Girl of Fire

by Gabrielle Mathieu

  “The worst thing I can imagine is to be without Kea and Shandon. What could be so bad for you?” I challenged.

  “I was a proud man once. But I badly misjudged.”

  “We misjudged you too. We didn’t know you were a traitor,” I goaded.

  He was beyond anger. His flat eyes looked up at me from sunken hollows. “I don’t remember much.”

  “You should be in Yassin, rotting in a dungeon,” I added, though I’d never seen the dungeons of the former stronghold put to use.

  “I am imprisoned, though the walls are invisible to you.”

  Enough with the self-pity. I reached over, pinched his skinny arm hard enough to leave a bruise. “Where’s the Book of First Naming?”

  “I need more moon poppies.”

  Sounds of laughter rose from the common room. Kendall had a distinctive laugh, rollicking and wild. She must have rejoined the merrymakers for more gambling, cursing, and drinking. It was time to get her. She’d want to talk to Hirschi.

  Georsi’s chest barely rose with each breath. I took his pulse the way Rheyna had showed me. It was weak, almost imperceptible.

  I left the old man huddled on the pallet. “Get up, Hirschi.” I cut the bonds that held his feet with my sharp knife, keeping my sword near. “You can walk now. Slowly.” I held the knife at his back, nudged him into the hallway, and closed the door with my left hand.

  * * *

  A few heads turned at the sight of the gaunt man, hands tied behind his back, stumbling in front of me. Kendall cursed.

  She pushed through the crowd and ignored the efforts of a young dart player to collect on his bet. When he persisted, she lifted her fur pelt to expose the red of her Robe, and he stepped back.

  “Why did you bring him here? Are you mad?” she said.

  “Hirschi knows where the Book is.”

  Kendall looked around at the curious faces. She pointed. “Upstairs.”

  We stopped at the hall outside of the men’s room. I opened the door.

  As I turned to close it, Hirschi dove under Kendall’s arms, somersaulted once and came to his feet, arms angled in front of him. How had he gotten his hands free?

  I pulled my sword, but Kendall held up her hand and turned to Hirschi. “What will be it be, dear heart? Everlasting darkness for you?”

  He maintained his posture, alert and ready to strike out. Though he only had his hands and feet, I’d witnessed Hirschi’s skill in unarmed combat. I moved my sword closer, ready to strike.

  “Does the shame make you want to die?” Kendall asked him.

  His eyes moved back and forth, and then he grimaced as if something twisted inside.

  “If Berona has to kill you, it will scar her. She’s never killed a man. Again, the Water Demon wins. Are you completely her creature now?”

  Were those tears in his bleak eyes? “Kendall, promise me you won’t send me back to Yassin.”

  “I can’t promise you that.”

  “Then I’ll run.”

  “Why? I’ll hunt you down.”

  “If I don’t come with you, I have no chance at redemption.”

  “If you want to redeem yourself, why don’t you start by telling me where the Book is?” I suggested

  “Just don’t send me back.”

  I looked at Kendall. “Who would bring him back anyway? It’s winter. And we need everyone.”

  She sighed. “I’m the leader. You know the Council will want him. Even if I have to tie him to a horse and get Kilgad to take him to Yassin.”

  I looked again at Hirschi. His broken body didn’t look ready to fight us, though he’d somehow worked his way out of his bonds. I saw only despair.

  “Help me and I’ll make sure you don’t have to go back,” I told him.

  Kendall looked startled. “Who are you to make that offer?”

  “I’m the one who has to destroy the soul snares, right? And I need his help. If the Elementals kill me on the way, I won’t have much of a chance.”

  We locked eyes. She didn’t drop her gaze. “Don’t question my decisions,” she snapped.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, not meaning it.

  “Please help me,” Hirschi whispered.

  I felt pity for him then. “Tell me your secret name. It will stand surety. I’ll call you by it if you try to hurt us or escape.” Like the Elementals, each man and woman had a secret name, which related to their essence. The Yellow Robes discovered theirs through a period of mediation in the mountains. It made their spells stronger, but the name could also be used to bind them.

