Flickers of Flame

by Madeline Freeman

  Shouts rose before the door swung open to reveal stunner-wielding figures in camouflage uniforms.

  “Stand down!” Clio shouted, quickly stowing her Blade. “The threat is contained.”

  The guards who were first in the restaurant lowered their weapons before parting for someone to pass through. My throat tightened when Colonel Zagar stepped forward, her eyes narrowed as she surveyed us. “Medic!” she called without turning. A ripple of activity shot through the guardsmen as the colonel took another step forward. “I hope you all understand there will be consequences.”

  I couldn’t swallow a bitter laugh. What could she—or anyone else—do that was worse than what I’d already done?

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “I specifically remember telling you to take it easy,” Nurse Nichols said as she entered my exam room. The trip back to Blakethorne had been much like the last—with me laying down in the back of the transport truck. But at least Nate had been with us this time.

  I attempted to adjust my position on the narrow bed, but the movement made me wince and suck in a breath. “I’m fine,” I said through gritted teeth.

  She snorted. “Yeah, I’m convinced. Where does it hurt?”

  It would take less time to tell her where it didn’t hurt, but I did my best to describe my injuries.

  After what felt like an eternity filled with judgmental tsking and bandaging of wounds I hadn’t realized I’d sustained, Nurse Nichols discharged me with strict instructions not to sustain any more wounds, abrasions, or contusions for at least seventy-two hours.

  A sharp-nosed man in a dark blue suit stood by the doors to the infirmary and perked up when he caught sight of me. “Eden Jensen?”

  I glanced over my shoulder, hoping Nurse Nichols was nearby. I had a bad feeling about this guy and hoped I could convince the nurse to insist I needed to go straight to my dorm room. Unfortunately, I didn’t see her anywhere.

  “Um, yeah. That’s me.”

  The suited man nodded sharply. “Come with me.”

  Gulping, I followed him out of the infirmary. About halfway down the hall, he realized I wasn’t keeping pace and slowed down.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  He glanced over his shoulder. “The chancellor wants to see you.”

  An icy knot of dread twisted in my stomach. Colonel Zagar had said there would be consequences for our actions. I just hadn’t expected them to pop up so quickly.

  The aide—or whatever he was—led me to the same room where I’d last spoken to the chancellor. He knocked once and opened the door when a commanding voice on the other side said, “Enter.”

  Taking in a breath to calm my nerves, I pushed the door all the way open and stepped over the threshold, keeping my gaze on the floor.

  “Ah,” said the chancellor. “I wondered when you’d be joining us.”

  My head snapped upward, and I caught sight of the other Keepers all sitting in leather guest chairs in front of the desk. The chancellor sat in the executive chair across from them, looking completely at ease despite the fact this office belonged to someone else.

  Nate motioned to the chair on his right, at the end of the line. Clio sat to his left, and Bridger and Thor sat beyond her.

  I made my way to the empty spot, the weight of the chancellor’s gaze bearing down on me the whole time. “I’m sorry to keep you waiting,” I said as I lowered myself into the chair. “Nurse Nichols is very thorough.”

  Kingston didn’t respond. Instead, he took several seconds to stare at each of us, his expression unreadable. “I’ve spoken to Headmaster Kemp,” he said finally. “The five of you are on probation until further notice.”

  Although I’d been expecting some punishment, I shuddered to think what probation might entail. But one detail distracted me from my own worries. “All five of us? Don’t you mean four? Nate didn’t break any rules.”

  The chancellor’s cold eyes narrowed. “Nathaniel is the leader of your team. Your actions reflect on him.”

  “This is ridiculous,” Thor spat. “You were ready to let Nate die. We did what you wouldn’t.”

  Kingston didn’t turn to address Thor. “We would never let Nathaniel die. I had the intelligence councils scouring video footage to pinpoint where they’d taken him. How do you think we found you?”

  “With all due respect,” Clio said, “the Guard didn’t get there until after everything was over. Without the promise of ransom, they could have killed Nate before the rescue showed up.”

  “We had the situation under control,” the chancellor said, his jaw tight.

  I wholeheartedly disagreed with him, but pointing that out would probably get me into more trouble than I was already in.

  “Out of curiosity,” he continued, “what were you planning to do with the demons you fought? Leave them there and hope for the best?”

  None of us spoke.

  “It’s a good thing the Guard showed up when they did,” the chancellor continued. “They’re confident they apprehended everyone involved.”

  The question that had been nagging me since we stepped out of the restaurant bubbled to my lips before I could stop it. “The guy with the… stab wound to the abdomen. Is he…” I couldn’t finish the question.

  The chancellor’s brow knit and he leafed through a manila folder on the desk in front of him. “I see a woman with a slice to her side… A man with a cut to the back of his leg… No abdomen wounds.”

  Relief and anxiety vied for dominance within me. Had Derek somehow gotten away before the Guard hauled everyone out of the building? Or were Kingston’s records incomplete? I wasn’t sure which option I wanted to be true.

