Book of One 04: A Child of Fire

by Baker, Jordan

  "Then they will come to you," she told him. "You have used a very dangerous power in the domain of the Ansari, and that will not be ignored, but I believe they will wish to help you understand your power and find the truth within you."

  "So, I can either go meet your people or they will come and find me," Aaron said. "What if I just leave? I could just disappear. I know how to do that now."

  "Aaron," she said. "I know of these magics, but they have little effect to Ansari. We see things that others do not. When we fought at Forsina, your power was hidden, but I could see much of what you were."

  "You knew?"

  "Yes, of course. I see many things."

  "Why didn't you say anything about it?"

  "It was not my question to ask," she told him. "You did not use your power. You fought with only a sword, and were able to match me in the circle. That was enough for you to earn my respect for you as a warrior."

  Aaron sighed. It seemed like everyone knew more about him than he did. It was aggravating not to know such things and he wondered if maybe he should have stayed on the pirate island and taken the time to learn from the two mages, Stavros and Zachary, and Ehlena as well, who somehow knew all kinds of things.

  "What will happen if I go with you to meet the Ansari?"

  "There are many things you would learn," she said. "You may even come to know Ansari, which would be a rare thing for one who is not of the desert."

  "But from the sounds of it, because I used that fire magic, the Ansari might not be too pleased to see me," Aaron pointed out.

  "Whether my people are pleased or displeased will depend on you. Ansari will not judge you without first learning about you, but it would be better if you came to the desert of your own decision."

  "It doesn't sound like I have much choice."

  "Choice is often less a matter of what, than it is a matter of how," Kasha said. "Would you like to know Ansari?"

  "I don't really know what you mean by that, but I suppose I am curious," Aaron replied. "And it sound like I am likely to meet them either way, whether I wish to or not."

  "That you are," she said then she turned and saw the young servant girl pushing her way through the door and carrying a large tray.

  Tash set the tray down on the table and poured two cups of wine from a decanter then took a sip from each of the cups and handed them to Aaron and Kasha. Aaron had learned that it was the custom in Ba'shan in the finer establishments, that the person who served a drink would taste it first, to show that it had not been poisoned. He did not like the idea of Tash being the first to potentially be poisoned, but he had also learned not to argue customs with the people of the desert, particularly the women, who he was learning were very strong willed.

  "Thank you, Tash," Aaron said. She smiled and nodded, then looked over at Lexi's unconscious form.

  "Would you like me to tend to her?" Tash glanced at Kasha then back at Aaron. "I am sure you must have many important things to talk about. If you wish privacy, I will not listen."

  "It's fine, Tash," Aaron said. "If you would like to help with Lexi, then I would be grateful. I should ask though, will you require another copper coin?"

  "No," Tash said. "While the glorious champion and king of the arena is here in this room, I will not require payment of any kind. It is my honor to provide for your comfort, great Kasha."

  "You are very well mannered," Kasha said. "Tash, is it?"

  "Thank you, yes."

  "You are an interesting child. Do you aspire to fight in the circles?"

  "Yes, I do."

  Kasha stepped toward Tash then took her chin in her hand and looked directly into her eyes.

  "Fascinating," she said then she let go of the girl's face and turned to Aaron. "You have an interesting habit of drawing people to you, even though you continue to take great pains to remain hidden. The twisted lines of power that surrounded you before, was it some sort of punishment set upon you by the mages of your land?"

  "I still don't understand how you could see the ward," Aaron said. "You said the Ansari can see such things. Does that mean you are a mage?

  "No," Kasha said with a laugh. "I am not what you would call a mage. I am Ansari."

  "I would really like to know what that means," Aaron said.

  "Soon," she told him. "We will walk the sands, and there you may come to know Ansari. My people will surely wish to know you."

  "I cannot leave until this girl, Lexi has recovered," Aaron told her.

  Kasha turned and looked at the unconscious lizard girl for a moment.

  "I am curious. Do you wish to mate with her?" she asked.