  “Lenga. It means crane in the Old Speech. My spirit animal is the crane.” Now his voice came in sobbing gasps. “I’ll be your servant. You can bind me every night. But I beg you, don’t send me back to grow old and useless in a cell.”

  Kendall was staring at me, eyes challenging. She hadn’t known his true name either.

  I tried it out. “Lenga. Tell me where the Book of First Naming is.”

  “I will. But we ought to return to the room. Georsi is not as ill as you think,” Hirschi warned.

  CHAPTER 42

  Luca

  The man who now faced Luca and Yuvio was huge, too large to be human. The purple bird perched on his shoulder. The man wore a loose mantle of crimson that didn’t hide the bulge of his muscle. His skin was dark, darker even than the Farzians.

  Luca tilted his head back to get a good look at the eyes. They were compelling—protuberant and amber. Luca saw challenge, curiosity, and temper, but no meanness. Other than the lighter color of his eyes and the missing halo of flame, this man looked much like the being Luca met on the Shadow Plains.

  Luca swept a deep bow. “I am Luca, the Prime of Vendrisi. I travel with an armed escort, several scholars, and valuable tools.”

  The stranger snorted. Luca had the feeling he was not impressed. He still had not introduced himself. “I would ask leave to address you properly, as is your due.”

  “I am King Gale, as you’ve guessed.”

  “This is the former Queendom of the Elder Race,” Luca said. “Do you know what became of them?”

  “They still live here. The Queen is my consort.”

  Stranger and stranger. The Elder Race had been the intended beneficiaries of the Book of First Naming. King Gale seemed determined to restore that gift to its rightful owners.

  Yet he himself was clearly not an Elder. Luca had heard the wood dwellers had a matriarchal culture, complete with female warriors. Though tall, the race was slight of build, and reputedly lived off dew drops and woodland fruit. The man in front of him had a solidity that spoke of an acquaintance with hearty eating.

  “I judge you are not of the same blood as your Queen,” Luca commented.

  “You presume on our short acquaintance.”

  “My apologies. I look forward to a longer one. Let me return to my camp and fetch my men. Then we can treaty properly.”

  “Your men hunted and ate of woodland animals while you walked my forest. They are not welcome here.”

  Luca didn’t think they’d been gone that long. He caught a slight whiff of smoke, though, which could have come from a campfire. Had the appearance of the bird been intended to lure him here without his guard? He was armed, but he had to be careful now. “We ask for your forgiveness. We did not know the rules of this land.”

  “You have done nothing. But they did. They must wait at the periphery.”

  At least his gifts for the Ally were at the camp too, all except for the large pearl, which he wore secured in a pouch nestling against his chest. He was not ready to reveal his hand.

  He shook his head in frustration, studying the exotic bird, whose feathers shimmered with too much light for the shady nook they stood in.

  Well, magic was to be expected in the Heartland.

  “As Prime, I’m responsible for the welfare of twelve islands and over sixty thousand people,” Luca pointed out. “My escort will come to look for me when I don’t return. I wouldn’t want them to draw
any hasty conclusions.”

  There. A veiled threat but put very politely.

  King Gale studied him impassively. Then he said, “I suppose you’re right. I don’t want them blundering about my lands. You shall write them a message, asking them to stay where they are. My familiar will deliver it.” The purple bird cocked its head.

  “They might still draw an erroneous inference and think I have been taken prisoner. Additionally, I have a valuable item at our camp, one that will help us against the Demon.”

  “Luca, you are a scoundrel. You imply you brought the Book of First Naming, hoping to have your men allowed here. Yet I know you did not.”

  Luca stayed silent, wondering whether it would be an error to protest. But Yuvio spoke.

  “We could not find the Book. Believe me, we tried.”

  The King chuckled. “You could not have found it. I discovered its whereabouts. A Mannite warrior has it in her possession. She will be the champion of the Heartland.”