  Kingston drew back his shoulders. “The Keepers are a symbol of strength. Today, you proved you are reckless and unwilling to submit to the leadership of those above you. I recommend you use this time of probation to consider what kind of soldiers your people need and what sort you want to become.” He stood, nodding at the door. “You’re dismissed. After all, you’ll want to be back to your rooms before curfew so you don’t incur any consequences of your probation.”

  Although I was curious about what those consequences might entail, the desire to know didn’t outweigh my desire to get away from him. I took care getting my feet under me as the others stood. The only one moving as gingerly as me was Nate, and I was at least grateful that Thor, Clio, and Bridger hadn’t been badly hurt. But once I lifted my head and glimpsed Nate’s face, my heart twisted in my chest.

  The nurses in the infirmary had patched him up, but the effect made him look somehow worse than he had at North End Bistro. His left eye was even puffier and purpler than it had been earlier. Four butterfly bandages held the cut on his cheek closed. I spotted another bandage poking out of the collar of his shirt. He moved slowly, as if every step caused him pain.

  “Cadet Jensen,” the chancellor said when I was halfway to the door. “May I have a word, please?”

  I looked to Nate, but his expression relayed he didn’t know what his father might want. He reached for my hand and squeezed it before following the others into the hall.

  When the door closed, leaving me alone with Kingston, a chill ran down my spine. What could he want to say that he couldn’t mention in front of the others? I tried to keep my breathing even, reminding myself that if he had figured out I was a demon, he wouldn’t have invited me into this office for a chat—I’d be on my way to societal rehab, or worse.

  “I won’t keep you long,” the chancellor said, circling the desk and leaning against the front edge.

  My leg ached standing like this, but I did my best to keep my discomfort off my face. “What did you want to talk about?”

  “My son,” he said. “Not to put too fine a point on it.”

  “Your…” I wet my lips. “What about Nate?”

  The chancellor’s lips twisted in an expression I couldn’t name. “The Aura Blade chose Nathaniel when he was seven. Did you know that?”

  I nodded even t
hough I wasn’t sure the question required a response.

  “He’s known the weight of duty his entire life,” he continued. “But it was never something he chose, do you understand? It was always expected of him.”

  I shifted my weight to my good leg. “I’m not sure why you’re telling me this.”

  The chancellor tipped his head. “Aren’t you?”

  I tried to swallow, but my mouth was too dry. Had he somehow learned about Nate and me? I didn’t even have words to fully describe our budding relationship, and already Kingston was here, ready to prune the whole branch.

  He stood from his perch against the desk and strode the length of the room to the door, resting his hand on the knob. “Make sure your choices don’t interfere with my son’s duty.”

  Before I could assemble a response, Kingston had opened the door. Conversation over. I was dismissed.

  I limped out of the room and toward the main foyer as quickly as I could. But as I limped toward the door, my heart stuttered in my chest when I glimpsed the figure waiting for me.

  Nate’s smile looked more like a wince as I approached. “So, how’d that go?” He raised his chin toward the office.

  I shook my head. “It was fine.” After the day he’d had, I didn’t want to pile on one more thing for him to worry about. If Kingston had wanted his son to hear his warning, he would have had him stay back with me. “You didn’t have to wait for me. You should’ve had Thor and Bridger help you to your dorm.”

  “Well, that wouldn’t have been very polite of me.” The corner of his mouth twitched as he nodded toward the door.

  Slowly, the two of us headed outside. The sky was dark, void of the usual glittering stars. Beyond the halo of light cast by the fixtures above the hall’s front door, the grounds were black.

  Nate gestured to a small, open cart parked at the base of the stairs. “Our chariot awaits.”

  I froze halfway down the steps. I should say no. The chancellor had basically just warned me to stay away from his son. Climbing into a vehicle so small there was no way our legs wouldn’t touch was the exact opposite course of action.

  But since when did I do what angels told me to do?

  With effort, Nate slid in behind the wheel. My entry into the cart was less than graceful, but Nate didn’t comment. He pushed a button to start it up, and once the engine purred to life, he pressed the accelerator.

  “About today,” Nate said as he steered the cart around Kalmin Hall. “I can’t imagine how you’re feeling right now. I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you have, and I don’t know how I’d be handling things in your situation. But I wanted to say thank you.”

  My heart beat a frantic rhythm. “For what?”

  “You know for what,” he murmured as he steered onto the quad. “He was going to kill me. I saw it in his eyes. But you pulled him away and… Where did your Blade even come from? And… how were you using mine?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. It just… happened.”

  He slowed the cart to a stop in a stretch of darkness between two pools of artificial light. “I’m glad it did,” he said, twisting to face me. “Otherwise tonight could have ended very differently.”

  Very differently. Sure. Like I wouldn’t have stabbed someone who was practically family.

  But even as the arguments asserted themselves in my mind, I knew Nate was right. Derek made his choice, and Nate didn’t deserve to have Derek’s anger at me taken out on him.

  “Hey.” Nate lifted his arm and brushed the backs of his fingers against my cheek. “You know, Antonio warned me about this. We didn’t choose to be soldiers, so sometimes the realities of what we have to do can be hard to wrestle with. But I’m here to tell you that you did what you had to.”

  I brought my hand up and pressed my palm against his. How could the thing I needed to hear be the thing I didn’t want to believe?

