Ashes (The Firebird Trilogy Book 1)

by Stephanie Harbon

  “Kieran,” I called and his pace eventually slowed, then stopped as he sat down on a large boulder. He opened the little box, took a tiny amount of the substance onto his hand and pushed the box back into his pocket.

  I stared at him, confused and a little frightened, “Kieran, what are you doing?”

  “What does it look like?” he muttered. Taking a piece of the thin paper he filled it with line of the mossy substance, proceeding to roll the paper around it like tobacco. Once he was finished he looked at me, wondering, “You can’t snap-fire can you?”

  I frowned at him in confusion, “What?”

  “You know,” he said impatiently, “Snap your fingers and spark a flame.”

  I just stared at him.

  “Right,” he sighed, “You are a seriously crap Firebird.”

  He felt around in all his pockets looking, I assumed, for some sort of lighter. He seemed surprised to find a match in his pocket, but he shrugged and struck it against the boulder, lighting the rollup. He raised it to his lips, breathing in the smoke deeply then opening his mouth slightly to let the smoke play about his lips.

  He seemed to relax almost immediately. He exhaled, seeming to shrink into himself.

  “What is that?” I asked, frowning.

  He looked at me but didn’t seem to focus actually on me, “A drug.”

  “Well I gathered that,” I glared. “I didn’t know you took drugs.”

  “Well why do you think I had such a problem being chased after by drug lords in Manchester?” he laughed arrogantly, like I was foolish not to have known.

  “You told me it was because you slept with one of their wives,” I said irritably.

  “I did,” he answered, taking another drag. The smoke smelt of dirt and ice. It was a strange combination of scents. “But that was only because one of them shot me. I was going to pay them eventually. People have no patience these days.”

  “What is it?” I asked warily.

  “A bit like cannabis but much stronger; it helps me relax,” he explained. “That’s why I got in trouble; I was trying to find something strong enough for my body.”

  I didn’t know what to think, I was too exhausted to question it now. Instead I sat down on the floor next to the boulder. The ground was damp but soft and I leaned back into the rock; closing my eyes. When I opened them Kieran had finished smoking and sank down beside me.

  His whole body was relaxed, his breathing low and steady, such a contrast to earlier. It was a shame that it took a drug to make him feel so comfortable. Though to be fair, I couldn’t say much about it, I knew absolutely nothing about it or why he took it. I wouldn’t say anything for now. Not if it didn’t seem to harm him. He was watching the night sky.

  “I’m sorry about earlier,” he uttered eventually, still not removing his eyes from the incandescent heavens. “I just hate feeling like I do when I see you, your blood pouring onto my hands, knowing I need to save you. And knowing I shouldn’t.”

  I looked at him in shock, “Surely it’s a good thing you want to save my life?”

  He looked at me. “Not here. It’s classed as High Treason. You’ve seen the Wall…” he shuddered, “but if I was there when you were attacked I could have prevented it; there’s no law against that.”

  “You couldn’t have helped, Kieran, even if you were there. It happened too fast.”

  He placed a large hand against the boulder, blocking a flash of green lichen with his long, slender fingers. “I wouldn’t have let him walk away,” he muttered darkly; his lovely face suddenly volatile. “Crawl away maybe; but not walk.”

  “He said he’d come back for me.” I cringed.

  He turned to look at me seriously, “You need to tell me exactly what happened.” The chips of emerald in his eyes flickered with something deep and impenetrable.

  I grimaced, but knew he needed to know. He would know what to do. I fidgeted uncomfortably, running my hands through my tangled red locks, all plastered unattractively to my head with sweat from the heat of the bonfire. Kieran didn’t even seem to notice. My eyes were fully accustomed to the scarce light now and I saw everything as perfectly as I would do normally.

  Finally, I began to describe what happened this afternoon. He instantaneously adopted that serious business-like demeanour and shot questions at me like I was being interrogated for attacking someone. He wanted to know what the man looked like, getting stroppy when all I could tell him was that he had red eyes. Then he asked me what he had said. I told him about what he’d said about my father, about an army or something in the mountains. He didn’t sound happy about that either.

