From Flame and Ash: An Elements of Five Romance

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  “Ah, you’re here,” Easton said, raising that dark brow of his.

  I really did not want to like him, even as he smirked at me. Oh, he might be one of the most attractive people I had ever met in my life, but he was also one of the most annoying. He always had that smirk. As if he knew something I didn’t. And because I knew that he actually did know way more than I did, it just annoyed me. It wasn’t my fault that I was a couple of hundred years younger than he was. Anybody with that much time to learn things would have a leg up. It wasn’t nice to gloat about it.

  “Oh? There she is,” one of the others in the courtyard said, grinning. Two men stood beside Easton, both with dark brown skin and darker hair. One wore a smile and leathers and a tunic similar to my own, just without the embroidery. The other had on something similar but with a leather smock over it. That male was not smiling.

  I could guess who was the grumpy weapons maker and blacksmith, and who was the not-so-grumpy healer.

  “Ah, yes, Ridley, meet Lyric, the Spirit Priestess.” Easton gestured towards him, his voice oddly formal as if he didn’t really know what to do right now either. That made me feel a little more comfortable.

  “Hi, I just go by Lyric though, if that’s okay,” I said, giving a little wave.

  Ridley came up to me and wrapped me in a hug so tight, I swore my back cracked a few times. However, it felt good in the end, so maybe he had done it on purpose. He was a healer after all, not that I actually knew if what he did was done by magic or if he was like a doctor. Rosamond’s book hadn’t been very specific about that.

  “It’s so good to finally meet you. We’ve heard all about you, of course. And from the look on your face, you haven’t heard about us. But why should you? You’ve had to focus on exactly what this whole magical world means. But, any questions you have, we’re here for you. And if my nephew tries to hurt you while you’re in training, I can hurt him back, and I can heal you. It’s sort of my job.” He winked, and his husband at his side rolled his eyes before holding out his hand.

  “I’m Justise. It’s good to meet you.” I took his hand, his firm grip squeezing my fingers ever so slightly. And though his words were gruff, I could tell that he actually meant them. So, maybe he wasn’t all that grumpy.

  “Thanks for inviting me.” I really needed to work on what I was going to say before I actually said it. I hated sounding inept.

  “We weren’t just going to let you stay there in the human realm and rot, were we?” Easton asked, buffing his nails. He really was a jerk. A very big one. With really pretty eyes.

  Of course, then I thought of Rhodes’ silver eyes, and I got a little sad. I swore Easton could tell where my thoughts had gone because his eyes narrowed and he came closer, holding out his hand.

  I looked down at it before taking it, not sure why I did, but also not wanting to offend anyone by not doing so.

  “Let me show you around a bit, and you can tell me what you’ve been doing for the past year. My uncles need to go back to work, but I wanted them to meet you. If you have any questions during training while you’re here, they’re here to help you. As are Teagan, Wyn, and even Arwin. Arwin is still in training himself, but he’s still one of the higher-ups here, and I trust him with my life—therefore, yours. I want you to learn how to deal with your elements. And that’s why you’re here. Nothing more.”

  That last bit was a very odd thing to say, but I just nodded, saying my goodbyes as the uncles walked back to where they presumably worked, Ridley leaning in to Justise’s side ever so slightly as they did. They were seriously a cute couple, and I was glad that there was at least some happiness in a world that seemed to be failing around the Maisons.

  “So, that’s why I’m here? To figure out what I’m doing?”

  “Of course. But, tell me, what have you been doing for the past year?” Easton let go of my hand when he turned the corner to move down the hall, and I wondered why I felt the loss. It wasn’t as if he were mine, after all. No one was. Not even Rhodes. Or Emory. No one.

  “I would’ve thought you’d have spies watching me or something,” I said in jest, pulling myself out of my thoughts. And now I was afraid that maybe he had put people on me. Perhaps the others had, too. It did seem highly unlikely that everyone would just leave me to my own devices while I was in the human realm.

  “I wasn’t watching you while you slept or anything,” he said as he rolled his eyes. “But, really? What were you doing?”

  “Alura was helping me train. And I read, trying to catch up and just heal while I figured out the next step.”

  “And did you figure it out? The next step?”

  “Not at all. But I guess that’s the point. I’m probably not going to figure it out until I’m already stepping.”

  “Truer words have never been said.”

  We moved over the cobblestone bridge, and I looked around, taking in the vast beauty of the Obscurité Court. It had seemed so much more somber the last time I was here, but then again, I had died. Everything had appeared a little darker.

  I was so focused on not paying attention to Easton that I tripped over my own foot and ended up slamming right into his chest. He looked down at me, raising a brow as he caught me. I growled then reached out and punched him in the chest as he laughed. I moved back to standing.

  “Oh, stop it,” I said, snapping.

  “I knew you just wanted to touch me. All you had to do was ask.”

  “You’re a jerk.”

  “Yes, I am. But I’m also the king. So, you better watch what you’re saying.”

  “You’re not my king, Easton.”

  “Ah, so Rhodes’ family is your court, then?”

  “No, I’m not from either court. Period. And you would do well to remember that.”

  “Maybe.”

