“Aye.” A sad silence settled over them.
At last, Kinna roused herself. “How did I get here?” She glanced around the room again.
“It was hard work. You tore the arena apart and sent the King's men scurrying all over the city trying to find you and Cedric after your Dragon fight. You caused a lot of trouble.”
“I caused...”
“Hush. You're supposed to be resting.”
Kinna's mouth twisted, hiding a grin. She'd rarely seen Ayden's humorous side before; it was always buried under a well of bitterness and pain. She felt a light touch on the back of her hand, and she dropped her eyes to watch his fingers trail along the outside edge of her palm.
She didn't pull away.
He did. He took a deep breath. “Kinna, the King has ordered my arrest, and Cedric's, providing he can find us. He's ordered yours as well, but he's stated that you will be returned to Julian and kept in captivity until your wedding.”
The words settled into the still air between them. Familiar confusion blanketed Kinna's mind. Her pulse thumped erratically in her throat. She had trouble linking one thought to the next; they scattered like leaves in the wind.
Ayden linked his fingers in front of him and leaned his elbows on his knees. “I'm leaving, Kinna.”
“Leaving?” Her voice sounded dead in her own ears.
“Yes. There's no reason for me to stay.” He slanted a sideways look at her. “Is there?” It was not a question.
Kinna stared miserably down at her lap. She didn't look up even when Ayden stood.
“Where will you go?”
“I haven't decided.”
Kinna angrily dashed aside a tear that insisted on escaping the rim of her eye. “I'll miss you.” Her voice sounded foggy.
“I know.”
Kinna finally raised her eyes to his face and saw that he did know. His silver eyes met hers, and still silence pulsed loudly in Kinna's ears. Slowly, Ayden slid his fingers beneath her jaw, along the side of her neck. He brought his head downward until his breath whispered against her cheek. Kinna's eyes slid shut, an ache opening up inside of her.
His warm lips brushed over hers once, so lightly it might have been a butterfly's kiss.
“Goodbye, Kinna.”
Kinna's eyes fluttered open.
“Ayden...”
But he was gone.
Kinna wished she could cry. The tear that had escaped earlier had dried up in a desert of torture. Her temples throbbed, the pain threatening to rend her head in two. Tears would have been a welcome relief. But her eyes burned, hot and dry as she stared at the open doorway.
Helga entered, her gaze sympathetic. “Perhaps it's for the best, dearie,” she said. “You both have a lot to work through.”
Kinna turned her face to the wall and saw nothing.
* * *
Kinna peered down onto her Pixie homeland from Chennuh's back, her eyes tracing the fields outside of the small town and the winding creek to the west where the trees covered its snaking course. She had longed to arrive home and land on the cobblestones of her courtyard to show the Pixiedimn that she wasn't a failure after all—that she could connect with a creature, just not the creature they had always expected.
With a sigh, she singled out a large copse of trees some distance south of the town.
Chennuh snorted in disagreement. He liked her first idea of the main square better; the notion of frightening a few Pixies was delightful to him, but Kinna firmly turned his head away.
The Dragon landed with a grumpy snort.
“Wait here, Chennuh.” Kinna stroked the Dragon's snout briefly as she glanced at the darkening sky and pulled her cowl over her head. Her singular fire-red hair was a dead giveaway, and she wanted to blend.
She trekked through the trees toward the open field, glancing once more behind her at Chennuh, who stared mournfully after her. “I'll be back soon. I promise,” she whispered, though she knew she didn't have to. He already knew.
She purposely chose the village's quiet streets, her eyes glancing from shadow to shadow, fearful of any sentry who might bear the royal mark on their armor. Thus far, she saw only Pixies and the people of her village.
An orange-haired lad just ahead sent a surge of loneliness through her. She hadn't seen Lincoln since The Crossings. Helga had told her that he had departed for home; he hadn't been with Ayden when Ayden had brought her to the house.
As Kinna drew closer, she stopped short. The orange-haired Pixie glanced her way and then did a double take. He looked back over his shoulder and strode toward her.