  “Lynk’s planning something?” Kieran murmured, more to himself than me, as he vigorously paced in front of me. “But what? He practically controls the whole of Forenna with the High Council backing him.”

  I shrugged unhelpfully.

  “We need to find out more,” he continued, suddenly turning to look at me with realisation. “You.”

  “What about me?” I croaked wearily.

  “He’s going to train your voice, isn’t he? So you’re ready for the Festival.”

  I nodded slowly, unwilling to know the direction of his thoughts.

  “You could get him to talk.”

  “Yeah, right, “I scoffed.

  “I think you could.”

  My eyes widened, “I don’t even know him,” I protested. “Plus he doesn’t trust me. It was only earlier when he was saying how I ‘must learn my place’.” I frowned.

  Kieran shook his head, eyes calculating, “True, but he’s still your father whether you like it or not.” Then his expression became sad. “And he doesn’t want you badly injured because he thinks he may still be able to use you; it was obvious by the way he agreed to let me take your punishment. That’s why he made that Council member ask you to sing at the Winter Festival; he wants to see how powerful you are.

  “If you could convince him that it was your mother who stole you away from him, and that you never wanted to leave, you could get him to trust you. Then, once he trusts you, he’ll tell you things…” he trailed off thoughtfully.

  My mouth was gaping open, “Kieran…” I spoke with my eyes, I couldn’t do this.

  Suddenly he stopped pacing and swiftly sat on the edge of the rock.

  His emerald eyes were intense and uncharacteristically serious. “Ruby,” he pronounced my name with a purposeful clarity. “This is important, if he’s forming an army it’s really bad news. It means he’s planning something. He already has the High Council pretty much in his control; just imagine what he could do with an army. We need your help,” then his voice lowered roughly, “I need your help.”

  “I can’t…” I began.

  “Ruby, I remember what he was like; a true believer in Fire supremacy. If he’s planning on war, it’ll be pro-segregation. You’ll be my enemy, and you won’t see Chara, Nik, Ebony or anyone of Earth. You don’t want that do you? You don’t want to be responsible for separating my kind even further; of having people killed, just because you were too afraid to lie to your father?”

  I looked down at the ground. He was right.

  “I’ll think of something,” I surrendered eventually.

  “Don’t worry, my plans always work.” He assured me boastfully. “And even if they don’t, I’m incredibly adaptable.”

  I rolled my eyes and he took that as confirmation.

  “So what’s the deal with Jayson then,” I wondered.

  Kieran glanced at me, his face automatically shutting off. “Like I said earlier it’s nothing to do with you.”

  That irritated me, so I continued questioning, “But you were-“

  He interrupted me before I finished, “Drop it Ruby.”

  I pulled a face, was quiet for a moment, and then continued nevertheless, “But what about those people? Who were they?”

  “The older guy used to be my boss,” Kieran muttered, closing his eyes.

  “Were you really an assassin?” I ask
ed curiously, unsure how I felt about that.

  Kieran opened his fierce eyes, glaring at me, “You’re not going to let this go are you?” When I shook my head and smiled, he sighed again; more exasperated. “Yes, I used to kill for money or drugs. It’s what I’m good at. It’s not an uncommon or even illegal practice here. That guy I hit for indirectly works for Council Members. I killed mostly criminals, rapists, murderers; generally really bad people.”

  I picked up on the word ‘generally’ and grimaced, “But not always?”

  “No,” he answered, his eyes suddenly haunted, “not always.”

  “So I’m going to be trained like an assassin.” I said, bemused at the thought.

  “No,” Kieran said. “You are going to be trained so it’s less likely you’ll be killed by an assassin.”

  “Why aren’t you training me?”

  “I’ve split open those scars on my back when I flew earlier. I need to wait for them to heal as much as I can,” he informed me. “But that will take longer than it will for you to be attacked again.”

