Fire Study

by Maria V. Snyder

  Ari rolled his eyes. “Janco’s unique view of life. Yesterday he compared living to food.”

  “That’s because some food leaves you full while others—”

  “Janco,” I said. “Prepare for my storm.” I swept my bow toward his feet.

  He jumped over it with a nimble grace. Dropping his sword, he reached for his bow and our match began.

  Since I had returned from the underworld, I could see everyone with a new sight. With a blink of my eyes, I saw through their bodies and directly into their souls. I knew their thoughts, feelings and intentions as if they were my own. Before I had to pull power for the source and project myself to them. Now the connection was there the second I thought about it.

  Janco’s comical surprise when I dumped him on the ground in three moves was almost worth my trip through the underworld. Almost.

  He huffed and blustered and tried to make excuses. I stopped our second fight to guide a soul to the sky. Many hung around the Keep and I knew I would have to do a sweep of the Citadel.

  Janco viewed my magical actions as if they were distasteful to him. “At least you’re expending energy. You’ll be easier to beat,” he smirked.

  “Wishful thinking,” I said.

  After losing the next four matches, Janco finally conceded.

  “Am I ready for the next storm?” I asked him, smiling sweetly.

  “You are the next storm.”

  Bruised ego aside, Janco and Ari were pleased with my fighting skills.

  “You found your center,” Ari said with a note of approval in his voice. “You’re not afraid to embrace who you are. Now Janco won’t have to worry anymore.”

  “I’ll let Ari do all the worrying for both of us. Oh wait! He already does.”

  “I do not. You’re the one who moaned and fussed about Yelena all these weeks.”

  “I did not.”

  They launched into another round of bickering. I never thought I would enjoy listening to them, but I did. Until I saw Cahil walking toward the training yard.

  He held his long broadsword. I watched him approach, preparing to defend myself if need be. I studied his emotions with my other sight. Hate, determination and anxiety dominated his feelings.

  Cahil stopped at the fence. “I didn’t come here to fight,” he said. “I want to talk to you.”

  Ari and Janco didn’t seem concerned by his presence, and continued their debate. But they hadn’t been on the wrong side of Cahil’s wrath. I moved closer with my bow in hand, keeping the wooden fence between us.

  “What do you want to talk about?” I demanded.

  Cahil pulled in a deep breath and let the air out fast. “I wanted to…”

  “Go on. Say it.”

  Irritation flared in Cahil’s light blue eyes, but he stifled it. “I wanted to explain.”

  “Explain why you’re nasty, ruthless, opportunistic—”

  “Yelena! Will you shut up.”

  My expression must have warned him, because he rushed to continue. “You bring out the worst in me. Can you listen?” A pause. “Please?”

  “All right.”

  “When I found out that I didn’t have royal blood, that my whole purpose in life was a sham, I refused to believe it. Even when Marrok admitted I was just a soldier’s son, I didn’t want to hear it. Instead, I transferred my anger to you and Valek and decided I would find a way to make the Council support an attack on Ixia to reclaim the throne.” Cahil looked down at the sword in his hand. “You know what I did after. I lost my way and swallowed every morsel of Roze’s lies.”

  Cahil handed me his sword. It had been the King of Ixia’s sword. Rescued after the King had been assassinated, the sword had been given to Cahil as part of the ruse to make him believe he was the King’s nephew.

  “Give it to the Commander for me,” Cahil said. “By rights, it should be his.”

  “Have you given up your desire to rule Ixia?”

  He looked at me and I saw a renewed sense of purpose in his soul. “No. I still seek to free Ixia from the Commander’s strict rule. But I no longer feel I should inherit the throne. I plan to earn the privilege.”

  “Then that’s going to make for some interesting discussions between us.” I held his gaze.

  “You can count on it.”

  The summons from Ambassador Signe came after a long soak in a hot bath. I exchanged my damaged cape and smoky clothes for a clean pair of cotton pants and shirt. My hair hadn’t grown while I was in the underworld. The inch-long strands, though, were long enough to lay flat on my head.

  The Ambassador waited in the Keep’s administration building. She had the use of a meeting room and an office during her stay. I hurried up the stairs and into the marble building, hoping to see Valek there. My disappointment churned in my stomach and I wondered if Valek was avoiding me.