  Easton studied me a minute before waving off the conversation. Then he snapped his fingers, a slight flame appearing. It looked as if he’d done it out of habit. Like he was thinking. But I knew my eyes lit up. I smiled, watching the fire. I had always liked fire.

  “You like Fire?” he asked as he doused the blaze.

  “Of course.” I breathed, unsure why I’d said the words so quickly, so I backtracked. “But then again, aren’t I supposed to have that element too at some point?”

  “Then you need to learn it.” The words sent a shiver down my spine, but I nodded. It took so much out of me to unlock an element. It wasn’t going to be easy. It never was. The other two elements I’d unlocked already had hurt, so I had a feeling this was going to hurt just as much. It likely had to.

  Rhodes had told me before that Fire was the hardest element to control. Therefore, it would probably be the hardest one to gain, as well.

  “So, Alura has been teaching you more about Earth and Air? How can she when she has neither?”

  “Do you know what element she does have?” I asked, curious.

  Easton shook his head. “Not my place to say. I probably already said too much, but then again, I always do.”

  No, he usually said just enough to annoy me. Well, fine then.

  I spread out my fingers, feeling the earth beneath me, and I rumbled it just slightly. Easton’s eyes lit up, and he did the same with his Earth Wielding. It was weird, mixing our elements together and using just one Wielding. I had never done that before, but I liked it.

  “You’re better than you used to be. Alura’s teaching you well.”

  “Well, that one does seem easier to me, though I still can’t like do waves of dirt and all that.” I had seen the Earth pirates and sentries move rocks, boulders, and hills of dirt with just their Wielding. I might be better than I was, but I was nowhere near that level of proficiency.

  Easton nodded. “We can help you with that. Once you figure out the basics, it’s just putting it all together over time. And you’re good with Air, too?” I nodded, pushing at him just slightly with my Wielding. He didn’t take a step back, but he did smile. “Oh, I can see you’re tough with it.�
��

  I narrowed my eyes. “I’ve always wanted to try something.” And then I focused on him, letting the Wielding slide from my shoulders and move down my arms and through my fingertips. The Air slid under him, lifting him up ever so slightly.

  Easton’s eyes widened, and he threw back his head and laughed. “Now that’s a good one, little one. Can you make me do spins?”

  I shook my head, laughing with him as I lowered him to his feet.

  “If I did that, I’d probably end up bashing your head in, and that’s not something I really want to do.” I paused. “At least not at the moment. Treason and all.”

  “Well, I’m grateful for that. Training begins tomorrow. The uncles will probably begin with you. I have things to do.”

  “So, you’re not going to be in charge of my training?” I asked, still a little confused as to why I was here. With him. Alone.

  A strange look covered his face, and he shook his head. “I’m king now. I have other things to do. My people will help you. And maybe then you can help us.”

  There wasn’t much to say after that. After all, it had been my fault that his mother died, my fault that he was now king. And I still didn’t know how I was supposed to save everyone. I could barely save myself.

  So, without words, he walked me back to the castle as the sun set around us, then led me to my room. He still didn’t speak as I closed the door behind me without even saying goodbye to him.

  Braelynn was already in the suite, obviously having come back from her trip with Wyn, though I didn’t know when. And though I was hungry, I knew I couldn’t eat. Not when I was so confused. Not when I missed all the things I’d once had, everything I knew I couldn’t have again.

  And so, I lay in bed, willing myself to at least go to sleep or wait for the next part to come. Braelynn jumped into my lap, purring as I tried to hold myself together. I didn’t know what was coming next, but I knew what I missed. I missed silver eyes. Missed when things had just been about a crush on a boy and me finding myself. I’d already found a part of myself, but I didn’t know what it all meant.

  And there was more to come. There always was. And now it seemed Easton would be part of it, at least in the periphery.

  And I still had no idea how I felt about that.

  Chapter Six

  When they told me I would be training, I had thought about using the sword that had impaled me, going into some kind of medieval or Viking sparring where I would sweat and cry and maybe even bleed. I had pictured going through every motion, trying to fight for my life and learning how to use weapons that were not just my elements.

  I remembered Luken, Rhodes’ best friend and fellow warrior. He had used his sword and his Air Wielding together as if they were one. He’d sent his Wielding along the sword as a way to direct where he needed to send his magic and where he needed to fight.

  I knew he also used the sword against the Danes who were just as strong as he was, using weapons that they could hold because they didn’t have the Wielding within their bodies.

  So, when Easton and the others had said it was time to train, that is what had come to mind.

  Me wearing battle leathers and trying to fight for my life as I learned how to build muscle and use weapons that I had never held before.

  I suppressed a shiver.

  Oh, I’d held a sword before. Now that I thought about it, I had picked it up from the ground, bloody and still warm, after it had slid from my body and from Easton’s hands when he used it against the knight. I’d used it to block the magic that the knight had sent to me directly from the crystal. The power that had ripped Braelynn open, killing her, and had done the same to the queen.

  Braelynn hadn’t had enough magic within her body, even though she had been a Dane, and had burned to a crisp, turning to ash and blowing away before she came back later as a cat.

  Rosamond still hadn’t told me exactly how that had occurred.