  I took a deep breath, “Is it always like this here? So violent; so dangerous?”

  “The most beautiful time to be alive is during the height of war and death,” Kieran quoted. I’d never heard the quote before but it made sense; in a way. He glanced at me, “How’s your neck?”

  “Hurts,” I admitted.

  “Can I look?” he asked.

  I nodded, lifting my chin so he could see the long ugly scar that cut across my neck; just another mark to join the other’s I’d gained over the past few days. His fingers gently probed along; he was very close. Too close for comfort. The fever on my skin intensified dramatically as I felt his hot breath flutter against my neck, I shivered. His silky hair tickled. I winced at a sensitive spot.

  He looked up and told me it was looking good, though I didn’t believe him. He met my eyes and held them in his, mesmerising me into immobility. God, I hate it when he looks at me like that. The whole world seems to stop spinning for a perfect moment. I felt a strange sensation that I had never felt before, a sudden rush of warmth spread through me. My heart picked up speed almost instantaneously as I looked at Kieran. His nose nearly touched mine. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think.

  Then he suddenly stood up and backed away from me.

  “We better head back,” he muttered awkwardly.

  “Yeah,” I murmured, equally uncomfortable.

  We headed back in silence, a good few feet distancing us as we walked. I felt confused by my own body. What had that been all about?

  We headed back over to the main party, which was now in full swing, despite its lack of supposed host. Lynk was nowhere to be seen however Chara, Bris and Ebony were right in the middle of the dance floor. I smiled at them and they waved, gesturing me over. After a brief hesitation I did, but Kieran carried on. To be honest I was glad to get away from the awkward tension.

  They were standing under an unroofed area. The stars twinkled above; the moon was huge and silvery. Intermittently, soundless fireworks exploded in the sky like a shower of vibrant colour. Powerful lights filtered through large gemstones above us, casting multi-coloured spotlights over a swarm of bodies. People moved together like shoals of fish, perfectly in time to the music. The music here was completely different, almost tribal from the booming drums.

  Impulsively, I drew towards the crowd, soon becoming part of it. Somebody passed me a shot of something ominous, the girls took one each too and I downed it thoughtlessly; the nasty concoction burned my throat. Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have drunk whatever it was in that glass.

  It was hot, the air unavoidably thick and sweaty, but the atmosphere eclectic and alive. It was too loud to talk, only dance, which we did, though we received confused or suspicious glances. I assumed they were wondering why we were dancing together as members of opposing tribes. I ignored them. They should mind their own business.

  It wasn’t long before I had to sit down; the other’s joined me, sitting on one of those circular seating areas. I lay down, my head resting on a pillow. The others were talking immediately; girlish giggling conversations obviously provoked by lashings of alcohol. They talked about men, hotly discussing sex and who I should be paired up with. I laughed as they pointed out people in the crowd, choosing mostly gingers.

  “Nope,” I said as they guessed my ‘type’. I actually didn’t think I had one.

  Briseis was grinning manically, “I bet you like the blonde ones, I saw you chatting with that one earlier.”

  “You mean Jayson?” I asked, feeling a little too giggly,

  “I’m not sure, he looks a bit surfer-ish. I think I prefer someone a little edgier. What’s the deal with him and Kieran, anyway?”

  Chara took a swig of what looked like champagne then frowned, over animatedly, “It’s not just Kieran; it’s Adrian too. All three of them used to be good friends.”

  “So what happened?” I wondered curiously.

  “I’m not sure,” Chara answered, “I knew Jayson told Lynk that we were planning to leave the Island, but I never understood why. I don’t get it either,” she pondered, “why the Council didn’t punish us for those deaths. I hardly think they could have forgotten.” She frowned, puzzled.

  “Is that why so many people were after us the night we left?” Briseis wondered, “Because some boy told on us? Aw, man; that sucks; loads were killed that night.”

