Fireblood (40 page)

Xander officially assumed the throne, providing evidence of his birthright through a letter left behind by his mother, and then, through his mother herself. A Taken restored to her rightful mind, she confessed Xander to be the second-born son to King Hart, Sebastian’s half-brother. She was pregnant when she went into hiding after the Rebel leader—my father—freed her from the Oubliette. A story all of its own that I plan to hear fully from my father sometime soon.

It’s still hard to imagine how all our lives were linked together. How, at times, it seems as if we were meant to find each other. There’s more to the history of the Rebels, my family, and King Hart. I know this, and one day, maybe all those secrets will be revealed.

King Xander reigns over Karm not as a ruler, but as a servant to his crown, restoring the realm to true greatness. I never imagined that Xander could be so strong…or that Fallon would
willingly
wear a dress. But they soon married, and she, by his side as his queen, gives him strength to lead with firm assurance. Xander has even taken my father, the admitted first Rebel leader, into his confidence, where my father explains the laws of old about republics, freedom of speech, and democracy.

Slowly, Xander is blending the old with the new, incorporating into the kingdom ways of the past that had worked for our ancestors, and creating a realm such as the world has never known.

When the rest of the Taken were brought back into Karm, and Excalibur was shut down permanently, we started over. I admit that I miss the heated water and electric devices that made our lives simpler. However, if we’re to truly build a new world, and help heal the one damaged by our ancestors, we must learn to give back to Earth—not take from it.

The knights pledged their service to Xander, and soon a wall, not a barrier, was constructed around Karm. We use Hart’s weapons to beat back the monsters and cannibals, staking our rightful claim on the planet. And every week we venture out a little farther into the Outside, discovering new things about the world hidden from us for so long.

Devlan and I served Xander in the guard for a time, helping to construct the wall and fighting against the

darkness of Outside to cleanse the threat to our existence. When we were confident things had fallen into a steady rhythm, though, we devised our own project. We still visit the castle, and Fallon and I have become close friends. Xander, Devlan, and my father hunt the beasts together and talk of ways to build a movie house to show the old reels the Rebels had hidden away. But that is where my time at the castle ends. I want to venture beyond Karm.

I was never content to stare at walls.

“Faster!” I squeeze Sterlyn’s sides as we bound over the dark world. “Come on, girl. You can do it.”

Devlan and Fireblood are coming up on us, gaining ground. I glance behind me. “Oh, no you don’t,” I say under my breath, and send Sterlyn into a full gallop, taking the lead.

The monster races ahead of me. I’m down by one to Devlan. He’s killed two this month, and I refuse to let him win again. I kick my horse’s sides, urging her to go faster. The cat—monster cat—turns on me quickly, claws extended, and I pull Sterlyn to a halt. I take out my sword and fire off a series of blasts. The cat falls.

I dismount and walk up to it. Devlan circles me on Fireblood. “Dammit,” he pants out. “I swear you’re feeding your horse genetically-enhanced food.”

I cock an eyebrow at him. “Don’t be a sore loser,” I say. “You know I’m just too
cool
for you.”

He laughs. I love that word.
Cool
. I heard it in one of the movies Fallon showed me. I walk up to the monster cat and kick its side. “Two for me. You’re slacking, Devlan.”

He nods, but then his face sobers. “Down.”

I drop as he blasts something over my head. Turning, I see a cannibal crawling over the rocks. He wears tattered clothing—rags, actually—and his teeth are sharp. I’m not sure if the cannibals are born this way, or if they do this to themselves, but it doesn’t matter. Their pointy teeth hurt like a bitch when they sink into you.

Devlan slides off his horse and stalks toward the rock. The cannibal crawls to the other side, his teeth bared, and stands. His large black eyes—no whites—stare at Devlan, sizing him up.

His hair is matted, and it hangs in thick coils around his gray skin. I can smell his stench from here, and I cover my nose and mouth. Devlan raises his weapon and the cannibal doesn’t even flinch. Then the cannibal growls, a high-pitched shrilling that makes my skin prickle, and hurls himself into the air.

