Fire and Fantasy: A Limited Edition Collection of Urban and Epic Fantasy

by CK Dawn

  “With the trade roads treacherous, no trader will venture into Isenore. The paths that cut across Aldorwood don’t reach the border.”

  Lorelai understood immediately. “He’s trying to starve Isenore into supporting their Duke. Of course. The nobles are still loyal to Dreach-Sciene.”

  “For now.” He led his horse out into the courtyard and she followed. “Eventually they will either submit to Eisner or die.” Hauling himself into his saddle, he gave her one more look. “I’ll be back in a week.”

  She didn’t say a word as she turned to walk back into the palace as if there wasn’t a hand squeezing her heart, reminding her that she was betraying every person she passed. And worst of all, she was a traitor to a king she knew she could have respected, could have followed, could have loved.

  Fifteen

  Rissa was glad to be out of the swamp and back in the forests of Aldorwood. Their crossing had been much calmer the second time and upon reaching Whitecap, they’d secured another horse for Briggs and gotten out of town as quickly as possible. Everyone had been anxious to get on the road after two days aboard another boat.

  It had been three days since leaving the civilization of Whitecap behind and they’d ridden hard and rested little.

  Rissa curled her fingers in, crushing the dead leaf in her grasp. It flaked apart and she let the pieces lift in the breeze. Even in their sad state, the trees calmed her.

  She’d shed many of her clothes as the sun beat down on them from above. Anyone who saw her now would not see their princess in pretty dresses. They’d see a tired young woman dressed almost as a man. The trousers she now wore were large on her and she’d pushed the sleeves of her tunic up to her elbows. Her fiery hair was swept off her neck in a simple tail.

  Her father had been right. Her brother had been right. A journey such as this was no place for a princess – so she wouldn’t be a princess.

  “Weren’t we shivering around our fire only nights ago?” Davi asked, kicking his horse to move up beside her.

  She glanced at him as he wiped the sweat from his brow. “It’s nothing new for Dreach-Sciene to have such fast-changing weather.”

  “No, but I’m usually curled up in my palace barely noticing.”

  She grinned. He probably hadn’t realized he said, “my palace”. She always wanted him to think of it as his home. He wasn’t officially a member of the royal family, but he still mattered.

  “Something wrong, Ri?” he asked, a single dimple appearing in his cheek.

  She looked away, realizing she’d been caught staring. Nothing new.

  His grin widened and she wanted to punch him.

  “Just exhausted,” she mumbled the excuse.

  His smile dropped. “Dammit, me too.” He swiped a hand across his face and looked back at the rest of their group. Alixa was hunched over in her saddle only half-awake. Trystan wasn’t faring much better than her. Avery sat upright, her back straight, but her eyes had large dark circles beneath them. The only one who looked unaffected by their journey was old Briggs. His white hair stuck up every which way making him look crazed, but his eyes were bright and he talked constantly, not seeming to notice that no one was listening.

  The old man fascinated Rissa. He was a member of the Tri-Gard, the mythical guardians of magic. He could be powerful, but that power was limited without his two counterparts. The man had eyes that seemed to see everything. If Rissa didn’t know better, she’d think he was a seer. She knew he’d seen a lot, done a lot, and assumed he knew how this would all play out.

  There was a power in being sure of the future – even when it was far from set in stone.

  He looked up as if he knew she’d been watching him. She looked for any sign of remorse in his eyes. The Tri-Gard were the ones who destroyed the future of Dreach-Sciene. Coerced or not, they still drained the land of magic. But all she saw in him was an intense curiosity. He cocked his head to the side, challenging her to ask him her questions.

  She turned in her saddle, still feeling his eyes on the back of her head. “Come on,” she said, snapping her heels against the sides of her horse and trotting down the path that led out into the open land. Before long, the forest was at their backs.

  “We should stop and rest the horses,” Trystan said, looking sideways at Alixa. The horses didn’t need to rest quite yet, but maybe she did. Maybe they all did.

