Princess of Fire and Smoke (Forbidden Court Book 1)

by Stephanie Bell

  The sweet scent of apples overwhelms me as I glance around, quickly taking in my surroundings. I am in the back of a worn-down wagon. A simple brown blanket is spread out where I was laying and baskets full of apples threaten to tip precariously as the wagon rocks. Pulling myself onto my knees, I peek over the top of the wagon. A man is murmuring encouraging words to an old mare that is struggling to pull the wagon up a hill.

  I watch him cautiously as he walks beside the mare. When he leans in to murmur to her, a lock of his wavy blonde hair falls in front of his eyes. He doesn't look much older than I am.

  Pulling my attention from him, I focus it on the wagon and my immediate surroundings. I’m peeking behind the baskets for my bow when the wagon hits a bump and I tumble into them. The loud thump of apples hitting the wagon echoes in my ears.

  He probably heard that. Find a weapon, any weapon.

  I stay low to the wagon and grab the only thing within reach. A basket full of apples…

  Great. I'll just throw apples at him. I'm sure that’ll work.

  If the trauma of the last day wasn’t fresh on my mind, I would laugh at the ridiculous situation I was in.

  Blonde hair is the first thing I see as the man leans over the top of the wagon to look at me. His warm brown eyes shine with humor when he sees me hunched behind a basket of apples.

  “You look like you’re feeling better.” He says flashing me a smile. But, all humor vanishes when his eyes flicker to my shoulder. “I did what I could for your shoulder but you’re going to need a healer. There’s one in the village not too far from here.”

  When I remember the shot that pierced through my shoulder, I clench my hands together to stop them from shaking. A quick glance down shows me the front and back of the arrow have been snapped off. The middle is still lodged in my shoulder, but the pain isn’t as bad, and I can move my arm a bit better. A white cloth is wrapped around it in a makeshift bandage.

  It’s not the best patch up job, but it’s better than I could have done in my current state.

  “Thank you for helping with my shoulder, but I need to get going. I’m in a hurry.” I watch him as I slowly move to the back of the wagon.

  Every muscle goes rigid as he walks around and offers his hand to me.

  His watchful eyes follow my every move. “You won’t get very far with an arrow in your shoulder. You’ve already lost a lot of blood. I don’t know how you’re still moving.”

  Last night’s betrayal has me questioning everything. Can I trust this stranger? No. My inner voice screams. Trust no one until you reach Aith. But He’s already patched me up when he could have left me for dead.

  "Or you can start throwing apples at me." He grins at me and nods towards the apple that's clinched in my hand.

  My cheeks burn as I'm called out on my plan. Or lack of plan.

  Well, it's not like things can get much worse.

  I reach for his hand and allow him to help me climb down. As my feet touch the ground, I clutch my side in pain and my knees crumble.

  “Careful now.” His deep voice turns soothing as I feel his arms wrap around my waist and hold me upright.

  I rest my head on his chest and allow myself this one moment of weakness while I gather my strength. When the darkness clears and I’m sure I won’t fall over, I pull away from him. But, a quick glance up has my breath catching. His hair is a brilliant gold in the sunlight and a lock of it has fallen down into his eyes.

  A small part of me wishes to brush it aside, but I won’t allow my hands to move. There is no way I’m going down that road.

  "Are you okay?" His eyes crinkle at the edges with humor and the corners of his lips turn up in a knowing smirk.

  I realize I've been staring at him awkwardly, and I can feel a blush creep across my cheeks. He’s probably used to women gawking at him all day.

  I clear my throat and look him straight in the eyes. “Yes, I think I’m okay. I just lost my balance for a minute. Thank you for your help.”

  His smile widens at my obvious awkwardness. “Are you sure you don’t need to sit down?” He asks, studying my face. “You look horrible.”

  I look at him and raise an eyebrow. “I think I’m looking pretty great, all things considered.”

  His eyes widen in surprise and a deep laughter booms out of him. “That’s not what I meant. I meant that your face went pale as soon as you stood up and you looked like you’re in pain.”

