Crown of Embers

by Meg Anne

  She made to move toward the beach and the crowd, but her legs didn’t want to carry her. They didn’t have to. Von was already there, picking her up and spinning her around.

  “You did it!”

  The rest of her Circle was not far behind, whooping and laughing in celebration.

  “Helena Stormbringer!” Darrin crowed, grinning at her.

  With a shaky smile, Helena waved away their cheers before burying her face in Von’s neck and closing her eyes. She had passed out before he made it off the dock.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Helena stretched and rubbed a bit of sleep from her eyes. She’d slept through the night and well into the next day and now her body felt equal parts heavy and weak, almost like she’d spent the night drinking instead of sleeping. Apparently, there are side effects to playing with storms, she thought with a grimace. Swinging her feet over the side of the bed, she padded softly to the side table that held a cup of magic-heated tea and a neatly folded letter.

  She eyed the note curiously but moved for the tea first. Wasn’t Timmins always telling her that establishing priorities was an important part of ruling? Helena was certain tea constituted a priority. The warm liquid did much to ease the sluggishness she was feeling. She sent a thanks to Von for including the healing brew in the drink and lifted the heavy cream parchment.

  It was addressed to “The Stormbringer.”

  “Hmm,” she murmured, before taking another sip and setting her cup down.

  She unfolded the note and scanned it quickly. The words were simple but formal.

  * * *

  Greetings Stormbringer,

  * * *

  I wish to speak with you at your first convenience.

  I am awaiting you in my study.

  ~A

  Helena ran a finger over the boldly penned words. The nib had been pressed down hard, leaving deep indents in the paper. She did not need magic to feel the conflict in his looping letters. This was not a man used to making requests, even writing one made him uncomfortable. Helena smirked at that; she had a habit of making strong men uncomfortable.

  Not wanting to further delay their trip to the next tribe, Helena quickly finished her tea and got dressed in her traveling clothes. Von walked in just as she laced the last of her boots. Seeing the scrap of paper sitting on the table, he picked it up and scanned the contents.

  “Want company?”

  Helena shook her head, smiling at his annoyed expression. “Anduin poses no threat.”

  “Backup is never a bad idea.”

  “You just want to know what he has to say.”

  He shrugged, but his lips lifted in the ghost of a grin.

  She made for the door. “I’m not the one that needs a babysitter. If you’d like to make yourself truly useful, go ensure the others are ready to leave as soon as I’m finished.”

  He grasped her arm as she moved past, tugging her back toward him.

  At her questioning look he murmured, “You forgot something.” He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her lips.

  The kiss ended as quickly as it began, but even still Helena felt her insides turn to liquid. She blinked up at him a few times before stepping back. “What was I doing?”

  Von laughed. “You’re off to salvage what you can of a man’s bruised ego.”

  “Is it Firesday already?” she deadpanned, indicating that such was a normal occurrence.

  “Minx,” he growled affectionately, before slapping her on the ass and sending her on her way.

  She blew him a kiss over her shoulder and left the room. Helena strode toward the central hall, keeping an eye out for one of the Storm Forged. Since she had not received any sort of tour, Helena had absolutely no clue where Anduin’s study was located. She was hoping to run into someone that wouldn’t mind pointing her in the right direction.

  The lack of people about was surprising. Yesterday, the keep had been a flurry of activity, but today it was a ghost town. The silence was unnerving. After fifteen minutes of wandering aimlessly, Helena finally spotted a turquoise-haired woman.

  “Excuse me!” Helena called. “Hey!” she shouted in exasperation when the woman pretended to ignore her and continued to scurry down the hall. Helena had wasted enough time; she wasn’t about to miss this opportunity. Silently apologizing for what she was about to do, Helena summoned a wall of Air directly in the woman’s path.

  The woman bounced off it with a startled cry, providing Helena with just enough time to catch up to her. She spun around ready to launch into a verbal attack but realized it was Helena and quickly cast her eyes down.

  Summoning her sweetest voice, Helena said, “Sorry for that, I was just hoping you’d be so kind as to give me directions to Anduin’s study. He’s waiting for me, and I don’t want to keep him.”

  The woman refused to meet her eyes and rubbed her nose before pointing back down the hallway they’d just traveled. “Take a right and follow it all the way down.” She didn’t even wait for a response before she scurried off.

  Helena watched her retreating back before shaking her head and walking away. What is with everyone today?

  She moved quickly down the arched halls and knew she’d reached the Stormbringer’s room when she saw the stunning relief carved into the door. It was a seascape, with men and women brilliantly disguised within the shapes of the rolling waves, almost as if they were made from the water. Wishing she had more time to study the beautiful scene, she allowed herself only a moment to run her fingers over the shape of one woman whose hair curled into tufts of wind. At her touch the image came to life. The tangy scent of the sea and the roar of waves greeted her. She would have sworn she could hear laughter, but the door swung open pulling her attention away from the scene and toward the man standing in the doorway.

  Anduin’s glowing eyes flashed as he took in the sight of her. “Stormbringer.”

  Helena just barely resisted the urge to laugh; the sound of the title on his lips was forced and sullen.

