A pair of hands touched Ruethwyn, and she looked up to meet the eyes of Cora, the priestess of the Princess, and Ruethwyn relaxed, seeing her friends behind her. They were all safe, though Korima’s clothing was scorched.
“Release the elemental, Ruethwyn. Your body can’t handle much more,” Cora said gently, smiling as she added, “We’re here, and we’ll take care of things. You did well to keep the demons from using the rift until we could arrive. I’m sure that the headmaster will be pleased with you.”
“S-sure…” Ruethwyn said, silently bidding Zaria farewell. The elemental left with a soft, worried mental caress herself, and half Ruethwyn’s world went dark without the eye the elemental had granted her.
Pain hit like a hammer, and Ruethwyn let out a strangled scream as every vein of her body suddenly lit up with pain at the same time. It was almost like her heart was about to burst, and her back abruptly arched.
“Shh, Ruethwyn… I’m here,” Cora said, a hand on Ruethwyn’s chest as a wave of healing warmth eased the worst of the pain.
Ruethwyn slowly went limp, watching as the rift collapsed in front of her. Then she closed her eye, trying as hard as she could to not cry.
She didn’t succeed at holding the tears in, but this time… this time she hadn’t failed. She hadn’t lost anyone, and that made the pain worth it.
Chapter 42
“I’d truly appreciate it if you could quit trying to kill yourself, Miss Sylaris,” headmaster Hadrian Spellmason said, sitting in the chair next to Ruethwyn’s bed in the infirmary, his staff leaning against his shoulder. “You came a bit closer to doing so than I’m comfortable with this time.”
“I wasn’t trying to kill myself, Headmaster. I was trying to keep everyone alive,” Ruethwyn replied politely, trying to come to terms with the fact that the head of the entire academy was lecturing her. He might be polite about it, but it was a lecture.
“Of course you were. Like teacher, like student,” Hadrian replied, letting out a slight sigh. “I should know better than to expect sense out of Sinera’s apprentice.”
“Wait, you… you knew my teacher?” Ruethwyn asked, taken aback.
The infirmary was quiet, with even Cora having been politely asked to leave once she’d finished looking over Ruethwyn and the others. The others had been slightly rebellious, but they’d been relatively meek before Hadrian’s demands in the end.
“Yes, I did. Sinera and I were classmates, as a matter of fact, and thick as thieves for a time. I might have had a bit of a crush on her, but it wasn’t reciprocated,” Hadrian replied, his eyes twinkling as he smiled. “Still, I found someone else in the end, so it wasn’t an enormous loss. Sinera, on the other hand… she is a great loss, and not just because she lost most of her magic.”
“I… I don’t know what to say…” Ruethwyn said, almost speechless, since Hadrian was the first person she’d met who’d known Sinera.
“Whatever you like, really,” Hadrian replied comfortably, looking at her.
It took a few moments before Ruethwyn could speak, her body thankfully not sending any more twinges of pain through her at the moment, though she doubted that would last long. Finally she asked, “You said that… that she lost much of her magic. Sinera never told me how that happened. She indicated just before… before the attack that she knew what was coming. Why did she know?”
“Ah, that’s… well, she’s gone, so keeping it a secret serves no purpose.” Hadrian sighed heavily, shaking his head. “Once, Sinera had a younger sister named Minerva. Have you heard of her?”
“Only a little, that she existed,” Ruethwyn admitted cautiously.
“Of course. Sinera doted on Minerva, and her sister wasn’t as dedicated of a mage as Sinera was,” Hadrian said, shaking his head. “Still, they were very, very close. Things may have been fine if it hadn’t been for Sinera taking pity on a young wyrm in the mountains, one named Resvarygrath, and saved his life.”
“She what?” Ruethwyn exclaimed. “But—”
“I won’t finish if you interrupt, Ruethwyn,” Hadrian scolded gently, then paused. Ruethwyn suppressed her shock and closed her mouth, and he nodded after a moment. “Yes, I’m aware of how ironic it is that she rescued the bane of our kingdom. We didn’t know any better, though, for he was smitten with her and acted relatively nobly… for a dragon, at least. The problem was that she didn’t return his affections.
