The Sparks: Book I of the Feud Trilogy

by Kyle Prue

  “Oh, you’re a brain?” the Taurlum asked, dropping Rhys’s hand. “What good is a brain in a fight?”

  “I do battle strategy,” Rhys said calmly.

  “Battle strategy?” Darius looked thoughtful. “Okay. Let’s say I’m going up against four Imperial Guards armed with bows and arrows and I’m not wearing any armor. What weapon do I use?”

  Rhys’s calm expression didn’t falter. “Easy. You’re a Taurlum, you would use a hammer.” Darius opened his mouth, but Rhys wasn’t finished. “But if you want to know which weapon you should choose, I would suggest a shield. You could use it to block arrows since you don’t have armor and then, when they’re out of ammunition, you could swing it like a club. Most people don’t carry them because they’re large and impractical, but that wouldn’t matter to you.”

  Darius almost looked impressed. “That’s not too bad, little raven.”

  Rhys said, “I just know a lot about battle strategy.”

  “Don’t be modest,” Jennifer called from her place on the floor. “Rhys knows a lot about everything.”

  “Everything?” Darius repeated.

  “Almost everything,” Rhys amended quietly.

  “So, you know what the most sold item was in the market last year?”

  “Apples,” Rhys said without missing a beat. “Followed by salt, bread, and rice.”

  Darius wracked his brain for a harder trivia question. “Richest merchant in the market?”

  “Well, it was Sir Taurlum, until the attack,” Rhys said, brow furrowed. “But once he was gone, the man who runs food distribution was the richest. But then the Pig started branching out and selling more products. He used to sell exclusively weapons, but then he added masks and armor to his inventory and profits shot up. So the richest man in the markets is the Pig.”

  “He was the richest man in the markets,” said a feminine voice from the very back of the church, “until two days ago, when he was murdered along with all his employees.” Lilly Celerius glided down the aisle, head held high. Jonathan followed close behind.

  Darius looked slightly let down. “Don’t let it get to your head, kid,” he told Rhys. “Celerius, I reckon?” he said, turning to the newcomer.

  She barely nodded at him before ascending the steps onto the stage and turning to Neil. “When you told me you talked to the Pig, you neglected to mention that you killed him.”

  “I didn’t kill him,” Neil said defensively.

  “Oh, please. They found arrows in his body. The Vapros are well known for using crossbows.”

  “That’s true, but not anymore,” Rhys said. “Until recently, we couldn’t afford them or their ammunition. The Pig tried to kill Neil, and he sent his men after Jennifer and me. They were coming for you next.”

  “I’d believe him,” Darius muttered to Lilly sarcastically. “This kid knows everything.”

  “So yes, we killed his men in self defense, but someone else walked into the store while I was subdued and shot him.” Neil said.

  “You didn’t think to mention this earlier?” Lilly asked.

  “I wanted to get you to the church,” Neil said. “Honestly, it wasn’t the first thing on my mind.”

  “Well, I would be lying if I said I was distraught. Given the state of the city, it comes as no surprise. Poverty drives people to extremes.”

  Neil considered bringing up the fact that the Pig’s murder seemed deeply personal, but he refrained. Why should Lilly care why the sleaziest merchant in town was killed? He probably had hundreds of enemies. Lilly walked by the group and planted her feet next to Jennifer. “Are we all here? Can the planning begin?”

  “The Nose isn’t here yet,” Neil pointed out, glancing at Darius. The Taurlum didn’t look offended by the use of his brother’s nickname.

  “We’ll catch him up,” Darius said. “Let’s get down to it. I say we start by finalizing the plan to make it past the wall.”

  Jennifer scoffed. “Subtlety be damned, I suppose.”

  Darius eyed her indignantly. “We Taurlum aren’t known for subtlety.”

  Jennifer raised her eyebrows. “So I’ve gathered.”

  “I have a friend who knows a way out,” Neil said hurriedly before a fight could break out. “I didn’t bring her to this meeting because I was under the impression it was a Lightborn only sort of gathering.” He glanced pointedly at Jonathan.

  The small servant reddened. Lilly looked mildly annoyed. “He goes where I go.”

