A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  Quiet.

  Casteel and Kieran didn’t speak. The thick moss along the path cushioned the horses’ steps. There were no sounds of birds or any animal life, nor the echo of any wind rustling the golden canopy of leaves above us. With every passing hour, the temperature seemed to drop another couple of degrees as we climbed the mountain. The heavy cloak I’d all but forgotten while in Spessa’s End was donned. Soon, a tingling numbness invaded my cheeks. It wasn’t long after that when Casteel tugged the hood of the cloak up over my head and pulled the halves of his around me, too. We continued on in eerie silence and the unnatural beauty of the mountain. Gold leaves above glimmered, and along the ground, flecks of gold spotted the moss and glistened from the bark, reminding me of the Blood Forest.

  All too soon, the beams of sunlight filtering through the leaves faded, and the streaks of mist thickened, blanketing the moss as we continued climbing. The fog grew, swirling around our legs and then our waists. The last of the sun reached us, and we forged on. Several hours into the evening, we stopped when the mist stretched above us.

  Casteel guided Setti to a halt as he glanced around. I had no idea what he was looking for as I could see nothing but streams of white mist. “This appears to be as good a place as any,” he said, his breath forming misty clouds as he turned to Kieran. “What do you think?”

  The wolven was a faint shape behind the mist. “We’ve definitely reached the peak, so this should be fine.”

  Should be? “How can you tell we’ve reached the peak?”

  “If we hadn’t, we wouldn’t be able to see more than a few inches in front of us,” Kieran answer as he dismounted, stirring the mist.

  I frowned. They could see more than a few inches?

  Casteel shifted the reins to my hands. “Hold onto these. I’m going to get down and walk you two over to the tree.”

  Taking the reins, I wondered exactly what tree he was talking about. He swung off Setti’s back, and for a moment, the gloom spun around him, seeming to swallow him. My heart kicked against my ribs. His face cleared the mist as he walked to Setti’s front, curling his fingers around the horse’s halter. He walked us through the chilled, churning air and then stopped, taking the reins from me as he spoke to Setti, crooning softly to the horse. I picked up something about carrots and orchard grass before he came back to my side.

  Casteel lifted his hands to my hips, and I gripped his forearms as I leaned back, pulling a leg over the saddle. He helped me down, taking my hand as he unloaded one of the larger bags and the rolled blankets.

  “Will it be like this?” I asked as he guided me forward, hating that I had to go blindly. “All night?”

  “It will, but you’ll get used to it.”

  “I don’t think that’s possible.”

  “How about here?” Kieran’s voice came from somewhere. “The ground is pretty level.”

  “Perfect.” Casteel seemed to know exactly where Kieran was because after a few moments, he appeared from within the mist.

  Casteel let go of my hand, and I almost reached for it as I looked back, unable to see anything. “Do you think Setti will be okay?”

  “He’ll be fine,” Casteel told me as he knelt. A flame sparked to life as he lit an oil lamp, chasing a way a bit of the mist. “I’m going to give him some feed and then a blanket. He’ll probably be asleep before us.”

  I had no idea how I would sleep tonight. The surroundings made the Blood Forest feel like a luxurious respite.

  Another lantern came alive, held by Kieran. “I’m going to grab some branches.”

  Casteel glanced up. “Don’t go too far.”

  “Yes, sir,” Kieran answered with far too much enthusiasm.

  I watched the yellow glow of his lantern until it disappeared. “Why aren’t there any animals in these mountains?”

  “They sense the magic and stay away.” Casteel unrolled a thick canvas, one designed to keep the cold and damp from the ground from soaking through. As he spread out one of the blankets, the mist scattered a bit.

  “Here.” He took my gloved hand when I didn’t move, drawing me down so I was seated in front of him. “I’m going to take care of Setti. I’ll be right back, okay?”

  I nodded. When he rose, I noticed he left the only source of light behind. “You don’t need the lantern?”

  “No.” He started to turn and then stopped. “Don’t let your curiosity get the best of you. Stay here. Please.”

  “You do not need to worry about me wandering off.” I wasn’t going to move more than a foot, and I didn’t after he went back to feed Setti and make sure he was comfortable.