  “I have no wish for another title, Anduin. These are your people, more so than they will ever be mine.”

  His eyes widened in surprise, but he remained silent.

  “I only want what I asked for: assistance. Those were the terms of our bargain.”

  “Even so, Kiri, that is not the way of the Storm Forged. You won the challenge, the title is rightfully yours.”

  Helena rolled her eyes, tired of jumping through political hoops. “Fine, then as your rightful leader, I am telling you that the Storm Forged will be assisting the Chosen in this battle.”

  Anduin’s lips flattened, but he inclined his head. “As you wish.”

  She sighed. “Anduin. Look at me.”

  He met her gaze.

  “We cannot defeat Rowena without your help. Her victory will be the end of us all. If you would like the Storm Forged to be able to continue on with their way of life, this is the only way.”

  Fear and anger raged in his eyes like a storm about to break. “She wouldn’t dare threaten the Storm Forged.”

  Laying a gentle hand on his arm Helena replied, “She already has. Will you let her threat go unanswered?”

  Anduin straightened his shoulders, pride making him stand tall. “Never.”

  Helena nodded. “So it’s settled. The Storm Forged will ally themselves with the Chosen. Not just because of our bargain, but because they are defending their home and way of life.”

  She could feel the reaction her words caused. Anduin’s answering smile was not forced.

  “I have others I need to meet, but I will send word once we’re ready.”

  As she made to leave, Anduin called her name. “Helena.”

  She glanced over her shoulder, startled only because it was the first time he’d refrained from using a title. “Yes?”

  “What happens after?”

  Her brows furrowed. “After what?”

  “After we defeat her.”

  The confusion cleared. Anduin wanted to know what would
happen to the Storm Forged, or more specifically, to him. She gave him a wide smile. “I already told you. I do not want your title. I have my hands full with one realm as it is; I have no need of another. The Ebon Isle is yours, Anduin.”

  She watched his shoulders rise as he took a deep breath. When he let it out, it was as if a massive weight had fallen away. He gave her a grateful smile. “Thank you, Kiri.”

  With a wink she called, “Until next time, Stormbringer.”

  Helena wasn’t sure where the others had gone off to but she should have known better than to worry. It would have been impossible to miss the crowd of people and creatures milling about near the docks. Starshine’s white fur would have been enough of a beacon on its own. Feeling her mistress, Starshine let out a roar of greeting. Those nearest to the Talyrian jumped, not yet seeing Helena in the distance.

  Seeing Starshine made Helena yearn to feel the wind in her hair. Unable to fly, Helena took the only option available to her and set off at a run.

  “I think we’ve caused enough chaos here for the time being.”

  Darrin turned toward her as she closed the distance between them. “These days you seem to bring chaos with you wherever you go.”

  Helena frowned. “Not true.”

  He raised a brow. “It is most definitely true.”

  “You seem to have forgotten that I’m not a six-year-old girl any longer. I’m strong enough that I can kick your ass, with my fists or with my magic. Do you require a demonstration?”

  Titters of laughter met Ronan’s murmured, “I can vouch for that.”

  Darrin tutted. “My my my, aren’t you quick to threaten violence these days. How quickly a minor victory goes to your head.”

  Helena sputtered, ready to defend her honor but Von wrapped an arm around her waist, whispering, “Ignore him.”

  The urge to stick her tongue out at Darrin was strong. She turned from him instead. “Gladly.”

  Darrin laughed at her, and Helena was just about to zap him with a little lightning when Timmins drawled, “If you two are quite done…”

  “He started it,” she muttered defensively, feeling chastised even though she hadn’t actually done anything.

  “Of course he did,” Timmins agreed, making the others laugh.

  Joquil stepped forward, and Miranda handed him one of the unused Kaelpas stones. His warm amber eyes met hers. “Are you ready to go, Kiri?”

  “Are you?”

  It was a loaded question. This would be the first time he’d return to his childhood home in almost thirty years. Who knew what, or who, would be waiting for him.

  Joquil nodded, “As much as I can be.”

  The Circle moved in close, getting into position. Helena looked around, partially to ensure that everyone was accounted for, but also to get one final look at her cyclone which was spinning just off the horizon. She was leaving the Ebon Isle in capable hands, but a part of her would remain behind to stand guard.

  “Then let’s—”

  Before she could finish, the familiar feeling of being turned inside out was upon her. When she was able to open her eyes again they were surrounded by a new kind of sea.

  “Welcome to the Forest of Whispers, Kiri.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  The forest was both beautiful and ancient. Everywhere Helena looked, she was surrounded by life. Trees towered above them, all but obscuring the sky. Their trunks were as wide as three or four grown men standing shoulder-to-shoulder. She ran a hand along the rough edges of bark, feeling a spark of energy in response to the touch.

  Helena opened her mouth to ask Joquil where exactly they were, but the hiss of a blade being drawn had her on full alert. Between one heartbeat and the next, she’d shielded the group and called her power; it hummed beneath her skin ready to be unleashed.

  “What—” Effie started, but Helena shook her head and held a finger to her lips. The rest of the group were more attuned to battle and didn’t need to ask. They had already slipped into position around her, drawing weapons and summoning their power.