  Tash had gone to the bedside and was soaking the cloth that had been on Lexi's forehead in the fresh basin of water, but she glanced over at Kasha with red cheeks at the woman's question. Aaron's face flushed red as well.

  "No," he said, frowning with frustration.

  Most of his thoughts with regards to anything to do with mating were about Kasha and it was strange that she would suggest such a thing about the lizard girl, though the way she said it, Aaron did not think she sounded jealous. He was not sure what she was trying to say and all he really knew was that he was confused. "I did not even think about such a thing. She is hurt and sick from the potion the traders forced on her, and she needed help, so I helped her. That's all."

  "I see," Kasha said. "I understand why you entered the circle and why there is so much unrest among the registers and the traders. The traders use these potions with many fighters, but such arrangements must be entered freely and with very clear agreements. It is not the Ansari way to enslave others. The traders have made a grave offense and the registers may be afraid for having allowed a slave to fight in the circles. You must bring this girl to the desert also. She will be of interest to Ansari."

  "If she recovers, I would not force her to go anywhere if she did not want to," Aaron said.

  "Of course," Kasha said with a smile, pleased at his words. "You continue to prove to me that I made the right choice at Forsina. It is pleasing to me, to call you husband."

  "You are mated?" Tash gasped, then she turned back to the lizard girl and folded the cloth on her forehead, regretting her outburst.

  Kasha smiled and took a small sip of her wine then she put it back on the tray.

  "Young Tash, that is something that is not yet known, even to Ansari," Kasha said, looking at the girl with a strange expression. "I believe you are trustworthy in such matters, even if there is no coin on offer, which is why I have spoken of this in your presence."

  "Yes," Tash said. "Such private matters, my ears do not hear them."

  "No," Kasha said. "You hear such things, and you may know them, but you will not speak of them unless I say."

  "Yes, Kasha," Tash replied, looking at the woman and meeting her eyes.

  "That will be your first test," Kasha said. "If you are to come to the desert, you will need to show yourself to be true of purpose and worthy of trust."

  "You would take me to the desert?" Tash blurted out, almost shouting with excitement then she cleared her throat and tilted her head in a small bow. "I would be honored to walk the sands."

  "I don't understand," Aaron said. "You want me to go to the desert, to meet the Ansari, and now you want to bring Lexi and Tash as well?"

  "Yes," Kasha said. "It is very curious that you have attracted such individuals into your domain, and very fortunate." Kasha stepped closer to Lexi and leaned over and gently touched the lizard girl's cheek. "She is awake now."

  "Water," Lexi whispered, her voice small and dry.

  Tash jumped to her feet and fetched a cup from the tray, poured some water in it and took a sip then brought it over to the bed. Kasha took the cup and held it to Lexi's dry, cracked lips. She swallowed the cool clear liquid that ran down her throat then coughed and spluttered, spitting it out over her naked chest. She knocked the cup away and it fell to the floor with a clatter. Lexi's eyes were like dark slits, barely open, but the glare in them
turned to Kasha, who put her hand on her chest and held her firmly in place. Lexi hissed and slashed at the warrior woman with her sharp fingernails, even cutting her arms and drawing blood, but she could not move. Tash ran and hid behind Aaron, who stepped toward the bed, but he stopped when Kasha spoke.

  "It is fine," she said. "Let her rage flow. It is not anger and there are no true thoughts behind this."

  "Let me go," Lexi growled. "Give me the water."

  "She wants the potion," Aaron said.

  "No," Kasha told her. "You do not need it. I can feel how strong you are, but you do not use your power. Do you wish to die?"

  "Let me go!" Lexi struggled to get free but she could not move even though Kasha held her down with only one hand.

  "I have asked you a simple question," Kasha said. "Do you wish to die? Or do you wish to live?"

  "I don't care. Just let me go. Give me the water!"

  "Do you wish to die or do you wish to live?" Kasha repeated, and her eyes flashed golden for a brief moment.

  Lexi stopped thrashing and stared at her, defiant at first, but her aggression began to fade and her lips quivered. She slumped back onto the bed and looked away from Kasha's eyes and stared up at the ceiling.

