by Logan Jacobs
Then I opened my mouth to tell her the truth, but the clever descendant beat me to it.
“You’re my assassin,” Cinis accused.
I froze for a second, and then I nodded slowly as I kept a careful hold on her, but she didn’t even flinch at the confirmation. Cinis didn’t go rigid or attack me, either. Her eyes just narrowed into threatening slits as her breasts rose against my arms to draw in a long, steadying breath.
“Name the one who hired you,” the Ember Priestess seethed, and her irises flashed like fire.
Chapter 8
“May I ask one question first?” I inquired rather than answer immediately, and Cinis chose not to respond. “How did you guess my purpose here? Was it only the weapons I carry?”
“No, many factors brought me to this conclusion,” the Ember Priestess said in a low voice, and she held my gaze without blinking. “You wear the uniform of the southern kingdom, but bear a slightly off accent more common in the north. This guise is most likely in place so Altaya can be held responsible for my death, but yes, you also have many weapons, and you maneuver as if you’ve been training your entire life. Then there is the way you beat me to the ground. This is the first time someone from outside the Ardere has been able to do so. At first, I thought you must be a very skilled changeling, but you do not have the naturally hideous form of one, and your eyes remain the same when you shift. All of these elements led me to the conclusion that you were sent here from the Kingdom of Ocadia with the express purpose of destroying me. However, given you are merely a mage, without much knowledge of my abilities, and can have no personal issue with me, you must have been paid to enact someone else’s will.”
I stared at the beautiful woman for a moment, and I tried not to smile, but I couldn’t help myself. She was sharper than I’d expected, and the confidence she said all of this with only impressed me more.
“Right on all counts,” I admitted. “And you were correct earlier, as well. You are a rather smart woman.”
“I am, now get off of me,” Cinis calmly demanded. “I will not kill you if you respect my space. I wish to know more of this work you came to do.”
I pursed my lips together and thought about my options. If I listened to her, and loosened the restraint, then we could end up in combat all over again. I knew now I wasn’t strong enough to drag her back to the kingdom, and she could both burn and outrun me, or worse, kill me in the Forest of Hud.
I had no other choice but to release her. It was clear both of us would remain stubbornly stuck in this position for eternity otherwise.
“Fine,” I hummed and got off her torso.
I promptly snatched my shortsword as I did so, and I sheathed it, but when I grabbed my broadsword from the grass, I kept it in hand.
Cinis didn’t pay me any attention as she sat up and dusted herself off, and then she crossed the grass to retrieve the knife I’d disarmed her of before. I took a step away as she climbed up to sit on the edge of the platform, and Cinis smirked as she flicked her long black hair over her shoulder. The subtle movement whipped her locks around her wings, and I found myself admiring her perfectly cut jawline and slender neck.
Then I eyed the knife in her hand again.
“Don’t worry, I told you I wouldn’t kill you,” Cinis murmured. “And I stick to what I say.”
“Good to know,” I replied as I kept my distance with a sword in hand.
“But I still don’t trust you, morpher,” she continued. “Tell me who sent you?”
“Firstly, I am not a morpher, I am a mage,” I corrected. “You may call me Dex. And you are?”
“Cinis,” she said the name I already knew. “I am the First Ember Priestess of Ignis.”
“Well, Cinis, can you guess who might have sent me?” I asked in an attempt to feel out the situation more.
The Ember Priestess’ wings folded behind her, and her eyes cooled. She looked like a fallen angel without a scowl on her pretty face, but then she dropped her eyes toward her thighs. I waited as she traced her finger around the gap in her skirt that showed the top of her legs, and I got the impression she didn’t want to answer my question.
“I don’t know,” Cinis huffed after a moment. “I thought you were a changeling at first, and I was wrong about that. I could be wrong about anything, but maybe…”
“Maybe you have a pretty sound idea,” I finished for her.
Cinis looked up at me again, and she searched my two-toned gaze for a long moment. Then she straightened her posture and offered a stern nod.
