From Flame and Ash

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  Rosamond stood by Rhodes and smiled widely. She clapped her hands in front of her and nodded. “Oh, good. Alura gave you that. No, I didn’t make it, but I did give it to her to give to you. It’s special.”

  “I figured that out on my own,” I said dryly. Wyn and Teagan snorted behind me, and I shook my head.

  “So, I think I need to introduce you guys to everyone. This is Wyn, Teagan, Arwin, and Frederic.” I didn’t trip over the last name, and I was proud of myself. “Guys, these are my…friends, Rosamond and Rhodes.”

  Everyone said hello, making sure that they were all polite to each other. After all, they were in a territory that wasn’t theirs, and this was all complicated and probably a little confusing.

  But when I watched Rhodes nod tightly at Easton as Rosamond just gave a little finger wave, I had a feeling the Seer could See through Easton’s glamour.

  And that meant Rhodes could, as well. Or at least he knew something.

  Wow, this was going to be interesting.

  It didn’t seem that anyone else knew that Easton was here, that the King of Obscurité was in the so-called enemy realm.

  I just really hoped that ignorance would remain.

  We still stood on two different sides of the battle. Rhodes and Rosamond on one, I and the Obscurité members on the other. Easton put his hand on my shoulder and gave me a quick squeeze. While I really wanted it to be reassurance, I knew he did it just for Rhodes’ sake.

  Because Rhodes’ jaw tightened, and he narrowed his eyes. Just for a moment, but I saw it.

  I didn’t shake Easton’s touch away in that moment, but I really didn’t want to be in the middle of this. This was not about me. Not even a little. It was about the two of them and their issues. I just happened to be stuck in the middle of it, and if it weren’t for the fact that the world seemed to be watching, I likely wouldn’t be standing there at all. Not by choice anyway.

  Before I could figure out what to do about that, the Lord and Lady of Water came forward.

  The lord looked just like Rhodes: regal. He was a little softer but still a warrior. He had silver eyes, too, just a little dimmer than Rhodes’, as if they didn’t have quite the same luster and magic that Rhodes’ did.

  The lady beside him looked much like Rosamond but frailer. She looked almost a little sick, and I was worried about her. She leaned heavily on the lord—Durin as he was introduced—but smiled softly.

  “Welcome and well met, Spirit Priestess. Let us drink and be merry. For the foretold Priestess is here to save us.” Durin grinned as he said it, his voice booming and bellowing. He had one arm around his wife as the other moved about as if showcasing his strength.

  “And my boy. My precious, baby boy. He is the one who found her. He is the one who knows her.”

  He put an emphasis on the word know and winked at me. A sensation crawled up my spine, and I did my best not to lean into Easton or anyone else for comfort. Rhodes’ face went carefully blank, and I couldn’t tell what he thought about his father’s words or how he’d spoken about Rhodes at all. I didn’t like it. Not even a little.

  Baby boy? How could he call his son that in front of so many people? And to mention our connection? I didn’t understand.

  The lord was a little odd, a bit too much for me. Almost a farce. Because I knew this wasn’t his normal face or demeanor. Wasn’t the way he usually spoke to others.

  I could tell that the others knew that, too.

  Something was happening. Something was coming.

  I just didn’t know what it was yet.

  “Well, let us go inside and show the Spirit Priestess some of the territory, a bit of the estate that she will grow to love and call home. Yes, yes this is a very good day indeed.”

  Durin bowed just slightly, not enough to actually show reverence—not that I needed it—and then turned, leading his frail wife away as if he expected all of us to follow.

  The other Water Wielders began moving, but Rhodes and Rosamond stayed on the dock with us. Neither looked directly at their parents, and both seemed to be doing their best not to show any emotion on their faces.

  I had no idea what might happen next, but I knew it would be important whatever it was.

  I had a feeling that whatever personality, whatever emotion ran beneath the surface of the façade the Lord of Water affected, those were the ones that would be important.

  That would help me set the course for my destiny.

