Princess of Fire and Smoke (Forbidden Court Book 1)

by Stephanie Bell

A scream shook my tiny body as a force was pulled from me that was so visceral, I don’t even realize it was happening.

  The monster lifted its head and his glowing eyes narrowed on me as flashes of fire and wind danced in my mind. My magic had destroyed everything around us and helped me slay a hideous monster, but unfortunately not in time to save my twin sister’s life.

  A scream slices through the fog in my brain and snaps me back to the present. An overwhelming heat courses through my veins and my blood feels like it’s about to boil. My magic is back, and it doesn’t like what is happening to me. If it unleashes itself again, I won’t be able to stop it. But, what will it target this time? The source of the pain.

  I hear Emerson yelling my name. “Addy! Addy!”

  It hits me like a bolt of lightning to the gut. My magic is trying to protect me from the perceived threat. Emerson.

  I wanted to get away from the guy, not kill him!

  I stand up and turn towards him, watching as the color drains from his face. He’s staring at something behind me, and when his eyes meet mine, they’re full of fear.

  He reaches for me as he yells, “Addy, run!”

  Terror flows through me and I turn to see our little fire has burst into a column ten feet high. It is horrifying and glorious all at the same time. Slowly it curves in the air and dives straight for Emerson.

  I know the magic inside of me created it, but I don’t know how to wield it. I throw myself in front of him and hold my hands up to guard us. The fire stops inches from my face. Red, orange, and yellow flames flicker at me as I glare at it.

  My magic calls to the fire and I know it’s pointless to fight it. My only chance is to get it far away from Emerson, so he doesn’t get hurt.

  I remember him telling me about a river, so I turn and dart in that direction, praying the fire follows me.

  I sprint through the forest. The darkness doesn’t bother me, nor does the forest surrounding me. My senses are in overdrive and I can see everything clearly. I thank my magic for that little gift, even as I can feel it tug at the fire behind me.

  The smell of burning flesh wafts over me and my stomach churns. Glancing down, I see the arrow is still halfway embedded in my shoulder. It's sparking and sizzling as my magic pushes at it. I glance at the wound on my side and see that it’s almost completely healed.

  My magic is trying to seal the wound in my shoulder too.

  I grab the arrow with both hands, take a deep breath, and yank the arrow all the way out. Searing pain lances through me, making my stride falter. I trip over a tree root that is sticking out of the ground and fall face-first into the ground.

  I bite down hard on my lip as the pain assaults every part of my body. A raging fire is coursing through me and blackness threatens to creep in again and drag me into unconsciousness.

  No! I won’t give in. Not yet.

  That’s when the soft, trickling sound fills my ears. Running water. I clamber back onto my feet and sprint towards the river. My only hope is to make it to the water before the fire explodes out of me.

  I burst through an opening in the forest and slid to a stop at the edge of the water. Glancing down at my shoulder one more time I see pink and orange flames dancing across the wound. It burns, but the pain is slowly fading.

  I reach my hand up to it and touch it. I don’t know what I am expecting to happen. Maybe for my fingers to catch on fire? Or a burn to form? But the flame jumps to my finger and dances across my skin.

  It doesn’t burn. It tingles, similar to the way my magic feels.

  When I spin my hand around, the magic dances across my palm and wrist. Cupping my hands together, the fire settles inside them. It’s rimmed with a stunning shade of blue and it shimmers in the pale moonlight.

  The sound of footsteps over dried leaves drags my attention away from the flame.

  Emerson! I can’t let him see this.

  I wade as quickly as I can into the river and the cold water soothes my burning skin. Taking a deep breath, I dive under the water.

  As I let my breath out, I can feel the fire that is kindling in my core lose its grip. I wait there for a few moments more letting the heat leave my body.

  It’s almost gone when a hand grabs me under my arm and yanks me up out of the water.

  “What the hell happened? Are you okay?” Emerson looks me over as he speaks, inspecting my face and shoulder for any injuries. “I couldn’t get to you. The fire was everywhere.”

