Wildfire and Steel

by J. J. Green

  “Don’t worry,” Bryce said softly to Carina. “She’ll come around.”

  Oriana overheard and narrowed her eyes at him. She viciously plumped up a cushion and threw it down.

  The small spat left everyone out of sorts. The rest of their dinner was eaten in silence except for the scraping of spoons. Ferne finished Oriana’s stew, and when everyone had eaten, Parthenia offered to take the utensils to the kitchen to wash. Nahla went with her.

  The sight of the little girl trotting alongside her older sister, her arms full of dirty bowls, warmed Carina’s heart. She was so glad she’d gone to extract Nahla from her brother’s clutches. How odd it was that the sibling who had once had the closest relationship with Castiel had turned out to be the least trouble to anyone.

  While Parthenia and Nahla were filling Bridget’s kitchen washer, the old woman came into the bedroom. “Is everything all right? Will you be turning in for the night soon?”

  “Yes,” Carina answered. “It’s been a long day.” And she and Bryce would have a long day tomorrow, looking for work. She would have to talk to Parthenia about how she would keep the children occupied. Maybe she could help them practice their Casting, providing Bridget wasn’t around.

  “I hope you sleep well,” Bridget said. “It won’t be very comfortable, lying on the floor. I wish I had something I could lend you, but I don’t have anything.”

  “Don’t worry about it, please,” said Carina. “We’re used to it.”

  Bridget left them and a few minutes later Parthenia and Nahla were back with their clean utensils. Everyone prepared to go to sleep.

  Realistically, Carina realized, the children would have to find ways to contribute to the household budget if the family was to ever leave Pirine. She recalled the years she’d spent helping Nai Nai gather and polish beautiful stones to sell. It hadn’t been an easy life but at the time she hadn’t known any different so it hadn’t seemed so bad.

  The same could not be said for her sisters and brothers. But they would manage. Even Oriana would get over herself eventually. No matter how hard things got, at least they would have each other.

  Oriana had already lain down, her back to everyone. Carina helped the others to fix up their beds. In truth, the hard floor of the room wouldn’t be as comfortable as the compressed prairie grass under their tent at the Matching, but they would be okay. Everything would be okay.

  ***

  Carina was sound asleep, her head on Bryce’s shoulder, when light and noises wakened her. She opened her eyes and found herself looking into a muzzle. She drew in a sharp breath and stiffened. For a moment, she thought she was having a nightmare, but no, she was awake, and what was happening was very, very real.

  “Don’t move,” said the soldier at the other end of the weapon.

  Assuming the order didn’t apply to her eyes, Carina’s gaze roved the room. Another soldier stood next to the first, pointing a weapon in the direction of Bryce’s head. From the tenseness of his muscles, Carina guessed he was already awake.

  Carina squinted toward the door and was entirely unsurprised to see Castiel standing in the doorway. What did surprise her was that Reyes was with him, and that the two were handcuffed to each other. This fact threw Carina into confusion. Was Reyes guarding Castiel, or vice versa, and why?

  “Get up,” said a voice to her left. Another soldier had spoken, presumably to Parthenia or Darius. Both of them had been lying on that side of Carina when they’d all gone to sleep.

  Carina heard movement and the sound of quiet sobs. Darius. Fuck.

  “I hope you’re happy, taking a six year old prisoner,” Carina said to Castiel.

  The soldier knocked Carina’s forehead with the muzzle. “Shut up.”

  Carina had been expecting some kind of gloating retort or at the very least a smirk from Castiel, but she got nothing. The Dark Mage looked gloomy. Reyes’ expression was even gloomier.

  What was going on?

  “Your turn,” Carina’s guard said.

  She slowly rose to her feet, taking in the room with her improved vantage point. Bryce stood up beside her, ordered to by his guard. Parthenia and Darius also had a guard each, and so did Nahla and Ferne. That made six soldiers in total. The Dirksens were clearly taking no chances.

