Embrace the Fire (27 page)

Kinna shook her head. “You're making too much of this. I am heir by a birth accident only, and I don't feel that such an accident necessarily prepares me to assume a throne.” Her breath hitched when Ayden caught her hand, interlacing his fingers with hers.

“You doubt yourself too much,” he whispered.

Warmth spread through Kinna's chest. “Do you think I can do it?” She desperately needed his encouragement. What she hoped to do was monumental; she didn't know if she'd have the strength to push through on her own.

A heavy silence coated them, and then, “Do I think you can do it?” Ayden's hands curled around her face, and the warmth of his body enfolded her. “Kinna, you can do anything you set your mind to.”

The quiet was a quivering pulse-beat between them, loaded and full. Kinna knew it was coming; there was nothing else for them to do but join their lips, opening, searching, and exploring. Ayden was warm and solid and real, and his touch set her on fire.

“Kinna,” he murmured, pulling back and tracing a fiery trail along her collarbone. His hand wrapped around the back of her neck before pulling her firmly against him again.

Familiar fear choked Kinna. To her absolute surprise and dismay, she slipped her fingers between their faces, pressing them to his lips, interrupting the kiss.

“Ayden, wait.”

“What?” Fear thickened his voice—fear of what she might say, perhaps. Icy chill pressed her skin beneath his hands, and she gasped. Ayden pulled his hands back, staring at them. “That's never happened before.”

“What is it?” Kinna touched his hand, pulling it into her clasp. His skin was as heated as it had been for months.

“I don't know.” Ayden's fingers wrapped around Kinna's hand, pulling her forward.

Kinna turned her head as he lowered his lips to hers again. “I—I can't.”

Ayden's breath released in an angry snort. “It's Julian, isn't it?”

Two tears swelled in Alayne's eyes, blurring her vision of Ayden. “Yes. No. It—it's my father. Ayden, he's Sebastian's prisoner, chained in his dungeons beneath The Crossings. Julian sent a letter to my mother soon after the Tournament, informing her that Sebastian had declared that if I should break our betrothal, he would kill my father.”

All color fled Ayden's face. His silver eyes flashed in the dim light of the cave. “Why didn't you tell me?” he whispered.

Kinna dashed her hand across her eyes. “I—know you and Julian are—I know you both love—I just didn't want to bring you any more pain.”

Ayden still stared at her, thunderstruck.

Kinna turned away, bitterness at the situation spiraling through her. “And I owe him everything, Ayden. He—he saved my life in the woods, when I was stabbed. He used Sage to heal my dagger wound. I'm—I'm alive because of him. Maybe I don't love him, but how can I betray him when I owe him my life?”

Ayden's hands ignited suddenly. He held one close to her, and the light sharpened the angles and planes in his own face.

He said nothing, but his silver eyes blazed. The muscle in his jaw tightened and loosened. After a moment, he pried his lips open. “Julian saved your life.” It was not a question.

Kinna stared at him helplessly. “Yes.”

“
Julian
saved your life,” he repeated.

“Yes!” Kinna snapped. “You can stop repeating it.” She couldn't understand the disbelief she saw in his expression, the almost animal rage. She'd known he hated the fact that Julian was her betrothed, but she'd never seen this before.

Ayden's brittle smile hurt her. It was a small, tight curve of his lips with no humor in it. “Well, let's get you back to your betrothed then, shall we? I'm sure he's worried. As he said, he saved your life. What a tragedy it would be if he weren't around to save you a second time while you roam the wilds of Lismaria.”

Kinna's jaw dropped as Ayden stalked toward the Dragons and the entrance to the cave. “Ayden, what is the matter with you?”

Ayden didn't pause or answer. He hoisted himself onto Luasa's back. The Dragon looked at Kinna grumpily, hissing when she approached. Chennuh nipped Luasa's neck, and the she-Dragon snorted at him.

Kinna reached Luasa's flank. Ayden's closed expression did not invite more conversation. She sighed, smoothing the Dragon's heated scales. “What about Cedric?”

“What about him?”

“We haven't found him yet—”

“He's not along the Silver Rush between here and the Channel. We can check farther up, but it may take more time and effort than we have if you are to travel with Julian's Division.” Kinna opened her mouth to argue, but Ayden cut her off. “If you want to begin the coup for Sebastian's throne, then you'll need to get some inside help from one of Sebastian's own Council.”

“Wh—who?”

Ayden turned back and smiled. This time, the bitterness was shaded and less obvious.

“I might know of someone.”

“What about the Siren?”

