Girl of Fire

by Gabrielle Mathieu

  * * *

  He found his Minister of Innovation studying a pile of ice, swaddled in sawdust, and placed into a small container of one of the new metal alloys under consideration. A scale stood nearby, along with a fountain pen and a stack of papyrus. The ten standardized candles that Mak used to assay the ability of the metal to withstand heat were arranged all around the workstation, yet unlit.

  “Leave it,” Luca said.

  “I’m in the middle of testing this iron blend.” His friend’s voice was impatient.

  “Something more important has come up.”

  Mak looked up, studying Luca’s face. “You’re going after the Demon, aren’t you?”

  “No one goes after the Demon. We’re going to help destroy her new weapon, though.”

  * * *

  Mak and Luca sipped bitter ginger cordials, poured over the remaining ice, while the sun set outside. Luca was dimly aware that he’d missed several important meetings. He hadn’t told anyone where he was going, and Samu must be searching through the palace frantically. Too bad.

  “Tell me again what we decided?” Luca said. They’d been speculating and arguing for hours.

  Mak picked up the papyrus, squinting to make out his own wild scribbles. “The hero must overcome adverse atmospheric conditions which would affect his mental state, specifically his ability to concentrate and fulfill a goal.”

  “You have a gift for poetic storytelling,” Luca observed dryly.

  “Poisonous fog that numbs the brain, this King Gale said. How else would you describe that?”

  “I was only teasing. Go on.”

  “The soul snares were made from a rare metal gathered from the meteorite and incubated in the Demon. They were regurgitated, enveloped in some swamp flora, and then animated. That’s where I’m having trouble. I don’t understand how something lifeless can be animated.”

  “That’s what’s called magic.”

  “You wouldn’t know magic if it came and bit you in the nose,” Mak said.

  “And these soul snares,” Luca prompted.

  “Gale told you they are all linked, because they were made through the same spell. They can read our memories and respond to our emotions.”

  “So they cause damage not through wounds to the body but exhaustion of the essence.”

  “The invisible working on the invisible,” Mak said. “You pose me a conundrum.”

  “Then let’s list the forces we cannot see, which rule us nonetheless. There is the force of one object striking the other. There is the force which generates lightning. There is the force which keeps us bound to this earth.”

  Mak grew excited. “Didn’t you say there was lightning when the meteorite came?”

  “More than I’d ever seen. And the ocean roiled as if pulled by some giant’s hands.”

  “We must make use of an invisible force ourselves, one that employs the same principles that cause lightning and creates the ocean tides. I have some ideas. Give me the piece of that Demon’s coffin to study as well.”

  Luca grinned. “You sound like an alchemist.”

  “Every scientist sounds like an alchemist when it’s new territory.”

  A knock on the door interrupted their amiable banter. Samu. He was scowling.

  “I know…” Luca started.

  “No, you don’t. Princess Illenn from East Sarsara arrived at the palace an hour ago, seeking audience. She is not pleased to be kept waiting.”

  So the Ally had not lied about a princess on her way. He was obviously powerful.

  “I’ll see what she wants,” Luca told Mak. “Will you get our lads together for me and tell them we meet after supper? Without my siblings.”

  * * *

  The last time Luca had seen Illenn she’d been smiling sleepily from beneath a snarl of wild hair. Now she was coiffed and coldly furious. She wore a brocaded gown of silver and rose that swirled like an unfolding flower about her slender figure. Luca stood still, waiting for her to approach.

  “Not the welcome I was hoping for,” she said.

  “Illenn. I’m sorry. I didn’t expect a visit.”

  “Your fair words to me? What did they mean?”

  “I said…I enjoyed your company. And I did. But why are you here, in my palace, without your father or his advisors?”

  “Because I have a matter to discuss with you. I am aware of the nature of your dalliances. Indeed, most of the civilized world has heard of the honeyed tongue of the men of Luca’s line.”

  Luca crossed his arms. “You sound accusatory.”

  “I am pregnant, and you are the father.”

