Fire and Fantasy: A Limited Edition Collection of Urban and Epic Fantasy

by CK Dawn

  But she was still glad it wasn’t Royce. It would have meant him living in the palace with them.

  Her skin crawled as his eyes scanned her from head to toe. He was an attractive man – with the olive skin associated with the people of Isenore, and wide set amber eyes – but there was something very off about him.

  “May I have the honor of this dance?” he asked.

  Rissa wanted more than anything to say no, but her father’s voice popped into her head. He wouldn’t want her offending the future Duke of Isenore. She looked around for a legitimate excuse and her eyes connected with Davi’s across the room.

  Her lips tilted up and she placed her hand in Royce’s. “I would love to dance.”

  He led her to the center of the dance floor and took her into his arms. Rissa kept a respectable distance between them and let the music fill her mind. She loved to dance and in time she could almost forget who her partner was.

  Or at least she could forget until they spun and she saw her father standing with Lord Eisner. They talked as their eyes followed Rissa and Royce around. Rissa glanced up at her partner who was giving their fathers some sort of knowing nod.

  No, she thought. No, no, no, no, no.

  With a suddenness that startled those around them, Rissa pushed away from Royce. He reached for her, but she was already backing away. She didn’t look over to see her father’s reaction or that of Lord Eisner.

  “No,” she said. “This is not happening.”

  Her breath wheezed in her chest as she spun around and pushed through stunned onlookers. Their princess was going crazy and they wanted a front row seat. She had to get out of there. Reaching down, she picked up the ends of her long dress and kicked off her heeled shoes, leaving them where they lay. Then, without pause, she started running. Past the tables laden with food and drink. Past her father, looking on in worry and disappointment. Past the lords and ladies of the realm who viewed her as nothing more than an ornamental princess. And out the door.

  Torches lit her path as she ran on bare feet across the stone floor. There were no guards in that part of the palace as they were in the hall where the royal family was supposed to be. She knew a few of them would be along soon – if they could find her.

  She ducked off into a side corridor that led to a tiny doorway, only used by the palace gardeners – or gardener, as they only had need for one now. He did the best he could, but Rissa’s favorite place still continued to wither away.

  She lifted the bolt and slid it to the side to allow the door to swing open. Not bothering to close it behind her, she stepped out into the night air. A shiver ran through her as the cold permeated her skin. It had been warm only days before, but it had been years since the weather patterns were stable.

  Rubbing her hands up and down her bare arms, she walked further into the garden. The farther she got from the palace walls, the darker it became. But she didn’t need light. She knew the garden as well as she knew any place.

  Dead grass crunched underneath her toes and a tear slid down her cheek. By the time she reached the large tree standing in the center of the garden, her sight was blurry with tears.

  Her father was going to marry her to Royce. She was sure of it. She’d seen the looks. Royce had never done anything to her, but there was a darkness inside him. All one had to do was look into his eyes to see it. If she were to wed him, her light would wither and die. And then there was the fact that her heart already belonged to someone she couldn’t have.

  Her eyes trailed up the tree’s trunk. She’d been told it used to bloom beautifully. Colorful flowers would hang from its branches. She touched the smooth bark and slid to the ground, letting her dress crumple beneath her.

  Auburn curls fell into her face as she bent forward to place both palms on the ground. She hadn’t yet been born when the earth was stripped of its magic, but sometimes she thought she could feel a jolt of strength coming from its very core. A hum filled her ears and she gave in to the connection, just wanting to get lost in it.

  Her palms vibrated against the earth as a warmth filled her veins. She wondered if that’s what it felt like to have magic. She dreamed of it sometimes, of being in total harmony with the land around her.

  Tears continued to stream down her face as she looked around at the bleak garden. That was as strong as the earth got, enough to fill her with sadness for what it could no longer do.

  “Ri?” A voice broke through her trance. It sounded far away. “Rissa.” Closer. “What are you doing?”