  But I did lift a hand, waving it through the tendrils of fog gathering around me. The mist dispersed, only to seep back to dance and swirl around the finger I wore my ring on. It almost seemed alive, as if it were interacting with my movements and not simply impacted by them. My eyes squinted as a wisp of mist coiled down the left arm of my cloak. I jerked my arm back, and the mist recoiled and stayed there, a foot or so in front of me, waiting…

  Biting my lip, I stretched forward, extending my fingers. The mist pulsed and then slowly expanded, forming a stream that grew what looked like ghostly fingers. The hand flattened against my left palm.

  I gasped and drew back. The mist responded in kind, mimicking my movements.

  “What are you doing over there?” Casteel’s voice broke through the silence, seeming to startle the mist more than me. It scattered.

  And then it struck me. “This isn’t normal mist, is it? The mist is the magic.”

  “Yes,” came his response. “And you’re definitely doing something, aren’t you?”

  I shook my head in wonder. “No…” I dragged the word out as the magic twisted toward the sound of Casteel’s voice. I rose onto my knees and stretched out, skimming just the tips of my fingers through the vapors. It shimmied. My brows rose. “Kieran said the magic here is tied to the gods. How is that possible if they sleep?”

  “The short, very condensed version of a very convoluted reason is that even though the gods sleep, there is a level of consciousness still present. You already know that.”

  I did.

  “They created the mist to protect the Pillars of Atlantia,” he explained, and the mist turned back to him, as if it were listening. “But it’s basically an extension of them, or at the very least, an extension of their will.”

  Something about being surrounded by a part of the gods’ consciousness was incredibly bizarre. “What do the Pillars of Atlantia look like?”

  “You’ll see them tomorrow.”

  “But—”

  “Some say patience is a virtue,” his voice echoed back to me.

  “Some deserve a punch in the face,” I muttered, but I fell silent. As much as it perturbed me to admit, Casteel was right. I eventually grew used to the mist or, more appropriately, the magic. I wondered though…if it were an extension of the gods’ will, then why did Atlantians trigger it? Then again, it had allowed the armies to pass through.

  However, they were leaving instead of entering.

  Casteel returned, as did Kieran. A small fire was lit, beating back the thickest of the magic. I took care of my personal needs, not far from Casteel’s presence, which was not something I cared to ever repeat, and no amount of intimacy or openness would change that. Then we ate by the fire. It wasn’t until afterward, when Kieran stretched out on the canvas that Casteel had laid down earlier, that I took a closer look at the sleeping arrangements.

  There were three blankets, side by side and overlapping. My eyes widened as I stared at the two spaces beside Kieran.

  “Are we sleeping here?” I demanded. “The three of us?”

  “I was wondering when she was going to notice that,” Kieran commented.

  My gaze narrowed as the mist slipped over Kieran’s chest. “Is it really necessary that the three of us sleep…so close?”

  “Is it necessary for you to make it sound like we’d be doing something other than
sleeping?” Casteel queried, and when my gaze shot to him, he grinned. “I mean, all we’re doing is sleeping side by side.” He reclined back on one hand as the dimple appeared in his cheek. “Unless you have a different idea. If so, I’m very curious to learn more about it, wife.

  I stared at him as the mist seemed to still around us.

  “What? I’m just a very curious soul.”

  “Did you forget that I’m armed?” I asked softly.

  “Are you thinking about using it against me?” In the glow of the fire, both dimples appeared. “If so, this sleeping arrangement may get very uncomfortable for Kieran.”

  I immediately thought of the Joining, and the humor dancing across Casteel’s face was evidence that he knew where my mind had gone.

  “Or…interesting,” came the wolven’s response.

  “I’m going to seriously hurt you both,” I growled as the mist drifted away.

  “And I’m so very…intrigued now,” Casteel replied and then laughed as he patted the space beside him. “It’s going to get even colder during the night, more so than when we were in the Blood Forest. In about an hour or so, you’ll be grateful for the body heat.”

  That was highly unlikely.