  With the adrenaline coursing through my body it’s hard to think of an excuse for what just happened. So, I stick to the truth. I just can’t let him know the magic came from me.

  “I’m not sure what happened,” I say, calling on the tears that come easier than ever, thanks to the residual burning in my shoulder. “The knife hurt so badly. Then it felt like my shoulder was on fire.” I sniffle and look up at him through my lashes. A simple question could redirect his line of thinking without me technically lying. “Do you think the arrow could have had magic on it? Something burned me from the inside out.” I point to the burn mark on the front of my shoulder.

  Emerson’s lips pinch together as he studies the burn mark on my shoulder.

  By the Ancient, I've got to do better than that.

  “I've got to leave. If they saw that fire, they'll be coming for me.” I feel my limbs go limp as all my energy drains from me. My body starts shaking and exhaustion fills me.

  Alright now, Adeline. Get it together.

  “Come on. I have no idea what just happened, but I need to get you out of the river. You'll catch a cold.”

  I can’t help my snort of laughter at the irony of a fire wielder catching a cold. I guess that’s what my magic is, or at least part of it. It’s nice to finally have a name for it other than “the destroyer”.

  He glances down at me and smirks. Carefully, he swoops his arms underneath my legs and picks me up.

  “What are you doing?” I ask him.

  “You’re shaking so badly you’re about to fall back into the water. I'm taking you back to the campsite. Just accept help for once without being so... Feisty.”

  I nod my consent and reluctantly wrap my arms around his neck. He carefully steps his way out of the riverbank and carries me out of the water. I rest my head on his chest as my eyes grow tired.

  The even pace of his footsteps lulls me into a dream about a girl who isn’t afraid of the magic within her.

  She embraces it and takes her kingdom back.

  ∞∞∞

  I wake with a start, sweat drips down my brow and the raw terror of a nightmare lingers in my brain. Darkness greats me and I beg my magic for some semblance of the high senses I had last night. Something, anything that will allow me to see my surroundings. Like always, when I want my magic, it is nowhere to be found.

  I lay still until my eyes naturally adjust to the darkness.

  It’s not as great as my magic, but it’ll do.

  I'm back at our campsite, laying under the tree on a blanket. I'm covered with a cloak… My cloak. I was wondering where that went.

  As my eyes adjust farther, I quietly sit up and look around the clearing. Emerson is gone. His horse and wagon are nowhere to be seen either.

  The spineless jerk. I can't believe after all of that, he left while I was sleeping!

  I slowly stand up, testing my muscles as I go. Everything is a bit sore but movable.

  After a few minutes of hesitation, I decided on following the river south. It gives me a direction, easy access to food and drink, plus it'll make it easier to lose anyone tracking me.

  I am nearly out of the clearing when a shape moves in front of me and I slam right into hard muscle.

  “Going somewhere?” A deep voice asks me.

  Chapter Four

  Instinctively, I swing my fist out and hear a crunch as it collides with his nose. I drop down and sweep my leg out, dropping my assailant to the moss-covered ground. Once he is down and clutching his face, I glance around for anyone el
se who might be with him.

  “What the hell, Feisty! Stop it.” Emerson yells through the blood draining down his face.

  Whoops.

  l bite my lip, trying to hide my smirk. “Emerson what are you doing? I thought you left.”

  He staggers to his feet and anger swells in my gut. “Don’t you know better than to sneak up on someone like that? I could have killed you!” I glare at him.

  He takes a menacing step towards me and glares down at me. His hair falling into his face as his eyes narrow. “Did you think I would leave without getting the real story from you?” His voice is quiet and sends a shiver down my back.

  I try to ignore the blood flowing down from his broken nose. “Those men will be looking for me. I have to get as far away from them as possible.” I try to explain, but one glance into his brown eyes and I can tell he's not going to be easily swayed. “Why are you even here? If these men find out you know anything about me, they’ll kill you too.”

  “So, what? I’m just supposed to let you wander off into the night with some mysterious people chasing you for God knows what reason.” Anger flashes in his eyes as he glares down at me.

  I take a deep breath and focus all my attention on not killing him.

