Princess of Fire and Smoke (Forbidden Court Book 1)

by Stephanie Bell

  I’m not sure how long we sit here, mesmerized by the fire. But I start noticing something that sounds like a roaring in my ears. It starts gradually, then grows louder and louder. Warning bells go off in my head moments before my magic flares through me with such force, I crumple into the General. My flames changed to crimson and burnt orange as they roar over my skin screaming for me to set them free.

  Storm bucks underneath us, throwing us to the ground and I land roughly on top of the General.

  “What the hell is happening?” I look up into his worried gaze and to my horror, I see the vicious flames covering him too.

  I scream as I jump away from him. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you!”

  He tries to move closer to me, but my pleading halts him.

  “Please, don’t! The flames are too hot. They’ll kill you.”

  Visions of Aileen’s burnt body flows into my mind and I cringe away from him.

  “Princess…”

  We both freeze. The roaring sound is so loud now we have to shout to be heard. It sounds like the waves crashing at the bottom of my favorite cliff back home. Waves. The wave! I’ve been so distracted by the stupid flames; I forgot about the wave that was threatening us.

  Turning towards the noise, I know I'm out of time.

  This wave is coming, and I am the only thing that can stop it.

  Chapter Sixteen

  I guess it’s too late to make a run for it, right General? I think to him, desperately trying to show more confidence than I feel.

  “Wait, you were going to run?” Surprise flashes across his face as he glances over at me.

  I square my feet off with the wave and take a deep breath. My instructors always said a good base of support was key in a fight. Let’s hope it works here too.

  “You’re going to want to back up,” I yell at him as I look down at my ring.

  The crimson and burnt orange flames are practically shooting off my hands. My magic wants out, it wants to help.

  “What?” I barely hear his voice over the noise.

  Move back, NOW! I tell him as I yank the ring off my finger. I can only get one thought out as the flames spring up in a circle around me.

  Protect them! I plead for my magic to listen.

  The flames billow into the sky, as high as the towering oak trees.

  That’s a start… I place my hands palms out in front of me and muster as much confidence as I can. I stretch my hands out to the sides like I’m physically guarding the village behind me and the flames fly across the field, making a wall of fire between the water wielders and myself.

  Yes, about time my magic is finally listening to me.

  I feel it tugging at me, telling me it’s not quite big enough. Not yet.

  So, I close my eyes and give in, letting the magic flow freely out of me. It pours out as if a dam has burst inside of me.

  The feeling of euphoria spreads through me and it feels magnificent. I never imagined I had this much magic hidden within me.

  Every time I think I’ve reached my limit, thoughts of the water drowning my sister, or Emerson, or the villagers come to mind and rip away any control I have on my magic.

  I hear a shout behind me and open my eyes. The wall of fire is double the size of the tallest tree and so wide, I can’t make out where it ends.

  But it’s the giant wave coming my way that makes my blood freeze. It’s massive and destroying everything in its path. Its white peaks are just as tall as my fire. There’s so much water, my heart crumples and I falter.

  I can’t do this!

  Strong arms slide around my waist and I’m pulled against a muscled chest, anchoring me in place.

  You can do this, Princess. Believe in your magic. Your father knew you would be an unstoppable force someday. He believed in you and so do I. Now, you need to believe in yourself.

  I feel his magic flow through me, calming and soothing. Suddenly it bursts into my flames, strengthening them and fueling them higher.

  Grateful for the General’s support I lean into him and throw my hands up bracing for the wave’s impact.

  The flames rise higher and stretch out to meet the water, slamming into it with such force it jars my teeth. Pain flares in me, but I don’t stop.

  The water quickly turns to steam, boiling everything in its path. The beautiful jade green leaves on the trees turn brown and the grass withers away.

  The steam reaches my hands and I scream in pain. Blisters quickly begin forming on my fingers.