  As soon as recognition slammed into her, she yanked her hands back from the ground. The humming stopped abruptly. She wiped furiously at her face. The man in front of her didn’t get her tears.

  Steeling herself, she rose to her feet and did her best to brush the dirt from her dress, knowing it was probably a goner.

  “What do you want?” she snapped.

  Davion ran a hand through his long hair. She’d told him to tie it back numerous times, but Davi never obeyed.

  Rissa crossed her arms over her chest, still waiting for an answer.

  “I wanted to make sure you’re okay,” he finally stammered.

  Was he nervous? Rissa didn’t believe it. Davion never got nervous.

  “Okay,” she scoffed. “Why wouldn’t I be okay? Doesn’t every daughter want their father to sell them off like a fatted pig at festival?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Oh, and that husband of mine is just the greatest.” She leaned forward conspiratorially. “You know, if he continues making me want to puke, I may just turn out as thin as those girls you’re always chasing. Doesn’t everyone want a husband who makes them better?”

  “Wait a second.” Davi stepped forward abruptly. “You’re getting married?”

  “I think ‘congratulations’ is what you’re supposed to say.” Her sarcasm was not lost on him.

  “Who is it?” he growled.

  “Royce Eisner.”

  Davi kicked at a rock on the ground, sending it flying towards the tree. He stepped back and began pacing. “You can’t …” He stopped. His fists clenched at his sides. His voice was strangled when he spoke again. “Not him.”

  Rissa’s shoulders dropped as the cracks in her façade of strength widened. Tears welled in her eyes once again. “I won’t have a choice. I’m not really your sister, Davi. I’m the princess and as princess, I have a duty to my family.” She shivered as the last warmth she’d taken from the earth left her and the cold air made the hair on her arms stand on end.

  Davi shrugged out of his jacket and swung it around her shoulders. He bent down to whisper in her ear. “I know you aren’t my sister.”

  “Then why did you say it?” She spun to face him and found him closer than she’d thought. His breath warmed her face and she stood mesmerized by his bright eyes rimmed by long, elegant lashes.

  “I don’t know,” he breathed. “Sometimes, I think we need boundaries. Everything would be easier if I thought of you as my sister.”

  “But you don’t?”

  His eyes flicked from her eyes to her lips and back again.

  When he didn’t answer her, she pulled back. “I’m sorry.”

  “For what?” he asked.

  “I must look like a wreck all tear-streaked and covered in dirt.”

  “Ri.” He reached out to brush a thumb under her eye. A smile curved his lips. “I’ve seen you in much worse.”

  Rissa choked out a laugh, relieved some of the tension between them drifted away. Theirs had always been an easy friendship. Only now, it felt as if it was all breaking away.

  “You’re always beautiful to me, princess.”

  And then he went and said something like that and the tension snapped back into place. Rissa sucked in a breath as Davi’s thumb traveled down to trace the curves of her lips. His fingers found their way beneath her chin and tilted her face up to look at him. He wanted to kiss her. She could see it in his eyes. And she’d kiss him back with everything s
he had.

  Then her heart would break because a kiss was all they could ever have. She was a princess and he was an orphan boy – no title, no land, not even a last name. Tears fell freely and she saw his eyes glass over. He knew as well as she what their positions in life allowed for them.

  “I can’t marry Royce,” she cried. “Not when my heart belongs here with … my family.”

  He pulled her to him in a firm hug and rested his trembling chin on the top of her head. “I’m sorry.” Just two words, nothing else.

  Rissa wished he had more for her.

  Pressed against his chest, she felt the pounding of Davi’s heart and imagined it pounded for her. But she knew that was all it was. Imaginary. Fantasy. Davi might call her beautiful, he might get close enough to kiss, but she’d seen him do the very same with countless women. He didn’t know how to turn it off and she was always forgiving him for that.