Devlan fires a round of white blasts into the air, hitting the cannibal. He falls to the earth. He jerks a couple of times before he dies. Tendrils of smoke curl off his body.

Shaking his head, Devlan walks up to the cannibal. He releases another round of blasts from his sword into the thing. I stand and wrap my arms around my stomach. “That’s the second one that came alone.” I glance around. “That’s not like them.”

He sheaths his sword and faces me. “They’re scouting,” he says. “But at least we’ve pushed them back this far. I just wonder what their twisted minds are thinking.” He walks over to me and takes my hand. “Do you have it?”

“Oh. Yes.” I take out the wrapped seed from my pocket.

We grab the reins of our horses and head toward the large boulders. My hand reaches for the locket around my neck, and I rub the cool silver.

Along with Madity’s necklace, I still wear my commitment gift from Sebastian. Devlan only asked me about it once, right after we buried the former prince of Karm beside his father near the Outside compound. I grasped it in my palm, stared down at the newly made grave, and explained that it’s a reminder. That even the best of intentions can be lost if you allow this world to corrupt you.

And privately, for me, the lock of hair inside is a reminder of the boy who had visions and dreams, of who Sebastian was and could’ve been.

I smile, looking at our baby behind the boulder. Luckily, the cannibal didn’t have time to ruin anything.

“It’s grown.” I squat down and hold out the wrapped seed. “Where should I place this?”

Devlan balances on the balls of his feet near me, running his finger along the green leaves of our tiny apple tree. “About six feet away,” he says. “Let’s keep them close so they can have company.” He gives me his gorgeous smile.

I scoop out the dry dirt, about six inches deep, then open my canteen and wet the earth. Placing the seed in the hole, I look up into Devlan’s blue eyes. He helps me fill in the hole, his hand resting on top of mine after I pack the dirt tightly. I lace my fingers through his, and the mix of cool earth and his warmth sends shivers along my skin.

Maybe one day we’ll ride out here and the dirt will have a fresh patch of grass. Or our trees will thrive, bearing fruit in a barren world. Until then, I’ll savor every moment of hope the world allots me.

And I’ll bask in every unguarded smile Devlan gifts me.

For however long
we
thrive.

Acknowledgements

Fireblood has been a long time in the making. Sounds like a movie thing, huh? But I kid you not, from the moment this story was a little glimer of a thought, to the time I sent the final round of edits to my editors, the journey in between has been just that. An amazing, at times frustrating, but wonderful journey. And it’s not over yet.

So many people have been a part of this story, and I hope that they all know how much they mean to me. If I’ve left anyone out, it’s not that I forgot (okay, I forgot, but remember how fried my brain was during edits?), it’s that there has been so much love and support from so many people that I just simply can’t keep count anymore. But please know how thankful I am for you all.

First, I have to thank my amazing critique partners, as always. I wouldn’t be a writer today without them. Rachel Harris, Shannon Duffy, Victoria Scott, and Patrice Michelle, thank you for teaching me how to write, how to torment my characters, how to swoon it up, and most of all, for giving me your friendship. Best friends a girl could have.

To my mother, for always being there and for your priceless input on the “hot” scenes. You’re the coolest mom ever, and you’re my rock. To my dad, who has always believed in me no matter what. I’m forever a daddy’s girl. You and Mom are my main support system, and your encouragement and love means everything. I love you.

To my amazing team of beta readers and early readers and cheerleaders. I just don’t know what I’d do without you! Not only did you give me priceless feedback, your enthusiasm in emails and on Twitter got me through the tough times. In no particular order, thank you to Nereyda Gonzalez, Jaime Arnold, Jessica Estep, Nicole Mainardi, Damaris Cardinali, Kayleigh-Marie Gore, Lindsay Mead, Pavan Hansra, Julie Brazeal, Valerie Fink, Brenda Drake, Kelsey Ketch, Tiffany King, Ashley The Bookish Brunette, and Amber Troyer. I have so many more to thank…but just know I appreciate you all!

To the Tuff Girl Legion Street Team. Woots! Girl power FTW. You are the best. You’re unstoppable. And you rock. Thank you for your support and your praise, and for just being the best street team ever. And to all the amazing, supportive YA book bloggers! You guys make crazy cool things happen. I’m honored to be a part of your community.