  “You won’t be ‘letting’ me do anything, Emerson. I’m leaving. If I can stay ahead of them, they won’t be able to catch me. You need something to press against your nose to stop the bleeding.”

  He grunts as he pulls his shirt off, wads it up, and shoves it against his nose. “Better?” He mumbles through the shirt.

  My breath hitches as I glance at his defined, masculine chest and a strangled sound comes out. I drag my eyes back to his face and try to play it cool. I shrug a shoulder at him “It’ll do.”

  I look him in the eyes, and he looks straight back into mine.

  There is no way I’m giving in. Soon enough he’ll decide I’m too much effort and he’ll give up.

  “Fine. I'm coming with you. You can tell me your story along the way.” He looks away, essentially dismissing me without another word.

  The blood rushes to my head and fury engulfs me. "Excuse me?" My voice squeaks.

  Emerson turns to stand in front of me, determination hardening his jaw. His nose has stopped bleeding and I try to keep my eyes off his bare chest.

  My brain frazzles and it’s hard to think. “You… Want to come with me?” I manage to ask.

  “You can obviously take care of yourself.” He says as he gestures to his broken nose. “But would it hurt to have someone helping you?”

  He ignores my instant protest and pushes further. “We can take watches at night; I can help you hunt. Plus, these men won’t be looking for a couple. They’ll be looking for a single woman.”

  I take a deep breath, trying to get some clarity back into my head. Instead, the intoxicating smells of apples and the forest fills my head. “It won’t be safe. It’s a long trip and you’ll be in danger the entire time. These men, if they find you, they’ll kill you.”

  “And if they find you, they'll kill you. We might not like each other, but I was raised better than to let a woman wander off into the woods alone. Especially one that's in mortal danger. Plus, you owe me a story." He turns to walk towards the river, and I see him hiking a bag up over his shoulder. "Oh, and I have your bow. If you let me come with you, I might give it back."

  You insufferable, condescending, stubborn jerk!

  "We're heading towards the river, right?" He calls over his shoulder and I want to throw something at him.

  But, what choice do I really have? I could change my plans and forget about getting my bow back, but I have a feeling this stubborn man would just follow me that way too.

  I can, however, pretend to go along with his plan. Then, as soon as I get my bow back, I can leave him behind.

  Reluctantly, I tell him my plan to follow the river south as far as we can. At some point, we’ll need to cross it, but we can search for a shallow spot along the hike.

  We spend the day in a relatively comfortable silence. Over a breakfast of apples, he tells me he took the horse and wagon back to the owner of the apple field. Emerson has worked for them for years and wanted to return them before our journey.

  We walk along the riverbank when we can, enjoying the sound of the rushing water and the lush green grass that surrounds us. When the grass is replaced by pebbles, then large rocks, we decide to walk further inland, always keeping the river on our right and following it downstream.

  When we make camp that night, I watch Emerson walk off with my bow to hunt. I grudgingly refresh our water supply and contemplate how I'm going to lose him. We need to cross the river tomorrow, so tonight is the perfect time to leave him.

  The clearing we chose for the night is breathtaking. Trees surround us on three sides and I can hear the birds chirping and the forest creatures running around. On the fourth side is a sheer drop off that provides us with the perfect view of the sun setting on the river far below us.

  I’m really regretting not crossing the river sooner, it will be nearly impossible now. Unless we find a way to climb down the cliff.

  Dejected, I lay back against a fallen log and watch the sun’s reflection dance across the water. Right now I have a bunch of possibilities that I need to turn into a solid plan. One that will get me my bow back and to Aith safely. Then I can worry about taking my kingdom back.

  My attention wanders and I find myself studying the way the fading light casts shadows across Emerson’s strong jaw. His face is a mixture of highlights and shadows that have me wishing for some charcoal and paper so I could try and sketch him. If my mother would have let me draw someone this handsome, I would have paid more attention in my classes. I’m wondering exactly how I would cast the shadows on his lips when they tip up in a smirk. My gaze meets his and his eyes are full of humor.

