Fire and Gold (Sisters of the North Book 1)

by Mara Amberly

  “Element of air, spirit of the world’s breath, hear my plea. My words are borne on the wind, our breath is as one and my words carry on your currents. My message is thus: Never again will they stand against the Sisters of Destiny! That’s because they’ll be in the ground or on a funeral pyre. I’m not picky. Walking back now.”

  Back at the campsite, Brigita asked Alexa, “What did she say?” Alexa’s expression was priceless.

  “I’m not sure you want to know,” she said with a laugh. “Cassia is passionate about revenge.”

  Brigita didn’t look surprised, but despite the priestesses’ lessons about faith and peace, charity and forgiveness, Brigita craved justice as well.

  Cassia walked back into the clearing moments later with a proud smile.

  Brigita made her way further into the woods and tried next. She only went as far as was necessary to not hear the others in the camp, so wasn’t as far away as the gully. She recited the words and focused her mind on thoughts of Alexa.

  “Sister Alexa, this is Brigita. Can you hear this message? If so, please contact me in kind.”

  A minute passed, then two, so she tried again. Nothing. She tried one last time, but received no response. Brigita was an older, more skilled sorceress than both Alexa and Cassia. It shouldn’t have been so hard to grasp the spell, unless it had to do with her elemental alignment. Earth and air were contradictory, and often strength in one element caused weakness in its opposite. It was possible she could send a message but not perceive a response, or vice versa. With a sigh she returned to the clearing. Alexa, Cassia and Knave were still there.

  “Didn’t you hear me?” Brigita asked.

  Alexa shook her head, her expression apologetic. “I was listening out but I didn’t.”

  The elder priestess was frustrated, but nodded once. “It may be because I’m an earth worker. I may no longer have abilities with air magick. I’ll continue to try,” she said, “at a later time.”

  Knave got up off the ground, brushing the dirt and leaves off his long pants. “I guess that leaves me to try it out,” he said with an entertained smile. He gave the ladies an exaggerated bow then made his way into the woods, just as they had before. There was a moment’s silence, and then Alexa heard a familiar masculine voice cut into her consciousness.

  “Hello beautiful, most delightful of maidens and light of my life. If you’re receiving this message, you need only say so and I will take that to mean you heard me. That or you could drop into my b–” Here he paused for a moment. “There’s someone in the woods! A man with a sword. Get help!” The message cut out there and Alexa stared at the other priestesses, alarmed and confused.

  “Yes, he has that effect on me as well,” Cassia said with a grin.

  “I don’t know if he was being honest, but he said there was a man with a sword.”

  Cassia stared at Alexa for a moment, and said, “Grab your weapon then.”

  Cassia dropped her bag, grabbed her knife, and rushed off into the woods toward Knave’s position. He wasn’t lying. She heard the clang of steel and the shouting of male voices as she reached the edge of the gully.

  Knave was facing off against the bearded man from the inn; the one Cassia had caught watching her.

  Could he have followed us all this way?

  Knave had the large, sharp knife that he carried in hand. The bearded man’s sword had better reach than a knife, which gave him an advantage. Knave tried to sidestep his enemy’s blows, casually parrying some attempts to hit him, but he knew that if his enemy did, that sword could do a lot of damage. Knave had the habits of a trained knife-fighter, where he gripped the knife by the handle and held it against the flat of his arm, except for when he was striking or parrying. Knave was quick, but Cassia could tell the fight was a risky one. She hadn’t been noticed yet and she used it to her advantage. She focused her intent, pulling on her connection with the element of fire. She let the rage that filled her – the desire for vengeance – fuel the power that she channelled into her fireball. It began to form above the palm of her hand and grew at an astounding rate, blossoming with flame. Had the circumstances not been so dire, she would’ve found it beautiful.