  No matter the past and my future.

  Chapter Nineteen

  By the time we made it into the estate itself, I was exhausted and felt like I needed a bath. What I really wanted was a hot shower, but I didn’t think they were actually going to have that. After all, none of the other estates or courts I had been to had put showers in every room or even had them at all.

  “So, do you think they’ll put us in the dungeon?” Wyn asked. I held back a laugh. Not because it was funny, more because I was actually worried about that, too, and not sure what to say.

  The Lord of Water and the others had seemed understanding of the fact that I had brought some of the Obscurité Court with me, but that didn’t mean they would be understanding when I was out of earshot.

  “How about we just stay together no matter what?” I asked and leaned into her so I could lower my voice even more. “Hopefully, whatever chambers they put us in will either be in the same room or close. And the guys will be near. Because while I trust Rhodes and Rosamond, I just…” I trailed off, not wanting to voice my opinions when we were walking in the hall where anyone could hear us.

  But Wyn gave me a nod. I looked over my shoulder at the three guys.

  They followed us but didn’t seem to have heard our conversation since we had talked low enough. I was getting pretty good at this, but that didn’t mean I would be good at it forever.

  Rhodes and Rosamond walked in front of us, leading us towards our rooms. And since we were going upstairs, I figured that we wouldn’t actually go into a dungeon.

  That was always good.

  “I’ve put you all in separate rooms,” Rosamond said. “I figured you could use your privacy.” She looked directly at me and smiled. “Your friends are safe here. I know that it seems unheard of for the two kingdoms to come together like this, but you are the Spirit Priestess, and we are trying to save our realm. So, that means, at least for the time being, that my father has lifted the ban on members of Obscurité within the estate.”

  I let out a relieved breath, but then Easton came forward, narrowing his eyes at us.

  “And what about the king? Because while the lord runs the estate, the king runs you all. What about his ban?”

  “Why don’t we go into Lyric’s room for a moment and talk about that,” Rhodes said, growling.

  I really did not want to get into the middle of this, but it seemed like we weren’t going to get away from it.

  So, we all went into my room. I barely noticed the high, arching bed with its canopy above and the huge window that looked out over a landing.

  Everything was ornate with silver and gold filigree everywhere.

  It was a truly gorgeous room. Much softer than any other suite I had ever been in, except for maybe the one at the Obscurité Court’s castle.

  We all clamored into the room, and Rhodes closed the door behind us.

  “Okay, King, why are you here?”

  I looked between Rhodes and Easton and shook my head. I really did not want them to fight, considering that they always fought with each other unless they were working side by side as warriors. The only time I had ever seen them not glower or start bickering had been when they were fighting Lore together.

  I wished they could just figure out how to make things work.

  Then again, I wished I could do the same.

  “He’s here because I needed help getting through the Spirit territory, and then into this one. The bracelet told me to come here, and since everyone but me knew this was Seer magic, I came. But they didn’t wan
t me to come alone.”

  “He was supposed to come, Rhodes. You know this. I told you.” Rosamond just shook her head and then smiled at me. “The others won’t be able to see through your glamour. I only can because of my gift. Rhodes can because he has that gift, as well. The gift of truth. Much like our grandmother does. But no one else here will be able to tell. We will go along calling you Frederic. It’s safer if we do. But you need to be here. Because while we want the Spirit Priestess to help piece together the fractured realm, not everyone does.”

  “Yes, some want the Lumière to rule, much like I know some in the Obscurité want to rule,” Rhodes bit out. “There have been rumblings against you, Lyric,” Rhodes said directly to me, and I blinked.

  “What kind of rumblings?” I asked.

  “That we never should have found you. That if you were gone, it would make taking over the Obscurité Kingdom easier. Those people don’t know how the crystals work, though. They can’t. They think they can overcome it with just sheer power and sacrifice.” Rhodes shook his head, his hands fisting at his sides.

  Easton stood beside me, glowering.