  Luca brightened. Perfect. They already had a fighter, even if he was surprised to hear it was a woman. Maybe his proposed method of destroying the soul snares could be put to the test soon. “When can I meet this renowned warrior?”

  “She has not arrived yet, but she will. We sent a summons to the cursed Mannite we knew from the time of the Great War. He will bring her to us.”

  So all this seeking for the Book had been futile. As long as the Ally was happy with the new gifts from the Vendrisi, it would not matter. “The Book is only one tool. I bring a device that might help her destroy all the soul snares,” Luca reminded the King. “My Minister of Innovation can explain it to you. He’s back at the camp with my men.”

  “Yes, your men. You brought them up before,” King Gale said dismissively. “I see your little fellow here carries a booklet and charcoal. Stop sulking and write a message. Then I’ll invite you both to a sumptuous meal, and tomorrow you can return to tell your comrades all about your visit.”

  It seemed Luca had little choice. He made a bow. “We look forward to seeing your palace.”

  * * *

  The expected palace was revealed to be a stone hut, though it was well built, held together with a cunning kind of mortar. “Mak will want to see that,” Yuvio said, flicking the mortar with a fingernail.

  “We’ll get all the men here tomorrow,” Luca reassured him.

  Gale invited them into the roomy building, which seemed deserted. “The Elder Race is not ready to meet you. Tonight, only the two of us will talk, ally to ally.” He bid them to sit on the stone chairs. upholstered with soft mosses. “We do not have servants here, but you will eat well. I am a good cook.” He disappeared down some steps, returning with a bottle of wine, which he uncorked and poured.

  Luca savored a sip. It was a nice Balagian vintage. “Tasty. I’m surprised to find this here.”

  “Sometimes I disguise myself and go to a seaport, do a bit of trade. A man cannot live off fruit and vegetables alone.”

  “A man? We thought you a supernatural being. I have traveled far and wide and have not seen someone like you before.”

  “I have met many like you, though,” said Gale, giving him a hard look.

  Luca understood it as a rebuke but kept his voice mellow. “Yet you wished for this meeting?”

  “The evil mother is your responsibility.” When the two looked confused, Gale elaborated. “The Water Demon.”

  Luca nodded. “She doesn’t directly threaten us. We would help you rein her in.”

  “You do not fear her?”

  “No Vendrisi suffered at her hands, other than at the time of her sea burial and escape.”

  The King leaned in close, yellow eyes gleaming. “And her terrible creatures, those Elementals? Surely they strike terror into your heart?”

  “It is hard to fear something I’ve only heard tales of,” Luca said, feigning insouciance. It seemed like a leading question. Luca didn’t plan on Vendrisi being drawn into a new Great War, though he was willing to send support troops and scientists if his plan to destroy the soul snares failed.

  “You think all this has nothing to do with you?”

  “I honor the word of my forefathers, but it was six hundred years ago,” Luca said, meeting the King’s eyes, keeping his voice level. “I have other pressing matters to see to, after we provide assistance here.” He was not going to be maneuvered into making a commitment. It was bad enough that Illenn had manipulated him into proposing.

  “Six hundred years isn’t long ago to me. Luca the Fifth betrayed my trust. I’ve inferred what happened. Women were his weakness, as they are with all of your lineage. A Council member of the Mannites was renowned for her beauty. The Prime must have become besotted and allowed her to steal my great gift.”

  Luca considered. “You were the one who gave it to our Prime? I don’t follow. If it was intended for the Elder Race, why not just give it to them directly?”

  “I was otherwise occupied and did not live in the Western Wilderness then. Your Prime was to give it to the Elder Race when they arrived with the imprisoned Demon. The Elementals were still free and posed a great danger.”

  “What was your part in the Great War?” Luca asked.

  “To deliver the Elementals from the thrall of the Demon. I hoped once she was gone, they would cease their attacks. Unfortunately, that did not prove to be the case.”

  Luca pressed on. “What part did the Book play?”