“I'll leave her a knife. She can cut her own bonds after we leave.”

C
hennuh and Luasa
had moved along the banks of the Silver Rush three fieldspans before the river bed rose to level with its banks, and the water slowed to a calm flow. There was no sign of Cedric or the encampment from which he'd disappeared, and Kinna was beginning to lose hope.

A shout startled her. “Kinna!”

Julian's dark form strode toward her through the woods. Behind him, Sage waited for him on the back of his horse.

Kinna glanced at Ayden. His jaw was tight, his eyes narrowed as he watched the Pixiedimn approach.

“Kinna, where were you?” He gestured to the horse and Sage as he drew closer. “I looked all over the beaches for you, but you'd disappeared.” His eyebrows knit, and anger emanated from his hands where they curled into fists at his side. “The Division is moving along the neighboring ridge with the rest of the army, but Sage and I have been combing the mountains, looking for you for at least an hour. What possessed you to leave my protection?”

When he reached her, he didn't stop walking. He grabbed her hand and pulled her farther along the river, out of Ayden's hearing. Ayden didn't look at them. He remained, his back stiff, on Luasa.

Julian dropped her hand when they were far enough away. He strode from her, his hand running through his thick, dark hair, before returning again.

“
What
was the purpose of leaving?”

Kinna played nervously with her braid. “I—had something I needed to do.”

“You were
supposed
to wait near my horse until we were ready to leave. I looked everywhere for you! When I couldn't find you, I wondered if you had been taken by Erlane's men.”

“Why would Erlane's men want me? Sebastian's the only one who seeks me.”

“Why would—they
want
you because you are Aarkan's heir, or did you forget?”

“No, I haven't forgotten,” Kinna fired back, “but lest you forget, I also have a brother, who shares the same blood I do.”

“It doesn't mean that you are safe, simply because your brother is out there, too.” Julian stopped and took a deep breath. “Kinna, you were supposed to stay with me so I could keep you safe,
especially
in Sebastian's army. Don't you know how terrified I was when I couldn't find you?”

“You assured me that I was safe
in Sebastian's army
,” Kinna shot back.

“Only because I was there to protect you!
Not
when you go wandering off to who-knows-where!”

They stared at each other, the air between them rife with tension. Kinna shoved back her irritation. She tried to hold back, but a sentence still leaked out. “I'm not bound to you yet, Julian.”

He flinched, and his dark eyes narrowed as he drew closer. “Not in the sense that there is a chain binding you to me. But we
are
bound; we've been closer than siblings through childhood, and now, King Sebastian has betrothed us. If you break that, your father dies.” He stopped, his hands resting on her shoulders, his eyes intent on her face. “Do you really want that, Kinna?”

Fury lashed Kinna, followed swiftly by helplessness. How dare he remind her of her father's fate unless she remained entangled in this engagement! But what could she do? Any effort to break it off would end in Tristan's death.

An internal war raged. The last year had not been for nothing; as her time in the Rues with Ayden had progressed and as she'd fled from the King all these months, she'd learned a little of who she was and the fire that flowed through her spirit. She
wanted
to break the betrothal, shout the truth of her feelings for Ayden, and erase the bitterness that spiked his silver eyes.

But she was too afraid. She couldn't be responsible for her father's death, she
couldn't
, and there was an end to it. She
had
to marry Julian to save Tristan's life.

Before she could answer him, he sighed and dropped his hands. “I'm sending you home, Kinna.”

It stunned her. “What?”

“I'm sending you home, back to your mother, back to the Pixie Glades. It's not safe for you here. If we find Cedric in the battlefield, I'll send him to you as well.”

Kinna slammed her fist into the tree behind her. “I'm not going home, Julian. First of all, do you remember how we left it? People are frightened, hungry, and impoverished. Sebastian has taxed the heart out of them to pay for this war he's waging. I don't even know if my mother remains in the Glades. I'd have no place to go, Julian.”

“You can go give them hope, then,” Julian said. Ayden's words from earlier that day washed over her.
Kinna, you are hope. You are inspiration.

“
No
, Julian.”

“
Yes
, Kinna. You obviously can't come with the army—”

“And why not?”

“You can't follow the accursed orders, now, can you?” Julian thundered. “You were ordered to wait in camp. You broke that. Now, I'm ordering you to go home. Get on your Dragon and leave!” His nostrils flared. Kinna glared at him.

Julian pulled in several sharp breaths, squeezing his eyes closed. When he reopened them, he brushed a hand over her cheek, moving close and kissing her forehead. “I love you, Kinna.” He squeezed her hands briefly and was gone.