  My shoulder sends a stabbing pain through my arm as if to prove his point. I clench my teeth together as I relent, for now. “Maybe I should sit down for a few minutes.”

  He leads me off the path and over to a shady spot under a large tree. Gently helping me sit down. The moss covering the ground makes for a surprisingly comfortable seat.

  He frowns down at me. “Is that any better?”

  At my nod, he glances back at the wagon. “I’m going to pull the wagon off the road and let Beauty graze for a while.”

  You shouldn’t be resting… The voice in my head warns as I watch him stalk back towards the road. You should be traveling south as quickly as you possibly can. I push the worry down a little. I need to rest, if only for a short time.

  I watch as the man leads the horse and wagon off the trail and into the forest around us. He talks soothingly to the mare as he unhitches her from the wagon and lets her graze on some of the tall grass nearby. When he turns to walk back towards me, he pauses long enough to grab a bag out of the front of the wagon.

  “Feeling better yet?" He asks as he sits down beside me.

  "I'm feeling just dandy, thanks for asking. I'll be on my way soon enough."

  He gives me an exaggerated eye roll. "Right, I'm sure you will."

  He stretches his legs out for a moment and watches me. Then he pulls out some bread out of his bag and hands it to me. "Eat something before you pass out again."

  My pride nettles at his tone and I want to shove it back at him, but my stomach chooses that moment to rumble loudly. "Thank you." The words taste bitter on my tongue, but I force them out anyways.

  I look down at the bread in my hands. It's some sort of roll with cheese baked onto the top of it. Taking a small bite, I barely stifle a moan as the perfect pairing of flavors melt softly together in my mouth.

  The roll is gone way too quickly, and I reluctantly lean back against the tree attempting to rest. I glance up at the man only to see him staring at me with wide eyes.

  He chuckles. “When was the last time you ate?”

  “Um… Yesterday evening.”

  I think it was last night. If I was only unconscious for a couple of hours…

  “You haven’t eaten all day? No wonder you're exhausted.” He goes back to digging in his bag and pulls out a canteen. “Drink this. There is a river back that way. I can refill it.”

  “Thank you, again,” I say quietly. “I will pay you back for all of this.” I have no idea how I will, but I will figure something out.

  “I’ll keep that in mind." The look he gives me has my hackles rising. I can feel the question forming before it even leaves his mouth. "What did you do to get shot by an arrow?"

  I take a long sip of water as a story forms in my head. Lying would make this so much easier, but unfortunately, I can’t lie. I’ve never been able to, and no one has ever been able to figure out why. So I'm going to have to make this as close to the truth as possible without giving anything away. “Men attacked my home and killed my parents. I was able to run through the woods and lose them. But I’m afraid they’ll be trying to find me soon. They didn’t seem inclined to let me survive.”

  The words bring the memories pulsing through my head and I shove them away. I can’t let myself be vulnerable in front of this man. Heat burns at the corners of my eyes and I fight back the tears that are trying to spill out.

  He studies my face carefully, then his lips tip up in a devilish grin. "I'm not buying it. That might be part of the story, but it's not all of it. You're leaving out some pretty big d
etails. But, if you want to stick to that story, go right ahead." He shakes his head and stares out across the forest.

  That usually works. Everything that's happened must have thrown me off my game.

  As if it's an afterthought, he turns to me. "Are there really men after you?"

  A frustrated sigh escapes me as I glare at him. "Yes," I say through gritted teeth. "There are men after me. Very bad ones who will kill me the first chance they get. Or worse. That's why I need to leave soon."

  "There's not much worse than death, you know."

  I can think of a few things: Being blamed for my parent's murder, failing my kingdom, losing everything I hold dear... "You'd be surprised."

  Absently, I rub my thumb over my fingers when pure panic surges through me. Mother's ring... The Queen's ring. It's gone.

  "Where is my ring?" My voice squeaks as I ask him the question.

  His brow furrows. "What ring?"