  The men and women were armed but not wearing armor, Carina noted, trying to figure out how the hell she could help her family escape. She needed to do something, and soon. Once they were all locked away somewhere it would be much harder to regain their freedom.

  The soldiers had already found the weapons Jace had given them. The bag was open and next to the door, its contents plain to see. The elixir supplies were out of reach, and even if Carina managed to reach them, there was the eternal problem of the lag. She would be dead before she could Cast.

  Darius’ guard was searching him, roughly patting down the little boy as if he were an arch criminal who would pull a knife on them at any moment. Satisfied that Darius wasn’t about to murder anyone right then, the soldier moved to Carina while Parthenia’s guard covered her and her brother.

  The soldier’s hands were thorough as he felt her body, but she wasn’t carrying anything useful on her person. She’d mistakenly thought they were relatively safe in Bridget’s home. The old woman must have betrayed them. Her embarrassment when Carina had offered to pay for their food suddenly made more sense. Bridget must have made the call by then.

  Had the local authorities issued an alert about a ‘wilderfolk’ family coming in from the prairie? Maybe they’d offered a reward. The old woman seemed poor enough to be easily bribed.

  It was Bryce’s turn to be searched.

  “I’m sorry, Carina,” said Reyes.

  Castiel stared at him.

  “Sorry?” Carina asked. “Sorry for what? For imprisoning children? For subjecting us all to a life of captivity and slavery? Or maybe for something else? I’d love to hear which of the hundreds of thousands of crimes your clan has perpetrated that you’re sorry for.”

  “I thought it was all necessary, for the greater good, you know?’ Reyes could not meet Carina’s gaze. “I had no idea what my clan was capable of. I’ve been naive. I understand that now.”

  She shook her head in disgust. “Please, spare me.” Then she added, “If you feel so bad, why not let us go? There’s still time. Order these soldiers to release us.”

  “I can’t do that,” Reyes replied. “They aren’t operating under my orders. I’m only here as an observer.”

  “The Dirksens plan to kill all the mages,” said Castiel, sneering. “That’s what’s eating him up. Even I think that’s excessive, and I guess that’s saying something.”

  “They…what?” asked Parthenia. Her mouth hung open and her cheeks lost their color.

  “It’s nearly dawn, so they’ll be starting soon,” said Castiel. “Out at that camp on the prairie. You must know it. That’s why you’re here, right? Sable Dirksen and Kee found out all about it yesterday. They plan to send a clear message to mages to never use their powers against them.”

  “But why?” asked Parthenia, horror in her voice. “Why would they think mages would harm them? Mages only ever do good.”

  “I beg to differ,” said Castiel, smirking.

  “This is your fault,” yelled Parthenia. “You’ve made the Dirksens feel threatened by whatever it is you’ve done. If any one of those mages die you’ll have blood on your hands.”

  “Make her be quiet,” Castiel said to the soldiers, but they ignored him. “Anyway,” he continued, “let’s not forget who started this. It was you who did all that Casting for Father, helping him with all those business deals. That was what first alerted the Dirksens to our existence. They’ve feared our powers since then.”

  “That was because he made me!” Parthenia exclaimed.

  Carina was struggling to absorb the news that the mages at the Matching were about to be attacked. All the young women and men, Justin, Jace, Magda—they could all die. Of course, as soon as t
hey realized what was happening, they would be able to Transport themselves away, but there was bound to be a lot of bloodshed.

  Carina was also confused about Castiel’s place among the Dirksens. He seemed to have no status, if their soldiers didn’t follow his orders.

  “What are you doing?” she asked him. “Why are you here?”

  “I’m to make sure none of you Casts,” Castiel replied. “Not that I really give a shit. Not anymore.”

  So Castiel was in Reyes’ custody. And Reyes was undergoing a moment of remorse. Carina wondered if she could exploit the situation somehow. Maybe there was a chance they could escape.

  Then it hit her. Where was Oriana?

  The revelation came as such a shock that Carina swung around to check that her sister really was missing.