It was Lincoln.
Kinna threw her arms around him, and he staggered backward. “Oy, m'lady, you'd think you were glad to see me.”
“I am glad to see you, Linc.” She kissed his cheek, and he flushed a shade of scarlet that clashed viciously with his hair.
He glanced around once more. “Best keep it to yourself then, Kinna. The King's got men on patrol here, looking specifically for you.”
Kinna nodded. “I know. I need to see my parents, though.”
“Kinna!”
Julian's dear form emerged from an alley. He ran toward her, snatching her arm and pulling her into the shadow of a building. “Are you mad to return here?”
“You knew I would come home, Julian.”
“I hoped you'd have sense enough not to!” His hands rested on her shoulders, and his deep brown eyes surveyed her face, studying every angle of it. Lincoln stood nearby, studying the townspeople passing the entrance of the alley.
Julian gave an exasperated sigh and pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her cowl. His hand cradled her head against his shoulder. “I was worried about you.”
“I'm sorry.” It seemed an inadequate apology for the winter of worry she'd put him through, but it was all she could find to say. She rested against him for a moment before stepping back and taking his hand. She squeezed it. “I'm glad to be back.” A thought hit her, filling her with excitement. “Maybe I can take you for a ride on Chennuh while I'm here!” He was a Pixiedimn, but if she had formed such a strong bond with another creature, then he surely could as well.
He was already shaking his head. “First of all, Kinna, you're a wanted fugitive. Don't you understand what that means?”
Kinna stared at him, dread circling in her stomach. Of course, she had known it, but for some reason, she had tricked herself into believing that once she returned home, talked to her parents, and slept in her own bedroom, that everything would work itself out.
But that was it, wasn't it? Her home was not here. Not with the Pixies, not even with Tristan and Joanna, much as she loved them.
Joanna had told her the day she left home that she needed to discover and embrace who she was born to be, to ignite the flame of her existence. Her home was where she could be herself, full of flame, the fire of her own life warming those around her. And she obviously could not do that in a place where she was hunted as a fugitive from an enraged King.
Julian's eyes softened as he watched her.
“Come. Let's go see my parents,” she said as she started on the familiar route. But Julian tugged her in the opposite direction. When she stopped and stared up at him, questions released from her mind like soap bubbles in the air.
“You can't go back to your house. It's watched.”
“Where am I supposed to go then?”
“My aunt and uncle's.”
“Won't they be watching your family, too? We're...” She choked over the word betrothed.
“I know. They're watching my parents' house, but not anyone else's.” He took her hand and led her farther down the street. Kinna glanced over her shoulder. Lincoln had disappeared.
“Where—?”
“He went to go get your parents. They'll meet you there. Kinna.” Kinna glanced up at his face, alarmed by his tone. “I know your parents will want to spend time with you, and I don't have
long.”
“What do you mean?” Kinna stopped walking, nervousness shooting through her at the expression on his face.
He smiled sadly and wound his arm around Kinna's neck. “I'm leaving at first light.”
“What? Why?”
“Part of my deal with the King to release you from his dungeons was that I take a post at the head of the Pixies in his regiments. I leave tomorrow.”
Kinna clutched his tunic, stopping him. “Julian, no.”
“Aye. We are on the brink of war, Kinna. I must go.”
Kinna shook her head, knowing it was useless. “But—what if something happens to you?”
Julian smiled, his lips twisting into the crooked grin that was so familiar to her. “I'm touched that you would think of that.” He grazed the corner of her mouth lightly with the tip of his finger. “It would—make me happy if you could send me off, Kinna, with a little bit of hope.”
Kinna pushed away the meaning behind his words. “Julian, what am I going to do without you? You're my best friend.”
Julian smoothed a strand of hair behind her ear. “I'm more than that, Kinna, and I think you know it.”
A denial sprang to Kinna's lips; she didn't want to believe there was more to her feelings than friendship, but as the words rose up, she checked them. She was no longer sure. A deep fissure rent her heart in two. A dark-haired youth waited on one side, a silver-eyed blond on the other. Eventually, she would have to decide. But not tonight.