“He wasn't wrong, you know.” Ayden's voice whipped Kinna's head around. He slid from Luasa's back, his hand resting on the Dragon's scales. “You wanted to go back.”

“Yes, but after I found Cedric.”

“Leave Cedric to me,” Ayden said. “I'll find him. I promise.”

Kinna licked her lips to tell him she could find her own brother, but Ayden interrupted her. “In the meantime, I want you to come meet Commander Jerrus.”

“Who is Commander Jerrus?” Kinna asked.

“An excellent question.”

A
yden led
the way along the river to where the trees gapped and the sky spread above them. “Jerrus wants to meet with you up there. See that stony outcropping?” He pointed. “If you take Chennuh to the crest north of us, Jerrus waits at the treeline.”

Kinna pulled Chennuh down to climb on his back, but Ayden remained standing. She raised her brows. “Aren't you coming?”

Ayden shook his head. “Linc must have followed Julian.” He gestured behind Kinna.

The Pixie appeared between two trees and approached, dodging Chennuh as the Dragon snapped playfully at him. He scrambled away, scowling. “I'll make a Dragon filet out of you yet,” he threatened.

Flames left Chennuh's mouth, singeing the ground where Lincoln had stood only a moment before.

“Chennuh,” Kinna reproved.

The Dragon swung his head around, slowly lowering it until his muzzle touched the ground. Kinna crossed the open space and scratched between his nostrils. “I know you like that, you beggar.” She leaned down to kiss his scales.

Ayden's mouth tightened as the late afternoon sun kindled her hair. He swallowed his longing against a dry throat. “The Stars guide you and keep you, Kinna.” The common parting blessing stuck, coming out more roughly than he intended. He back-stepped toward Luasa.

“Please, Ayden, please come with us.”

Ayden's emotions raged inside of him. Half of him wanted to leave and never see her again. If she believed Julian had healed her in the woods, she deserved the wretched Pixiedimn and his lies. The other half remembered the chord of fear in her voice when she spoke of her father in Sebastian's dungeons.

His gaze moved back to her. Her beauty stabbed him yet again, along with the urge to help her, despite his jealousy, despite her insistence on honoring the ill-favored betrothal.

Spawn.

Had Kinna told Julian about her hope to ignite a rebellion against Sebastian? Would Julian support that? Ayden no longer trusted the Pixiedimn.

“Please?” Kinna's voice had a catch in it that he just couldn't resist.

“All right,” Ayden heard himself say. “But only through the talk with Jerrus. Then I'm off.”

“Where will you go?”

Ayden shrugged. “You said you wanted to find Cedric. Jerrus has excused me from my position in the army; I will begin searching for him.”

Her face flushed, with pleasure, he thought—or hoped—but he wasn't sure. “Shall we go?” He turned for Luasa, but Kinna stopped him again.

“Thank you.” Profound simplicity wove her words.

“For what?”

“For—seeing what is important to me and—and helping. It means a lot.”

Ayden nodded in a single jerk and scrambled onto Luasa's back, settling between her familiar fins. She snorted a fireball at his boots, which he'd once thought showed her irritation, but after
psuche
, he knew it was a sign of affection.

Kinna had pulled Lincoln onto Chennuh's back, the Pixie protesting the whole way, and now the Dragon beat its heavy wings, lifting into the air. Luasa followed, nosing the wind and sliding into the air-stream behind Chennuh, angling toward the rocky outcropping where Jerrus waited.

The rocks were even larger than they appeared from afar. A massive, fifty-span rock wall dropped into trees on the forest floor, and on top of the cliff, a small clearing led into the woods again.

Chennuh landed first, scrabbling his talons on the stony edges to slow his momentum. Ayden guided Luasa to land beside her mate. Her footing was surer than Chennuh's.

Ayden slid from Luasa's back, motioning for her to lower her head. She did, and he quickly twisted the topmost fin. She completely disappeared. Kinna, following his example, did the same. Lincoln shuddered as he hit the ground. “Someday, Kinna, please just travel by land.” He paused with a sideways glance where the Dragons stood, invisible. “You've stopped my heart a few times too many.”

“Buck up, Pixie,” Ayden muttered good-naturedly as he passed him. “This way, Kinna.”

“How do you know where to find him?”

“Prior arrangements. When he lectured me for desertion, he also let me go with the understanding that I was to bring you here.”

“I don't understand. What does he want with me?”

“You'll see.” Ayden brushed by her. “I think you'll find it interesting, at least.” He hoped, at any rate, that she might consider the Commander's strategic proposal.