  It grew easily, larger than any fireball she’d summoned in the past. It was practically effortless. She moved between the trees, the aura of power about her strong, and her auburn red hair glowing brighter than ever before. The bearded man saw her – the bright swirling ball of flame was hard to disguise. She knew she’d have to be careful in case she hit Knave or set the woods alight. She only paused for a moment before she struck, throwing the ball of flame and willing it in her enemy’s direction. It was her intent to strike him down that propelled it so quickly; an entirely uncharitable desire that felt well-deserved. The bearded fighter dove out of the way, but Cassia knew she could still hit him. Could and would. Knave had the good sense to back away. The fireball swerved mid-air to hit the bearded swordsman full in the chest, sending flame billowing over his body in a sudden rush of flame.

  The man’s screams were short-lived. He burned like a torch and disintegrated in a way that could only be called unnatural.

  Knave’s surprise turned to abject horror as he watched the man burn and fall apart. All that remained of him were chunks smouldering on the ground. Knave lost the contents of his lunch, then rose to his feet and walked away from the scene leaving Cassia to put out the fire. He stopped, turning back around.

  “You’re bloody frightening, girl.” He realised she wasn’t who he thought she was.

  Cassia looked rather annoyed with Knave. “I saved your life. It was that or get out there with my knife, and this seemed the least risky and most effective method.”

  Knave scratched his head, still looking quite unnerved by her. “Oh yes, I would say that was very effective. You turned him into little more than crispy bacon!”

  Alexa approached them both from the trees, armed with a sword. “I saw flames and what happened next,” she said, feeling upset.

  Brigita was behind Alexa, appearing short of breath as she caught up. She was armed with a knife, her features dark with concern.

  “The issue has been dealt with, unless there are more of them, which there could be,” Knave said, gesturing wildly at the forest.

  Brigita looked confused, but she noticed the burnt ground nearby, the smell of smoke, and disturbingly, the aroma of cooked meat. Her mouth watered momentarily at the smell before she realised where it had come from. She put a comforting hand on Cassia’s shoulder, drawing some conclusions and feeling sick to her stomach.

  “So does this mean there’s another sword?” Alexa asked, cautiously gazing at the raised mound on the forest floor.

  “I think it melted,” Cassia said, looking rather depressed when she said it.

  “That would take a lot,” Alexa said, approaching their once-adversary, then covering her mouth and retreating even more quickly. “Ohhh, I feel queasy. We should go in case there are more of them.”

  Brigita turned to Knave. “Did he say anything before he lost the fight? Did he give you any information?”

  Knave thought on it for a moment.

  “He rushed at me with that sword of his. It was curved like a Haledoran blade, only it looked different. He didn’t say much, except for how he was going to gut me.”

  Brigita was worried and it showed. “We should get moving and perhaps take another, less obvious path now that we’ve been found here. Knave, it’s possible he was following you and not us, but I wouldn’t think so. He may have decided to remove the threat of you while you were alone. I for one am glad you were able to defend yourself,” she said thankfully, a tone of reassurance in her voice. Brigita made no further mention of the fireball for now but she made certain the fire was put out so it wouldn’t pose a danger to the area.

  Knave, Cassia, Alexa and Brigita returned quickly to the campsite and gathered up their belongings. Walking onward through the woods, the travellers headed north toward the mountains. They kne
w they would be walking more or less parallel with the trade road. Knave scouted ahead and the sisters kept an eye out for trouble lurking among the trees. They were not attacked again, and not long after the forest ended in pastures and grassland, they reached the bottom of the mountain called Victory. The ground from hereon in was steeper and rockier than the hills below it, but it remained more of a trek than a climb. They were well on their way to Kelbani.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Knave returned to his scouting once the sky had settled into a rich and luminous sunset. “I found somewhere to stay,” he told the priestesses excitedly. “It’s empty and while not exactly luxurious, it should give us some shelter.”

  He directed the ladies to a fenced-off field where an old barn sat unused. The field was mildly overgrown, and the barn looked like it had seen better days. It was weathered by the elements.

  “You don’t think someone’s going to come back and find us there?” Alexa asked with concern.