  “Keep still,” her guard barked, and swiped the side of her head with the muzzle of his gun.

  The crack dazed her.

  “Hey, leave her alone,” shouted Bryce. His guard thrust his weapon into his chest.

  Carina felt blood trickle down her face. Where had Oriana gone?

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Oriana listened to the sound of everyone’s breathing. One by one, most of her sisters and brothers had fallen asleep, and so had Bryce. Only Carina had remained awake. Now, finally, Oriana heard her eldest sister’s breaths become deep and regular like the others’.

  She would wait another five minutes or so and then she would leave. While she waited, Oriana remembered the nights she had snuck out of her room at night, when she’d lived on Ithiya and Mother and Father had been alive. Those secret nocturnal excursions around the mansion and into the garden had been the only times she’d felt truly alone. No servants had been watching her, surreptitiously or not. Father had not been silently judging her with his cold eyes. Mother had not been regarding her, pain and sorrow in every look.

  In those brief times she had wandered Father’s estate in the dead of night, when the entire household slept, Oriana had felt free. It had been an illusion, of course. None of them had been free, not even Father. He had been a slave to his pride, arrogance, and ambition.

  Was what she planned to do due to pride or arrogance? No. She only wanted to be free. She wanted to choose her own life. She had been through enough hard times. She deserved to make her own decisions on how she lived.

  Oriana slowly sat up and pushed down her blanket. Ferne was sound asleep, dribbling like he always did, the starlight through the window lighting up his face. Everyone else was shadowy lumps in the darkness.

  She had already thought out her list of what she needed to take. Clothes, elixir, her brush and toothbrush, and a couple of blankets. That would be all she would need. She had packed a bag while she’d been getting ready for bed. No one had even noticed what she was doing.

  A sense of self-satisfaction warmed her. She had made careful preparations. She wasn’t a silly little girl, running away for no reason. She had made a decision maturely, and now she was going to act on it.

  Oriana stood up, picking up her filled bag from the floor. She also picked up her shoes in the other hand. She would put them on when she was outside the house so the noise of her footsteps wouldn’t wake anyone up.

  As she took a last look at her family and Bryce, something tugged at her heart, causing a sharp pain. Would she see her brothers and sisters again? She didn’t know, but she hoped so.

  Don’t be silly, she told herself. Of course you’ll see them again. They’ll all attend the Matching eventually. You can see them there.

  Feeling a little better, Oriana tiptoed across the room with its sleeping figures around the edges, eased open the door, and stepped through it. She closed the door, leaving it slightly ajar to avoid making any noise. The hall was very dark, but she could see light through a window in the door. Hoping that the woman who owned the house didn’t set her security system to monitor internal movement, Oriana walked along the hall, opened the front door, and slipped out.

  She guessed it had to be the early hours of the morning. Lights were on in the distant city center, but the only lights she could see by were the handful of dim streetlights that lined the road.

  Oriana shivered. The coldness and dampness of the night was already invading her bones. She looked up and down the street. Would anyone see her if she Transported right then and there? Probably not, but there was no sense in taking chances. She needed to go somewhere she could not be observed.

  She walked along the sidewalk, heading back toward the prairie. She imagined how nice it would be to live among the young mages again, carefree and happy. At the campsite she didn’t have to hide what she was or live in constant fear of discovery and capture.

  Someone would take pity on her and accept her into their family, she was sure. Perhaps that nice ranger, Jace, from Ostillon. On the other hand, that wasn’t such a good idea. Castiel was on Ostillon, and he was the one member of her family she did not want to meet again.

  It didn’t really matter who she ended up with. All the mages were nice and kind. She would find someone. She wouldn’t have to live the lifetime of hardship Carina seemed intent upon.

  Oriana scanned the road from side to side, trying to find somewhere that was not overlooked. In a few minutes’ time she would be back at the prairie and her new life would begin.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Carina saw Castiel watching her, amusement in his eyes. He knew! He knew Oriana was missing and he hadn’t said anything.