  "I don't know," she said, and blue liquid tears gathered in the corners of her eyes and ran slowly down the sides of her face.

  "That is an honest answer," Kasha said and she lifted her hand from Lexi's chest. He touched her finger to one of Lexi's tears and tasted it then spat on the floor as she turned to Aaron and Tash, who were looking on. "This is a very powerful magic, see how the poison runs from her." She looked back to Lexi. "There is much of it within her, too much, I fear, for her to expel and she will die if the poison is not taken from her body."

  "How?" Aaron asked. "The healers said they could do no more. Do you know of another way?"

  "I do," Kasha said, tasting the poison tears that lingered on her tongue. "It is possible but I am unable to do such at thing at this moment, but perhaps there is another way."

  "If there is, then it is worth trying, " Aaron said.

  "It is not without risk," Kasha told him. "You have magic, that much I can see, and you have enough knowledge to work with lines of power the mages use so it is possible that I might teach you this. It will mean taking some of the poison into you, but you are strong, and you may be able to burn it with your fire, though you must be careful not to use too much of your power."

  "Show me," Aaron said.

  "Come, then," Kasha said. "Rest your hand upon mine."

  Aaron did as she asked and Kasha placed her hand upon Lexi's chest once again. Aaron was surprised to feel the hum of power in Kasha's hand, something he had not felt when they had been together in Forsina. Kasha was a greater mystery that he had imagined and he wondered what else about her remained hidden beneath her surface.

  "What do I do now?" Aaron asked.

  "I will draw the poison into my hand and you will draw it into yours. It is an elemental power of water, which you possess though I can see you have little experience with it. It is overpowered by the elemental fire that burns very brightly within you, so you must try to look past the flames and find that power instead." Kasha thought about how best to explain. "Think of the steam that rises from a kettle or a boiling pot that has already been moved away from the fire. Feel the heat of the water as it becomes one with the air. Now, do you feel the warmth of my hand, the blood in my veins, the sweat that rises from my skin?"

  Aaron had closed his eyes and he listened to Kasha's words, letting the sound of her voice guide him as he reached out with his thoughts and his power, feeling the raging fire flare within him, but looking past it, letting it subside, focusing on the things she described.

  "I feel it," Aaron told her.

  "Now take the water that has risen from my skin and now wets the palm of your hand and allow it to flow into you. Draw it in gently."

  Aaron focused on her hand and felt the wetness that had gathered between them and he drew upon his power, opening a flow that pulled her sweat into the skin of his palm.

  "Gently," Kasha said in a low voice. Aaron realized he was pulling too hard and tasted the iron of her blood as his power drew more than just water from her skin. He slowed his breathing and let go of all but a little of his power. "That is better."

  "Did I hurt you?" Aaron asked.

  "Only a little and I can heal that very easily. Shall we continue?"

  "Yes," Aaron said.

  "It may be confusing when the poison enters you. You will feel its effects. It will affect your thoughts and it will make you want it. Remain steady and calm."

  "I will," Aaron said.

  "Then let it flow a little more."

  Aaron increased his power slightly and tasted a hint of iron again and he backed it off a touch, realizing that he had found the threshold of how much power was helpful and how much would be harmful. He felt Kasha's power begin to hum in unison with his own and a moment later he tasted it, the sweet cool blue of the poison. He recognized it at once, having tasted it on the tip of his finger when the healers had been trying to wean Lexi from it. This was stronger, more concentrated, almost like a syrup and Aaron wondered how much of the potion the traders had given the lizard girl, but his thoughts were interrupted when he felt its power run through his body and gather behind his eyes. The world shifted to a bluish tint and Aaron felt the elation of the potion, the rejuvenating sensation it gave and he felt its soporific effect begin to cloud his mind.

  "Very good," Kasha said. "Now touch your fire, but only a little, just like you did with the water."

  Aaron reached for the river of fire that burned within him and tried to gather only the smallest amount. It was difficult since the fire wanted to flow within him and it burned so brightly it was nearly blinding to his thoughts, but he pushed it back and allowed only the smallest stream to flow to the surface.