“I know who’s responsible,” the priestess sighed. “My Uncle Ignis hired you.”
“Why would it be Ignis?” I asked.
“Why should I tell you, assassin?” she probed. “I just wish to be left alone.”
I sighed at her stubbornness, and I could understand her distrust, but I also wanted to know what had happened for her to guess so immediately that it was Ignis who was after her. I was told by the Master that this priestess was set to cause unrelenting chaos in Ocadia, but as I looked at the woman, I wondered if there was even a single part of the story I was told that was true.
Right now, she simply struck me as powerful, a little pissed off, and very clever. Too clever to be a blind wielder of chaos against an entire kingdom.
Yes, this was definitely a set-up.
“You don’t have to tell me, but I am curious,” I said explicitly. “You know I can’t kill you, and I don’t want to be responsible for the demise of every kingdom surrounding here. I am simply wondering why it is that I was put in a position to almost do so. I believe I’ve been misled.”
She sucked in her cheek and huffed, and she eyed me up and down for a minute.
“I was tasked by Ignis to lead an uprising of our kind,” Cinis finally answered, and when my eyebrows shot up in shock, she quickly continued. “He said we’re too strong and powerful to be held within the confines of a forest. We need to show our powers to the rest of the kingdoms, starting with Ocadia.”
“I have heard the titans are power-hungry entities,” I slowly added. “But this sounds drastic.”
“They are more than that,” she scoffed. “They are ruthless. All they want is notoriety, even if they have to kill their own kind for it. They don’t care about lives, or families, or even followers. All they care about is being seen as infinitely strong and unconquerable.”
“And what about descendants like yourself?” I asked. “Are they as ambitious?”
“Not all those with titan blood in their veins hunger so much for power,” she sighed with a wary look. “But it would be wrong of me to tell you the feeling doesn’t exist within all of us to some lesser degree.”
“So, what’s of this uprising, then?” I pressed. “Are you telling me you refused to lead it?”
“It’s difficult to really explain,” Cinis admitted. “The thing with Ignis is he assumes his Ember Priestesses are his most effective followers, which they are. We are loyal, we serve our gods with pride, and I am honored to bear my title. It’s only that I don’t enjoy doing whatever Ignis says I should. I am bound to him through my titan blood, but I do not seek the same notoriety as him and my sister priestesses.”
“Why not?” I asked.
“Because it is a disgrace to our powers,” she scoffed. “Fire is a beautiful and powerful thing in its own right, and we are blessed to be possessed by it. It should be enough that we thrive where others would perish, but Ignis wants this uprising solely for himself. The fire beings want for nothing here. We could live in peace if only he would let us.”
“I see,” I returned, and I admired her words on the matter.
Cinis’ powers were unlike anyone else’s I’d ever fought against, and her pride in her gifts spoke volumes of her. She was also mesmerizing as an opponent, and she was like a deadly nightshade wrapped in black leather.
Yet she spoke of peace and did not want to behave as violently as her fire titan of an uncle did.
“What was the upri
sing about?” I asked. “Only Ignis’ desire to expand his territory?”
“Not exactly.” She rolled her eyes. “Ignis wanted to go to war with Coeus.”
“Who is Coeus?”
“Coeus the titan of intelligence and intellect,” she answered. “And like every other damn titan alive, Ignis thinks only he should be considered the smartest. That selfishness is all it took for him to desire war against Coeus. To challenge his claim on a title.”
“And is Ignis the smartest titan?” I almost chuckled.
“Of course not.” Cinis smiled. “He’s strong, but he’s not smart. He thinks the more power someone has, the more intelligent they must be. But if he is so smart, then he should know a war among titans can only end in mass bloodshed and nothing more.”
“I see,” I repeated.
I wanted to keep listening to her and learn more of her story. Sure, her deep voice was complex and intoxicating, but she also offered me more information than I could have ever gotten from the Master about this.