  “Eden.”

  The sound of my name on his lips was almost musical, and when he leaned in closer, everything in me wanted to feel the press of those lips against mine. Except I couldn’t.

  I released his hand and sat up straighter. “What about Clio?”

  Sighing, he turned to face the steering wheel. “I haven’t exactly had a chance to talk to her. But I will.”

  But as he put the cart in motion once more, I wondered if a conversation would be enough. He hadn’t seen Clio while he was captured. When she spoke of him to Derek, she didn’t describe him as her friend or team leader—she called him her fiancé. She claimed that piece of their relationship. Maybe Nate didn’t harbor any romantic feelings for Clio, but I wasn’t sure the same could be said for her.

  Nate dropped me off at the girls’ dorm with a promise to come collect me for breakfast in the morning. I took my time making my way up to the third floor and down the hall to my room. After such a long, emotional day, being back in the familiar space was like a healing balm. I changed out of my uniform and into pajamas before slipping into bed.

  I was a spy.

  The truth that sent me into turmoil a week ago slipped over me like silk. The whole reason I’d agreed to attend Blakethorne was so I could gather information that would benefit demons. And I didn’t intend to stop.

  But I was also a Keeper. And while that didn’t always mean throwing in my lot with angels, today it had.

  Because the world wasn’t black and white. There were no hard and fast rules about who the good guys were versus who the bad guys were. Derek proved that. Even though his motivation was in the best interests of the people of Amberg, his methods were all about violence.

  I wanted to help without harming. Demons needed assistance, but sometimes angelkind did, too.

  I didn’t have to choose a side. I only needed to choose people to stand with. Today, the Keepers had proven they were a good place to start.

  * * *

  ###

  What comes next for our little spy? Continue Eden’s adventure in Whispers of Betrayal. Or turn the page to read an excerpt!

  * * *

  If you enjoyed Flickers of Flame, please consider leaving a review.

  * * *

  And if you want to keep in touch about new releases, sign up here!

  Whispers of Betrayal

  Chapter One

  A musty tang hung in the air of the rare books room in the back of the Blakethorne library. Although the librarian, Lydia Sweeting, claimed the space was climate controlled to prevent degradation of the tomes within, judging by the smell, something in here was slowly rotting away.

  Over the last two weeks, I had spent every spare minute I could scrabble together back here, poring over the academy’s collection of books about the Keepers. But so far, I hadn’t come across anything to give me insight into why I’d been able to wield Nate’s Aura Blade—or why the Aether Blade had appeared in my hand after sublimating.

  Three knocks sounded against the door, pulling my attention from the small, scrunched typeface of the page I was attempting to read. A glance through the glass at the person standing just outside sent a flush of warmth through my body. Since the day he was kidnapped, Nate Kouri had kept his black hair pushed forward so it swept over his left eye, which was less puffy but still bruised from the beating he’d taken from Derek Charge and his minions. Still, even with one dark brown eye obscured, a single glimpse of him was enough to make my skin tingle.

  Nate twisted the knob and pulled open the door. “It’s time.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “Can’t you tell them you couldn’t find me?”

  He grinned, revealing the deep dimple in his left cheek. “Unfortunately, this library just isn’t that big.”

  I snapped my fingers. “Darn.” Closing the book, I swiveled in my chair. But before I could stand, my shin knocked against the table leg and I hissed.

  Nate was at my side in an instant. “Are you all right?” Pressing one hand to the edge of the table and the other to the back of my chair, he leaned down to get a better look at the situatio
n. My head swam as his earthy, citrus-y scent invaded my senses.

  “I’m fine,” I insisted. “I swear, my shin would be healed already except I keep bumping it.”

  His gaze flicked up to me, and time seemed to stand still. His nearness made my stomach swoop. It seemed impossible that I could still react so strongly to him after a month and a half of spending my days in his presence, but my heart hammered against my chest as I recalled the silky texture of the curls at the back of his neck.

  “Hey, Eden, it’s time to…” Bridger Ross trailed off as he stepped into the musty room. “Ah. I see Nate already found you.”

  Before Bridger finished speaking, Nate put distance between the two of us. “Eden banged her leg,” he said as I slipped out of my chair and returned the book I was reading to its shelf.

  “The horror,” Bridger deadpanned.

  I nudged him with my elbow as I brushed past him and led the way back to the main part of the library. “I hit the bruised shin,” I defended. “The thing’s like a magnet for injury.” I snapped, turning to face the guys as a thought occurred to me. “Do you think I could convince them I can’t go to the banquet because I’m still not healed from the rescue mission?”

  It wasn’t entirely a lie. In the almost two weeks since Clio, Bridger, Thor, and I snuck out of Blakethorne Academy to rescue Nate from the demons who had kidnapped him, most of my bruises had faded to a pale, sickly yellow. But my ribs still twinged when I took in too deep a breath or twisted the wrong way. Yesterday at my check up, Nurse Nichols said I would probably be tender for another week at least and that my physical training should remain light until the doctor gave the okay.

  “Sounds good,” Nate said as we spilled out of the short hallway. “Do you think they’ll buy that excuse for me, too?”