  He’d impregnated a princess, no less. He would have a little princeling in East Sarsara. He was only two children away from securing his lineage with a future Prime. “That’s wonderful,” he said, enfolding the delicate princess in his arms. “But why the secrecy?”

  “My father hoped to make an alliance with your House.”

  Naturally. Illenn’s father had not been blind to the attraction. The religion of East Sarsara didn’t require virginal brides. “An eventual alliance is not out of the question. But I’m only twenty-seven. I’m not ready to choose a bride.”

  “I’m thirty, and this will be my first babe and my father’s heir, for he has no other.”

  “I thought your older sister was pregnant.”

  “She was. She miscarried,” Illenn said. “And there can be no heir to my father’s throne without a husband to nurture that grandson.”

  “I’d acknowledge him as mine, of course. I acknowledge all the seeds of my loin.”

  She smiled, but her eyes became cold. “That’s how you get to five.”

  “Yes, that’s how I get the next Prime,” he answered, though she had not posed a question. “You’ve had a long journey. Let me send for wine and delicacies, and we’ll discuss this in comfort.”

  “Luca, there is no way to make this discussion comfortable. There can be no illegitimate heir to my kingdom. I must marry, and I prefer it be you. Perhaps it was not quite love at first sight, but I did think you cared for me. Is this not true?”

  “I like all the women I am intimate with.”

  “So you choose Princess Zaida of Farzia?”

  Luca flinched at the mention of the querulous girl’s name. “What gave you that idea?”

  “She is three months along.”

  Luca’s head swirled. “It’s not mine. I didn’t touch her when she was here last.”

  “She’s telling people it’s yours. Do you deny you were intimate with her?”

  Luca started pacing. “I don’t know what this has turned into. Some interrogation? I’m not going to marry her. I’m not going to marry you.”

  “Why not? With two children, and two on the way, the next one will be Prime. I’ve proved my fertility.”

  “Yes. I suppose so.” Luca felt as if the walls were closing in around him. East Sarsara would be a very good match. On the other hand, if what Illenn’s spies had told her about Zaida were true, it was only a matter of time before he received a request from the King of Farzia, an ally he couldn’t afford to alienate.

  “Most Primes don’t marry before thirty,” he pointed out.

  “The world is changing. Once the Prime of Vendrisi was a respected figure, and women were glad enough to raise his bastards for him. But East Sarsara borders with Trea, and more and more our folk want to see a proper marriage, especially where a future heir is concerned.”

  “This is very sudden. There are many factors to consider.”

  Illenn frowned at him. “You didn’t know about Zaida?” she guessed.

  “How could I? I’ve avoided talking to her in private.” The daily love letters from Zaida, drenched in the scent of musk and jasmine perfume, had quickly become too much.

  “You made an impression on her. She’s a spoiled thing. She wants what she wants.” Illenn’s eyes narrowed. “And so do I. You weren’t my first lover, and I can recognize you’re gifted in that capacity. That
’s of little interest to me in the long run, though. Piracy is increasing. Our countries need to be allied. You and me, Luca.” She tapped him on the chest. “Remember what pirates do.”

  Luca stiffened. He didn’t need a reminder.

  “Wouldn’t you like to see their ships go up in flames?” she said, drawing nearer seductively.

  “I suppose,” he said. He hadn’t gone after them, just buried his father. Calio had talked him out of the pursuit. He felt numb. He rubbed at his face, wondering if it was her perfume of damask roses that made his eyes water.

  “My wedded husband will share the secrets of our military might.” She withdrew a silk bag, about the size of his balled fist. “You can take that to Mak’s laboratory. But you won’t be able to replicate it.”

  Luca didn’t move to accept it. “What is it?”

  “The gift of fire.” She licked her lips, eyes on his face. “You’re a clever man, Luca. But you could be so much more. Your family holds you back. Together, we would be a force to be reckoned with.”

  He forced a smile. “May I touch the child?” He wouldn’t put it past her to pretend a pregnancy.