  But she wasn’t a little girl with a crush anymore. She was a grown princess who knew what she could never have. A sigh escaped her lips and she knew Davi would misconstrue the meaning as contentment rather than a soul-crushing realization she would do as her father intended. She’d obey. She’d submit. It wasn’t in her to rebel.

  “There you are.” Trystan’s voice broke their moment. “I thought I saw Davi come this way.” His footsteps came to an abrupt halt as he looked closer.

  Rissa pushed away from Davi as quick as she could. Davi looked towards the ground, the sky, anywhere but at the prince and princess.

  “It’s dark out here,” Trystan said, playing oblivious to what he’d just walked in on.

  Rissa was grateful he chose to ignore what he’d observed. “You should be back at your ball, brother.” She grabbed Trystan’s arm and spun him around to try and lead him away.

  “You mean the one you guys left me at?” he asked. “Thanks for that, by the way. I just barely escaped another dance with Willow.”

  Rissa slapped his chest. “Willow is a perfectly nice girl.”

  “She is,” Trystan agreed. “But she’s just …” He couldn’t think of the word.

  “Boring?” Davi said helpfully. “Hopelessly dull.”

  “Davion,” Rissa growled. “Willow is my friend.” She turned back to Trystan. “She’s very beautiful.”

  “Too beautiful,” Davi said. “She’s like a doll. Play with her the wrong way and she might break. Could have been worse, however, my prince. We could’ve left you with Lady Alixa. Which would you have preferred? The doll or the ice-queen? I think we chose wisely for you.”

  “Davi, you’re such an ass.” Rissa shoved him and he laughed as he pretended to stumble back. Righting himself, he flicked a strand of her hair.

  “But an honest one. Now you, little princess, you’ve got fire.”

  “I’m sure Royce will love my fire,” she said bitterly.

  Davi looked at Trystan over her head and each threw an arm around her, wedging her in between them. “You’ll just have to make sure he gets burned.”

  She shook her head, realizing Davi would never understand. He’d never have a duty to his family, not like her and her brother. Trystan stayed quiet and it was because he knew. He too would have to face his duty. The difference was he got to stay when she’d be sent away.

  But squeezed in between Trystan and Davion, Rissa felt like it was going to be okay even though in her heart she knew changes were coming. It couldn’t stay the three of them forever.

  Six

  Rissa ran a hand over the familiar, smooth curve of her bow. She knew what she was good at and what escaped her capabilities. She couldn’t sew, despite the hours and hours of her governess forcing her to do so as a child. Her embroideries left much to be desired. She wasn’t interested in fashion as many of the noble women were.

  But she could shoot an arrow as well as any man in the realm’s army. That may have been an exaggeration, but she was good. Finally giving up on developing talents suited to a noblewoman, her father first gave her a bow when she turned twelve years old and she’d finally felt like she had something to give.

  She’d wanted to learn to fight, but her father said it was not a possibility. It wasn’t because she was a woman – there were many women in the fighting forces – but it was because she was the princess. All of the women soldiers were commoners. It was acceptable among them.

  Turning her body at an angle to the target, Rissa lifted her bow.

  “You should widen your feet a bit more,” her brother said, stepping up behind her.

  She shook her head and looked back at him. Without moving her feet or glancing back at the target, she nocked an arrow and in one quick movement she’d drawn the string and released. She was still looking at Trystan when she heard the soft thud of an arrow hitting the target.

  “Did I hit?” she asked with a smug smile.

  “Right in the center.”

  “See, Toha, stick to what you know.” She patted him on the shoulder and shooed him away. He didn’t leave as she proceeded to hit the target three more times.

  Trystan was an expert with a sword, but he’d never been able to best his sister with bow and arrow.

  “I have to go meet Avery for some troop inspections,” he said. “It’s always a morale boost to the soldiers when you’re there. Care to join me?”

  She set her bow on the rack nearby and followed him towards the training yard. “Is your second in command going to be there?” She’d been avoiding Davi in the weeks since their emotionally charged moment at the ball. He’d been giving her looks that made it too hard to think about what her future held.