“I don’t know what made him change methods. Maybe he simply grew impatient. But in the end, he kidnapped her sister, demanding that she devote herself to him in exchange… and Sinera refused, instead hatching a plan to rescue her sister.” Hadrian paused, sighing heavily. “It failed. He killed Minerva before Sinera’s eyes and used her soul as a link to curse her, stripping away most of Sinera’s magic in the doing. He left her alive and told her that when she changed her mind, he’d free Minerva’s soul and return Sinera’s magic. And then he founded the Golden Dominion, carving it out of the wilds where neither we nor Ovara patrolled heavily. Sinera… she felt guilty for creating such an immense threat. I think she went to Mellesyn as a form of exile for herself, but she doubtlessly never expected him to come after her.”
“Goddesses… no wonder she told me to take the others and run,” Ruethwyn said, her eyes wide in horror. It explained how sad Sinera had often been, as well as how bitter she could be at times.
“She would have stood in a field alone if she’d known, I imagine,” Hadrian said, smiling unhappily. “You’re fortunate he likely didn’t know you were her apprentice. If he had…”
Ruethwyn shuddered, murmuring, “He’d have eaten me.”
“Perhaps,” Hadrian replied, nodding slightly. He paused for a long moment, then sighed. “It’s a shame you were injured as you were. You’ve made the damage worse today as well. I do wish you’d take Emrick’s offer and go to the Great Library, but he told me about your plan. It’s a fool’s errand, you know, much like your teacher’s.”
“I… well, I had to,” Ruethwyn said, hunkering down in the blankets. “Besides, maybe it isn’t.”
“Oh? How so?” the headmaster asked curiously, sitting back in his chair.
“Sella helped me contact a man who went to the Frostglades… he was under an ancestral curse and came out healed,” Ruethwyn said hesitantly, pausing before adding, “He couldn’t say much due to an oath, save that they could help me, and that it was the hardest thing he’d ever done.”
“Is that so? Well, it’s certainly closer than the Great Library. Even if you get the curse removed and are healed, do you really think you can kill a dragon of his power?” Hadrian asked.
Ruethwyn laughed and shook her head. “Oh, gods no! My goal is to avoid him. The tools I’ve been making are intended to allow me to bypass him and let me rescue the others without him noticing. I’m certain that if he catches me… well, I’ll die.”
“At least you’re aware of that,” Hadrian said, nodding. “When were you thinking to go to the Frostglades? I’m not your parents or teacher, so I won’t try to dissuade you, mind, even if I think it’s a bit foolish. Still, if you can recover your full talent, it would be worth looking into for that alone.”
“Spring, after the tests for next year,” Ruethwyn told him, a bit nervously.
“Good. Leaving in the middle of the year would annoy Emrick, and he’d make your life a living hell if you managed to survive and returned,” Hadrian said, smiling again as he stood. “I’ll leave you be for the moment. I’m certain your friends are curious how you’re doing.”
“Thank you, Headmaster,” Ruethwyn said, relief flooding through her.
The powerful mage left, his staff clicking as it hit the stone floor, then he paused outside the door and she heard him speak. “She’s well enough, but don’t push her. Her mana core needs at least a week to recover before using any magic.”
A murmur of assent came back through the door, then Korima, Tadrick, and Sella came in. Ruethwyn smiled as they approached, looking a little hesitant.
“Rue, are you okay? I didn’t realize you were going to jump into the rift,” Tadrick said, looking concerned. “When a bunch of slush came through… well, I was shocked and worried.”
“I’m fine, Tadrick, or as much as can be expected. Once the rift stabilized, the only thing I could think of was to open the portal to a realm of snow as well. Fire demons can die from exposure to places like that, so it was able to slow them down,” Ruethwyn replied, smiling. “How’s everyone else?”
“Dana and Delvin are both fine. They didn’t run into anything nearby while shadow-walking… they said it was almost deserted,” Sella said, letting out a breath of relief. “Yalline is fine, too… apparently she stole some of your atavism notes and screwed them up, which led to what happened. Master Mara was upset about that.”
“That… would explain quite a bit,” Ruethwyn said, wincing. “I’m curious what they come up with for her. I don’t think expelling her would be a good idea… she knows just enough to be dangerous.”
“Agreed,” Tadrick said, shuddering.
“Barthel and I got singed by hellhounds, but we freed Madeline and blasted the heck out of the keystone,” Korima said, her eyes bright with amusement. “She was trussed up like a chicken but cursed like a sailor once she was loose. I’m pretty sure that Barthel is taking advantage of being able to play the hero. We didn’t get hurt too badly.”