  “No,” Briggs said simply. “I don’t think they know where we are.” He directed that at the invisible person who always seemed to be in his head then turned to Trystan. “Do you know where we are?”

  “There’s a village nearby,” Avery said.

  “Correct.” He looked to the sky. “Why isn’t she the leader of this group? She’s much smarter than the rest.” Briggs moved into the lead. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but a bed sounds better than another night on the ground.”

  “You think there’ll be an inn?” Davi asked. He clutched at his chest. “Or a tavern? I would kill for some ale warming my belly right about now.”

  “There used to be an inn here. I think. Maybe not. No, I’m sure of it. I haven’t been there in quite some time. If not, we’ll just have to find some lovely ones who are more than happy to share their beds.”

  Alixa started coughing and Rissa’s jaw dropped.

  “Ha, maybe he isn’t so insane after all – despite his ‘pets’ trying to kill me.” Davi laughed.

  “Did he just say he’s going to find a whore?” Rissa whispered to Alixa.

  “Not a whore, my dear,” Briggs chastised. “I prefer to call them creatures of kindness.”

  Trystan and Davi were still laughing as they rode down into a valley dotted with farms. Rissa pulled back from the others and slowed her horse to take in the scenery. At first glance, there was a beauty in it, a simplicity that seemed very much appealing. She’d always wondered about those who grew their food, worked hard, raised families, and lived as normally as they could.

  These people were the backbone of the realm. They sustained Dreach-Sciene and in return, the crown tried to take care of them.

  As she peered closer, however, she started to see the cracks in the beautiful façade. The fields they passed were sparse as if the life had been drained from them. She guessed it had. That was why the realm faced tough rations. Extreme weather swings and a lack of nourishing magic meant that food was not so easy to grow these days.

  The village came into view and Rissa immediately knew there would be no inn – probably no ‘creatures of kindness’ either, by the looks of things. Thin faces peeked out of doors as their horses trod on the cracked and broken road.

  Many of the small homes looked ready to fall, but it was the eyes Rissa met that gutted her. Her horse slowed and her eyes connected with an older woman’s gaze, dull and defeated. There was fear too and she wondered what these people had been through to fear strangers in such a way.

  They didn’t recognize their prince and princess, but she hadn’t expected them to.

  Trystan stopped his horse and slid off. The rest of them followed suit. Rissa stood next to her horse, holding the reins tightly as hungry gazes landed on the beast. A revulsion coiled low in her belly and it was all she could do to stay where she was and not jump on her horse and ride away as fast as she could.

  These were their people.

  She stepped up next to her brother and put a comforting hand on his arm. Their family was charged with the welfare of the realm and they were failing.

  Briggs hung back, but Rissa caught sight of him out of the corner of her eye and scowled. She’d never forgive him for what the Tri-Gard did to them and this was just a reminder of that.

  “Who are you?” a gruff voice said, stepping forward. He was a tall man, but thin, and each of his hands was clamped on the shoulder of a scrawny child. “We don’t have anything to give you. No food. No shelter. You should keep riding.”

  His voice was calm, even, but there was an underlying threat in it. Rissa glanced at the bow han
ging from her saddle. She’d feel much better with her fingers curled around the smooth wood, but that wouldn’t help the situation.

  Trystan drew himself up even as Davi shot him a warning glance. “I am Trystan Renauld, your prince and Toha.”

  The man’s eyes widened before narrowing to slits. Rissa was worried he wouldn’t believe them.

  “Toro,” he said, looking down at his children. “Tara. Run along now to your mother.” His eyes scanned the crowd that had gathered. He let out a sigh. “Like I said, we have nothing for you.”

  “Go back to your palace,” someone in the crowd yelled.

  “You’ve already taken enough!”

  The first man who spoke scratched his chin. “I’m sorry, Your Highness. You already have everything that holds value to us. My own daughter is on her way to join your father’s army. When the war comes, it will crush us, but you can’t break what is already broken. Please, just leave us be.”

