. I was going to make sure I was the best I could possibly be for that reason.

  Just as I set my water glass down, I gasped, the bracelet that Alura had given me burning my wrist. The glass I held fell to the table, spilling the rest of its contents on the tablecloth. Everyone froze before looking at me.

  I looked down at my wrist. The water element charm glowed hot against my skin.

  “Ow,” I whispered, shaking my hand as if trying to let the heat out. But it stung. Easton was on his feet and by my side before anyone else could even move. He held my wrist gently, bringing it to his face as he looked down at the charm.

  “This is the bracelet from Alura?”

  I nodded, grateful that the burning had stopped and the water element symbol was no longer heating against my skin.