Julian leaned down and gently brushed his lips across hers, sighing lightly as he lifted his head again. “Come. Your parents will want to see you, and I must return to my own family.”
Julian led her down the shadowy streets to the door of his uncle's home. He hugged her one final time on the doorstep, a lingering hug filled with longing, and Kinna gritted her teeth in rebellion. Why must she always say goodbye to the people who mattered most in her life?
A moment later, Julian was gone. She stared at the empty street, her lips set in a firm line. Screwing her courage into place, she turned to the door and knocked lightly. Lincoln immediately opened it. He invited her in, his normally lively eyes strangely quiet as he surveyed her face. “Don't worry, lass,” he said, his voice low. “You'll have the rest of your life with him.” A grin quirked the corner of his mouth. “Poor Ayden.”
Kinna threw him a disgusted look. “Linc, you're no help.”
“Of course not. That's why you keep me around.” He ushered her past the entryway into the main room.
Tristan sat inside at the dining table. He shot to his feet, sending stew from his bowl sloshing across the table. Joanna clutched her chest. “Kinna.”
“Mother. Father. It's so good to see you again.” Kinna didn't bother to brush away the tears that traced her cheek.
Then Kinna found herself smothered in a group hug that threatened to squeeze the breath from her once and for all.
“Kinna, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry,” Tristan murmured over and over.
“For what?”
Tristan led Kinna to the table. Lincoln joined her on the chair next to hers. Kinna wondered how Lincoln felt so at ease with her parents. To her knowledge, he hadn't known them before.
“For creating such expectations for you. For making you feel like such a failure.” Tristan glanced over at Joanna. “For all of it. You are our daughter, and you are perfect just as you are.”
Kinna gave a watery smile. “I love you both, and I know you only wanted what was best for me. I just—needed the space. That's why I left, I suppose. I needed to find out who I was.” Her eyes met Joanna's, and she saw that her mother understood. “It was good—a learning time.”
“Aye. That's what we hoped.” Tristan traced the circles in the wood grain with his finger. “Listen, Kinna, I'm sure you have a lot of questions—”
“I do.” Kinna nodded.
“—about lots of things, but—”
“How does Lincoln fit in the picture?”
The orange-haired Pixie ducked his head, looking as if he were trying to fade from sight. Joanna glanced at Tristan, and then spoke. “He's your Guardian, Kinna.”
“So he said. But he wouldn't tell me why. Why is he my Guardian? How do you both know him? How did he suddenly crop up just before I left last fall and—”
“Patience, Kinna. I will explain.” Joanna's rich voice lowered. Julian's uncle and aunt had stepped out to give them some privacy, but they were never safe from the King's guards. “We have a visitor.”
“What? Who?” Kinna searched the room. The air left her lungs in a whoosh as she recognized Cedric's tall form and auburn hair as it glistened in the candle light. He stood at the base of the loft steps, and Kinna jumped off her stool. “What are you doing here?”
The last she had seen the Dragon-Master had been in the countryside outside of The Crossings where she'd lain for days in a feverish delirium. He had been kind, but he had little connection with her Pixie world; he'd merely passed through as a traveler once months ago, and she'd fed him a meal.
Cedric moved from the stairway toward her. He stopped a span from her, his hazel eyes studying hers intently. She returned the gaze, curiosity and dread of something unnamed mingling in her mind.
“Listen, Kinna.” He ran a hand through his hair. “The King is still searching for us. I'm sure you've heard. Just in case anything happens, I want you to understand something.”
“What's that?” Kinna narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
Cedric inhaled a deep breath, blew it out. “You and I, we—we're brother and sister.”
“What?” Kinna's lungs emptied of air. She glanced over at Tristan and Joanna. Tristan nodded. Kinna turned disbelieving eyes back to Cedric. “What do you mean?”