  I divert my gaze back to the water below us. Great, I was ogling him again, the guy’s going to get even more conceited than he already is.

  “You know, this bow makes hunting pretty easy,” Emerson says after he swallows a mouthful of his dinner. He shot a bird while he was hunting, and I begrudgingly have to admit it's pretty good.

  “Of course, it does. It's an amazing bow crafted by an up and coming weapons maker in Centralia. It's one of the best and it's even better when wielded by me." I state matter of factly. Although I saw the arrow before he'd removed it. He'd shot the bird straight through the eye. That takes skill.

  He rolls his eyes at me as he takes a sip of his waterskin. "Right, I'll keep that in mind. So, how did you end up with such a special bow? Did you steal it?"

  A racking cough comes out of me as I try to swallow my food.

  He thinks I'm a thief? I can work with that...

  "Yep, I stole it from a Lady at the palace," I smirk at him, daring him to argue. Technically, I had taken it from my mother. That could be considered stealing, although she'd given it to me in the end.

  "That's a better lie, Feisty. But still, not the truth, is it?" He asks seriously.

  "Why do you think I'm lying?" I'm evasive, yes. But am I a liar? Absolutely not.

  "Well, first of all, your clothing is expensive. Only certain people in all of Chadonia dress like that. Royalty. I suppose you could have stolen those clothes too, but your mannerisms are way too highbrow. The way you look down your nose at me isn't something people learn, it's something that you're born with." He picks up a rock and casually tosses it up into the air and catches it again.

  I fight the beating of my heart and try with everything in me to appear unphased by his accurate assessment. "That's all guesses with no actual proof. How could you possibly be that sure of yourself?"

  "Ahh... That's a good question. All of those are guesses but there are two things that gave you away. Your necklace and your name, Your Highness." He smirks as his eyes flicker down to my locket.

  I pause with a bite of food halfway to my mouth.

  How am I going to get out of this on
e?

  Chapter Five

  I look up at him, and fight with my whirlwind of emotions, struggling to shove them all down. Instead of showing him my discomfort, I simply raise an eyebrow.

  "Your Highness? Wow. That's an improvement from what people usually call me." My hand reaches up and traces the intricate design of my locket. "Do you really think a fancy princess could knock you on your butt like that?" I smirk at him, trying to distract him.

  "Give it up already, Adeline." Emerson sighs heavily as he looks at me. "I've already figured out most of your story. I just can't figure out why Chadonia's favorite daughter was shot by an arrow. Why aren't there a hundred soldiers coming to your defense?"

  I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

  I suppose I can't fool him now. I may as well tell him what's going on, so he'll be prepared when I ditch him later.

  "My family was betrayed, and my parents were murdered. Then I was framed for their assassination. Now, the real murderer, my uncle, sits on their throne and has his most vicious men tracking me. When they catch me, they'll either kill me or make me stand trial in front of my people for a murder I didn't commit." My stomach churns and I fight with everything I have not to retch all over our campground. Reality comes crashing down around me. I cover my face with my hands trying to muffle my sobs.

  I can't believe they're dead.

  Just saying it out loud makes it feel so much more real.

  I feel Emerson’s strong arms wrap around me and I lean into his chest as the sobs wrench themselves out of me. I'll most likely hate myself for this weakness later but right now, it’s nice just to have someone on my side. Even if it's only for a moment.

  He holds me until I've cried myself dry and there are no tears left. Awkwardly, I sit up and avoid his gaze.

  "I'm sorry about your shirt." I wince at the tear stains covering it. "And thank you." I murmur quietly.

  "Adeline, if I had known what happened I won't have pushed you about it. I'm sorry." Emerson says, but I immediately brush off his kind words. If I let the emotions come back, I might cry all night.

  “The sun has set,” I blurt out. “I need to put the fire out. Our campsite might as well be a beacon calling the men straight to us.” I can’t help my babbling as I jump up and nearly run to the fire. I push all of my emotions down and kick some dirt on the last of the fire. I watch as it’s delicate flames fade and the wind blows the last of its warmth away.