  “There’s more to it than that though,” Ebony said. “Something happened way before that, between Jayson and Adrian, I remember when Adrian came to me the night before you left. He was in a right state; never seen him so upset.”

  “I don’t think even Kieran knows what happened that night,” Chara said thoughtfully, swirling around her champagne in her glass. “I remember too,” she said to Ebony. “They must have had a really massive fight or something.”

  “Maybe that’s why Jayson did it,” I said, “Just in a moment of anger.”

  “Humm,” Briseis mused, “Who knows?”

  “Hey, speaking of…” Chara said, glancing over to her right where, sure enough Jayson was standing talking with some friends, acting completely normal. Like nothing had happened earlier with Kieran.

  “What do you make of him?” I wondered to the girls, I still wasn’t certain.

  “I don’t know,” Chara replied. “But he’s sure good-looking! You know, if you’re into blondes.” She winked at me.

  I frowned, feeling slightly dizzy after I took another swig of my own sparkling drink.

  “Aren’t you bothered about what he did?”

  “I don’t know the whole story,” she shrugged. “I can’t make any judgment until we know why. We’ve all made mistakes.” She had a point, to be fair.

  “Of course,” Briseis sighed. “No one could beat the divinity of Kieran’s ass.”

  I sputtered as I laughed, Chara too, but Ebony pulled a face, “That’s my brother you’re talking about.”

  Chara grinned cheekily, shaking out her long dark brown hair. “Which one?” she said jokingly. “She’s had both.”

  I stared at Briseis, but her face was unreadable except for a smug twist of her lips, “What can I say? Ashaiks do it and do it well.”

  Ebony clapped her hands over her ears, grimacing. “I don’t want to hear this.”

  Chara laughed, “Careful Ebbs; she’ll be after you next.”

  I noticed Jayson looking my way as we all laughed. He smiled cutely. I retaliated with a dopey grin; to be honest mostly influenced by the alcohol bubbling in my veins. He broke away from his friends and gestured towards the dancing, a question in his eyes. Chara nudged me forwards, noticing my distraction.

  “Go on,” she urged, grinning.

  I shrugged and got up, heading back into the electricity of the dance floor, to the beat of drums, walking with Jayson. The alcohol buzzed in my body, making me dizzy. I could smell it on him too; he’d obviously had more than me.

  But soon Jayson was getting t
oo close for comfort; his hands running along my exposed body. He pulled me in closer when I didn’t protest, moving his hands down my bare thighs. I looked up, but he misconstrued my response, thinking that I’d lifted my chin to kiss him; which I definitely didn’t. He pressed his hot lips against mine roughly. I moved to shove him back, but my hands got caught in between our bodies. I tried to pull back but his hold tightened. I tried to tell him to get the hell off, but my words were muffled and unrecognisable.

  Then, to my relief, he was yanked off me and I could breathe again.

  My rescuer came in the form of Nik.

  I looked gratefully at him, and he nodded to his right. I followed his line of vision, to see Kieran leaning against the wall, watching me. His expression was terrifying; he was glaring poisonously at Jayson. His broad shoulders rose and fell rapidly. I could only imagine what he was thinking. He turned and started walking away with great effort.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The celebrations ended pretty soon after that, well for us at least. Chara had soon consumed far too much to drink and was extremely ill, all over poor unsuspecting Nik. We headed home quickly. The party had lost its exciting edge and I didn’t see Lynk again. Kieran had mysteriously disappeared also.

  Back at Ebony’s I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t know why. Briseis seemed to have drifted off almost immediately. As I waited for sleep, the great obsidian atmosphere of night swelled closer, suffocating any light that attempted to filter through the curtains. My mind was drifting in a dreamy haze, but my body was frantically awake.

  Suddenly I heard an angry shout outside.

  Something triggered deep in my cells, compelling me to look through the cloaked glass windows that concealed the outside world. I struggled with my blankets trapping layers, then stumbled to my feet, idly wondering why I wasn’t still tucked up in bed, other than the nagging feeling that my attacker had returned.