  “I would guess the Book helped the Mannites control the Elementals and imprison them. I always wondered how they managed it. Though I imagine the Kijari helped.”

  “How would the Book do that?”

  “It is a listing of their true names. An Elemental’s affinity will be revealed if it is addressed by its true name. More than that—they can be communicated with.”

  Yuvio had been listening, rapt, and now he said, “You must be the author of this Book?”

  “I am.”

  “You think the Mannites will give it back to you?” Yuvio asked.

  The King looked at them a while. “I can make their warrior understand the necessity. I have helped her before.”

  Luca judged the time had come for a grand gesture. “I have come to support the Heartland’s efforts to destroy the Demon’s weapon.” He drew out the pearl, still hidden in its bag. “This warrior?”

  “Her name is Berona.”

  Luca closed his eyes briefly, trying to picture her. He’d met only a few female warriors, among the Danadiae. Berona would be very tall with huge muscles and a tangle of raven hair, he decided.

  “Is this Berona the chosen champion of her people?”

  “She is the Girl of Fire. An Elder prophecy spoke of her coming.”

  Better and better. Luca placed the bag on the table. “This is the first of my gifts to the Girl of Fire.”

  “What is it?” King Gale asked.

  “You may open it. I trust you will give it to her, if I do not have the pleasure of meeting her myself.” Luca felt uneasy about abandoning his men. If his entire company were not welcomed soon, he would have to shorten his visit.

  “You have my word. I do not covet the property of others.” The King hoisted out the pearl, turning it this way and that to capture the light of the candles. “Beautiful. Is it a tool to foster wisdom? Perhaps you should keep it. Your folk have more need of it, if you think the Elementals pose you no danger.”

  When Luca leaned forward, intemperate words at the ready, Yuvio placed a cautionary hand on his shoulder and spoke himself. “The pearl is more than just an object of contemplation. Our Minister of Innovation, Mak, can best explain how all the gifts work. They must be used together. Perhaps you could speak with the Elder Queen on behalf of our company and ask that our company be welcomed, and their offense pardoned.”

  “We shall see. I cannot make any promises. The Queen’s daughter will return from her rounds tonight and make her report. I will ask her what she thinks.” The King sniffed. “My meal is ready now. Co
me, let us feast.” He returned with a heavy tray laden with root vegetables, mushrooms, and savory thick stalks of greens.

  Merchants never ruined dinner with talk of politics, and Luca thought the rule might apply for magicians as well. Besides, he was hungry and tired, and he had pressed as much as he could for one night.

  * * *

  After dinner, the travelers were treated to baths in the slate-tiled bathing room. Luca saw no fire, but two copper vats were filled to the brim with hot water, and the room was redolent with herb-laden steam. The King bade them a good night, having shown them their sleeping chamber first.

  “This will be a tale to tell the grandchildren,” Yuvio said, groaning with pleasure as he soaked in the water.

  “May our visit bring great things.”

  “Perhaps not in trade goods,” Yuvio murmured. “But knowledge is the greatest wealth.”

  “Our host created hot water and steam without the use of wood. We will not be able to reproduce that feat, no matter how assiduously we study.” Luca scrubbed the grime off his skin with a handful of dried and bundled reeds as he considered the differences between King Gale and himself.

  Supernatural creatures could move forces through the gift of their bloodlines. They might share the words of spells, but those spells would be useless unless they were in the hands of those who came from a magical heritage. The Mannites, born in the Heartland, had that talent as well, but most of the world did not.

  Magic was impressive, but it was an erratic force, wielded by select individuals. What the Vendrisi offered was superior.

  Understanding how something worked led to an explanation, capable of being transmitted through words and diagrams to anyone with the intelligence to comprehend it. Scientific knowledge only seemed magical if you lacked the proper tools for comprehension.

  For instance, the secret of the fire powder. That was not magic. It lay in the proportion of certain minerals, not yet identified. Luca thought of his upcoming marriage, and suddenly the air seemed too hot and dense in the room. He reached for a salver of cool water and trickled it over his head. He felt a little nauseated.