  He turned sadly and went after his children.

  Rissa’s hand found its way into her brother’s as a tear fell down her cheek. A quiver ran through Trystan before he gave her hand a squeeze and released her, turning to the rest of the group.

  “Looks like we’ll be sleeping on the ground again.”

  Without another word, he mounted his horse and gave it a small kick. They decided to head back into the woods to camp for the night, but as they left the village behind, Rissa couldn’t get those people off her mind. The desperation of their lives nearly killed her. Silent tears tracked down her face.

  Trystan was trying to be strong, but she knew her brother. She knew the villager’s words would not soon be forgotten. The Toha would carry them with him until he could do something to change their meaning until he could prevent the people of Dreach-Sciene from being crushed even further than they were.

  Camp was set up in silence and Rissa walked off to take a moment to calm her shaking hands. Once the rest of them were out of sight, she sat against a twisted tree and leaned her head back. An instant calm filled her. She placed one hand on the ground and the other rubbed the necklace at her throat.

  The soothing hum began and she closed her eyes to lose herself in the connection. The night was unusually warm, but it was different than the warmth that flowed into her.

  A sigh escaped her lips.

  She didn’t know how long she’d been there when the crunch of dried leaves alerted her to someone’s approach.

  Cracking open an eye, she groaned when Brigg’s face came into view. He was the last person she wanted to speak to. She blamed him for that village – for everything really. She’d never had magic, but she knew deep in her soul she was meant to; that they were all meant to. But it was stolen.

  “What do you want?” she asked.

  He held up his palms to show he meant no harm and then sat down across from her unwelcome.

  She snatched her hand away from the ground and the hum stopped abruptly. When she met Brigg’s eyes, she realized he’d been watching her. His eyes widened and he smiled.

  “I knew it,” he said, his voice hushed. “From the moment I met you, I knew. Oh, this makes so much sense. She had it too so it would only stand to reason that her daughter would follow in her footsteps.” He looked to the side. “Didn’t I tell you she was special?”

  Rissa sat forward abruptly. “Who are you talking to? What are you talking about?” she snapped. “What about my mother? What did she have?”

  Joy lit up his face and for a moment, she forgot to hate him.

  “The Tenelach,” he whispered as if it was some big secret.

  “What the hell is that?”

  He looked like he wanted to chastise her but shook his head instead, too eager to share his knowledge. “What do you hear when you touch the ground?”

  She considered him for a moment. She’d never told anyone about it because, with the loss of magic, anything out of the ordinary was treated with suspicion.

  But she so desperately wanted to know what it was and he’d mentioned her mom. Maybe he was just crazy enough to believe her.

  “It sings to me,” she admitted, waiting for the disbelief to cross his face.

  It never came. Instead, an excited laugh burst from his lips. “Tenelach is a connection to the earth that can still exist outside of magic. Without magic, you feel comforted and whole.” He leaned forward. “But with it, with Tenelach and magic combined, the things you can do are …”

  As he searched for a word, she waited to hear “strong” or “powerful.”

  Instead, a smile broke out on his weathered face. “Magnificent. Like my crystal, it changes the way your magic shows itself. It magnifies it.”

  “You mentioned my mother. Did you know her?”

  His look turned wistful and he nodded. “Very well. She was the only person I’ve known personally to have Tenelach. It’s a very rare gift that is passed down from mother to daughter.”

  Her fingers brushed the necklace that had been her mothers and Brigg’s eyes widened. He leaned closer to examine it.

  “This was hers?” he asked.

  Rissa nodded.

  As he reached for it, his shirt sleeve pushed up and she caught sight of a tattoo on his wrist. Without thinking, she reached forward to push his sleeve up further. It was a triangle inside of a circle with symbols surrounding it.

  Briggs turned his wrist so she could get a better look. “This marks me as Tri-Gard, we each have a different one,” he explained as he began to point to each of the four symbols. “Magic. Light. Harmony. Fate. All things that must exist for the earth to thrive.”