  “There are some in the Obscurité Kingdom who think the same. I am not one of them,” Easton added when Rhodes glared. “I know the two of us don’t see eye to eye, but I want what’s best for this realm. And that means not having our two kingdoms fighting each other constantly until we die because we’ve used up too much of the crystals’ magic.”

  “So, what are we going to do about it?” I asked, thankful that we were actually speaking about plans rather than just fighting.

  “I don’t know,” Rosamond said, frowning. “I can’t See what I need to. All I know is that the people you are with need to be here. They’re here to protect you, and so are we. You have three of the elements unlocked. When you have the fifth, everything will fall into place. But until then, you need to train, and we need to keep you safe. We’ll figure out what to do. We’ll figure out how to make our uncle see what is needed. Right now, he’s angry. And I just don’t know how to fix that.”

  “My mother was angry, as well,” Easton said softly. “But she tried. It’s just that no one realized that Lore was the one orchestrating it all. He fractured the crystal to the point where I don’t know what we’re going to do.”

  “Our uncle thinks that he’s high and mighty and that he can control the crystal, or at least what’s left of it. But he doesn’t have to hide behind a knight.” Rhodes shook his head. “I didn’t mean it like that. I meant that he doesn’t need to use a knight. He’s enough of an egomaniac on his own.”

  It was odd hearing them talk so openly treasonous about the King of Lumière, a man I had never met, and one I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

  “For now, though, you must clean up and dress for dinner. Our father and mother want you to come and have a formal meal with us. You and your companions. Just be safe and know that some of us want peace. So many have been born to and lived through war. They want nothing to do with the Obscurité Kingdom. They don’t see that the world is falling apart around us, and that we need to change. They only see what they’ve been told, that the enemy needs to die. So, just be safe.” And on that scary pronouncement, Rosamond left, taking Teagan, Arwin, and Wyn with her.

  I didn’t know if they had shared a look or something, but somehow, I was left with just Rhodes and Easton.

  “Lyric, can I talk to you for a moment?”

  Easton looked between Rhodes and me and glared. “She needs to get ready, didn’t you just hear your sister?”

  Rhodes took a step towards Easton, but I moved between them.

  “We really don’t have time for this.” I turned to Easton. “Rhodes is my friend. You go get ready. I will meet you out in the hall. Okay?”

  He searched my face for a moment, and then slowly slid his knuckle down my cheek. I didn’t have to ask why he’d done that, because Rhodes practically growled at my side.

  I really did not want to deal with this. And, frankly, I wasn’t going to. I was going to see what Rhodes had to say, and then I would just bury all my emotions. Because I couldn’t handle them right now. I needed to figure out the politics of this territory and unravel the rest of the prophecy. I didn’t have time to deal with these boys and their egos.

  “Please, Easton,” I pleaded. “I’ll meet you in the hallway.”

  Easton looked between Rhodes and me and then walked away, closing the door behind him.

  Honestly, I was a little surprised he had closed the door at all, but then again, most things about Easton surprised me these days.

  “It’s good to see you, Lyric,” Rhodes said, his voice low. He stood facing the door, not looking directly at me, and I wondered what he saw. I wondered what he had seen when I first walked off the ship, and why he had kissed me.

  He turned to me then, and his eyes were bright, the silver a deep pool of everything that I had once wanted, and everything that had kept me safe on my first journey.

  “You changed.” He looked at me and then reached out to touch my cheek, just like Easton had done. “I can sense the power in you, the results of your training. And while you might not be trained in everything, I can sense the intensity of it. You’re amazing, Lyric. You were before when I was just getting to know you and watching you in that neighborhood in the human realm. You were amazing when you fought back against the Negs and when you had nothing but your fists and the ability to run. And you were amazing when you stepped into the realm, not knowing what you would face. Yes, much has changed, but you are so strong, Lyric. That hasn’t changed.”

  I swallowed hard, wondering why what he said hurt, why this conversation felt like something…final.

  “Is Brae okay?” he asked. “I didn’t see her with you. Did you leave her in the human realm?”

