Rise of the Flame

by K.N. Lee

  Lilae put the mug to her lips and waited for Anic to begin. She was surprised at how fast he drank and hurried to catch up. She held her breath as she drank every drop of the cold ale. When she was done she burped. She laughed and covered her mouth. “Pardon me.”

  Anic laughed with her and took her hand. “Come on.”

  Lilae followed Anic, her mind starting to become hazy. She couldn't stop smiling. She was happy, and… having fun. Not only that, but she was sure she was drunk. And it felt good. Her body felt light and warm. Her mind was clear. She didn't have to think about wars, and powers, and people hunting her. She just wanted to enjoy her time with Anic. It was dark outside, and quiet, except for a few men coming back from the hunt.

  Lilae gasped and grabbed Anic by the arm. She quickly pulled him into an alleyway, hoping that Pirin wouldn't see them. She pulled him close, her eyes wide with fright. Pirin would be furious if he caught her out drunk. She held her breath as the men passed by without pausing to even notice them. She sighed in relief and looked up at Anic whose body was pressed to hers.

  Lilae noticed that his hands were on her hips and that he looked at her intently. His finger ran along the outline of her pelvic bone through her tucked shirt and onto her waist. She gulped, looking down to avoid his gaze. He was warm beneath her hands. She felt his muscles through his shirt and quickly dropped her hands to her sides. She looked away again.

  When he lifted her chin so that she looked up at him, she drew in a breath. Her heart pumped. Her ears grew hot. Her mind raced. Anic leaned close to her and she felt his lips brush hers. She pulled away from his embrace and ran into the street.

  Lilae stopped and stood there awkwardly for a moment, her eyes darting from left to right to make sure no one saw…what almost happened.

  “Thanks for tonight,” she said, avoiding his surprised stare. “I'll see you tomorrow!”

  Anic was confused as she ran off before he could respond. Lilae ran home in a daze, happy, but afraid of what she was beginning to feel. Something nudged at her stomach, like a faint warning.

  Chapter 14

  “I could use a cold mug of mead,” Rowe said as he drank water from a flask.

  Liam tied his supplies to Midnight’s back and grinned. “I don’t care much for the stuff. Too bitter.”

  Rowe made a face. “I’m sorry, Liam, but sometimes I wonder about you,” he shook his head. “What kind of man doesn’t like a mug of mead, or ale? Even ladies drink wine!” He took another swig of his water and gave it a distasteful look.

  Liam looked at him and pulled himself up into his saddle. “Alcohol dulls the senses,” he said, tapping his temples. “I want to be alert at all times.” He nuzzled Midnight and the horse neighed in bliss.

  Rowe scoffed. “I think I actually fight better after a mug or two. Drink some ale…inhibitions fade…nothing holds you back from completely destroying an opponent.”

  Liam laughed. “Now my dear friend, I wonder about you sometimes too. How can you think clearly when you’re drunk? Also, I find that drinking makes me incredibly sleepy.”

  “Like I said…what kind of man are you?” Rowe laughed. “Drinking takes practice.”

  Liam shrugged. “I’ve more important things to worry about.”

  Rowe raised an eyebrow. “Yes. Yes of course. Like your first woman no doubt.”

  Liam’s face nearly reddened.

  “What are you two laughing about over here?” Nani buzzed over. She landed beside Rowe, who towered over her like a giant. “No one invited me? A girl can only take so much chatter from Clerics. They can be so drab. Recharge this. Recharge that.”

  “But you’re a Cleric, Nani.”

  Her purple pigtails swung as she shook her head. “I’m not. I tell you I’m different. You can’t tell me that I’m as boring as those other girls.”

  Rowe rolled his eyes. “Yes. Yes, we’ve heard all about it. You’re different. You just happen to heal… like a Cleric.”

  Nani smiled. “It’s ok, don’t believe me. I’ll show you one day funny man.”

  “We are what we are, Nani. I’m a brute, who happens to be extremely good at killing creatures, and you’re a Cleric.” He grinned. “It’s best that we accept these things.”

  “Liam,” Sona called softly.

  Everyone grew silent. No one had seen her approach.

  Liam turned to her. She looked as if she’d seen something horrifying. “Is something wrong?”

  “Can you come with me please? Just for a moment?”

  He nodded. Something told him that something was amiss. Sona motioned for him to follow her.

  The others watched as the couple walked into the forest. She took his hand and led the way.