“I’m having trouble believing all titans can be this single-minded,” I confessed. “Shouldn’t they know better than to follow every whim?”
“Titans are the strongest beings there has ever been, and ever will be,” Cinis admitted. “But they’re mortal now that they’re no longer gods. They behave as mortals, too, and their pride in their ancestries makes them too careless. Ignis is prepared to fight for a crown that doesn’t belong to him. He does not care that in the process of doing so, he could consume the whole land. He is only focused on what is to be gained, not lost.”
“And this war could consume all the kingdoms?” I clarified.
“And all the forests,” she confirmed. “But this doesn’t matter to a titan. They have another world built in the sky, but the beings who live here on the land don’t. It is us who would die for their cause.”
“Could you not live in the sky?” I asked.
“I guess I could.” Cinis bit her lip. “Circe used to before she was banished, and they thought she was human at the time. I guess I have enough power to get accepted into the Fire Realm, but even then, I wouldn’t want to. The beings up there are narcissistic creatures who parade around in satin sheets and golden towers, but underneath the marble, gold, jewels, and chariots, there’s nothing. They are nothing more than their status, nothing more than their possessions, and I just couldn’t imagine being up there with such facetious creatures. It’s hard enough living in the vicinity of one. I am trapped where I am. If I rebel against Ignis, I will be punished with death. If I try to escape him, his plan will only continue while I live, and others die. I love the other fire beings. I could never do that to them.”
“But if you wound up dead… it could spark the war he wants.”
“Exactly,” she sighed.
The Master told me the titans had selfish egos, but I didn’t understand how much he truly meant it until I saw a teardrop of frustration fall on Cinis’ cheek. It was not a normal tear made from salt and water. Instead, it was as black as coal, and when it rolled off her chin, it turned into ash and floated to the sky.
“Thank you for your honesty,” I said as I studied the look of defeat on her pretty face. “I truly appreciate it.”
“Then will you be honest with me in turn?” she abruptly asked.
“I… suppose,” I carefully replied.
“What are your powers?” Cinis continued. “You say you are a mage, and I believe you, but I have never heard of a mage who can change their form as you did.”
“Never?” I asked uneasily. “Not even out here in the forest? Perhaps beyond this place?”
“Never,” she confirmed.
“I see,” I muttered. “Well, I am a mirror mage. As far as I know, I’m the only one within miles of Ocadia. I live with this power as a secret to enact my work efficiently and avoid any dangers that a rare power may cause if I’m found out.”
“A mirror mage?” Cinis repeated and tilted her head in curiosity. “So, you took the identity of another living human? You… mirrored his form?”
“Essentially, yes,” I said with a shrug. “It’s somewhat simple, but useful in many ways. I honestly don’t know much more about my powers, I am still learning, and like I said, I believe I am the only mage of this sort in the area. I’ve never met another.”
A small smile swept across Cinis’ face as I answered truthfully, and she wiped the last few coal-like tears away from her eyes. Then she sighed and nodded, and she hopped up off the platform with her knife in a firm grip.
I jumped back as she suddenly strolled toward me, but she smirked as I raised my sword against her.
“I have no interest in killing you,” she retorted and looked behind her to the fence opening. “You were just told to do a job, and my anger lies with Ignis. He’s the traitor who would prefer to see his own niece perish at the hands of an outsider rather than handling it himself. He is the one who values fame over family, and he is the one who shall pay for this.”
I stared in silence while Cinis readjusted her black leather bralette, and she patted down her disheveled hair. Then she turned around and approached the opening of the fence and walked out.
“Safe travels, assassin,” Cinis called without looking back.
I couldn’t help eyeing the sway of her luscious thighs as she strolled off, and her wings began to gleam an iridescent red just before she disappeared from view. Then I was left alone within the domain of the Ember Priestess, and the weight of today’s events suddenly dropped onto my shoulders.