  My breathing starts coming out faster as panic grips me. “I lost it. I can’t believe she gave it to me, and I just lost it!” Tears spring to my eyes as I desperately try to figure out a way to fix this. “I can go back and find it. I had it when I entered the forest, I’m sure of it.”

  Determination rushes through me and I jump up. I manage to walk one step before darkness swirls in the corners of my vision. A frustrated growl erupts in my chest as strong arms wrap around my waist.

  “Hold on there, Feisty. I don’t know what ring you're talking about, but I doubt you can make it back to the path on your own right now. You need a healer.” His deep voice says from behind me.

  Hopelessness washes over me, but I shove it back down.

  There’s no time to sit here feeling sorry for myself.

  I pull away and turn to look up at the man. “Don’t you get it? They’ll kill anyone who helps me. Are you ready to sentence your village’s healer to death?”

  He cringes down at me. “No, not particularly. She’s a kind old lady who has helped my family quite a bit over the years. But you still need a healer. You have an arrow through your shoulder.”

  I smile up at him, with sarcasm coating my voice, “Thanks for the reminder. I’d almost forgotten.”

  I barely contain a flinch as my thoughts come back to another of my father’s lessons. I can only think of one way to stop the bleeding without a healer and I am not looking forward to it.

  “My father worked in the guard. He told me stories about how they had to cauterize the wound with heated metal until they could get the men to healers.”

  The stranger’s eyes widen in shock. “You want to burn your shoulder to stop the bleeding?”

  “Well, I can’t reach the back, or I would do it myself.”

  "Right," He stares at me like I've grown two heads. "You want me, a stranger you just met, to help you remove an arrow by burning your back, yet you refuse to tell me how you actually got shot, to begin with?"

  "Exactly, it won't be too hard for you, you just have to press a hot knife to my back. Then I'll be on my way and you'll never have to see me again." I look at him from under my lashes and try to give him my most winning smile.

  “Okay… I’ll do it if you tell me the whole story about how you were shot.” He smiles that infuriatingly handsome smile of his and I want to punch him.

  "Fine, do you have a knife that might work?” I don’t bother hiding the frustration in my voice.

  Maybe I can escape before I have to tell him who I really am.

  He rummages around in his bag again, pulling out a small dagger and hands it to me. “Will this work?”

  The blade is no bigger than the palm of my hand and has a simple black leather wrapped around its handle. “It’s perfect.”

  An indecipherable look flickers in his eyes before he turns away. “Okay, I’ll start a fire.”

  I watch him walk in and out of the trees gathering wood. The light has slowly been fading the last hour and I know nighttime will be upon us soon.

  I’ll wait until he falls asleep, pack some apples, and sneak out of here.

  My eyes flicker over to where Beauty is still grazing, and I briefly contemplate taking her. I could cover a lot more ground with her than on foot. But, as much as I try to talk myself into it, I can’t do it.

  I am many things, but I am not a thief. I’ll figure out another way to get to Aith.

  He starts building the fire and I wince when I see the flames catch.

  I never in my wildest dreams thought I would have to use any of the skills Father taught me. But he insisted I needed to know them and how to survive in any terrain. I realize now he was preparing me for the trials that would decide who the next ruler of Chadonia is.

  “Are you ready?” I jump at the man’s voice coming from beside me. I silently curse myself for not paying better attention.

  After glancing down at the small knife in my hand, I nod my head. “Yes, I am. Will you put the knife in the fire, so it can start heating?”

  He nods and does as I ask. As he walks away, I test my legs to see if they will hold me this time.

  The last thing I need is to fall on my face now.

  I grab a hold of the tree beside me and gingerly put one wobbly leg underneath me, then the other.

  So far, so good.

  I use the tree to steady myself as I raise up into a crouch.

  Alright, just a little more.

  I grab a low hanging branch with my good arm and pull myself up. Blinking furiously, I try to keep the tears at bay and my legs scream in protest.

  “Do you need help?” A male voice asks from beside me.