Kinna cocked her head, her eyes narrowing. “All right, lead the way,” she said. The three of them entered the cover of the deep, dark boughs. This high on the mountain, the trees felt older, more mysterious, and magic seemed to coat the depths of the forest and the leaves.

They wended along needle-rich carpets until they rounded a bend where a spring bubbled from a circle of moss-covered rocks. A man sat on the stones, poking a stick into the spring. A Dryad leaned against a nearby tree, talking to him.

When they moved into the man's line of sight, the Dryad quickly slid inside the tree, and the man nodded. His heavy brown mustache drooped over his lips, and his hair was slicked back, wet with water or grease or both. Emblazoned on his mantle was West Ashwynd's red and gold crest, and Commander's stripes underlined the symbol.

“Commander,” Ayden saluted.

Jerrus stood. “Ayden, lad, it's good to see you here. I thought you were off?”

“Yes, Commander, I was, but Kinna asked me to accompany her.”

“Ah.” He smiled at Kinna. “And what a beautiful woman asks, she usually receives.”

Kinna's eyes flashed. “What did you want with me?” Ice coated her words.

Ayden hid a smile. The Commander should have known better.

Jerrus sketched a bow. “Apologies. I meant no offense.” He gestured to the rocks. “Will you have a seat, my lady?”

Kinna sank onto a rock, her back stiff as a rod. The Commander stood in front of her, his arms folded.

“Where is his entourage?” Lincoln whispered to Ayden. “Surely, a Commander wouldn't come here alone.”

Ayden shook his head. “I don't believe he wants Sebastian to know about this meeting.” He nodded at the Dryad who leaned against his tree. “He invited only those he trusts.”

Jerrus smoothed his mustache. “I understand that you have a plan, my lady.”

“A plan?”

“Perhaps I am being too direct.” Jerrus paced away, his hands clasped behind his back. After a moment, he turned to face her again. “I have heard there is someone, or someones, who might be interested in reinstating the old kingdom and the old ways.”

“Aarkan's kingdom?” Kinna asked. “My—Liam's kingdom?”

“That name is treasonous, my lady, and best not used in either Lismaria or West Ashwynd.”

“I see.” Kinna toyed with her cloak. “Then what would you say to such a person, if there were one?”

“I would say that if that person cared about history, if that person were a symbol of the hope to end tyranny, if that person were willing to lead the people into peace—long, long sought-after peace, I would say that I would do everything in my power to help such a person, and,” he crouched before Kinna, looking her directly in the eye, “as a member of Sebastian's military Council, I can tell you, I have a good bit of sway in the government.”

He glanced back at Ayden with a significant look. “I'm also not alone.”

“What do you mean? Is the King's entire government against him?”

Jerrus shook his head. “Not everyone. Many feed like parasites on the power he gives them, and they mistakenly believe that he will continue to favor them if they maintain their loyalty.” He frowned. “Not I. I have seen his about-faces too often to expect that he will stay in one frame of mind.” He went on. “I understand from my spies that you plan to find your brother?”

Ayden leaned against a nearby tree, crossing his arms, appreciating the view of Kinna as she took the measure of the Commander.

“Yes, but...” Kinna motioned to Ayden, and Jerrus turned to him.

“I've suggested, Commander, that she return to West Ashwynd, and gather those willing to begin to give hope where she can, and to organize in Sebastian's absence. It is a prime opportunity with Sebastian's forces cut in half.” Ayden glanced at Kinna, sliding his brows up in question. Oddly enough, he didn't know what she'd chosen to do. Normally, he understood her better than she understood herself, but she'd been especially distant since the Oracle's prophecy.

Jerrus nodded. “It's a good plan, my lady. Sebastian did not leave many of those loyal to him behind. The ones he trusts the most, he keeps the closest. The leftovers in his castle, I think, can be persuaded.”

Jerrus motioned to the Dryad in his tree. The lad stepped forward with a slight bow. “Commander?”

“Have you word on the whereabouts of the Dragon-Master?”

The Dryad looked uncomfortable. “I'm not supposed to say; the trees punish us if we give too much information—”

“Just tell me—is the boy with Nicholas Erlane?”

The Dryad stroked the bark of his tree. Indecision flickered in his eyes. After a moment, he nodded. “Aye, my lord, he arrived at the castle and has been contained inside.”

Kinna sucked in a sharp breath, and Ayden pushed away from his tree. “What do you mean? Is he a prisoner? Does Nicholas Erlane keep him in his dungeons?”