To the girls of YA Bound. You ladies are some of the most talented authors and bloggers I’ve had the privilege of working with, as well as swooning with. Thank you for your support, Tara Fuller, Rachel Harris, Eileen Li, Nereyda Gonzalez, and Kelly Hashway.

To Lauren Hammond, for your unflappable faith in my writing and stories, and for finding Fireblood a wonderful home. You loved Fireblood from the start. Thank you.

To Wendy Higgins, for saying “yes” and making me squee. Hearing how much you enjoyed this story and loved the characters rocked my world, and I can’t thank you enough for doing the cover blurb. Heart you so hard.

To my very talented and wonderful and ass-kicking editorial team—Patricia Riley, Danielle Ellison, Trisha Wooldridge, Sunder Cameron Addams, and Rich Storrs. You know you can’t go wrong with so many cool “Trishas” in the mix. Thank you for helping me shape this story into something readable and that I could be proud of.

And to the whole Spencer Hill Press family, but especially Kate Kaynak, for taking a chance on me and my work. Your belief in this story astonishes me. Thank you for everything. To my publicist, Tara Turner, for kicking it with me and getting the word out.

Thank you to my husband who puts up with my late-night writing sessions, missing showers for days on end, and for loving me so much despite my headache-inducing career choice. My son tolerates a lot of neuroticism from me, also. So thanks, Blue, for only slightly ducking your head when we walk into a store and your mom’s got dried, crusty milkshake in her hair. My guys are the best.

To Claudia McKinney of Phatpuppy Art, thank you for creating the gorgeous, breathtaking, beyond-my-wildestdreams cover art. Working with you was purely epic. You took my ideas and the images in my head and made them a beautiful reality. The setting and the characters are vividly displayed for readers because of your talent and skills. You amaze me.

To Teresa Yeh of Teresa Yeh Photography, thank you for organizing and shooting the cover photo. You are simply amazing. I think you were just as excited as I was about this shoot, and being able to share this experience with you made it all the more memorable. Your enthusiasm is infectious. Thank you for finding the models (they are perfect!) and putting together the shoot. You blew me away.

To Stephanie Mooney of Mooney Designs, thank you for designing a beautiful, stunning cover that exceeded my expectations. You’re beyond talented, and you took my vision and made a masterpiece. The font work is striking, and fits the story perfectly, as does the whole feel of the cover. Thank you.

To the cover models, Emily Burns and Jesse Colton (you guys are hot!), thank you for dedicating so much time to learning about Zara and Devlan, and for rocking the shoot. I wish I could’ve been there, but being able to see the photos and how much fun everyone had was awesome. You both are so talented, and make the perfect dynamic couple that is Zara and Devlan on the cover.

Thank you to Veronica Bailey of Storied Threads. I was amazed (amazed!) by your vision for the costumes. Thank you for designing the wardrobes for the cover shoot. Your quick work and knowledge of weaponry added so much to the outcome that is this gorgeous cover.

To Joanna Petit-Frere for doing the makeup for the shoot, and to Nancy V. Brown of NV My Hair for styling the models’ hair (I saw those extensions, wow!). And to Josh, the photo assistant, thank you for all your hard work.

The whole cover team deserves nothing but my humblest and warmest thanks. You made my vision come true.

To my readers. There are no words powerful enough to express how grateful I am to have such a loyal fan base. Because of you, I get to live my dream of being an author. Thank you for your praise and encouragement, and for rocking so hard it isn’t even funny. The biggest hugs to you all!

I owe everything to God. Thank you for
everything
.

About the Author

From an early age, Trisha Wolfe dreamed up fantasy worlds and characters and was accused of talking to herself. Today, she lives in South Carolina with her family and writes fulltime, using her fantasy worlds as an excuse to continue talking to herself. For more information on Trisha Wolfe and her works, please visit:
www.TrishaWolfe.com

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Dedication

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Nine

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Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

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Fifteen

Sixteen

Seventeen

Eighteen