  The General growls and quickly steps in front of me. He positions his back to the fire and wraps his arms tightly around me, shielding me from the steam.

  His eyes shine with pain and he clamps his jaw closed to stifle a scream.

  He’s being boiled alive to save me. Tears spring to my eyes and I try to pull away.

  I can help you! I yell at him, but his grip around me tightens and I know he’s made up his mind. He’s chosen to protect me, no matter what happens.

  My heart breaks.

  First, my father dies protecting me.

  Then my mother dies.

  Then Aileen almost dies trying to help me.

  Now even he’s going to die to protect me.

  Determination surges up within me bringing such raw power, it nearly knocks me over.

  No one else is dying to protect me.

  I gently lay my hands across his back and he flinches from the contact. He closes his eyes and tightens his grip on me.

  You’re going to be okay, General.

  And as I say the words to him, I know he will be.

  I grab ahold of that raw power and imagine a shield wrapping around him, to protect him.

  He lets out a relieved breath and his shoulders slump.

  I can feel the steam moving away from him and If I can do that, maybe I can do more. I mentally shove the shield back pushing against the wall of flames.

  A smile spreads across my lips as I watch the fire. The flames are still boiling the water, but now my shield is protecting everything from the steam. I push myself a bit farther and gather all the magic I have left, ready for one last try.

  I knew you’d think of something, Princess. The general smiles down at me, wincing through the pain. His magic surges into me, combining with mine and building a force so powerful, I don’t know if I can control it. Then he collapses to the ground.

  I try catching him as he falls, but I’m barely able to slow him down long enough to turn him so his back doesn’t slam into the ground.

  I stare at the man crumpled at my feet and a heartbreaking sadness washes over me, mixing with our magic that’s flowing through me. My anger builds and my hold on the magic snaps.

  “Enough!” I yell with everything I have in me.

  As soon as the word is out of my mouth, the water stops pushing against my wall of fire, and the flames stop flickering. It’s like time itself freezes. Then a wave in the water causing it to shift and flow in the direction it came from. The flames die out and there’s nothing left but carnage.

  I blink once. Twice. Stunned by what I just witnessed and not believing for an instant that I caused it.

  A moan has me snapping out of it and dropping to my knees in front of the General. He’s unconscious and I bend over him, inspecting his back. His shirt has been burnt away and what I see makes bile rise into my throat. The burns have turned into blisters and they now cover his back. The few spots that aren’t blistered are black and burnt. I fight the urge to turn away and vomit.

  I healed Aileen. Hers weren’t quite as bad, but I can save him.

  I place my hands on his arm and take a deep breath. Then with every ounce of magic left in me, I push one thought through him.

  Heal Him.

  The pain that ruptures into me is like nothing I’ve ever felt. My body feels like a volcano, but instead of erupting the lava, it pulls all the burning magma back into me. Turning my insides to ash. I scream until my throat is so dry, my tongue sticks to my mouth and
I can’t swallow. My head falls onto his arm. A vague thought flitters into my mind that I’m cooking myself from the inside out, but I won’t break the hold I have on him.

  He protected me, now it’s my turn to save him.

  My eyes are getting heavy and the darkness moves in, pulling me towards oblivion. I fight it for as long as I can…

  “Adeline, wake up!”

  I crack my eyes open and see the General leaning over me with a grim look on his face.

  His eyes are wide, and his voice shakes as he rests a hand on my face. “What did you do?”

  “I saved you,” I tell him, trying to give him a saucy smile. I must have failed because when the darkness takes over again, I hear the General yelling.

  The darkness fades away long enough for me to feel the steady beat of hoofs beneath me as the smell of the forest washes over me.

  A bump draws a moan out of me. Everything burns inside me; the pain is unbearable.

  Strong arms wrap tighter around me. “Hold on, Princess. We’re almost there.”

  The darkness washes over me again.

  “What do you mean you can’t heal her?” A deep voice booms through my head, making me wince.

