Girl of Fire

by Gabrielle Mathieu

  When we entered the hall, we saw the staff had prepared a special table for the acolytes, since we were all there now. The siblings, Alse and Ilse, were already seated. Alse was quiet and hummed a little tune while his sister Ilse chatted with Kea, tossing her long mousy blonde hair. They were both to be trained as Yellows, though Alse had only been accepted because of Ilse.

  Moab, sitting opposite them, pushed back a chair for me and tilted his head in greeting. Then he noticed Rheyna and his eyes got large, just like a child with a pile of sweets. I’d never considered Rheyna pretty before, but when she flushed while she introduced herself, she had an appealing waifish air. I let her take the seat next to him.

  Delphine was the only acolyte still missing. She made a dramatic entrance in a fine woolen crimson dress that set off the rich auburn of her hair. She studied the seven of us in our drab charcoal robes. Then she deliberately turned away and strode over to Biruac’s table, taking the seat next to him. She did not get a chance to sit long. Kendall rose from her place to admonish her.

  Delphine rose and reluctantly walked to our table. The only remaining place was next to me. She plopped down with a sigh.

  “We haven’t been introduced,” I said. “I’m Berona.”

  “I know who you are. No one will stop talking about you: the Girl of Fire.”

  “I would be happy to trade places with you if I could.”

  “Do you think so? Is that what you tell yourself?”

  There didn’t seem much to say after that. Luckily, I had a more agreeable seatmate on the other side.

  Rheyna, her dark eyes flickering back and forth discreetly behind the veil of her lashes, commented on everything in a soft voice meant for my ears alone: the gravity of the Council, seated severe and segregated on its dais, the slip of a servant girl that ran around clearing plates. Despite her lively conversation, I noticed how her eyes kept returning to Moab.

  “Do you like him?” I whispered when Kea and Moab left to get us some more wine.

  Rheyna toyed with a piece of meat, cutting it into smaller and smaller pieces. “Moab seems different.”

  “He’s from the Krill tribes.” West of our country, on the other side of the mountains, the Heartland got rough. Nomadic savages, the Krill, roamed the plains. Kea had told me that a merchant caravan found Moab wandering alone after his parents sickened and died, cast out from the tribe as a bringer of bad luck. One of the traders kept him on as stable boy, until Shandon discovered Moab’s facility with a bow and arrow and paid the merchant to release him from service.

  Rheyna pushed her meat to the edge of her plate. “Krill are primitive, but Moab’s origins don’t matter to me. He’s always thinking of others. A real Earth resonance type.”

  I looked at Kea, handsome head thrown back in a hearty laugh, dark curly hair streaming down his back. Delphine, encouraged by Ilse, was trying to toss a tiny apple tart into his mouth. Their antics earned them disapproving stares from the Council’s table.

  “Yes, Moab is different from most men his age.” The squat body with powerful shoulders didn’t appeal to me, but I could see the attraction his nature might hold to someone quiet and thoughtful like Rheyna. And why shouldn’t she have a suitor?

  Rheyna didn’t need to worry that she would destroy someone by loving them.

  “If you aren’t going to eat your meat, I will,” I pointed out. “I need my strength for my sword lessons.”

  * * *

  With Moab and Rheyna in earnest conversation, and Ilse stuffing herself with a second apple tart, Kea took the opportunity to lead me outside.

  He was flushed and breathless. “Look at the stars. Aren’t they beautiful tonight? Tomorrow it’s going to snow.”

  “It’s a clear sky,” I agreed. “Shall we go back inside, though?” What were we doing outdoors? I had been looking forward to having a second apple tart myself. Ilse would gobble them all up if I didn’t get back soon.

  “Oberin was showing you around today,” Kea said. “Do you like him?”

  I stifled a sigh at the suspicious note in Kea’s voice. “He knows Yassin well. He was just trying to make me welcome.”

  “Oberin will either become Master of the Scrolls or take his uncle’s place as the Mouthpiece someday. I guess you’ve got ambitions yourself?” Kea asked.

  “My task is enough.”