The Dryad glanced at Ayden before swinging his gaze to Kinna. “I cannot say.” Without another word, he disappeared into his tree.

Ayden straightened. “I will go seek out the Dragon-Master, Commander. If a coup is truly to happen, Kinna and Cedric will need to join together.”

“Aye, I agree.” Jerrus nodded. “Liam's twins, a symbol of hope together. I doubt if many of those loyal to the King will hold back with both of his bloodline ready to take West Ashwynd. It is not a coup, but rather, a restoration.”

“Perhaps they can restore Lismaria as well,” Lincoln ventured. “The country is theirs by rights.”

Jerrus pinned the Pixie with a flinty gaze. “Not Lismaria. And we will leave it at that.”

An insidious dread crept into Ayden's mind. He'd known that Jerrus did not love Sebastian. But he did not know whom the Commander truly served. That last comment troubled him.

Jerrus turned to Kinna. “In the meantime, get what start you can on gathering support among the Dimn and creatures of West Ashwynd. I will stay with Sebastian and will send word of any movement he makes.”

“Are you the only one—who feels this way?” Kinna asked the Commander. “Within Sebastian's inner Council, I mean?”

“I dare not say, my lady, although I regret denying you anything you ask of me. There is too much at stake to bandy about careless words.”

The Commander bowed and left the clearing. Ayden turned to go, but Kinna's voice interrupted him. “I guess it's goodbye for a time, then.”

Ayden halted. “So it seems.”

The light filtering through the forest leaves and across her hair gave her the appearance of a wood sprite or a fairy. The color was high in her cheeks and she tried to speak, twice, but both times, the words died on her lips.

Fire twisted in Ayden's fingers; it seemed to feed from his heart, and instead of raging out of control, feeding on his fears, it leaped in time to every emotion that passed through him. His heart was alive with fire for her. He stifled it and nodded to Lincoln.

“Take care of her,” he told the Pixie.

“I do my best.” Lincoln held out a hand, and Ayden gripped the Pixie's forearm firmly. “She's no longer solely my responsibility.”

Ayden's brows arched in surprise. “What do you mean?”

“I should think it was obvious,” Linc chided with a half-grin.

Of course, it was. Ayden's heart belonged to Kinna, along with his allegiance and any protection he could offer her. His love was not nearly enough. When she became queen, he would fade into memory—a man who had once touched her heart, leaving an impression of a dream and nothing more. But he would always serve her.

Pain lanced his chest as he faced Kinna. “Good-bye, Your Grace.” He swept a low bow before striding through the woods toward the rock ledge and Luasa, pulling himself onto her back. The she-Dragon knew what was coming—she always did—and while a large part of her protested leaving her mate, she willingly lifted into the air, carrying him into the brilliant blue of the sky.

He left his heart behind on the ground.

T
he wind was cold
, and Ayden inched farther up Luasa's neck to the fin at the top. He twisted it, turning both of them completely invisible, and clung to the heated scales as Luasa carried him over the highest peaks of the Marron Mountains. The land creased in deep ridges and steep drops into the heart of the valley below where the massive castle lay.

He had never visited ClarenVale when he lived in Lismaria as a boy, but he'd heard tales of the enormous gates, the huge turrets, and the sheer size. A city lived within ClarenVale's walls—walls that were spans thick and lengths high, nearly impenetrable to enemies.

Ayden wondered,
How under the Stars does Sebastian think he will conquer it?

“Let's not go down just yet, Luasa.” The sun had begun to set on the horizon, and the pink of dusk made the mountains glow in the glare from its gold. It was quiet and cold, but Ayden's inner warmth and Luasa's heated scales beneath him made it bearable.

Ayden sprawled close to her tail where her fins were fewer and smaller, his limbs hanging down on either side of her, his chin propped on the scaly ridge that lined her back.

Sadness swept through Luasa, so strong, it hit Ayden like a punch in the gut. The Dragon missed her mate and fought the urge to turn west to him.

“I know,” Ayden murmured. “I miss them, too.”

A flash of fire jolted him upright, and he moved forward until he straddled Luasa's neck again. He strained to see in the gathering darkness, searching the castle below, the turrets and parapets, the battlements that lined the fortress walls.

There it was again. It came from what looked like a typical Dragon-training arena, open to the air above, with tethered Dragons flying. The one that had caught his attention was an Ember who flew in and out of an overhang, appearing in the night air and then disappearing beneath the stonework. Even as high as Ayden was, he could still hear the heavy clank of chains around the beast's legs.