From Flame and Ash

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  Because Rhodes had died for me, and so had Brae, and Arwin, and Holdar, and so many others.

  They had died, and I had survived.

  But now, the Fire would take me because I couldn't stop it.

  It sang to me, that siren song of death and destiny.

  I didn't want to die, but I believed this was the end.

  Nobody could get through the flames. I could hear shouting, but I didn’t know if they wanted to kill me or stop me.

  Maybe they knew I would burn up from the inside and that nothing would douse the flames, not even the other elements I Wielded.

  People should be scared of me. I was afraid of myself.

  But then someone shouted my name, and it was as if I heard it as an echo. I wondered who it could be. Questioned why.

  And then I felt hands on my face, and Easton was there, his face singed but Fire running along his body, his own Wielding protecting him from mine even as he held me close.

  "Control the Fire. You can do this, my Lyric. I believe in you."

  "No," I said, my voice a song. "I can't. I've done so much, and yet it's not enough. No one told me it would be like this. I wanted Fire, but I never wanted this. But now it's here, and I can't control it."

  "I told you I would be by your side. And I'm here. So, if you burn yourself up, I'll burn right along with you."

  I pushed at him, but he didn't let me go.

  "You promised you wouldn't die for me," I snapped.

  "I did, and I won't die for you, I'll die with you. Because you have to be the one that ends it. You have the control. It’s in you. You just need to find it."

  "I'm trying!"

  "Try harder. You can do this. I believe in you."

  And then his lips were on mine, and the flame danced between our mouths and along our bodies as it engulfed us.

  I clung to him, needing his kiss, his taste, just one last moment of peace before the end came and there was nothing but ash.

  He kissed me harder. I arched my back as I tried to hold in everything that I had, everything that I had done.

  I had never thought I would end a life, but I had ended so many. They didn’t have a chance. They had screamed, and then they had died, and their bodies and bones were now ashes. And it was all my fault.

  But I couldn't let my friends die. Because if I died, what would happen to my Fire?

  Would it hurt the others? I couldn't let Rosamond or Wyn or anyone else die for me.

  I couldn't let Easton die for me or with me, whatever word he chose to use.

  And so I kissed him back, and the tears fell down my cheeks. The flames slowly receded.

  It lifted from our skin, and then it was Air. I fell to my knees, but Easton caught me, holding me close as he kissed my forehead and I crumbled, tears streaming down my face, my body racked with sobs.

  My body shook, and I just wanted it all to end.

  It was as if something had been pulled from me. My soul, my heart…something.

  I saw the ash around me, the dirt and soot on the others’ faces as they stared at me.

  Did they fear me? They should. Because who was I? What was I? Why couldn’t I save the realm?

  How could I if I couldn't save those I loved.

  Couldn't save myself.

  Because, once again, Easton had been the one to bring me back.

  I might have saved us all from the lord, but I couldn't stop the power within me.

  I never knew I could resent a part of myself.

  Sure, I was the Spirit Priestess, but I obviously couldn't do it alone.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  I wasn't dead.

  But it felt as if I were one of the few that wasn't.

  Cleaning up after a battle wasn't really something I'd ever thought about. Mostly because the movies ended before the cleanup, and I had never been to war nor truly seen it.

  The first time, I had been passed out, bloody and broken and back from the dead after I'd woken up in a room, the same one I had later stayed in when I trained with the Obscurité. Everyone else had done the cleanup. And then the time I had been in the human realm, Easton and the others had rebuilt the castle. They had made the crystal room better and protected it from themselves and others.

  So, I had never seen the cleanup.

  And I never wanted to see it again.

  When I finally wiped my tears and stopped feeling sorry for myself, I stood up and pulled away from Easton's arms, not wanting to lean on him anymore. The fact that I knew I might have to in the future because I couldn't control all my powers shamed me.

  And though some part of myself reminded me that others had had centuries to learn their powers and not mere minutes like I did, it still didn't make the pill easier to swallow.

  "We're clearing the dead, but it's not going to be easy," Wyn said softly as she came to me. We were all covered in soot and blood and God knew what else.

  But we were alive. At least most of us were.

  I nodded, swallowing hard. "Okay. What do we do next?" I asked, knowing the question was one that needed to be answered even though I didn't think there were actually any answers.

  "I know we need to bring Arwin’s body back," Wyn said, her voice shaky. She swallowed hard, rolled her shoulders back, and looked more like the warrior she had been before. Teagan put his arm around her shoulders, gave her a squeeze, and then let her go, moving closer to Luken so the two of them could discuss something I couldn't hear.

  "I think that's a good idea. I can't even really think about it all, you know?" I asked, worried.

  "I know. It doesn't seem real. None of this does. But his parents were farmers, you know? They're Wielders that slowly lost some of their magic in the siege when the crystal was being misused. But they raised him well. They’d want to bury him there among the trees and the ground that he grew up around. So, we'll bring him back."

  "We'll help you get a boat and then a wagon and other things to get through the territories," Lanya said softly as she came up to us. Her eyes were haunted, but the rest of her looked strong. I knew she was grieving, having lost her soulmate, but there was nothing I could say or do.