  “By all means.” The room was empty, and she hoisted up her gown, holding it with one dainty hand. “Help me with the shift.”

  He groped under the ecru silk, feeling the slight swelling in her belly. This was no cushion. It was his seed gestating. His fourth.

  He was a fool. He had hoped to marry for love. He let the shift swirl back down, took a step back. Her eyes held him the way a pin holds a rare butterfly.

  “If you don’t wish to marry, I do have another candidate lined up. He’ll raise the child as his own.”

  “Who?” he asked, despite himself.

  “The Duke of Ducat.”

  “He hates me,” Luca choked out.

  “He doesn’t hate you. He thinks you’re a boy masquerading as a man, led on by the scent of money and the prospect of copulation.”

  Luca flushed. “I’m not. I would marry you today if the time were right. As it happens though, I’m going on a mission the day after tomorrow, and I don’t know when I’ll return. Or if I’ll return.”

  “I haven’t heard anything about this.”

  “Events move quickly here. I’ve pledged to go to the Heartland to fight the Demon. My efforts will keep your country and our child safe.”

  “The Demon.” She sighed. “All the more reason for you to ally yourself to my House. What you have in the bag could destroy an Elemental.”

  “I hope you have more.”

  “We will soon. What are your plans?”

  He told her, improvising as he went, and embellishing some details. She took in his words hungrily. “We should marry now. Before my sweet warrior goes into danger.”

  “A rushed wedding would not give you your due.” He had to get that trade agreement signed with Farzia before the King learned of a marriage to Illenn. He’d leave it in Calio’s capable hands. “I give you my pledge that I will make you Queen of the Islands when I return.” It was the proper name for the Prime’s consort. He took the golden royal ring that he wore, embossed with the dolphin seal, and pressed it into her hand. “Surely your people will not object to the appearance of a child before the actual ceremony, if they know I’m to be your husband.”

  She tried the ring on her slender finger, where it dangled and spun like a skein of dreams. “Luca, neither of us are children any more. I know you did not want this. But piracy is rising, and my father wants all the seas safe. Once the wedding takes place, we’ll share the making of the fire powder with you.”

  He touched the back of her hand. “Perhaps this is not the most romantic proposal. But neither am I a conniving and angry man, like the Duke who would have raised my child. We can rule well and for the good. First, though, I must complete the task I set myself.”

  Her eyes sidled away. “I know. I would think less of you if you did not go. How long might you be gone?”

  “I can’t say. But we’ll have a beautiful wedding upon my return and you’ll be marrying a hero.”

  “A hero and the father of my child.” This time he judged her smile to be real. “Very well. I will not insist on our marriage now, though Father will be disappointed.”

  She gave him a moment to enjoy his respite before continuing.

  “Luca, I understand the rules of your land. However, I’ll bear you more than one child; I count on it. I ask that you give me the opportunity to be mother of the next Prime. It will make our alliance much stronger.”

  Requests like this were the reason Primes didn’t marry young. A Prime was expected to bring new blood into the line to keep the royal family strong. Each of the children of most Primes had a different mother, creating a web of alliances throughout the seas.

  “Are you asking me…” He coughed. “To be true to you?”

  “I know what beasts men are. No, I do not expect a virile man like you to forsake carnality while you travel. But no one is interested in the bastard of a chamber maid, or the spawn of a whore. My next child is to be Prime. Choose your pleasure carefully lest you endanger our partnership.”

  She opened her arms to him, but he took a step away. She understood nothing about the Vendrisi culture. Even if it were the offspring of a seamstress or a servant, the child would still matter to him. He did not believe in the divine right of kings. His ancestors chose the first Prime, the best among them.

  When he saw the question in her eyes, he said, “I take our alliance very seriously, Queen of the Islands. I still have many preparations to make, though. May I request a letter from you, instructing the chief historian in East Sarsara to give me aid?” He still intended to try to find the Book of First Naming, though he would not be visiting King Gale emptyhanded in any case.