  My blood must be made of fire. It’s coursing through my body, burning everything, it touches.

  “Her skin is on fire! If I can’t touch her, I can’t heal her.” A female voice yells back at him.

  “Then what do we do?” The man asks, his voice no more than a whisper.

  “We wait. She pulled all the fire from your burns and somehow absorbed it. Hopefully, she’ll wake up and be able to control the fire long enough for me to heal her.”

  I try opening my eyes, recognizing Aileen’s voice. They won’t budge. So, I try opening my mouth to talk. Nothing is working. My body feels like it’s shut down and I’m going to be stuck in this burning hell forever.

  My breath catches and panic sets in. I’m trapped, and I can’t breathe.

  “It’s okay, Princess. Your sister and I are here, we’re going to figure this out.” Something warm brushed against my forehead, and I relax slightly. Although I’m still confused. Is that the General? Why is he being so nice to me?

  “What are you doing?” Aileen asks him, her voice oozing suspicion.

  “She’s awake, and she’s scared. Sitting here arguing isn’t going to help her.” A hand holds mine giving it a gentle squeeze. A callused finger softly brushes across my palm, absently stroking a soothing pattern. Tingles shoot down my hand and magic subtly mixing with mine, taking away some of the panic that’s crushing me.

  Yep. It’s the General.

  “Her flames, they’ve changed colors! They’re beautiful.” Aileen’s voice is in awe as she studies my flames. “How are you touching her?”

  “I don’t know. They did this earlier, right before she made the wall of flames. I have no idea what’s happening.” His voice sounds miserable.

  “Addy, can you make the flames go away? Even for just a minute?” Aileen says to me.

  I can try. With the little strength I have left, I focus on the flames and try pulling them back into me. The burning increases and I can’t help but whimper.

  “Stop, Princess. We’ll figure out another way.” He says gently, still stroking my palm.

  “What do you mean, stop? She can’t heal like that. She has to control the flames.” Aileen insists.

  “It’s burning her when she tries. I can feel the pain in her, it’s too much. I don’t know how she can stand it. We’ll figure something else out.”

  The ring! I shove that thought towards the General.

  “What ring?” He asks.

  I can hear Aileen suck in her breath.

  The ring I wear is made of iron. It will stop my magic. It can help me control the flames.

  “Where is it?” He asks me.

  My front right pocket.

  He gently slips his hand into my pocket and searches for the ring.

  “I’ve got it.” Triumph lines his voice.

  “Can I see it for a moment?” Aileen asks him sweetly.

  No, don’t give it to her!

  “What are you doing, Aileen? Give me the ring.” The General’s low growl has terror curling in my stomach.

  He sounds more like the vicious soldier I met at the tavern than the man who was just telling me everything was going to be okay.

  “She needs to learn to control her magic. Putting this on her will just suppress her power.” She speaks slowly like she’s speaking to a child.

  “Princess,” He speaks softly to me “It’s your decision.”

  I need the ring.

  I hear his chair move backward as he stands up.

  “She wants the ring, so she’ll get the ring.” His words are quiet but I can hear the threat in them clearly.

  I try to grab his hand, but my fingers refuse to work.

  Don’t hurt her! General, please. I silently beg him as tears run down my face, boiling before they have a chance to drip off. A muffled scream leaves my throat as the tears leave blisters on my skin.

  “Now!” His roar shakes me down to my core and I can feel his magic flaring, calling to mine. I have no strength left to control it, my magic welds with his and I hear Aileen’s gasp of horror.

  “How are you doing that?” She asks him with a shaky voice.

  As he absorbs some of my magic, it releases the pressure on my body and I’m able to open my eyes.

  He’s standing at the foot of my bed with his back to me. I see Aileen hand him the ring and when he turns towards me, my breath catches in my throat. He’s covered in crimson and burnt orange flames. My flames, but they aren’t burning him.