  “I’ve sent him with an important message to Lord Coille,” Trystan answered.

  “What message?”

  “I don’t know. It was from Father and was not disclosed to me.” The irritation was plain in his voice.

  “So, Father sent your second in command on a journey that would take two days each way and didn’t tell you why?”

  “It’s not my place to question the king.”

  “When did he leave?”

  “Four days ago.”

  Davi hadn’t been in the palace in four days and she hadn’t noticed? At least she was doing the avoiding thing right.

  Avery Payne was already in the training yard practicing with a young man who looked like he was new to the world of swordcraft. The boy danced around the sword-master with wild swings rather than the calculated cuts of his opponent.

  Avery sliced at the boy and then spun to swipe his feet out from under him before holding the tip of a wooden sword under his chin.

  “You’re improving,” the sword-master said, reaching down to help him to his feet. “Last time it took me half as long to fell you. The ability to learn is the most important thing. Next is the willingness to make the daring moves rather than only the safe ones. You don’t win a battle only by protecting yourself. You win by having the courage to expose yourself to attack in order to take the final blow.”

  The boy nodded eagerly. Avery gave a jerk of the head to tell the boy to get out of there and he scurried off.

  Trystan grinned. “Still the best sword-master we have, I see.”

  Rissa could remember hours upon hours of sitting there watching Avery train both Trystan and Davi. They wouldn’t be as skilled as they were without their teacher.

  “Toha.” She inclined her head. The short-cropped gray hair had been a chestnut brown when she’d first started training a young Trystan, but in all that time, she’d never dropped the formality of their positions. Only now, Prince had turned into Toha.

  “Avery.” Rissa walked forward and gave the taller woman a hug. “I’m glad you’re back.”

  Avery stiffened and Rissa had to hold in a laugh. She’d never been comfortable with the Princess’ familiarity and Rissa liked to push boundaries. She finally released the other woman.

  “It’s good to be back, Toha. The borderlands are a tough assignment.”

  One of the first things Trystan had done as Toha
was send one of his most trusted soldiers to lead the expedition to the border of Dreach-Dhoun. Trystan had never been there himself, but it had seen more activity of late. Dreach-Dhoun had measures in place to keep large forces from crossing into their land, but it didn’t stop them from trespassing into Dreach-Sciene to spy on their enemies.

  Unlike Dreach-Sciene, Dreach-Dhoun’s land still held varying amounts of magic. They’d been the ones to strip the power from Trystan’s father’s realm, but it also meant they couldn’t cross the border without losing their own ability to draw from the earth. It kept Dreach-Sciene safe for the time being, but it also prevented anyone from Trystan’s side crossing over as it was warded so only those with magic could cross. Even if the King wanted to send soldiers into Dreach-Dhoun, it was an impossible feat.

  * * *

  Avery had been sent under the guise of doing the yearly check on the defenses. Really, she was looking for evidence of a traitor feeding information to Dreach-Dhoun. For any sign of clandestine meetings or suspicious activity. The King didn’t want to believe the spy was in his own palace so he was looking everywhere else first.

  Trystan, Rissa, and Avery walked through the training yard, watching the pairs fight and giving tips here and there. Trystan inspected stance and readiness. For the past few weeks, he’d been trying to assess the state and capabilities of the realm’s soldiers. He wanted to know if they were ready to go to war if the need arose.

  They were a fine fighting force and their Toha was proud.

  Rissa looked into her brother’s stern face as he looked on at two young female soldiers sparring with each other. He stepped forward and as he showed them a more natural way to hold their swords, Rissa thought he looked like it was where he belonged.

  She was sure the pride showed on her face when her brother looked at her strangely.

  “Toha,” a servant came running into the training yard. “Princess. The King would like to see you both.”

  Trystan nodded. “Avery, assemble the officers. Tell them I would like a full assessment of the men under their command. From you, I want an assessment of the officers themselves.”