“Good,” Ruethwyn said, letting out a breath of relief. “That could’ve been far worse, then.”
“Definitely. Just quit pushing yourself so hard, would you?” Sella asked gently.
“I’ll try,” Ruethwyn replied in amusement.
“Oh, and I should give back your bracelet and wand…” Sella said quickly, reaching to take off the silver band.
“No, keep it. I told you I’d give it to you for a Midwinter gift, and I can always make another,” Ruethwyn replied, shaking her head and sitting back.
“Are you sure?” Sella asked, pausing.
“I’m certain,” Ruethwyn assured her, growing amused again.
“What, nothing for the two of us?” Tadrick asked, grinning as he glanced at Korima.
“I did, but unfortunately that’ll have to wait until I’m able to get into my room,” Ruethwyn replied, laughing softly. “Nothing too impressive, mind you.”
“Fair enough. We’d best let you rest,” Tadrick said, nodding at the door.
“See you tomorrow,” Ruethwyn called after them as they moved away, settling back into the cot. It wasn’t terribly comfortable, but it’d suffice.
Only a moment after the door closed, it opened again, and Ruethwyn looked up, expecting to see Cora. When she saw Korima instead, she blinked.
“Korima? What’s wrong?” Ruethwyn asked.
“Nothing, I just… I forgot my Midwinter gift,” the kitsune replied, her ears flicking nervously.
“Oh? What might it—” Ruethwyn began.
She was cut off as Korima stepped forward and kissed her, the kitsune pushing Ruethwyn back into the bed for a long moment. Ruethwyn’s thoughts were suddenly in a jumble, and before she could react, the kiss had ended and she could breathe again.
“There!” Korima said, giggling softly. “Sleep well, Rue!”
As the kitsune scampered out of the room, all Ruethwyn could do was stare after her. Then she slowly raised a hand to touch her lips, very, very confused.
Epilogue
Lissa swallowed as she stepped into the cavernous room, looking around nervously. Shadows loomed all around her, and she could see little more than the two biers bearing bodies, and her stomach churned as she took in how one was mummified, and the other charred.
Between the tables was a man, but Essryl had warned her that Resvarygrath often took the form of a human in this room, and his golden-eyed gaze was cold as he met her eyes. She took a deep breath and curtseyed, taking care to make it deep, relieved that it gave her an excuse to pull her gaze away from his.
“Lord Resvarygrath, I’m told you have need of me,” Lissa said, her voice trembling despite the lessons Essryl had put her through.
“Yes, I do,” the dragon said flatly. “Has Essryl told you what I need you for?”
“Only that it requires summoning, Lord,” Lissa said, not daring to rise from her curtsey.
“Good. Rise, girl,” Resvarygrath said, and she did so. For a long moment, he paused, then continued. “Your task is, using the foci I provide, to summon elementals of different types. Do not concern yourself with controlling them, I will take care of that.”
“Of course, Lord,” Lissa said, swallowing hard. “May I ask what type I should focus on?”
“You may ask,” he replied with a smile, glancing at the bodies on the tables. “In fact, I’ll show you illusions that you may focus on. See, I don’t require any particular type of elemental, girl. All I need is a shell that has the right body.”
Lissa trembled at his smile, and at the hunger she could see in his eyes.
Author’s Note
I can’t believe I finished it. That’s the first thought to go through my head once I finished the rough draft, mind you. Through the Fire, as a whole story, has been running through my head for five to eight years before writing The Avatar’s Flames, and I’ve attempted writing it no less than three times, possibly as many as five, and given up partway every time. Saying that I approached writing this story with trepidation would be putting it mildly. I dearly hope you enjoyed it.
Now the question is, how I do the next two books of the trilogy. I have the plot as a whole mapped out, but the details… those always sneak up on me, so we’ll see how it goes. I hope you enjoyed reading the first volume of Through the Fire. Next is Queen of Ice, volume two of the trilogy, and I hope you’ll read it as well.
Queen of Ice
If you enjoyed reading this book, you can pre-order Queen of Ice by following the link below.
Queen of Ice on Amazon.com
The Avatar's Flames (Through the Fire Book 1) Page 33