  “But I understand you need the right people on your side. I don’t think the Council likes Shandon much. Don’t lead Oberin on, though.”

  I didn’t appreciate Kea’s insinuations. “What are you getting at?”

  “You do like me, don’t you?”

  I did like him, even though he’d been with another girl when I sought his help. We were smitten with each other as soon as we met, just like the hero and heroine of any proper story.

  “Show me. Kiss me.” His voice was rough as he pulled me close.

  I pushed him away. “Are you competing with Oberin?”

  “I don’t need to compete with anyone.”

  “That’s right. Women like you just fine, don’t they?”

  His voice became cold. “I won’t beg for your favor.” His beautiful face looked as if it was carved from stone. “Continue in your intrigues. I have others who find my company pleasing.”

  My heart sank. I almost called him back. Then I remembered the Demon had threatened my handsome new friend. If I pretended not to care about him, maybe her spy would tell her, and she’d leave him alone.

  I let him go.

  * * *

  After Shandon and Hirschi returned with news of a desirable location, they sent Kendall out to the site to oversee the local men hired to make the huts ready for us. Shandon accompanied her. They posed as a couple readying their troupe of acrobats, actors, and tumblers for a circus tour next spring. Kea and Moab traveled with Kendall too, to help with repairs.

  We anticipated joining them within a week. It would be crowded in the shelters, but the meadow was in a sunny protected spot, where we would be able to drill outside, as well as practice riding.

  While we waited at Yassin, it snowed heavily, day after day. After three Elementals were spotted in the woods, the Red Robes emerged from the fortress in armed groups to gather wood for an extended siege, and the Yellows worked on a spell to direct the water from the stock pond to flow into the empty moat. Namur, the Green leader, sent Rheyna, Alse, and Ilse to search Yassin from top to bottom in hopes of locating the missing Book of First Naming. Everyone was hesitant to approach me, though. I was instructed to join Oberin in the safety of the library, as if I were some fragile treasure to be spent only in an emergency. Several days puzzling out spells under his patient tutoring convinced me his time would be better spent working on the magical fortifications for the training camp. I pleaded fatigue and went to have a cup of tea in the nearly deserted dining room.

  Hirschi hadn’t joined the other Yellow Robes when they spelled the pond. I assumed he was working on something special, since we hardly ever saw him. I was surprised when he opened the door and walked in, looking haggard.

  I ducked my head to show respect, and said, “Merry meet, Master.”

  It took him a long time to answer, as if his mind was far away. Then his hooded eyes fixed on me. “How are you faring?”

  “I’ve spent too much time in the library. Those ancient spells are vexatious. My head feels like it’s filled with cobwebs.”

  “Not much good at spells? I wouldn’t worry about it. You won’t ever make a spell strong enough to defeat the Demon.”

  I reminded myself that fate chose me. Whatever I would need would come my way, though sometimes one had to be assertive. I hesitated, wondering if I dared to ask. He gave me a faint puzzled smile when I didn’t move out of his way.

  I cleared my throat. “Master Hirschi. There’s a space clear of snow in the courtyard, under the eaves of the dining hall. Could I persuade you to train me, since Kendall’s gone?”

  To my relief, he nodded. “I’ll arrange somethin
g. Get the quilted leather vest, a shield, and bring your new sword. I’ll meet you there after I drink my tea.”

  * * *

  I rushed through getting ready, eager to be tutored by Hirschi, then stood around in the deserted courtyard, listening to the Reds call out to each other from the two turrets as they readied catapults with rocks. The sun had come out, and the snow melted off the roof—the steady drip, drip, drip, unsettling me. I passed the time wondering what amazing moves the Sidewinder would show me.

  He entered the courtyard clad only in a quilted leather coat, trimmed with fur. He didn’t even carry a sword. Such confidence.

  Then I saw who followed behind him. Delphine, carrying a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. She gave me a defiant look and stepped out to face me. “He said I had to spar with you, though I’ve had much more training.”

  “You’re all acolytes,” Hirschi reminded her.