  “I don’t know,” Knave said. “I’m not psychic – though apparently I am excellent at your air magick,” he said with a smile. “It doesn’t look like the barn is in use and who visits an empty barn at night? There’s no farmhouse here so it stands to reason that we shouldn’t be disturbed, especially if we leave early.

  Cassia looked around cautiously, but there was no one else around. She kept a hand on her dagger hilt as she ventured inside.

  Even Alexa had her sword ready, in case she needed to draw it quickly, but they soon found the barn was deserted, just as Knave said it was.

  It doesn’t mean he’s entirely trustworthy, Alexa reminded herself, but he probably is. What she did try to deny was that she found his presence comforting, despite the uncertainty of his intentions. He’d tried to hit on her when he knew she was a priestess, but she found him quite a pleasant travelling companion nonetheless.

  The barn was a hollow shell of a building, with a hayloft high above, which was partially filled with hay. The ground itself was smooth earth, scattered with remnants of old hay. There were several animal pens and all were empty. There was no animal smell, suggesting animals likely hadn’t been kept in the barn for quite some time. Two empty pails sat against one wall, but there was nothing else immediately obvious in the vicinity. Knave sat down on the hard floor, resting his tired feet.

  “There are farm buildings the next hill over but I couldn’t tell whether they’re part of the same farm as this barn or if there’s anyone in there. I didn’t get too close.”

  Brigita sat down as well, resting her back. It ached more than she’d have liked to admit. The cool wall against it helped soothe the pain somehow.

  “Here will do fine. We don’t need someone’s hospitality. We just need a place to bunk down without anyone seeing us. There will be more time to rest comfortably and bathe when we get to Kelbani, though I would be tempted to take a swim if we cross any rivers between here and there.”

  Knave was exhausted; scouting was hard work. “I’m sorry to tell you Sister, but there aren’t. A few small streams perhaps but the nearest river is much farther to the west.”

  She looked disappointed but accepting of the fact. “That doesn’t surprise me. We’ll make do.”

  Cassia would’ve loved a bath as well. It was easier to forget when she was walking, but thinking about it made her feel unclean.

  “What about water magick?” Knave asked, though he figured if water was a concern to them, they couldn’t just create their own supply.

  “It doesn’t work that way,” Cassia said tiredly. She was exhausted and it showed. “You need to have an existing water source, or at least, all but Masters do. It’s my opposing element and I have no ability with it at all.”

  Alexa shook her head as well, “I don’t have much ability with it either. If that had been different, we might’ve been able to help more at the temple.”

  Cassia considered using her canteen of water to wash, but she didn’t know when she’d get to fill it again.

  “Is there an inn on the road near the base of the mountains?” she asked hopefully.

  “Yes,” Knave answered, “but we’re well away from there right now. Besides, if your enemy – or mine, or both, knew to find you at that inn, it stands to reason that they’ll consider looking at the next one as well. Once it’s darker, I’ll sneak down to the farm and have a look around. Maybe they’ll have some water or a well. The only way to know is to check.”

  Brigita smiled, “that’s a good idea. I think you should take one of the ladies with you in case you run into trouble.”

  Cassia nodded, but didn’t feel like it after all that walking. “Alexa, would you?” Cassia felt a bit uncomfortable around Knave since she’d used the fireball spell in his presence, and because of the things he’d said to her. She didn’t really want to spend time with him alone right now.

  Her blonde sister nodded, “if you’d like me to.” She sat down for the moment as well, resting and taking a sip from her canteen.

  Dinner was shared with a hastily warmed pot of tea, which Cassia managed without the necessity of building a fire.

  “That’s a very useful skill,” Knave said, speaking of her fire sorcery. He was trying to compliment her and set things back at ease between them, but it seemed like it would take more than that. Not just to convince her that he was comfortable around her, but to convince himself as well. She could burn him alive any time she wanted – and it was hard getting past the realisation of that, but a man or woman with a knife could cut his throat and kill him just as surely. It was just the manner of it and the source of that power that was different. He explained this to himself in his own mind several times over, and eventually he began to ease up around her.