  She had lost her husband, her lord, so soon after losing her daughter. And now she’d lost her grandson, too.

  I didn't know how she was even standing. I could barely stay upright myself.

  "We'll get you to the Obscurité Kingdom."

  "Is that what we're doing then?" I asked, looking down at my ash-covered hands.

  "I think we need to," Easton said, looking off into the distance. "We'll figure out what to do. All of us." He looked over at the Lumière who were part of our group. "Any of you who want to come to my kingdom are welcome. We are not the Lumière versus Obscurité at this point. We are those who want to save our realm, and those who don't want change."

  "I'll go," Luken said, his voice wooden.

  "My prince is gone, and though there is no body, he's gone. And he would want me to fight on the side of good. So, I will go with you."

  Luken had lost so much, the bastard of the Lumière as some called him, he had no family. He had lost Rhodes, and he had lost Brae. But I remembered that Brae was at the castle of the Obscurité Court, so maybe that was something.

  Not that I knew what it was.

  "We'll go, of course," Teagan said. "We need all the warriors we can get, I think," he added, looking at Luken.

  "I will go, as well," Rosamond said, surprising us all. "I haven't Seen much of what is ahead, and I need to focus. But I can't be here. I must be with the Spirit Priestess. And that will be first in the Obscurité Kingdom before we move."

  I reached out and grabbed her hand, holding it tight.

  "I will go back to the Air territory with my men and women who are still here," Lanya announced. We all looked at her. She looked like a queen, so regal yet broken.

  "We will rebuild and help protect. We must fight from within the Lumiere Kingdom itself. And you will need allies, Lyric. The Water territory
will need allies, as well," she said, looking at Rosamond.

  The Seer let out a breath. "I am the Lady of Water now, I suppose," she said shakily. "Unless we find Rhodes." Her eyes went a little glassy, and I moved forward, a lump of hope in my throat. “I could never See him, you understand. He is my blood. My brother. My best friend. But I don’t know if he’s gone for sure. There would be a body. I would be able to See. I would know. But I can't stay here. Not with my uncle. I don't know what the king's plans are, and though I may be the Lady of Water in title, he has to be the one to sanction it in the end. So when it is time, we will come back to rebuild the Water territory. When it is time. But not before."

  There was so much in her statement. I tried to focus, tried to understand what we were doing.

  "So we're going to the Obscurité Kingdom to recuperate and figure out the next steps. And determine what to do with all of my elements." And for me to control them. But I didn't say that. "And unravel the prophecy and unlock the fifth element and all of that. We're going to do it together."

  They all looked at me and nodded, and I knew these were my people, my court. Those who I would protect and who would protect me as we tried to piece this realm back together and figure out if the King of Lumière was really with us or against us.

  "We must leave quickly," Wyn said.

  "Yes, I believe my uncle will want revenge," Rosamond said. "Even if he doesn't know all of the details, he will see this as an act of treason and an act of war."

  "Before we go, we have to release the magic from the bones," Lanya said, reaching out to grip her granddaughter's hand. "Some of the bones went back to the sea with Rhodes, and we will find those."

  And maybe we would find Rhodes.

  I didn't think so, but I needed some hope. I needed something to hold onto.

  There had to be something.

  I had four of my elements, and I knew I needed to find Spirit. I just didn't know where or when I would and what I would have to sacrifice to make it happen.

  The Lord of Water had been right when he’d said that others died or were hurt around me in order for me to unlock my powers. And I was afraid of what would happen for me to find that fifth one. And I worried if I would be able to control it.

  So we began the cleanup, buried the dead, and gathered what we could.

  I saw the fear on some of the Wielders’ faces. Not those who knew me, but those who had only seen the Spirit Priestess engulfed in flame. I didn't know what to think about that.

  I honestly didn't know what to do about any of it.

  When it was all over, and we were ready to go, I stood at the edge of the cliff where Rhodes had fallen and just stared out at the sea, wishing he would come back. Wishing I knew where he had gone.

  The wind whipped my hair, and I tried to find some victory in what had happened.

  I had four of my elements, and the Lord of Water could no longer hurt anyone else.

  And we were making a plan, we were unraveling my prophecy. So, maybe that was a win. Perhaps it was something we could take in stride.

  It was just hard to do when so many had been hurt and lost for that to happen.

  Easton came up behind me, putting his hand on my shoulder as I stood staring out into the distance.

  "I will fight with you no matter what. I hope you know that, Lyric. It's not me as king, just me as a man."

  I turned to him then, looking into those dark eyes of his, wondering what it all meant. Because one of the Spirit Wielders had said that I needed to save my soulmate, and I knew it wasn't Rhodes. And Easton had lost his before. But maybe they were wrong. Perhaps it was all wrong.

  "I know you'll fight with me. You haven’t let me down yet." I tried to smile, and he did the same, but it didn't reach either of our eyes.

  I relied on him, maybe too much, and I didn't know what would happen if he wasn't there. That meant I needed to be stronger. I didn't want to rely on anyone. Not if it meant their possible death. Rhodes' face filled my brain again, and I tried to push those thoughts away.