  Rissa snatched her hand back, remembering how she was supposed to feel about the man. She stood abruptly. “And yet you drained the land of magic.”

  “I didn’t have a choice.” His voice was so low she almost didn’t hear him. “No, I’ve told you a million times that’s the truth.” He wasn’t speaking to Rissa. “I couldn’t very well turn on another member of the Tri-Gard.” He cocked his head, listening. “No, Ramsey didn’t turn on us. Fine! Maybe he did. Go away.”

  Rissa watched with guarded eyes as he seemed to wait for a moment, before nodding in satisfaction.

  “There is always a choice,” she said.

  He stood to face her. “Not when you’re a member of a sacred trinity. Not when the only other option is destruction. That’s what would have happened. One of the Tri-Gard was fully prepared to use all of his power to help Dreach-Dhoun wipe Dreach-Sciene off the map. We weren’t supposed to involve ourselves in the affairs of the realm. I will wait for the day when you children realize that you’re only here because we made that choice.”

  He stalked back towards the camp and Rissa looked after him, amazed that his mind could shift from insanity to that of a wise old man so fluidly.

  The fire cracked and sprayed sparks into the air. They’d found a spot in the woods that was sheltered from the wind and the rain that started to pound down. The trees above them provided their home for the night.

  Trystan leaned against his pack and watched the flames dance before him. Dinner had consisted of some dried meat and bread – courtesy of the Duchess of Sona after they had returned Ciarra none the worse for wear. Now the exhaustion settled around their group. They’d been going non-stop since leaving the palace of Dreach-Sciene. Some of them had been through more than others.

  His eyes found Alixa who was asleep nearby. She’d crashed as soon as camp was set up. Rissa was next to her. She crossed her arms over her chest as she sighed deeply, fighting sleep. Trystan could tell there was a lot on his sister’s mind – because those same things were also on his mind.

  Many would call him stiff, formal almost to the point of uncaring. He didn’t wear his emotions out for everyone to see like his sister did. Instead, he let them tangle him up on the inside.

  Davi sat down with a grunt and leaned forward against his knees. Trystan wanted someone to say something, anything to distract them.

  Davion was always good
for meaningless talk, but his words that came out weren’t meaningless at all. “Do you think we even have a chance at success?”

  “Of course, we do.”

  “Don’t give me the Toha response. It’s me, Trystan. I know how hopeless this is. Even if we find this second Tri-Gard member in the mountains, how the hell are we supposed to get to the third? He’s in the dungeons across the border.”

  “I don’t know, Davi. Sometimes I think I shouldn’t have left the palace. I’m the Toha. My place is there. My generals are having to do my rightful job. But then other times, I realize that none of that matters without us succeeding in this mission. It won’t matter how prepared the army is if they starve to death. So, yeah, it seems hopeless when we know we’ll have to cross the border, but it’s also hopeless if we don’t.”

  It wasn’t what he’d been expecting, but it was all Trystan had.

  They hadn’t realized Avery was still awake until she spoke. “Even if we can get to the third Tri-Gard member, we shouldn’t expect much from him after twenty years in those dungeons.”

  “What do you mean?” Davi asked.

  Avery sat up and faced them. “King Calis is a cruel man. I’ve been to the border many times, and once I met this man. He’d somehow escaped from the dungeons and made it into Dreach-Sciene. He told me that King Calis has never had a prisoner he hasn’t tortured. He wants to kill his enemies, but he loves doing it in the most painful way possible. He’s kidnapped the sons and daughters of some of the Isenore nobles. After using them to get what he wants, he delivers them in a bloody heap to their families. They’re never returned alive. He strips away dignity, self, and family. The only hope a prisoner has when taken by King Calis is to die swiftly. If I’m ever captured, I am willing to slice my own throat rather than suffer the humiliation of a death at Calis’ hands.”

  Her words trailed off and nothing more was said as her breathing became more even and she drifted to sleep.