  Reyes had to know too. He’d met all her brothers and sisters when she’d found them outside the spaceport on Ostillon. The only person he hadn’t met was Bryce, who had appeared later.

  Both Castiel and Reyes had not let on to the soldiers that the party they were taking prisoner had one extra person: Bryce, and that one of them was missing. And because there were enough guards for one per prisoner, they hadn’t suspected anything.

  “Carina,” said Darius, “where did Oriana go?”

  “Huh?” said one of the soldiers. “Who are you talking about?”

  Shit!

  Carina stared at her young brother, willing him to be silent. He looked back, confused, and then opened his mouth to speak again.

  No, Darius! No!

  Then he was gone. Vanished into thin air. Parthenia had disappeared too.

  “What the fuck?” a soldier yelled. “How do they do that?”

  “Never mind that,” shouted another. “We have to stop them. Grab the rest.”

  Darius and Parthenia had been Transported. Oriana must have done it. She had to be watching them from somewhere. The only possible place was the window. Carina forced herself not to look at it.

  Her guard lunged at her, trying to grab her arm. She shoved him to one side. Oriana would be preparing to Transport the others. If a soldier was holding onto one of the mages, he might Transport with them.

  “Fight,” Carina cried. “Push them away from you!”

  She heard the hiss of a pulse round and the thump of a body hitting the floor. Carina guard reached for her again. She kicked his knee and heard a crunch. The man screamed. Carina spun around. Ferne was down! His bastard guard had fired at him.

  But then Ferne was gone, and so was Nahla.

  Only herself and Bryce were left. Carina’s guard was rolling and groaning on the floor, but Bryce was locked in a struggle with his guard.

  Castiel and Reyes stood in the doorway and did nothing.

  From outside came the sound of someone shouting, “What’s going on in there?”

  Carina ran at the soldier holding on to Bryce.

  She was within a step of him when she Transported.

  ***

  Carina was in darkness, momentum carrying her forward. She crashed into Bryce and the soldier, and all three of them fell to the ground, hitting grass. Carina guessed they were somewhere in the yards around Bridget’s house, but as she tussled with the guard who had grabbed Bryce she realized they were out on the prairie. A stiff wind was blowing
, causing the tents to flap.

  “Let go of him,” Carina shouted, standing up to get a better look at Bryce and his assailant. The guard’s weapon was trapped under him, and he was rolling around too much to punch him in the jaw. So she did the next best thing she could think of. She kicked one of his legs open and drove her heel into the man’s groin as hard as she could.

  That persuaded him to give up. While the guard rolled on the ground in silent agony, Bryce shook himself and stood up.

  “Remind me to never piss you off,” he said.

  Carina relieved the guard of his weapon, and then straightened up and turned full circle. “I don’t believe it.”

  Oriana had Transported them all back to the mages’ camp. The camp that was about to be attacked. Darius, Parthenia, Ferne, and Nahla were all there too.

  Carina scanned the horizon beyond the tents full of sleeping mages. A rosy patch told her dawn was about to break.

  Oriana suddenly appeared, Transporting herself in. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” she sobbed. “I’m sorry I ran away. I wanted to come back here. I didn’t want to spend my life scraping to get by, always on the move. But then I realized I would miss you all too much. I went back to the house, and I saw soldiers, and—”

  “You’re sorry?” said Bryce. “You just saved all our lives.”

  “Not yet,” said Carina. The sensible thing would be to leave right away, to Transport the hell out of that massacre waiting to happen. But there was no way she could abandon her kindred to such a terrible fate. “We have to wake everyone up.”

  “What?” Oriana asked. “Why?”

  “The Dirksens are about to attack,” said Ferne.

  Oriana’s eyes grew wide, and her brothers and sisters seemed frozen by the enormity of the evil about to befall the young mages at the Matching.

  Carina ran to the nearest tent, ripped open the flap, and yelled, “Wake up! You’re being attacked. You have to Transport away from the camp!”

  “Come on, hurry,” Carina said to Bryce and her siblings. “Help me.”