  Queen Cameo had had enough magic within her system to not fade away completely into dust. So, she had died, but she hadn’t turned to ash. Her body had lain there, lifeless.

  So, I had held the sword and pulled it towards my body to protect myself from the blast of energy and magic. And then I had pointed it towards the knight, directing all of that Wielding from the crystal back at him.

  And it had killed him.

  So, yes, I had held a sword before. But it didn’t appear I would be holding one today.

  “So, we’re not going to do any actual Wielding?” I asked, my voice a little soft as I sat with Ridley in the middle of the garden area.

  I had slept horribly the night before. Dreams of what had happened the last time I was here mixing with the last time I had seen Emory writhing on the floor with such anger in her eyes. I had dreamt of Rhodes reaching out to me but never able to catch me. And I dreamt of Easton, smirking at me but then giving me weird looks that I didn’t understand.

  I felt like I didn’t understand a lot these days, and that stood in the way of me becoming who I needed to be, what I needed to focus on. Because every time I took two steps forward to find my destiny, something pushed me three steps back, making me even more confused.

  Wyn had woken me early that morning, taking me down to the mess hall where many of the warriors were eating their breakfast before they went out to their various training sessions or sentry duties. I didn’t really know what everybody did, but I would hopefully learn soon. It wasn’t like I was trying to learn the ins and outs of the court security system, but I wanted to know how things worked. Apparently, these were my people. At least, some of them. And that meant I wanted to know who they were and how they worked. How they lived.

  I could barely function in the human world, though it seemed there had been a reason for that. I didn’t have a true purpose. I hadn’t had one until I came here.

  I wanted to know exactly what it meant to be part of the Maison realm, even as broken as it was.

  But I had no idea where to start.

  I’d sat between Arwin and Teagan across the table from Wyn as I dug into my breakfast, trying to enjoy the food even though it all just felt and tasted like sawdust in my mouth. I’d been a little worried about what my training would be and what I would have to face. Nothing I had faced before had been easy. After breakfast, the three warriors had gone on their way, and Ridley had come to get me, taking me to the center of the courtyard but in a different part of the castle where there wasn’t anyone around.

  It was almost like a garden.

  It was calming, soothing. I sat on the ground, my legs crossed. Ridley did the same directly in front of me, and I wondered what I was doing.

  “I’m not going to be the one to teach you to fight. There are others to do that. But you also have to train your mind. Because Wielding is within you. You have to understand exactly what parts of you breathe in that element in order for you to use it.”

  I swallowed hard and nodded. “I guess that makes sense.”

  “It’ll make more sense once you learn more. I know that you were thrust into this whole situation far faster than you could have dreamed. Or rather, I guess faster than we dreamed. I don’t suppose you dreamt of anything like this.”

  I didn’t say anything for a moment, then, without even meaning to, I told him more than I had anyone before.

  “Actually, the dreams were the only thing I had before at all. I dreamt of standing between five elements, in the middle of the five directions. I dreamt of standing at the center of a clock where all the numbers seemed to shadow me, wanting me to go in different directions. I dreamt of the Negs and so many other demonic things.” I paused. “At least, I thought they were demonic. But I guess maybe they were the absence of everything?”

  Ridley’s eyes widened before he nodded. “Have you told anyone else about these dreams?”

  “I don’t think so.” My words were soft, and I realized that they were true. I hadn’t really told anybody about the details of my dreams before. And I honestly didn�
�t know why I had told Ridley just then. But maybe it was because I needed a connection between when I thought I was just human and lost to where I was now, still just as lost but in a completely new landscape where I felt as if I were falling behind again.

  “I don’t know what they mean, but they have to mean something I guess.”

  “Dreams can mean anything that we need them to mean, or they can just be something to set us on the right path. Sometimes, I dream that I’m lost and trying to find my way out of something or somewhere, and it’s only because I had a bad day, or I had a fight with the one I love. Or maybe because I couldn’t heal the way I needed to and someone was hurting because I wasn’t strong enough. Dreams can be manifestations, or they can just be dreams.”

  “Mine never really felt like just dreams.” I swallowed hard, remembering waking up in a ball, covered in sweat and having to wash my sheets over and over again because I dreamt so vividly that I felt like I was actually there.

  “Later, when you know me a bit more, I’d like you to tell me more about this dream. If you want. I’m not a healer of the mind or the soul. I’m a healer of the body. But I can try to help. If you’ll let me.”

  I just sat there silently, not knowing if there was really anything I could say to that. Because I didn’t know Ridley. Not yet. I didn’t even know Easton or the others. I was here because something had drawn me to this court, and the warriors had been the ones there for me on the other side when I needed a place to go.

  But I didn’t know these people, not really, and I didn’t know if I was ready to share everything that was in my heart. I wasn’t sure I could share everything that made up my deepest fear.

  Maybe one day. Someday I might find some people that I could actually trust with everything that I was.

  “Okay, for now, that’s enough of that. I want you to close your eyes and focus. I want you to think about what it means to be a Wielder.”

  “What if I don’t know what that is?” I asked, not realizing I was going to voice the words until they were out of my mouth.