  I couldn't break down. Not now. Not in front of everyone.

  "There's something you need to know." I looked up at Easton, wondering why he looked so confused, so lost. "It's not what you think," he said, speaking quickly. It was if he were running out of time for something. I stood up straighter, wondering what it could mean. "What Wyn said before? About my past? About everything? It's true, but it's not at the same time."

  He swallowed hard as if fighting for each word. I reached out, putting my hand on his chest.

  "What is it?" I asked, scared.

  "Lyric…" His voice trailed off, and something dark came over his eyes. Suddenly, he wasn't Easton anymore. He was other.

  "Easton? What is it? What Wyn said?"

  And then it hit me.

  Soulmates. This was it. This was what Easton needed to say. He just needed to get it out, and then it would be okay. We would figure out the next step.

  "I need you," I said, not meaning to say the words aloud but knowing they needed to be said. I was baring my soul, and I knew if he walked away, it would break me. But maybe it would be for the best. Because I shouldn’t rely on anyone. Still, I needed him.

  "Can't you feel it?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

  He just looked at me, not blinking, his eyes cold.

  "I can never love you."

  Five words, and I couldn't breathe.

  Five words, and I was broken.

  And then he took a step back and looked at me. For an instant, he was Easton again, the boy I had fallen for, the man I wanted to be with. He looked…scared. And then something dark and shadowy wrapped around his waist as if a rope emerged from the air and tugged.

  He reached out once more…and then he was gone.

  Gone.

  It was if someone had flipped a switch and opened a vacuum. The sound was deafening, echoing in my ears and amongst the rest of the world.

  Easton was gone, sucked into whatever had opened in front of me, pulled into the abyss.

  I was alone.

  Alone on a path I didn't know the ending to.

  Someone or something had taken Easton. I had seen the surprise on his face as it happened. And now he was gone.

  Just like Rhodes.

  Like so many others.

  Easton was gone.

  And I was alone.

  Just like I had known I would be.

  Because the Spirit Priestess didn't get to find their future. They were the future.

  All of the loss and pain and uncertainty hit me.

  And I screamed.

  * * *

  THE END

  * * *

  Lyric’s journey and the Elements of Five series continues in FROM SPIRIT AND BINDING

  Afterword

  Thank you so much for reading FROM FLAME AND ASH! I do hope if you liked this story, that you would please leave a review! Reviews help authors and readers.

  This series means so much to me and I’m truly honored you’re taking this journey with me. Lyric is still on her path, as well as Easton and the others. The series has more to come and I cannot wait to show you where we’re going.

  If you want to make sure you know what’s coming next from me, you can sign up for my newsletter at www.CarrieAnnRyan.com; follow me on twitter at @CarrieAnnRyan, or like my Facebook page. I also have a Facebook Fan Club where we have trivia, chats, and other goodies. You guys are the reason I get to do what I do and I thank you.

  Make sure you’re signed up for my MAILING LIST so you can know when the next releases are available as well as find giveaways and FREE READS.

  Happy Reading!

  * * *

  The Elements of Five Series:

  Book 1: From Breath and Ruin

  Book 2: From Flame and Ash

  Book 3: From Spirit and Binding

  Book 4: Title to Come

  About the Author

  Carrie Ann Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of con
temporary, paranormal, and young adult romance. Her works include the Montgomery Ink, Redwood Pack, Fractured Connections, and Elements of Five series, which have sold over 3.0 million books worldwide. She started writing while in graduate school for her advanced degree in chemistry and hasn’t stopped since. Carrie Ann has written over seventy-five novels and novellas with more in the works. When she’s not losing herself in her emotional and action-packed worlds, she’s reading as much as she can while wrangling her clowder of cats who have more followers than she does.

  * * *

  www.CarrieAnnRyan.com

  More from Carrie Ann Ryan

  The Montgomery Ink: Boulder Series:

  Book 1: Wrapped in Ink

  Book 2: Sated in Ink

  Book 3: Embraced in Ink

  * * *

  The Less Than Series:

  A Montgomery Ink Spin Off Series

  Book 1: Breathless With Her

  Book 2: Reckless With You

  Book 3: Shameless With Him

  * * *

  The Elements of Five Series:

  A YA Fantasty Series

  Book 1: From Breath and Ruin

  Book 2: From Flame and Ash

  Book 3: From Spirit and Binding

  Book 4: Title to Come

  * * *

  The Promise Me Series:

  A Montgomery Ink Spin Off Series

  Book 1: Forever Only Once

  * * *

  Montgomery Ink:

  Book 0.5: Ink Inspired

  Book 0.6: Ink Reunited

  Book 1: Delicate Ink

  Book 1.5: Forever Ink

  Book 2: Tempting Boundaries

  Book 3: Harder than Words

  Book 4: Written in Ink

  Book 4.5: Hidden Ink

  Book 5: Ink Enduring

  Book 6: Ink Exposed

  Book 6.5: Adoring Ink

  Book 6.6: Love, Honor, & Ink

  Book 7: Inked Expressions