Terrick Abney stood near the main registration desk. Kate met his eyes, and he nodded to her. For a moment, she thought of asking him if she could enter the line nearer the front, but she thought better of it. If she tried to use her influence as a duke’s daughter to do something as simple as cutting in line, it would show a bad attitude. Everyone in the Order was the same rank when they entered. Promotion was earned on merit. She would not make herself look like a privileged snob.
She waved to the captain and followed the line until she reached the end. Not surprisingly, almost all of the people waiting to test were men. There were but a handful of women, and none as young as she, as far as she could tell. No matter. She could best anyone in the line in combat. Dante had told her so, and she believed him.
Once settled, Kate had nothing to do but to scan the area. Honestly, it looked like one of the annual festivals. Wandering peddlers sold food, trinkets, even fake weapons for children. Some had set up booths and seemed to be doing a brisk business.
And there were revelers, the type of people Kate knew took every opportunity to drink and shirk whatever work they should be doing. They laughed and made noise and generally enjoyed themselves. The trials were serious, but for these people, it was another opportunity to forget their day-to-day lives. She didn’t really agree with the mentality, but she supposed she understood it. Let them have their fun.
A few of them had brought instruments. While they were not as good as the minstrels at parties she had been to, the tune lightened her step a bit as she got into line.
“A talisman for you, my lady?” a raspy voice said. “It will guarantee that you pass the test without fail and will protect you once you begin your service.”
“Really?” She eyed him carefully. He was a nondescript man with a kind face. He looked like someone’s favorite uncle. She knew he was a crook, though. “How is it that you have come by such talismans, good sir?”
“Alas, it is a sad tale. My aged mother was a celebrated craftswoman in her youth, making items for nobles and royalty alike. Age has taken its toll, however, sapping her strength and taking her eyesight. She makes but a few each year now, not with the speed necessary for her former employers to maintain her services.”
“It is a lucky thing she has produced them in time for the Festival of the Test,” Kate said.
“Truly. For just one single gold coin, one of these rare pieces of magic may be yours, and your childhood dreams of being inducted into the Order are guaranteed.”
“I’m afraid I have not brought my purse with me,” she said. “I thank you for your consideration, however. I will have to pass the trial like all others, by my strength and skill alone.”
“Good luck to you, then, milady. We will meet again before you reach the end of the line. If you change your mind, I will save an amulet for you.”
“Thank you, sir, but that is unnecessary.”
He moved off, pitching his wares to others in the line. Kate shook her head.
The crowd seemed to vibrate. Small pockets of people standing around began to mutter; then the sound and activity grew until the buzz was loud enough to drown out the words of people standing nearby Kate. The source became clear when Captain Terrick Abney navigated the five steps up to the stage. He raised his hands, and conversation gradually died out until the area was more silent than a square with thousands of people should have been.
“Good morning to all those desiring to join the Order and to those who bear witness,” he said in a voice that easily carried far enough to reach Kate. She had no doubt it made it to the end of the line as well, which had filled in so that she was in the approximate middle.
“As you know, the test is performed every three years and is surrounded by the Festival of the Test. I don’t have to tell anyone here of the importance of these activities. But I will.”
Several people in the audience laughed. The captain continued.
“Seven hundred ninety-seven years ago, our forefathers found the gate to Hell on the Promethean Plateau. Historians disagree on how long it had been there.
“Five years from discovery, it opened for the first time, spewing only a handful of demons. They attacked the small settlement that had been established there to study the gate, wiping them out, all but a young man who escaped unnoticed.
“As the histories tell us, he made the long journey, barely surviving, all the way to the king of Brasea, the young kingdom that was exploring the surrounding lands. The king sent his best warriors and mages—for magic was more abundant during that time—to the gate. They found that the demons were strong and difficult to kill. And that they now knew there were humans on the other side. Ones they could feed upon.
“So was the Order of the Fire born. From that core group has descended Tellusian’s finest army, their sole purpose to keep back the forces of Hell when the gate opens.
“Nearly seven thousand strong, the Order opens up its rolls every three years, hoping to attract the best and the strongest to continue the great tradition. Candidates are tested for suitability, and those who are accepted join the Order of the Fire. They go through extensive training, which some cannot complete, before they are sorted into the different commands according to the contributions they can make to the Order.
“By far, the majority of members of the Order are of the Red Command, the combat units. These soldiers stand shoulder-to-shoulder against the onslaught of demons whenever the gate opens.
“Being a member of the Order is a time-honored profession, and those who retire with more than twenty years’ service receive rewards commensurate with the level of their service. This includes a pension, land, or even titles for certain colors. Pardon me, I meant commands. We of the Order normally refer to them simply as colors, but some—mostly those outside the Order itself—believe that shows a certain disrespect.
“Lest we forget, the Order’s purpose is to combat the forces issuing from Hell. It is a fine calling, honorable, but hard. I welcome all the fine candidates I see lined up before me and commend you on your honor, sense of sacrifice, and commitment. We will get started now. Thank you for your patience and for your potential service. I hope to see you in the Order!”