  “Then why doesn’t she have to do any work? I had to go with the carter to get rocks for the catapult,” Delphine complained.

  “We don’t want her leaving the grounds until we have the training camp ready.” He clapped his hands. “Assume opening positions, both of you. Delphine’s going to try the four tigers approach; you take the defensive position. You have three possible defenses. Do you know them?”

  Kendall had drilled me on them just a few days ago. I nodded.

  “Good. Then pick one. When I clap again, Delphine will lunge.”

  Delphine struck, and I skipped back, ready for her next move. I’d chosen Hare Dance, my favorite defense. Since she never sparred with me, she wouldn’t know that. Delphine dashed forward into the space I’d ceded. Instead of lunging right as expected, she fell toward me.

  There was the sound of something heavy tearing and a sharp pain lanced my side. I looked down unbelievingly at the ripped leather vest and blood pouring out of my side. Panic and hurt washed over me. I dimly registered Hirschi lashing out and the snap of bone as Delphine screamed, her sword clattering to the ground.

  “Damn you! I didn’t mean to… I slipped in a puddle,” she gasped, cradling her arm. Hirschi pushed her to the side, calling for help, tearing off part of his Robe to staunch the flow. I had a brief impression of her sobbing face before a Red raced down to help carry me to the infirmary.

  There was the thunder of footsteps as more Reds entered the courtyard. Two were sent to track down Namur and Rheyna. Then the men carried me through the door and laid me on the cot. The clean scent of the fresh rush-filled mattress embraced me. I moaned as more blood sopped through the cloth. Tovalen appeared, carrying a vial of something aromatic, which he dotted onto my tongue. “Swallow. You’re losing blood,” he commanded.

  The Red who’d followed us in asked, “What happened?”

  “We’ve found our traitor,” Hirschi announced. “Seize her before she flees.”

  But of course, she was long gone.

  CHAPTER 29

  The Western Wilderness, Luca

  Game was plentiful in the Western Wilderness. Luca munched on the roasted haunch of a small deer and watched the sun set. He and Revel had convinced the cautious Calio to agree to the fire. There had been no sign of those dangerous Krill savages, and one could not enjoy deer raw.

  Besides, it was winter, and much colder than Vendrisi.

  His furs and the crackling fire kept him agreeably warm despite the occasional patches of snow. Grasslands stretched as far as the eye could see, the dried seed heads nodding in time to the wind. Luca expected to reach the Western Wilderness, where King Gale lived, in less than a week. Then negotiations could begin. Luca still hoped the metal suit he carried, which would enable a man to penetrate the Forest of Bones without suffering ill-effects, along with the cunning pairing of the pearl to the iron device, would compensate for the lack of the item the Ally had specifically requested—the Book of First Naming.

  He’d searched the great library in East Sarsara to no avail, losing valuable time. Calio had even set up a meeting with the most respected historian of the Great War. She confirmed that Luca the Fifth had possession of the Book at one time. He had agreed to land at a bay near the Elders’ forest and give it to them before sailing back to Vendrisi. The historian produced a letter of complaint, written in Eldering. According to the historian, the Elder Queen stated she had never received the Book and had lost eleven members of her troops in a fight with the Elementals.

  Luca hadn’t thought that to be so terrible, considering entire Trean villages perished during the Great War through floods, earthquakes, and fires. Then the historian explained that the Elders were dwindling in number. At the time of the Great War, there were only five hundred or so left. Unlike humans, they could not rebirth by finding a woman whose spirit would allow them access to her red door.

  Still, Luca didn’t think the Elders would have all died out. Once again, he wondered what the Ally was doing living in their erstwhile home.

  In the meantime, the pain in his buttocks had finally subsided; he wasn’t accustomed to riding this much. He stretched onto his back, looking over his company.

  Yuvio sketched plants in his leather-bound notebook. The older man sat close to Mak, who was finetuning the metal collar where the head cover would attach to the protective metal suit. Mak had kicked off his boots and removed the heavy belt that he wore hidden under his clothes. Luca knew what it contained—a stiletto, a vial of poison, and the remaining fire powder.