  “I’ll have it delivered by messenger. Unless you can tarry the night?”

  “I have a meeting.” He rubbed his neck. He would offer himself up for his family and Vendrisi, but he had no wish to share Illenn’s bed now. Or for the foreseeable future.

  CHAPTER 19

  Berona

  I left behind the cluster of buildings, with their white limed walls and broad crossbeams of oak. I left behind the weaver’s shed with its vats and rows of jars and baskets, holding woad and calendula and one vessel of priceless powdered lapis, to be used for the dyeing of the Purple Robes. I left behind the cart horse I’d shoed and petted and fed oats to. I left behind the smithy where I’d learn how to stoke a forge, sweat stinging my eyes, my shoulders bunching into knots of sore muscles.

  Even in early fall, the night was not too cold. The moon floated in the sky like a full flower, and the hoot of an owl broke the stillness.

  At first my skin prickled, and I looked behind me, convinced that the Earth Elemental lurked nearby. I wasn’t even sure a sword would work against one. Maybe my slingshot would be better?

  After a while, the rhythm of my feet took over. I hummed a little tune as I walked down the deserted lane. I was young, fit, and armed, even if I didn’t know how to use the sword. And I would see Kea this morning. Wouldn’t he be impressed that I had saved a priceless relic from the fire?

  As dawn broke and the sun rose, my legs started to ache. I earned a few suspicious glances from carts going to market, since one didn’t see a lone woman on foot too often. I decided that if anyone questioned me, I’d say I was on my way to see my sick aunt.

  Walking brought back sweet memories. I had roamed like this before, my feet finding a way, my eyes drinking in the blue sky, the scudding clouds, the beams of sunlight that danced on the glistening green leaves of the trees.

  * * *

  I found the thatched house down at the end of a dirt path. The owner’s geese honked insolently at the presence of a stranger.

  A tawny-skinned youth lounged in the yard. His hair was black and glossy, like a raven’s wing, and his eyes were wide set above a jutting nose. The angular planes of his face were rough but pleasing, the way the sight of mountains
pleases after the monotony of plains. He greeted me with a polite “Merry meet,” but his eyes were skeptical. My felt leggings were stained with grass and mud, and my hair was a wild tangle of locks.

  “You must be Moab,” I said, hoping to reassure him that I was a friend.

  “How do you know my name?”

  “I’m a friend of Kea’s.”

  “Kea has many friends.”

  Did he now?

  “This is an awkward time for a visit,” Moab pointed out. “There’s a reason I’m outside.”

  I heard giggling drift from the house, and then cooing sounds. Something told me that was not the master of the house. My face heated up. I’d been counting on Kea to help me. Still, I couldn’t stomach this. I tried to shrug indifferently and turned away. My eyes stung with tears. I had at least a five-day journey on foot to the area in which Yassin, the Headquarters, lay.

  Moab squinted at me. “Your eyes! They have orange specks. You’re that girl, Berona.”

  “That’s me, yes.” I couldn’t afford injured pride. I was a fugitive with a stolen book, a stolen sword, and no map.

  He looked worried. “Please don’t leave. I’ll take you to our well, and you can freshen up. Perhaps you’re hungry. I made some bread this morning. It’s very good.”

  It was. I settled in to wait.

  * * *

  I saw her leave; she had broad shoulders and a fat face the shape of the moon. But from their brief goodbye, I gathered she’d been willing and had no great expectations; that was an attractive feature for men. Moab brought Kea over. He had the grace to look embarrassed.

  “I didn’t know you were coming.”

  “I’m going to Yassin.” I swallowed. Kea was a thoughtless fornicator, but I needed him. “Will you help me? Both of you?” Moab looked like he’d be handy with a weapon.

  “We shouldn’t even have been separated,” Kea said. “Shandon insisted on it, though.”

  It wasn’t as if Kea had been lonely. I longed to point that out, but the stakes were higher than my hurt feelings. The Elementals were free, and the Demon had a new weapon. I needed the men if I was to reach Kendall and Shandon.