I had come to kill a target for a crime they had no intention of committing, and for the first time in my career, I failed to follow through on an assignment,
Then there was the issue of the beautiful priestess waltzing off to apparently handle a titan on her own, and my chivalry outweighed my shock.
Before I knew it, I was jogging after the Ember Priestess, and I just hoped she didn’t have anything too feisty in mind. I ran out to the golden field, across the smoldering boulders, and finally, I walked shoulder to shoulder with Cinis.
“Where are you going exactly?” I asked the priestess.
“I have matters to attend to,” she coolly replied. “I’m sure you can figure out what I mean by that.”
I ambled onward across the smoldering fields while the heat scorched around my legs. Somehow, my boots weren’t melting, but I found myself stepping lightly just in case.
“You have to be careful,” I warned. “I know you want to retaliate against Ignis, but you need to think first.”
“Think?” she snorted.
“Yes,” I returned. “Think.”
“You think I haven’t thought about Ignis?” Cinis demanded as she turned to face me head on. “You think I don’t have his name etched into my mind? Every night, I am forced to go to sleep and dream about the being who I gave my life to for the sake of family. You think I don’t know what he is capable of, or the horrors that could spread from the confines of the Ardere?”
“No, but--” I started to say.
“Thanks to Ignis, it is worse than hell here,” Cinis interrupted. “He summons his people and tortures even them with his holy fire, all for his own amusement. Then we are meant to serve him with the utmost respect. I assure you I have thought about this extensively. I’ve thought about a life where Ignis is not in the picture, a life where I am not told I’m the weak one out of all the priestesses because I want to live peacefully. I think about a life where more than just thieving changelings come to see me, and a life where I can walk beyond these borders in fields that aren’t on fire. I could exist with nature instead of apart from it. My element is supposed to be one with nature, yet this is all I’ve ever known! So, yes, I think all the damn time, and all that thinking has made me realize everything would be better if Ignis dies.”
“If you kill him, then you will be just as bad as the rest of the gods in the sky,” I insisted. “Perhaps he deserves to die, but you have to consider the consequences ar
ound that. Some might set out to kill you for this, and others may destroy all the kingdoms without a leader like a titan around. For our sake and yours, think harder about this.”
“Says you,” she scoffed and stubbornly placed her hands on her hips.
“Yes, says me,” I defied her. “I make it my job to consider the effects of actions precisely like this one, and you would do well to take advice when it’s offered to you.”
Cinis’ freckles glowed, and black smoke filtered to the sky around her wings. Then she huffed in my face and scrunched up her nose into a scowl.
“I can handle it,” she insisted.
“I just want you to be careful,” I continued in a calmer tone. “There’s a lot at stake here.”
“Oh, like your career,” she challenged. “You’re so transparent. You’re saying all of this to cover your own ass for not killing me! Look, you seem like a decent guy, Dex, and I can respect a man for doing his job, but please, stay out of this.”
“It’s so much more than that, and you know it,” I shot back. “Kingdoms and lives are on the line. I’m not saying that killing Ignis is a bad idea, he sounds like a dangerous asshole, but planning these things takes time. I can give you assistance if you want.”
“I said, I can handle it,” she growled.
Then Cinis turned on her heels to stalk off toward the titan’s castle, and she let flames engulf her wings as she went.
“Shit,” I sighed as I watched the beautiful priestess storm away, but then I raised my voice. “Okay, just wait a moment!”
“What?” Cinis shrieked and whipped around. Her eyes glowed a warning shade of red, but I ran up to her anyway, and I shuffled my hand to the broadsword on my belt.
“Here, at least take more than just one knife with you,” I insisted.
“A simple blade will never destroy a ti--” Cinis started to say, but then she paused and pointed to a small, pronged weapon tucked between my sheaths. “Is that a throwing star?”
“Yes, but that’s hardly going to be effective,” I countered. “Not that a sword or knife will be, apparently, but weapons like a throwing star are just so--”