  “Which, by the way, is the only thing either of us is offering tonight,” Casteel tacked on, the teasing gone from his gaze.

  Kieran snorted and there was a taste of sugar on my tongue—amusement. “Yeah, I don’t feel like having my head ripped off tonight.”

  “I doubt that will happen,” I muttered.

  Casteel moved then, catching my hand. He pulled me down beside him, and I didn’t really fight him. The sleeping arrangements were awkward, but Casteel was my…he was my husband.

  And it wasn’t like Kieran hadn’t already been in far more awkward situations with us.

  Like when he’d seen me naked in the tub when we barely knew each other.

  Or when he’d heard me screaming and walked in on Casteel and I, only to discover they were not shouts of fear or pain.

  Or when Casteel had needed to feed.

  I told myself to stop thinking about all of that as Casteel drew the blanket over us and then settled beside me. There was space between the three of us. Not much. Maybe an inch or so, and I so hoped I stayed still during the night.

  And I really hoped that what Casteel had said about Kieran wasn’t true—that he kicked in the middle of the night.

  I wanted to turn toward Casteel. I liked…using him as a pillow. Okay. I just liked being close to him, but he was lying on his back, actually behaving himself, and so I stayed where I was, watching the mist as it moved in slow waves above us. After a couple of minutes, I tilted my head, and it seemed to do the same, tipping to the same side.

  I glanced at Casteel. I thought his eyes were closed. When I looked at Kieran, it appeared to be the same with him. Could they really be asleep already? I drew a hand out from the blanket and lifted it a few inches. The mist dropped and stretched like before, forming wispy fingers.

  “What are you doing?” Casteel asked.

  The mist fell apart.

  “You scared it,” I grumbled.

  “Scared what?” he asked.

  “The mist—or magic. Whatever.”

  Casteel shifted onto his side. “You can’t scare it,” he said. “It’s just magic. It’s not like it’s alive.”

  “Seems alive to me,” I replied.

  “That doesn’t make sense,” Kieran said tiredly.

  “It interacts with you,” I told them.

  “It’s your imagination.” The wolven rolled, and I felt his knee brush my leg.

  “It’s not my imagination.”

  “The magic can play tricks on you,” Casteel said, taking my hand and drawing it back under the blanket. “Make you think you’re seeing things you aren’t.”

  I frowned.

  “You should sleep,” he said. “The morning will come too soon.”

  Not soon enough for me.

  In the quiet, my thoughts wandered. I thought of Renfern and how I wished I’d done something more, something different to change what’d happened to him and Elijah and all the others. I wondered if Phillips and Luddie, the guard and Huntsmen who’d traveled from Masadonia with us, had known the truth about the Ascended or if they had been a casualty of a quiet war. Just like Rylan and…and Vikter. My heart ached as I watched the mist slowly move above me. I missed Tawny, and I prayed that she hadn’t gone through the Ascension. Then my mind veered to how the wolven had surrounded us. Could that have been me? Had I projected something, and they simply answered?

  I looked over at Kieran again. His eyes were closed. Did he really think it was me, calling to them?

  I hated moments like this, when sleep evaded me and all that existed was things better not dwelled upon. I forced my thoughts away, and something occurred to me. “Are there any gods asleep under the Blood Forest?”

  “What?” Casteel murmured, his voice thick with sleep.

  I realized I’d woken him, though I didn’t feel even remotely bad about that. I repeated my question.

  “That is possibly the most random thing that’s ever come out of your mouth,” Kieran grumbled. “And I’ve heard you say some pretty random stuff.”

  “There are no gods under the Blood Forest—as far as I know,” Casteel answered, his eyes closed. “What made you think of that?”

  “The trees here remind me of the Blood Forest. Though gold instead of red.”

  “Hmm,” Casteel murmured. “Makes sense.”

  “Maybe to you,” Kieran grumbled.

  “Do you know where Penellaphe sleeps?” I asked about the goddess I’d been named after.

  Kieran sighed. “Not here, I can tell you that.”

  A small smile played across Casteel’s lips. “I believed she slumbers under the Great Atheneum in Carsodonia.”