  His eyes are cold, and his lips are pressed angrily together. His gaze meets mine and I can see them softening as he walks back to me. When he bends down towards me, his eyes are a pale shade of blue.

  “Are you sure?” he asks me.

  I raise my hand up and brush my fingers onto his cheek. He tilts his face into my hand and closes his eyes. When he lets out a deep sigh, and the flames covering him change from their fierce colors back to the soft artistic colors from earlier. When he opens his eyes, they are the storm gray that captures my gaze and sends a tingling to my core.

  Princess. His thoughts are a whisper in my head that sends a shiver through me.

  “Yes.”

  I’m not sure what I’m saying yes too. The ring? Him? Right now, I want it all. The ring to control my flames, and him to keep looking at me like this.

  His gaze travels to my mouth and my lips part, wanting more than anything for him to lean in and kiss me. His lips turn up in a smirk.

  When I kiss you, you’re not going to want anyone watching. He nods to where Aileen stands glaring at us. I fight an urge to roll my eyes at her.

  I watch as the General gently picks up my hand and slides the ring onto my finger.

  Pain. It is all I can feel. It blinds me and pulses through me. Every inch of me screams in anguish as my magic is, once again, shoved back into me. My body convulses and the General grabs at my hand trying to pull the ring back off, but I yank it away from him.

  It. Will. Pass. I struggle to think clearly through the agony.

  I feel his arms lift me up and cradle me to his chest. His unique scent flows over me and gives me comfort. My body is still trembling, but the pain is fading.

  I’m sorry. If I had known, I would never have asked you to save us. He rests his forehead against mine.

  I feel his muscles stiffen and a low snarl comes from deep in his throat. He’s looking over my shoulder at something. I follow his gaze and see Emerson standing at the entrance to the tent.

  My heart leaps into my throat. I’m thrilled to see him, and so completely confused. Part of me wants to hold on tighter to the General and the other part of me wants to jump out of his arms and run to Emerson.

  “Put her down,” Emerson growls.

  I can feel the General’s hands tighten around me.

&nbs
p; It's okay. I try to reassure him.

  After a moment’s hesitation, he relaxes his grip on me. No, darling, it’s not.

  Surprised, I glance up at him and the cold calculating looks on his face makes me sick.

  “What are you doing?” I ask him.

  “Princess, has anyone ever told you that you’re incredibly naive and gullible?” His voice has changed entirely; all the warmth has vanished.

  What are you doing? I ask again. Does it have something to do with Emerson? You can tell me.

  “It has nothing to do with your boyfriend and everything to do with you. I needed your magic to save my soldiers. A few kind words to you and you were more than happy to oblige, weren’t you?” His lips turn up in a sneer.

  “You tricked me,” Anger flashes through me as I push against his chest.

  He holds me tighter. “You made it too easy, Princess.”

  His mocking laughter fills my head and dread washes over me.

  A little voice in my head tells me to run. As fast and as far away as I can.

  Chapter Seventeen

  I am such an idiot. Of course, he used me.

  I push against his chest again. “Put me down, now.”

  But I thought we were having so much fun together. He speaks into my mind, his scorn evident on his face. I don’t know how I didn’t see it sooner.

  A snarl comes from Emerson as he takes another step closer. “You really don’t want to mess with her, General. I suggest you put her down.”

  “Of course not. I don’t think I could handle someone who is this vicious. She’s terrifying, isn’t she?” His gaze is mocking as he tosses me into the air.

  He catches me roughly and I instinctively wrap my arms around his neck. I grind my teeth together and fight back a scream as the pain hits me.

  What? You can’t get enough of me, Princess? His cold gaze makes me so furious; my body starts trembling.

  I smile sweetly as I curl my fingers into a fist. I throw my fist into his face as hard as I can. Blood splatters over us as I grin up at his broken nose.

  “You should be more careful who you mess with, General. This is what I do.” I shrug my shoulders and snicker up at him.