  “Just like a Celerius to make a power play on our first peaceful meeting,” Darius grumbled.

  “Actually that seems more like a Vapros kind of move,” Rhys whispered.

  “Anyway,” Neil pushed on, “there is only one main door in the wall. It’s used by soldiers and is heavily protected. I don’t like our chances of sneaking through that way. But there is also a lesser-known back door.”

  “Explain,” Lilly said.

  Neil wanted to snap at her. He smothered the instinct and continued. “There is a special gate protected by a small guard house. It’s near the Taurlum mansion and the Imperial Outpost. Guards use it to bring supplies out to the army, without attracting enemy attention. Sometimes they bring things in from the outside, too, like prisoners of war or negotiators. It opens once a month during the full moon.”

  “I think I’ve seen that building,” Darius muttered.

  “The next opening is tomorrow night,” Neil said.

  Lilly looked skeptical. “So soon?”

  Darius looked at Rhys and grinned. “I’m sure there’s a battle plan, right, buddy?”

  Rhys didn’t return the smile, but he explained calmly. “We go as fast as we can. We bring everything we have. We attack with our powers and we don’t give them any time to regroup or call for reinforcements. Once we make it out, we scatter into the wilderness.”

  It wasn’t exactly what Darius expected. “Sounds a little risky.”

  “I know,” Rhys said, "but it's the best we can do.”

  “Why can’t I just punch my way through the wall?” Darius asked. “Then we could go whenever we want.”

  “The wall is near thirty feet thick, two hundred feet high, and made completely of solid rock. It was built by dozens of Lightborns. It is truly the greatest architectural marvel to date,” Rhys said. “The wall is also constantly manned and guarded. Tunneling would be loud and by the time we were halfway through we would have the entire army on our backs.”

  “One question,” Darius said. “Will there be booze outside the barrier?”

  Rhys said, “Maybe. If not I could teach you how to make it before we all split up.”

  Darius gasped. “You can do that?”

  “Yes. It’s simple fermentation.”

  Darius threw his hands into the air happily. Lilly rolled her eyes and cut off his cry of jubilation. “My group is five soldiers and four dozen crates of weapons. How do you propose we transport that?”

  Rhys thought for a moment. “You might have to leave it behind.”

  Lilly looked offended. “I don’t have impenetrable skin or materializing powers! I need armor. I need weapons!”

  “You can bring some of it,” Rhys said, “just not all. Darius could help you carry a crate or two.”

  “Anything for you,” Darius said mockingly.

  “You’ll have to leave the guards, too. We can’t sneak that many people through the wall. They need to stockpile weapons and prepare for the revolution,” Rhys said.

  Lilly looked like she wanted to argue more, but Neil cut in. “Listen, Miss Celerius. I understand you have different needs than we do. And you’re used to being in control. Not now though. Everyone needs to check their ego at the door. That includes you, Darius and us.”

  She opened her mouth to respond but suddenly tensed up and raised one hand in the air. Her eyes closed. “Miss?” Jonathan said urgently, speaking up for the first time all night. “Is it happening again?”

  Lilly snapped out of her trance and gasped. “Don
’t panic,” she said, “but there are twenty men gathering outside.”

  Jennifer jumped to her feet. “What makes you say that?”

  Lilly trembled. “Over the last month, I developed advanced abilities,” she whispered. “I can feel sound waves and vibrations in the ground. I sense a large gathering of people walking outside. They’re making a formation around the front doors. They know we’re here. They’re coming for us.” She closed her eyes and stretched her arms out, reaching through the empty space in front of her. “There’s a back door, yes? I can feel it.”

  “There’s a door, yes,” Neil said, a pang of jealousy coursing through him. Was he the only one without a heightened ability? “What brought upon your new powers?” he asked.

  “I heard my father had been murdered,” she said, and it wasn’t in her usual icy tone. It sounded sad, and Neil remembered that he wasn’t the only person who had lost someone in this war.

  “We should split up,” Darius suggested. “Meet in the orchards before sunrise. It’s easy to hide in there. I’ve done it before.”