  I shook my head. “No, Easton and Rosamond helped with the glamour for her, so she stayed with me in the human realm for a year. No one knew that she wasn’t as she seemed, or wondered why I called her Brae. But she’s back with Easton’s uncles in the Obscurité Kingdom right now. I don’t know what to tell Luken. I wasn’t sure if it would hurt him that she is so close yet so far away.”

  Rhodes nodded, looking lost. I didn’t know how to help him. “I’ll tell him. He’ll be sad that she’s not here, but I don’t know exactly what it would do to him if he saw her not in her original form.”

  “Doesn’t do nice things to me,” I muttered.

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry we couldn’t save her. And I’m sorry you’re going through all of this.” He was silent for a moment, and I tried to figure out what to say. “And I’m sorry, I’m so sorry I left like I did. It was a blow to me to see that everything that I had thought was true wasn’t. And I blame myself for it. For how I acted. I shouldn’t have left like that. I shouldn’t have left you there in Easton’s hands without really doing anything over the past year to help you. I was busy here, doing endless things trying to keep my realm together, and training with my father and my uncle. But I walked away from you because I was hurting. And that was cowardly of me.”

  “You walked away, and yes, it hurt. But I was in no state to try and figure out what I was feeling at that point anyway. I had two new elements within me, and I had just lost my best friend. Not to mention the fact that Emory is still lost to me.”

  Rhodes cursed under his breath. “She’s a siphon, Lyric. I think the Fire Estate is probably the safest place for her until we figure out how to save her. How to help her.”

  My eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

  “Siphons are killed, Lyric. Because they cannot only take the Wielding from others, they can take their life. Just by maliciously using her powers, Emory could kill someone. She’s not dead yet, and that’s a mercy. But I don’t really know what else to do for her right now. I can help bring her here, but I don’t think my father would be as merciful as the Lord and Lady of Fire.” He muttered that last part, and I swallowed hard.

  “I’m going to try
and save her,” I said. “She might not have treated me the best…actually, she was pretty horrible to me, but no one deserves what she went through. And I hate the fact that I can’t help her.”

  Rhodes leaned closer, and I refused to step away. This was still the boy I knew, and we needed to figure out how to be with each other like this. “When the time comes, I’ll help you. And I’m sure Easton will, as well. You two seem to be…close.”

  I closed my eyes, willing back whatever was going through my mind. Because this wasn’t about who I could be with Easton…or even Rhodes, but rather what I needed to be. And Rhodes…Rhodes looked so lost, so…different. And I didn’t know how to help him.

  “He helped me. So did a lot of his court. His uncles trained me, and so did Teagan and Arwin and Wyn. Much like you and Luken did before. Eventually, I’ll have five elements inside me, Rhodes. I won’t just be of one territory, one kingdom. Somehow, I’ll need to bring together the elements within me and then do the same for the territories of this realm.”

  He ran his hand over his hair and then started to pace. I followed his movements, wondering what he could be thinking just then. “I know. And…I’m sorry. I know the Seer magic brought you here, and hopefully, it’s to train your new element. But I want you to be safe. Because remember what I told you about how I used to live? It’s still the same, Lyric. You need to be safe here, and the politics aren’t easy.”

  I shifted from foot to foot. “I can tell.” I didn’t mention his father or the weird way everyone was acting, but then again, I didn’t have to.

  “I’m the way I am for many reasons, Lyric. I don’t keep secrets. I know it felt like that before, but… I didn’t know what I could tell you. Not because you weren’t supposed to know everything, but because I was so afraid if I told you everything, I’d mess up the future. Rosamond is a Seer. She’s the powerful one. Not me.”

  “Rhodes.” I reached out, but he shook his head.

  “I try to be who I am at all times, but I also have to be the Prince of Water at the same time. For my people. And it doesn’t always turn out the way it should. But…there are pressures when it comes to who I have to be, and you above all others know that. I hurt people. I hurt you.”