  Knave was exhausted, so he found a place in the corner to sleep. Alexa and Cassia were still eating, and Brigita was resting from her weariness.

  Knave slept for a while and he awoke feeling cold. The barn was dark and he could hardly see a thing. He lay there and listened, eventually hearing the soft sounds of a priestess slumbering. The women must’ve preferred not to create a light.

  He climbed to his feet and carefully walked through the barn, taking small steps so as not to step on anyone. He was sure one sister was well out of the way. There was a shout of “hey!” when he bumped into someone. He guessed it must be Cassia judging by the irritation in the voice.

  “Sorry about that. I can’t see a thing.”

  He heard someone else move around beside him, likely Alexa.

  “A light would show from outside,” she explained.

  A barn wasn’t a hidden location but there were many buildings dotting the countryside.

  “We can leave for the farmhouse whenever you’re ready,” Alexa said.

  Knave still felt like he was waking up, but he’d cultivated an extreme wariness of his surroundings in prison and so he couldn’t fully relax here now, especially in the dark.

  "I’m ready to leave. Just let me find where my sword got to. Actually, a knife might be less conspicuous and easier to carry.”

  Cassia grinned, “You’re worried about a sword being noticed in the dark?”

  Knave wondered if Cassia was always this much trouble to talk to.

  “I suppose not,” he admitted, “but I would prefer a knife.”

  Cassia answered. “Take what you want. It probably won’t make the slightest bit of difference.”

  He glared at her freely knowing she wouldn’t see it.

  When they set off; Knave was armed with his knife and Alexa with her sword. Brigita had chosen to rest, while Cassia stayed awake and kept watch. The farmhouse was a fair distance from the barn; far enough away that it might not have been part of the same farm. Knave and Alexa walked through the damp grass and over rockier ground as they made their way uphill, approaching the farmhouse he’d seen before.

  “It looks deserted out here. Maybe we’re in luck and that was the only Nemoran following us,” Knave said.

  Alexa nodded hopefu
lly, but she didn’t know what to expect. It made her feel edgy, but as she looked around at the countryside, it seemed hard to believe anyone could be following them out here. Even so, how long might it be before they ran into the wrong person or people?

  “I still wonder if he might’ve been after you and not us. He singled you out, after all,” she said.

  Knave was doubtful of that. “Maybe,” he said.

  Alexa wondered about something else too, hesitating for a moment before she carefully voiced her thoughts.

  “Why did you say those things to me, when you used the air spell? The compliments, when you don’t even know me.”

  She was grateful for the darkness when she asked, because it hid the rosiness of her cheeks from him. It was more embarrassing than romantic.

  “I’m a scoundrel, if it hasn’t already become apparent to you, priestess.”

  He smiled sideways at her in the darkness, and his eyes glinted in the moonlight.

  “That said, I do in fact find you beautiful and delightful, though it was rude of me to assume that you were in fact an um, maiden.”

  He heard her laugh when he said that, but she didn’t speak up to say whether she was or not.

  “You shouldn’t say things like that to me. It isn’t appropriate and I take my vows seriously.”

  He smiled, “that’s a shame but I will do as you ask. I’m convinced we’re almost complete opposites of the same coin!”

  She wasn’t sure what to say to that, but they were close enough to the farmhouse now to see it clearly. There were no obvious lights lit from lanterns or fires.

  Knave moved in closer to the farmhouse, staying near the trees so he wouldn’t stand out so starkly against the moonlit sky.

  Glancing around cautiously, Alexa followed.

  Knave spoke to her in a quiet voice, not much above a whisper. “I only said it because I find you attractive, Alexa. Cassia is beautiful, but you – you are softer, with hair like spun gold. I like it–”

  Alexa stopped him there. “You said you wouldn’t say anything else like that.”