Some scattered clapping echoed in the courtyard, but it was the same speech given every time there was a test. Most people had heard it several times before, and not one of the people present, especially the children, didn’t know about the Order.
The test, on the other hand, was still a mystery. One she hoped to crack shortly.
5
More than an hour and a half later, Kate finally reached the registration table. She gave her name and was instructed not to say anything about the trial. She signed a piece of parchment that the man told her used a bit of magic to make the prohibition from talking about the trial binding. He sent her to another line in front of a small building. There were seven people there before her, but at least she had finished the first step.
As she waited, she scrutinized the others around her. There was nothing especially interesting about the others in line with her, though one man seemed much too pretty to spend his life with sword and shield.
The man at the desk, like the others she had seen, wore the livery of the Order of the Fire. Not a uniform, but livery—a long, red-orange tunic with a flame in front of an ornate gate embroidered on the breast.
Then it was her turn.
“Step inside,” the man sitting at the desk next to the door said. She did so. A woman at another desk sat in the otherwise empty room.
“Take off all your clothes,” she said, not even bothering to look up from the parchment in front of her.
“I beg your pardon?” Kate said.
“Your clothes. Take them off. All of them.”
Kate’s face flushed, and she swallowed hard to try to make the lump in her throat go away. She knew she couldn’t argue with those giving the test. Maybe it was a way to see if she could take orders. She would have to do it.
In no tim
e, her clothes were in a pile on the floor and she stood there, the cold air coming in from underneath the door pebbling her skin with goose bumps. She tried not to think about other effects the temperature had on her, instead focusing on the woman.
She was fairly young, probably in her mid to late twenties, with her fine, sand-colored hair put up in a loose, messy bun sitting on the back of her head. Her eyes, once they raised from her paperwork, were crystal blue and radiated intensity.
The woman stood up and stepped far too close for comfort. She seemed to scan every inch of Kate’s body, leaning forward, almost touching her, to get a better look. She walked around Kate, inspecting her the entire time. Never once did the woman touch her, though.
“Very well,” the woman said. “You may dress. When you are finished, go through the other door, there.”
Kate was so out of sorts that she hadn’t even realized there was another door. She dressed quickly and went through it. She was outside before it occurred to her that she didn’t know what the woman looked like. She chided herself for being so nervous that she forgot to pay attention. Dante would have pummeled her for such a stupid mistake. She vowed to do better, if she got the chance.
Another man in Order livery directed her to yet another door and the room beyond. When she entered, she surveyed the room carefully this time. A tall, thin man stood on a sled off to one side. There were also stone weights on the sled platform. The chamber was empty otherwise.
“Push me to the other side of the room,” he said without greeting or preamble.
“Push you…to the other side of the room?” she repeated.
“Yes.”
Kate blew out a breath, walked over to him, grabbed his tunic, and pulled him down from the sled. Once he was on the floor, she pushed him until he was against the wall on the other side of the room.
He chuckled, his long mustaches bristling. “Well, that’s a first. I suppose you could do it that way, but the actual task is to push me while I’m on the sled.”
“Oh,” Kate said, putting a hand to her mouth. “I’m so sorry. I’m a bit nervous.”
“It’s no great matter. You did follow my command to the word. I shall have to change the way I state it in the future. For now, though, the sled please.” He walked back to the sled and stepped onto it.
Between the heavy sled itself, the stone weights, and the man, Kate grunted and strained to push it across the stone floor. She did it, though, huffing and puffing but moving it steadily forward.
When she reached the other wall, her legs were hot and felt like overcooked noodles, but she had done it.
“That will do,” the man said, smiling at her. “Good luck with the rest of the trial.”
The next stage of the trial seemed to be backing up. There were more than a half dozen people waiting around for that part of the test. Kate slipped in behind the last one and waited silently.
“I tell you, I passed,” one man said to another, reaching up to move some of his unkempt hair out of his eyes. “The man stared at me for several minutes, inspecting every part of me. I mean every part. He looked impressed and told me to go on. I passed with best marks, I guarantee. And they said this testing stuff was hard.”
“I don’t think we’re done yet,” the other man answered. “If all they do is look at us naked, then why are so many rejected every time testing is done?”
“Because they’re just not as perfect as me, of course.”
Kate kept her face as neutral as possible, but she wanted to laugh out loud. She wasn’t sure exactly why everyone was inspected so carefully, but she was sure that wasn’t even really part of the test. She expected more difficult things ahead.
As she waited, Kate listened to the others conversing as the number ahead of her slowly dwindled and those behind her increased in number. When it was finally her turn, she was languid and wanted only a nap, or a good sparring session.
The room she entered was similar to the last one. The walls were each only about eight feet in length and the room had two doors, the one she came in and another identical to it on the other side. In the middle of the room sat a woman at a plain table.