  Ambassador Signe greeted me warmly, inquiring about my health. I studied her face. So similar to the Commander’s almost delicate features, yet missing the full force of the powerful spark residing in his gold eyes. With my new vision, I saw the two souls that struggled for dominance. They took turns, but I could see the red spiral of conflict within.

  “Irys Jewelrose informed me you wish to resume your duties as Liaison. Is this true?”

  “Yes. Becoming an adviser to the Commander is very tempting, but I feel my skills should serve both Ixia and Sitia by keeping relations open and fostering an understanding between the two nations.”

  “I see. Then your first order of business should be to negotiate a salary.”

  “A salary?”

  “You can not be paid by the magicians or the Council. You must receive equal wages from Sitia and Ixia to maintain your neutrality.” She smiled. “For all that you have done recently, I would suggest you barter for a considerable amount.”

  “Obviously, there are many things I need to think about in my new role.”

  “I trust, then, your education is complete?”

  I laughed. “There will never be a time when it’s complete, but I’ve reached an understanding with my abilities.”

  “Good. I look forward to our negotiations.”

  Before the Ambassador could dismiss me, I said, “I have something for the Commander.”

  She looked at me expectantly.

  “It’s with your guard. He wouldn’t let me bring it in.”

  Rising from her desk, she opened the door and returned with the King’s sword.

  “May I speak to the Commander?” I asked.

  The transformation from the Ambassador to the Commander happened in a heartbeat. Even the physical features changed from a woman to a man. I had seen it before, but this time I watched with my other sight. It revealed much.

  “What is this for?” the Commander asked. He studied the weapon in his hand.

  “Cahil is returning it to you. You won the right to wield it over seventeen years ago.”

  A thoughtful expression settled on his face as he placed the sword on the desk. “Cahil. What should I do about him?”

  I told the Commander about his plans. “He could cause trouble for you in the future, although I hope my efforts will change his mind.”

  “I know Valek would be happy to assassinate him.” He considered that scenario. “But he might prove useful, especially in dealing with the younger generation.” He saw my confused frown. “It’ll give them something to do.”

  “Or give them someone to rally behind.”

  “All part of the fun, I suppose. Is that all?”

  “No.” I gave the Commander one of Opal’s glass animals.

  He admired the tree leopard and thanked me for the gift.

  “The glow you see is magic,” I said.

  His gaze pierced me and I felt his sense of betrayal as if I poisoned him. He placed the statue on the desk. I explained why he could view the fire.

  “I can see two souls within your body. Your mother didn’t want to leave you alone when she died so she stayed with you. Her magic lets y
ou see the glow. And it’s her fear of discovery that has made you afraid of magic in all its forms.”

  Commander Ambrose held his body as if any movement would crack it into a thousand pieces. “How do you know this?”

  “I’m a Soulfinder. I find lost souls and send them to the sky. Does she want to go? Do you want her to go?”

  “I don’t know. I…”

  “Think about it. You know where to find me. There’s no time limit.”

  I glanced back before I left. He stared at the tree leopard, lost in his thoughts.

  Night had fallen while I talked with the Commander. Walking across the silent campus, I inhaled the warm breeze, soaking in the smells of life and the feel of air on my skin. I scanned my surroundings, searching for some sign of Valek.

  Irys had lit all the lanterns in her tower. Even though she had given me three floors of the structure for my use, I found myself thinking about a salary, and my mind drifted to Valek’s cottage in the Featherstone lands. It would be nice to be close to Kiki and get away from the Council’s and Commander’s politics each night. The cottage was near the Ixian border, too. It would be neutral territory.

  A place of my own. I couldn’t claim any room, cell or dwelling as my own. It would be the first time. My excitement grew.

  I trudged up three floors of the tower to my bedroom. The sparse furnishings and layer of dust made for an unwelcoming sight, although the bedding was fresh.

  I opened the shutters to let in clean air and felt a presence behind me. Without turning, I demanded, “What took you so long?”

  Valek pressed against my back. His arms wrapped around my stomach. “I could ask you the same thing.” He spun me to face him. “I didn’t want to share you, love. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

  He leaned in and kissed me. I drank in his essence, it soothed my soul.

  Eventually, I pulled away, and laid my head on his chest, content to just feel his heartbeat against my cheek.