  My voice comes out in an awkward squeak as I jump away from him. I wince as my body tenses and pain courses through me.

  I really need to pay more attention.

  “I need to stretch my legs, but I could use a hand, just in case.” As much as it nettles my pride, I know not to push myself too hard. Not yet.

  He takes my hand in his as we walk the short distance to the fire. Every step feels like torture. Once we are near the fire, I can’t wait to sit back down.

  We sit there in silence as we watch the fire heat the knife. He’s built a small fire, perfect for this purpose. Thankfully the weather is still warm in this part of Chadonia, so we won’t need the fire after this, and it will die out quickly.

  The knife begins to take on a bright sheen and I know it’s time. I carefully unbutton my blouse and I mentally praise myself on wearing a sturdy brazier. It fits from my hips to right above my chest, covering everything of importance. I feel a flush going across my face as I look at him and raise my chin.

  I force myself to say the words through gritted teeth. “I can’t get my arms out of my blouse by myself, would you mind helping me?”

  His eyes shine with mirth as he looks over. A slow smile spreads across his face that makes me tingle all the way down to my toes. “Well, if you insist, Feisty.” He reaches over and gently helps me remove my blouse.

  This is for medical reasons, not romantic. After tonight, I will never see him again.

  A few men have shown a romantic interest in me throughout the years, and I had a very brief and disastrous engagement last year around my seventeenth birthday. But having a man help me undress was an entirely new situation for me.

  “My name is Addy. Let’s get it over with.” I grip my blouse in my trembling hands, trying to brace myself for the pain that is coming.

  “Alright, then. My name is Emerson.” His smile is distracting and the panic rising in me subsides for a moment.

  I shake my head, attempt to focus my attention. “I'm going to grab the arrow from the front and pull it halfway out. When I do that, you’re going to place the knife blade onto the wound on my back. Once that is done, I'll pull the arrow all the way out and you'll do the same with the front. Do you understand?” I explain to him. Then maybe I’ll attempt to close the wound on my side.

  Emerson's brows draw together as he grasps the knife, but there is confidence in his nod.

/>   I lean forward and arch my back towards him. With my good arm, l pull my long red curls out of the way. “Here we go.”

  Chapter Three

  I pull the arrow out a few inches and pain shoots through my body. But, as vicious as those pains are, they pale in comparison to the burning that roars through my body when Emerson puts the hot knife on my wound.

  Heat builds in my shoulder and I can’t hold back my scream. Fire pulls in my stomach and flows through my body, like molten lava through my veins. The fiery pressure builds, and I can feel a familiar tingle deep within me.

  My magic.

  Sweat breaks out on my forehead as I remember what happened the first time my destructive magic decided to intervene.

  I was sitting under my favorite apple tree reading a book when I felt a scream reverberate deep in my soul. It had come from that special connection that my twin and I shared and it was full of fear and terror. I knew something was horribly wrong. I ran towards her, feeling her horror pull at the bond we shared. It guided me towards the shrubbery maze.

  I hesitated slightly because I hated the shrubbery maze. Her terrified scream came from inside and propelled me into action. I ran as fast as my 5-year-old legs would carry me.

  The vines held onto my dress, ripping it to shreds as I tried to get past them. Tears filled my eyes as I stared at the towering hedges that separate me from my twin. I wouldn’t make it to her, I had thought in horror. “Will you just MOVE!” I screamed at them. Like something out of a nightmare, the hedges started to shift and I backed away from them, frightened.

  A path formed in front of me and I could see Aileen. Standing over her was the most hideous beast I have ever seen. It looked like it had been dead for months. Its sickly yellow skin was hollowed out under its eyes, sharpening its gruesome cheekbones. Its mouth opened in a horrifying smile that showed off sharp yellowing fangs and a long tongue slithered out like a snake.

  The monster leaned towards her and pressed its open it’s mouth against her neck.

  It’s going to kill her. The words were barely a thought in my head before my magic flared inside of me.