  “Okay,” Neil said. “Lilly, you and Jonathan take the back door.” They sprinted away, Jonathan falling behind almost immediately. She paused for a moment to let him catch up. “Darius, you—”

  Darius grinned like a madman and charged straight through the wall and into the street, effectively forming his own way out. “Damn Taurlum fool,” Jennifer grumbled.

  “A fool who’s on our side,” Neil reminded her. “We can take the rooftop exit.” He materialized to the uppermost balcony and then over to a ceiling beam. He grinned as he rematerialized, remembering the days when using his powers like this winded him for days. Now it was as natural as breathing. Jennifer and Rhys joined him on the beam and together they materialized toward the small door that opened up onto the roof.

  Rhys led the way onto the rooftop and was immediately greeted by a volley of arrows. He gasped and materialized across the street on a new rooftop; the arrows continued toward his siblings. Neil felt a sharp pain across his arm and let out a cry. Jennifer sliced an arrow out of the air with her knife. “Neil, go!” she screamed as she began to panic. She had taken care of the first arrow, but seemed too disoriented to dematerialize. Neil grabbed her hand, gathered his concentration, and used his energy to materialize both of them across the street next to Rhys.

  Rhys was putting archers to sleep right and left. Neil ducked behind a chimney and pressed hard against the wound on his arm. It wasn’t much more than a cut but it was bleeding a fair bit.

  Jennifer looked more disoriented than Neil had ever seen her. Neil grabbed her wrist. “Come on!” He summoned the extra energy to materialize with her to the street. The arrows followed them, shooting in perfect arcs over the roof of the building. They took off running but Jennifer lagged behind, gasping sharply with every step. Neil slowed and pulled Jennifer around a corner, out of range of the archers, and slid to the ground. When Jennifer collapsed next to him, he wrapped her in a hug. “We almost lost you.”

  A few tears fell down her face. “I ….” She took a few shallow breaths. “I can’t … do this.”

  “You can do this,” he assured her. “Remember what I said? We can’t give up. Or they’ll win.”

  “I can’t, Neil,” she said softly.

  Rhys knelt beside them solemnly. “Neil,” he said, “her back.” He looked like he was going to be sick. Neil ran his hand down his sister’s back. His stomach turned as his palm slid over a jagged fragment of an arrow. The end had broken off, making it harder to see, but the tip wedged tightly into what could only be her lung. “Jennifer?” he said cautiously. “Do you feel okay?”

  She smirked. Her ponytail had come undone, but she didn’t care, or maybe just didn’t notice. “Don’t patronize me,” she said faintly, “I’ll be fine.”

  Neil rolled her onto her side and examined the wound. He and Rhys exchanged a glance. Rhys shook his head. “Neil,” he whispered. “I don’t know.”

  “It’s bad, isn’t it,” Jennifer said. “You don’t have to pretend.”

  Neil let her lie down. “It’ll be okay, Jen,” he said. “I promise.”

  “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Neil.”

  Neil felt his eyes welling up. “No, Jen, I can keep this one. We just need to find someone who can heal you—a doctor.”

  Jennifer put her hand on Neil’s arm. “Don’t. I’d honestly rather just let it end now.”

  Neil pounded his fist into the ground. “Don’t say that!”

  “It’s okay,” she breathed. “You know better than anyone that I can’t keep going through this without Victoria—”

  Neil cut her off. “This wound is not that bad,” he told her fiercely.

  “I couldn’t do it without her,” she managed. Her eyes fluttered closed. “Couldn’t do it alone.”

  Rhys lost his composure and began to sob.

  Neil grabbed Jennifer’s hands to comfort her and realized with a sinking heart that for the first time in her life they were cold. She sputtered for a moment and managed to keep speaking. “Don’t be an assassin,” she begged Neil. “It’s not how you think it is. I spend so much time being angry … and alone.”

  “I won’t,” he promised, gripping her hands tightly. “I won’t.”

  A smile ghosted across her face. She whispered something hoarsely and then with one last sigh of relief went limp in his arms. Neil buried his face in her body and wept as he felt the crushing weight of another loss.

  It could have been hours later, or maybe only seconds, but the next thing Neil knew was Rhys’s hand on his shoulder. “I don’t think we can take her to the other side of the barrier,” he said, voice cracking with tears. “We have to … you know.”