  “Really?” When Casteel nodded, I decided I didn’t like the idea of the goddess of Wisdom, Loyalty, and Duty sleeping there, at the heart of the Ascended. “What about Theon?”

  “The god of Accord and War and his twin Lailah rest beneath the Pillars of Atlantia,” Casteel answered.

  I opened my mouth—

  “Please, don’t,” Kieran interrupted.

  “Don’t what?”

  “Ask where every single god or goddess sleeps, because that will lead to more questions. I just know it will,” he said, and I rolled my eyes. “You should be asleep like them, Your Highness.”

  “Don’t call me that,” I snapped.

  “Then go to sleep,” Kieran ordered.

  “I can’t just fall asleep,” I muttered. “I’m not like you two.”

  “I can always read to you,” Casteel offered. “I still have a certain diary with me. There is a chapter I’m sure you’ll be interested in. Miss Willa has the same sleeping arrangement—”

  “No. Nope.” I screwed my eyes closed. “Not necessary.”

  “Are you sure?” Casteel seemed to have wiggled closer. His entire leg pressed against mine.

  “Yes.”

  He laughed softly, but I didn’t dare say a word. I wouldn’t put it past him to retrieve that damn diary and somehow be able to read those words with his extra-special Atlantian eyes. So, I lay there. I didn’t know how much time passed before I fell asleep, but I knew I must’ve, because I suddenly became aware of how incredibly warm I felt. Every part of me had somehow escaped the cold of the mountain. Every part of me…

  Slowly, I realized exactly why I was so toasty. I’d turned to Casteel in my sleep. He was on his back, and I’d all but climbed halfway on top of him. My head lay in the crook of his shoulder and chest. One of my legs was tossed over his, and the entire front of my body was fused to his side. One of his hands was curled around my shoulder.

  But that wasn’t the only explanation for why I was so warm. Heat pressed against my back. A heavy arm lay over my waist and a leg was tucked between mine.

  If I had turned to Casteel in my sleep, Kieran
had also turned, as if Casteel were a magnet that drew both of us.

  My heart thudded as I lay there, unsure what to do. Should I wake them? Shrug Kieran off? I had a feeling that would wake them, and the last thing I wanted was for Kieran to discover the…the three of us cuddled together.

  Both of them were incredibly warm, and there wasn’t anything sinful about this. Well, the way I was half sprawled across Casteel didn’t feel exactly innocent, but Kieran had most likely done what anyone would. He’d sought warmth in his sleep, and I couldn’t exactly fault him for that.

  What also didn’t feel entirely innocent was where my hand rested. It was shamefully low on Casteel’s stomach. I knew this because I could feel the imprint of the buttons against my palm. If I moved my fingers more than an inch lower, I doubted he would remain asleep. The knowledge of that filled my head with all kinds of things I really shouldn’t be thinking about at the moment, like what we’d done in the carriage…in the bedchamber, the cavern.

  I mentally throat punched myself as I moved my hand away from that really fascinating part of Casteel, trying not to focus on the tautness of his lower stomach or the way his skin seemed to burn through his clothing—

  Casteel’s arm curled, tightening around my shoulder, drawing me closer. My breath snagged as his movement triggered Kieran. He shifted behind me, and my pulse felt like a trapped bird. A sleek, muscled thigh slid between mine, pressing in. I had no idea if it was Casteel’s or Kieran’s.

  A hundred different thoughts and emotions exploded through me, so many, so fast, I couldn’t make sense of them.

  But neither of them woke, so I lay there, and my mind wandered again, not to places that would make this sleeping arrangement even more awkward or to sad ones.

  I pretended.

  Not like before with Casteel. I pretended that my brother was still a mortal, as was Tawny. That Casteel’s brother was free, and that the Ascended weren’t a reality. I pretended that tomorrow I would be arriving in a kingdom that welcomed me, to a King and Queen who would greet me with open arms. I pretended that Casteel and I were at the start of a life together, one that would be long and happy instead of one that felt like it could end at any minute. I pretended that we both aged, and that I was always reckless enough, brave enough to just let myself feel, to experience, to live without the past shadowing every choice I made, or the future looming over every decision.