  Though he was a scholar rather than a fighter, Mak was a pessimist by nature. He’d come prepared for the worst. Ironic then that his dalliance with Yuvio had turned out to be so fulfilling. Luca smiled to himself. He loved Mak as much as his own brothers, but Mak was persnickety. Yuvio must be an exceptional person.

  The twins—Aeran and Danilo, who at twenty-six were the youngest members of the group—wrestled like pups. Revel sharpened his sword, occasionally poking the fire lazily.

  Calio sat on top of a rocky rise, taking the first guard duty, but even he looked sleepy and peaceful after a good meal and some wine.

  It was Yuvio, the naturalist, who raised the alarm. “That whistling. That’s not a bird. It’s too regular.” Luca nodded and joined his brother on the rise, gesturing Revel to come as well. Revel had the sharpest eyes.

  Revel bit his lip, intent, and then frowned. “Over there.”

  The Krill crept through the tallest grass, which bordered one of the many small rivers that wound through the fertile plains. Soon they left the safety of the cover and headed toward Luca’s camp. Slight of build and shorter than the men of Vendrisi, they still looked frightening. Though they wore no shoes and carried no armor, they bore weapons. Long, curved knives hung from their rawhide belts, and they bristled with spears. Luca counted at least fifteen, which meant the true number might be more like twenty.

  Aeran and Danilo already had their breastplates fastened when Luca said, “If we suit up in armor, we’ll look even stranger to them. Did you not say they are fearful, Mak?”

  “Generally, yes, but fear leads to aggression,” Mak remarked, hand hovering over his own breastplate indecisively. Yuvio touched one of the buckles to help him, then let it fall, waiting for the Prime’s verdict.

  “There are a lot. So sure we’ll win this fight?” Luca challenged Revel, who was looking at him skeptically, clearly awaiting an order to fight.

  “We’ll hurt or kill quite a few. The rest might run away,” Danilo said. Luca’s men only carried swords, hunting knives, and daggers, but the swords were of the highest quality, and they were well trained.

  “They won’t run away once they approach. They would be ostracized by the tribe if they did that.” Mak looked thoughtful. “If we fight, it will have to be to the death.”

  “I don’t want to fight to the death. My task here is to liaise with King Gale and give him the proper weapons to destroy the Demon’s new creatures, those soul snares. We’ll earn the gratitude of the Heartland if we provide the means,” Luca said. “I especially nee
d Mak, but I want all of you alive.”

  “We can outdistance them on the weatherbeaters,” Calio said.

  “Perhaps we could have. But while we were watching these men, another group came from the opposite direction,” Revel pointed out. Luca turned around to find a dozen men drawing closer.

  “With those spears, they’ll bring our mounts down.” Aeran sounded furious rather than worried.

  “Will they attack us unprovoked?” Luca asked Mak.

  Mak shrugged. “I don’t know. The tales in East Sarsara are secondhand.”

  Luca spoke to Calio. “Take out the beads and feathers.” While the Island Nation of Vendrisi consisted of the twelve islands, the range of its representatives was wide. Traders had discovered that savages were often impressed by colorful glass beads, and the bright plumage of the Vendrisi national bird, the red parrot.

  Revel groaned. “You’re not going to make trading partners out of this lot.”

  Luca ignored him. “We lay down our weapons as they approach. They’ll know we don’t intend to fight.”

  “Or they’ll think we’re cowards,” Danilo flashed.

  Calio frowned. “The Prime has spoken. Do you challenge him?”

  Danilo lowered his gaze. “I apologize, Prime. We will do as you say.”

  * * *

  The skin on Luca’s back crawled as the strangers encircled them. He wasn’t as confident of his plan as he’d pretended, but as he counted the men now crowding around them, he still felt he’d made the right choice. There were more than forty armed warriors. Luca scanned them until he identified the leader, a man who wore a necklace of bear claws and a tunic embroidered with beads. The man’s eyes were unreadable. His hands gripped the spear tightly, his arms quivering with tension.