  Neil looked up at Rhys with red-rimmed eyes. “I don’t think I can do that.”

  Rhys said, “I know. But she deserves to be … she doesn’t deserve to be left here all alone.” He put his hand against her neck. “I’ll do it, if you don’t want to.”

  Neil wiped his eyes and put a hand on her neck next to Rhys’s. “I can do it,” he said. Together, they watched Jennifer’s body slowly dissolve into ash and float away, carried up over the rooftops by the wind.

  CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

  THE ORCHARDS

  DARIUS TAURLUM

  Darius made it to the orchards before anyone else. He had been sitting in a tree for over an hour, holding as still as he could in case any soldiers had followed him. In spite of the danger he’d narrowly escaped, a thrill built in his stomach. He’d forgotten how much he loved going into battle.

  Dawn was just breaking when he heard voices coming from below his perch. He swung himself down, grinning as he prepared to pummel the enemies. He stopped his fist just in time as he recognized his new unlikely allies. “You made it!” he said to the Vapros boys, smiling at Rhys. He didn’t smile back. “What’s wrong?” Darius asked casually. “And where’s the girl?”

  Neil looked at the ground. Rhys shook his head silently.

  “Oh,” Darius said. He tried starting a sentence but the words wouldn’t form correctly. He tried again. “Well, if it means anything, I fought her a few times. She was brave and strong as hell. ”

  Neil looked up. “Yes,” he said. “She was.” Darius pretended not to notice the tears in his eyes.

  A rustling in the trees made Darius’s ears perk up. “Careful,” he whispered, crouching over like a predator about to pounce. “There’s someone here.”

  Neil and Rhys materialized into the branches of the tree, but Darius stayed on the ground. The thrill in his stomach was back. The rustling came closer, and he knew he should hide. He couldn’t take on an ambush without his hammer, but he couldn’t help it: he wanted to fight again.

  A figure burst through the bushes and before Darius could make out a face, four hands came down from the tree and grabbed the unwanted guest. In a flash, Neil and Rhys materialized to the ground, holding a struggling girl between them.

&nb
sp; “What the hell was that?” the girl gasped.

  Neil threw her to the ground. “You just materialized,” he said, panting a little. Materializing with another person was a lot harder than going alone. “Why did you follow us?”

  The girl struggled to her feet and pushed her hair out of her face. Darius finally recognized her. “Anastasia,” he growled. He planted his foot against her shoulder and kicked her hard. She toppled over. “You might be the most persistent person I’ve ever met. That doesn’t seem to have worked out for you too well.” He leaned over her. “Who sent you?” His voice came out in a roar that was so loud the Vapros boys flinched.

  She didn’t flinch, just turned her head and spat on his boot. “Go to hell.”

  Two sets of footsteps rustled into earshot. Darius groaned. “Who is it now?”

  The footsteps stopped. “What happened here?” Lilly’s voice asked.

  Darius glanced up. “This girl has tried to kill me three times. It’s time to find out why.”

  Lilly cocked her head and looked at Anastasia. “She won’t talk?”

  “No,” Darius said. “And I think I’m going to pull off her fingers.”

  Anastasia gasped.

  Lilly stepped forward quickly. “No, allow me,” she said. “I’ll make her talk.”

  Jonathan (of course Jonathan was here, Darius thought) spoke up. “Miss, I don’t know if you should do this.”

  “Jonathan,” she said calmly, “I can handle it.” She bent down to place her hand on Anastasia’s forehead. “You see, this power I’ve developed started out as a weapon of sorts.”

  Anastasia began to shake spastically.

  “What’s happening to her?” Rhys asked curiously.

  Lilly kept her eyes closed. “I can send energy through things. When I do it to the ground and the air, nothing really happens. But when I do it to people they react poorly.”

  Anastasia screamed.

  “Just tell us why you’re trying to kill the Taurlum,” Lilly said soothingly, “and I’ll make it all go away.”

  “The Nose!” the assassin screamed. “Michael Taurlum hired me!”

  Lilly took her hand away. “There’s your answer.”