“Sit down, please,” she said, giving Kate a weary smile. The woman wasn’t nearly old enough, but she reminded Kate of the midwife in the city, a kindly woman who would work herself to death to help others. Kate felt a pang that the woman looked so tired. And it was still early in the trial day.
Kate did as she was told and sat, with back straight and shoulders back, looking at the woman.
The woman didn’t move but sat there staring back. It almost seemed like something was going on behind her hazel eyes. Not thought or analysis, exactly, but something.
After two minutes, Kate had small beads of sweat on her forehead and her left foot started twitching. Was the woman going to say anything? Was Kate supposed to say something? What was she supposed to do?
Finally, when Kate thought she would be able to tolerate it no more, the woman reached down to a bag on the floor and withdrew a stick with a pale purple stone attached to the end.
At first, Kate thought the woman was going to hit her with it, but she relaxed when the tester waved it slowly over Kate’s head and around her body. It never touched her but was within a few inches of her at all times.
Several more minutes of that, and the woman put the stick down and let out a sigh. The woman’s eyes seemed even more tired than before.
“You may leave now through the other door,” the woman said.
Kate wanted to ask what had just happened, but they had been told not to ask questions. Instead, she got up and headed toward the door.
“Thank you,” she said as she left. The woman’s eyes flared briefly. Kate figured people did not normally thank her for her part in the testing. It was only good manners.
One more part done, Kate moved on to the next step in her testing. There were fewer people in the area now, for some reason, so the woman wearing the livery directed her to step through the next door without delay.
Again, the room Kate entered was small, with room only for a chair and small table, at which sat yet another man in livery. Beyond him were two other doors. One was the same type of sturdy wooden door with iron bindings as the one she had just come through. The other looked to be made entirely of iron.
“Do you want to continue or stop the testing?” he asked her. His voice was calm and soft, almost a whisper.
“Why would I stop?” she said. “I came here for testing.”
“If you continue on, you will see something. It cannot be unseen, and it may affect the rest of your life.”
Kate wondered at her choice. What could be behind the door that would cause them to ask her such a question? Something that could not be unseen. What could be so horrible? She thought on it a moment longer, while the man patiently waited.
“I will continue on,” she said firmly.
“Very well. Good luck. You may go through the iron door. You must wait in the room until the door on the other side opens to allow you to leave.”
She scanned his face as if she were going to memorize it. His grey eyes held no emotion. “Thank you,” she said to him and went through yet another door.
The room beyond was larger than the others. It must have been twenty feet to each wall. There was another closed iron door directly across from the one she came in, but she barely noticed it. The larger part of the room was occupied by a massive shape, squarish and covered with a thick canvas cloth attached to a rope that went up into the ceiling.
Kate waited, but nothing happened. The sound of something, some type of scratching, reached her ears from under the tarp. She walked right up to it and began to circle the shape to see if anything could be seen under the thick material. It covered whatever was under there completely. Should she lift the cloth and peek? Would she fail the test if she did?
Kill.
Kate stopped immediately, stone still. She didn’t even breathe. Had she heard something? She w
asn’t sure.
Kill. Destroy. Eat.
She spun, looking behind her. She could have sworn she heard voices, or at least a voice.
Die. Kill. Eat. Destroy. Free.
“Who is that?” Kate said to the empty air. “Who is talking?” What kind of test was this?
Kill. Die. Eat. Kill. Destroy. Fire. FREE ME.
Her head. The voice was speaking directly into her head. She pushed her hands against her ears to squeeze the sound out. It didn’t help.
Kill. Die. Eat. Fire. Destroy. Set me free and you can share. You can eat. Kill. Destroy.
“No!” she yelled at the air. “Get out of my head. You’re not real.”
The rope twitched, and the tarp flew up to the ceiling, revealing a cage with thick bars. A glimmer of red caught her eye, and she noticed three small, red stones affixed to the frame, flashing in the dim light.
She stepped back with a gasp when her eyes finally lay upon the dark form in the cage. It was large, probably seven feet tall if it had been standing upright. Human-shaped, but definitely not human, the thing’s grotesque form was covered with what looked like rotting leather, bumpy and striated with lesions and boils scattered across it. The monster’s face was a sick parody of a human’s: sharp, angular features with large black eyes from which evil seemed to seep. They looked at her as she tried to come to grips with what was in front of her.
The demon—for she knew that was what it was—tilted its head as it looked at her, its horns scraping one of the bars with a rasp like the sharpening of a sword against a whetstone. It moved one clawed hand toward her, and the voice exploded in her head again.
Die. Kill. Free. Work with me and you will be rewarded. Set me free.
She stepped back yet again and closed her eyes. The voice continued to penetrate her skull, threatening to rip her sanity from her.
Kate took one deep breath and recalled Dante telling her that she must always remain calm. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and sweat was streaming down her forehead, trickling down her back between her shoulder blades. It felt like she was in a physical contest, pushing and pulling, becoming more and more exhausted.
Order of the Fire Box Set Page 4