  “That’s the second time I lost you,” he said. “You would think it would be easier, but I couldn’t douse the burning pain. I felt like my heart had been pierced by a spit and was cooking over a fire.”

  His arms tightened around me as if he worried I would slip from his grip. “I would beg you to promise never to disappear again, but I know you won’t.”

  “I can’t. Just like you can’t promise to stop being loyal to the Commander. We both have other duties.”

  He huffed with amusement. “We could retire.”

  “From being a Liaison, but not a Soulfinder. There are many lost souls to guide.”

  Ever the analyst, Valek drew back enough to study me. “How many? It’s been a hundred-and-twenty-five years since Sitia crisped the last Soulfinder. Hundreds?”

  “I don’t know. The Soulfinders documented in the history books were really Soulstealers. Guyan could have been the only one in the last two thousand years. Bain would delight in helping me with that assignment. But I will need to travel around Sitia and Ixia to help them all. Do you want to come? It could be fun.”

  “You, me and a couple thousand ghosts? Sounds crowded,” he teased. “At least you already found one soul, love.”

  “Moon Man’s?”

  “Mine. And I trust you not to lose it.”

  “The only magic to affect the infamous Valek.” It reminded me of a question I had. While in the shadow world, I had had plenty of time to contemplate every single facet of him. “How old were you when the King’s men killed your brothers?”

  I ignored his questioning look. “How old?”

  “Thirteen.” An old sorrow pulled at the corners of his mouth.

  “That explains it!”

  “Explains what?”

  “Why you’re resistant to magic. Thirteen is around the age when people can access the power source. The trauma of seeing your brothers killed probably caused you to pull so much power you formed a null shield. A shield so impenetrable you can no longer access magic.”

  “After a season in the underworld, you’re now an expert in all things magical?”

  Although he was quick to dismiss the notion, the shock of the revelation was evident in his wide eyes.

  “I’m an expert in all things Valek.”

  “Analyze this, love.” He drew me in and kissed me.

  When his hands pulled at the fabric of my shirt, I stopped him. “Valek, as much as I want you to stay, I need you to do a favor for me.”

  “Anything, love.”

  I smiled at his loyalty. He agreed without hesitation, without knowing what I needed. “I want you to steal those glass prisons. Hide them in a safe place where no one will find them. Don’t tell me or anyone else where you put them.”

  “You don’t want to know. Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I can still be corrupted by magic. And if I ever ask you for their location you are not to tell me. No matter what. Promise.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Good.” I felt relieved.

  “It may take me a few days or weeks. Where will you be?”

  I told him about staying on as the Liaison. “I plan to commandeer a certain cottage in the Featherstone lands and declare that parcel of land neutral territory.”

  “Commandeer?” He smiled.

  “Yes. Having safe houses for Ixian spies in Sitia is not very friendly. Spying on each other is not conducive to the type of open dialogue I want between the two nations.”

  “You’ll need to rebuild the stable. Hire a lad,” Valek teased.

  “Don’t worry. I already have a houseboy in mind. A loyal and handsome fellow, who will be at my beck and call.”

  Valek raised an eyebrow as desire danced in his eyes. “Indeed. I’m sure the boy is most anxious to attend to his duties.”

  He slid a hand under my shirt and along my skin. Warmth spread across my stomach and chest. I tried to move away, but his other arm snaked behind my back. “You need to finish one job before you begin another,” I said.

  “The night has just begun.” He pulled my shirt off. “Plenty of time to take care of my lady before I run her errand.”

  His lips found mine, then he nuzzled my neck. “I must.” He paused to place a line of kisses down my chest. “Help my lady.” He picked me up and laid me down. “To bed.”

  Then he removed the rest of my garments and all concerns about the glass prisons disappeared as Valek’s caress took control of my senses. My entire being focused on the musky smell and smooth feel of him. My lungs filled with Valek’s breath. My heart pumped Valek’s blood. I thought his thoughts and shared his pleasure.

  The feelings of contentment, peace and joy flowed through our bodies. Locked tight together, we owned a piece of the sky.

  ISBN: 978-1-4592-4828-1

  FIRE STUDY

  Copyright © 2008 by Maria V. Snyder.

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, MIRA Books, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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