  “If they wanted you dead, they would not have let you hear them,” Joquil murmured. “That was a warning.”

  “Friendly folks, are they? Is this how they welcome all visitors?” Helena asked neutrally, eyes still scanning the woods for a sign of where someone might be hiding.

  Starshine crouched and began to growl, her bared teeth glistening in the dim sunlight.

  “Easy girl,” Helena cautioned.

  The Daejaran pack took up Starshine’s call, angry snarls filling the silence.

  Memories of the last time Starshine and she walked in the woods came to mind. Apparently, Ronan also recalled the caebris attack, because when she hazarded a glance at him, his steady ice-blue eyes were locked onto her. She wasn’t certain if the look was supposed to be a warning, or if he was checking to make sure she remembered that some beasts were adept at hiding in plain sight. Either way, the result was the same. They were on the lookout for something their eyes could not see. He gave her a slow nod and they both went back to searching for the threat the animals could already sense.

  Helena loosened her hold on her power, her senses coming alive with the added magic. The trees were pulsing with magic of their own, which would explain the energy she felt when she touched them, but so far nothing else was revealed.

  A blade was flung from above. Helena would have missed it until it smacked into the shield, if not for her magic-enhanced vision. She used air to push the dagger off course, causing it to bury itself in the ground just beside her.

  “You say you’re visitors and yet you’ve arrived with an army.” The female voice also came to them from above.

  “We do not mean you any harm,” Helena shouted.

  “I have no reason to trust you.”

  Helena wanted to point out that neither did they, especially given that they were not the ones throwing knives. Leaving her shield up, Helena released her power and motioned for the others to do the same.

  Her friends scowled, not appreciating the request, but knowing better than to undermine it. Their weapons were just tools anyway. Helena knew that if they truly needed to defend themselves, any of the men and women around her would be able to wield their magic with deadly precision. And for those that did not have magic, they would need only seconds to attack. The ones with magic would buy them that time. All in all, the move was more of a show than anything.

  “No one invited you,” a second voice hissed.

  Helena tilted her head up, only barely able to make out the hazy edges of a woman perched high in the tree nearest to her.

  “Intruders,” another voice cried. Others took up the cry and soon the forest was filled with jeering calls.

  “Do not listen to their lies!”

  “Slit their throats before they take another step.”

  Helena bristled at the menace she heard in the voices. Lifting a brow, she glanced at Joquil. His face was puzzled, as if this greeting was unexpected to him as well.

  “We’ve had others visit recently. They too showed up without invitation. We do not care to repeat the experience,” the first voice said.

  There was a barely audible oomph to her right. Helena twisted in time to see Von’s elbow lowering and Joquil giving him a narrow-eyed glare.

  “Was that necessary?”

  “What’s the point in having a native as your guide if they aren’t going to establish safe entry?”

  It was a fair question. Von turned his smoky stare back toward Joquil who nervously cleared his throat before calling out, “I am one of you! My father is Demond Mascura of the Mascura tribe.”

  “More lies,” the second voice hissed.

  “Demond has no son,” the first voice countered.

  “Not anymore, perhaps. His son Joquil was taken from him by a Keeper twenty-eight years ago in order to fulfill his destiny. I have returned.”

  “A likely story.”

  “He speaks the truth,” Miranda said.
<
br />   “Why come back now?” The voice was cautious, as if it wasn’t sure why it was asking the question but could not help but ask it anyway.

  “We have need of the Night Stalkers’ expertise to defeat an enemy that threatens all of Elysia.”

  “Pretty words, but the Night Stalkers are not for sale.”

  “That’s not what I heard,” Darrin muttered.

  “Mother’s tits, Darrin! Could you not keep your damned mouth shut for once?” Helena snapped with exasperation.

  The others, even Effie, glared at him. Darrin colored, but did not respond.

  Wind whipped through the trees making the leaves rattle like thousands of whispers. One-by-one they somersaulted gracefully from the sky, cloaked in shadows like falling clouds. As they rose from the ground, they took shape, releasing the hold on their camouflage. Helena’s people were surrounded.

  The woman closest to Helena appeared to be the leader. Her mass of black hair was a tangle of curls and braids. She had swirls of black paint obscuring most of her face. It only made her leaf-green eyes stand out in harsh relief. Her body was covered in leather and weapons, but Helena had the impression they were only window dressing. She was the true weapon. Helena felt a kind of kinship with her in that moment because so was she.

  “You are not a daughter of the Forest,” the woman commented, studying Helena in kind.

  “I am the Mother’s daughter,” she replied.

  “One of the Chosen,” a voice from behind her spat.

  “The Duskfall tribe is dead because of their kind!” another voice shouted.

  Helena went still at that. “What does she mean?”

  Von was slow to respond. “I’m not sure, but I am getting the impression that someone may have beaten us here.”

  “Rowena.” Helena’s disgust for the woman filled the word.

  Von dipped his chin in agreement but did not take his eyes off a man spinning twin daggers in his hands. They glowed a sickly green that could only mean one thing: poison.