  "Send the fire to the blue of the potion that flows within you," she said and Aaron did as she instructed and he felt the poison begin to burn away. He suddenly felt angry and wanted to let go of his fire and float upon the glowing blue ocean that had infected his mind but he heard Kasha's voice cut through his thoughts. "Do not stop burning the blue."

  Her voice resounded in his mind and he realized she had not spoken aloud. It was similar to his magical conversations with Ariana, though tinted with warmer colors and a powerful sensuality that was far beyond anything he had shared with the princess. He refocused himself on the fire and the blue liquid that now began to burn away as he continued to draw the poison from Kasha's hand. After a short time, Aaron began to feel nauseous and his body started to ache as though he was bruised everywhere, even in his bones, and he began to wonder how much more of the feeling he could take.

  "It is enough," Kasha said, finally. She could tell that Aaron was nearly overcome by the strain and the effects of the poison. "Take no more of the blue, but burn the rest of it that flows within you."

  Aaron did what she told him and he felt almost a sense of longing as he stopped taking the blue liquid that flowed from Lexi through Kasha's hand and into his. He focused on burning the rest of it from his body and his vision began to clear again as the blue tint faded, but he became dizzy and felt his stomach begin to turn. Unable to take it anymore, Aaron rose from the side of the bed and ran over to the corner of the room as the bile rose in his throat. He felt his stomach churn, violently now, and he bent over and vomited on the floor. Thick, black liquid that was almost like tar spewed from his mouth and spattered into a pool on the floor. It tasted sickly sweet upon his tongue and Aaron spit the rest of it out but its cloying scent clung to the insides of his mouth and permeated his nose.

  Disoriented, he began to crawl toward the tray, gasping for water but Tash was already there and she brought a cup to his lips. Aaron took the clean liquid into his mouth, swirled it around then turned to the side and spat it on the floor. The dizziness began to fade and he took the cup from the girl
and rinsed his mouth out again.

  "Thank you, Tash," he said and rose to his feet. He saw Kasha sitting at the edge of the bed where Lexi lay with her eyes still closed, but he could tell that she was breathing more peacefully now.

  "She sleeps," she told him. "Much of the poison still flows within her, but we have taken enough of it that her body will deal with what remains. It will not be easy for her until all of it is gone, which will take some time."

  "We can take more," Aaron said, eager to taste the blue once more even though his stomach turned at the though of it and he was surprised at how powerful its effect was. Still, it would be better if they could completely heal the girl. "Why not remove it all?"

  "The risk it too great," Kasha told him. "Though you have burned it with your fire, you will feel the effects of the potion. Any more and you will face the same struggle that she does. This girl is very strong, and her body is far more resistant to the liquid than yours. I think that is why they gave her so much of it."

  "Kasha," Aaron said, seeing the wisdom on her face and knowing that she spoke the truth. "Thank you for helping her."

  "I have been but a guide in this," Kasha said. "You are the one who has helped her. It is curious that you would do such a thing, but I have glimpsed a little of your mind and I know there is much about you that I do not understand."

  "There is much about me that I don't even understand," Aaron said.

  "In the desert you will learn many things," she told him. "I think you will come to know Ansari."

  "When the girl wakes and is able to rise," Aaron said. "Then I will go with you. If she wishes, she can come as well, but I will not force her, not after what has been done to her by those Ansari traders."

  "Those traders are not Ansari," Kasha said, her voice sharpening slightly. "They are desert people, they are of the desert, of Ansara, but they are not Ansari. You will know the difference when you know Ansari."

  "I hope so," Aaron said.

  Kasha smiled at him, aware of the immense power that flowed within him, and she wondered what her people might think of him. Aaron was powerful and she could tell that his heart was truly honorable, a good choice for a husband in many ways, but she also glimpsed a sliver of darkness deep within him that worried her, and she hoped that the truth of Ansari would help him understand who he truly was, that he would not be a threat to the world. And she hoped that her people would also understand this and help him, though she also knew that they might not see things as she did, and that possibility concerned her deeply.