“We're twins. And not only that. We're royal twins, progeny of King Liam and Queen Olivia of Lismaria, and—and birthed in the fire of Dragons.”
“I—I don't understand.” The chair was behind her; she sank into it, her knees as weak as water.
Cedric nodded seriously. “You and I were four years old when Sebastian killed our father, King Liam.”
“But—”
Cedric held his finger to her lips. “Let me finish. Sebastian produced his own heir through our mother, the Queen Olivia, but she and the child died in childbirth. In his rage, Sebastian ordered us killed. At that point, I had been marked, but you had not. Your ceremony was mere days away. Even so, keeping us together would make us easier to find. Our nurse decided to separate us. She escaped with us to safety. She met my mother, Shaya, in the desert, and Shaya adopted me. She took me as her own son, but in so doing, she put my life at risk. So she purposely committed an unforgivable Centaur rule that would banish her for life.”
Kinna shook her head in confusion.
Cedric went on. “She killed a Centaur spy whom Sebastian had turned by trampling him to death. The spy had found her with the child—that is, with me, and overheard some of the conversation she'd had with our nurse. Shaya killed the spy, and because she knew that she would have to answer too many questions from the tribal leaders, she flayed him as well. When a Centaur flays another being, the punishment is lifetime banishment from the Clan. She knew this, and she also knew that it was the only way she could keep me safe. The Clan would banish her, and she could leave without anyone searching for her. If she didn't leave the Clan, there would be too many questions, too much chance of discovery.”
Kinna was speechless. She leaned her weight on the table, not sure what to think.
Cedric continued. “Our nurse thought it best to split us up, make it harder to find us. She took you to Tristan and Joanna and asked them to care for you. After that, she returned to her first love, her practice of taibe.”
“You mean...”
“Yes. Our nurse was Helga.”
“Helga.” Kinna's mouth dropped open as she thought of the pink-haired, jolly, round woman from the cottage. “How do you know all this? Do you k
now Helga? I mean, recently?”
Cedric shook his head. “No, but since I've been here, I've been told.”
“Told? By whom?”
“By your mother.”
Kinna whipped around to stare at Joanna. She found her tongue. “Please tell me what's going on. How do you know all this?”
Joanna flushed and cleared her throat. “Helga is also my mother.”
Kinna was beyond the power of expression. She stared blankly at her mother—her adopted mother, apparently. “You see, Kinna,” Joanna murmured, “I am Seer Fey. Just as Lincoln is. Just as my mother, Helga, is. We pledged an ancient vow before the Great Star that we would watch over the direct line of descent from King Aarkan in exchange for his help to protect our homelands, centuries ago. When you left us, and I could no longer watch over you without putting Tristan in grave danger, I charged Lincoln with the responsibility. I knew about Cedric's story, because my mother unfolded it to me years ago.”
Kinna finally found her tongue. “Wait a moment.” She rubbed her temples. “You're Fey, Mother? Seer Fey? I know you have the necklace with the Seer Fey symbol pendant, but I thought it was—a trinket, memorabilia, something your Pixie had given you long ago.”
Joanna shook her head. “No, Kinna. The necklace is mine, truly mine.”
Kinna shook her head in disbelief. “But ... you married a human.”
“Indeed.” Tristan's deep voice broke into the circle. “Your mother keeps her gifts well hidden. She must, as long as Sebastian sits the throne.”
Kinna's eyes moved to the pendant that hung on a chain across her mother's chest and then to the similar one that draped around Lincoln's neck. “Wait.” She turned to Cedric. “You said ... we were birthed in the fires of Dragons.”
“Aye. Your mother said it's why your connection to your Dragon is stronger than most Dimn have with their creature, even after achieving psuche. It's why the beasts will obey direct orders from me, even without benefit of psuche. Our father wished to give us superior connections to the Dragons, special gifts, so even before we were born, he asked the taibe for their help and blessings. When we were born, the taibe wove all their gifts into the magic that placed us in that egg.”
Kindle the Flame (Heart of a Dragon Book 1) Page 35