  Liam gave her hand a squeeze, and looked at her curiously. “What is it?” They stood in a shallow part of the woods where the sun’s light was given just enough space to shine dimly.

  “Do you remember when I met you?”

  He looked down, noticing that she was nervously wringing her hands. Her face looked troubled.

  Liam nodded. “Of course I do. It was my first day on the training grounds. We were sixteen and you were the most beautiful girl I’d ever laid eyes upon. Every man around stared at you in adoration as you walked through the gates.” He smiled warmly and fingered her long black braid.

  “Your hair wasn’t as long as it is now. It brushed the shoulders of your recruiting uniform, but, it blew in the breeze right when our eyes met.”

  Sona frowned. She folded her arms across her chest and looked down at her leather boots. “It’s nice that your memory of that moment is so vivid, but, that’s not when we first met.”

  Liam’s smile faded. He was embarrassed. What is she talking about? He wondered. I would never forget the day we met. He reached for her and she pulled away.

  She stared at his face a moment. “We were nine when we first met.”

  Liam put his hands in his pocket.. At nine he was still confined to the palace walls. No one had seen him but palace staff.

  He shook his head. “What are you talking about?” His brows furrowed. “Are you feeling well, my love?”

  Sona sighed. “Of course you don’t remember Liam. I wasn’t beautiful then. You wouldn’t have noticed me. But I noticed you.” She looked off into the trees. Two birds noisily flew out of a thick oak, as if chasing each other. Then it was quiet again in the lush forest.

  “No one even knew who you were that day when you ran away from the castle. You wore a cloak and tried to hide your face, but you could have walked through the streets of Klimmericks Row shouting ‘I’m the prince of Oren’ and no one would have believed you. And you… were the most beautiful boy I’d ever seen.” She smiled at the memory.

  Liam’s brows furrowed. “What?”

  “You were trying to hide in the crowd that day, and even then, I knew you were someone special. I saw you give your entire money bag away to beggars that day. Beggars who were too lazy to work, or too drunk to do anything to help themselves. You wasted all the money you had to run away with, on them, and I knew, there was something good about you.”

  Realization finally flooded, Liam’s mind. His eyes widened. He remembered what she was referring to. “Wait a moment. You were the girl?” His face blanched. “That girl?”

  Sona nodded. “When those beggars beat you in that alley to see if you had more money on you, I ran over to you. It was foolish, I know. I hit them and screamed for help.” She grinned bitterly. “I got this scar on my neck because I was trying to help you,” she pointed at the almost faded scar that stretched across her neck. He’d always wondered where the scar had come from, and she had always refused to talk about it.

  Liam reached for her, stunned. He wanted to make her forget such a horrible memory. He had tried to forget it himself. It was a reminder of how foolish he was, and how he should have listened to his mother.

  “Sona, why did you never tell me? This brings us even closer together.” He held her face in his hands
and she looked away, gently removing his hands.

  “It wasn’t important until now. That day, we both almost died. If my coachman hadn’t come to check on me, and called for help, they would have killed us.”

  “Sona,” Liam took her hand. He pulled her close. Finally, she gave up resistance and let him hold her.

  “You held me while I lay there bleeding. Your innocent face was so bloodied and bruised and yet, I looked up at you and I loved you that very day Liam,” her eyes welled. “And I never stopped. I don’t think I ever could stop loving you.”

  “I love you too, Sona,” he said as he embraced her. He was overwhelmed with emotion. Liam had tried to forget that memory. At the time, he thought he wanted more than being stuck in the vaults with his teachers and his studies, and he had nearly gotten himself, and a little girl killed. Sona was that little girl.

  She looked up at him tearfully. It was the first time he had ever seen her show such emotion. Oddly, it seemed like the first real moment they had shared. She was vulnerable, not the woman of stone she tried to portray. She was genuine.

  “When you fell and blacked out that day with the Nostfar giant, I thought I was going to lose you.”

  Liam swallowed. He had been obsessing over that day every passing moment. He felt guilty for thinking of that dream girl with red hair when he had Sona right there with him.

  He cupped her head and kissed her. Her lips tasted salty from her tears, but he didn’t stop. The girl with the red hair started to fade from his memory the longer he kissed her.

  Sona closed her eyes and held him tight.

  “You’re not going to lose me, Sona,” he replied. “I will always be here for you. Nothing can break us apart.”

  Sona shook her head. “You can’t make such a promise,” she told him. “Betrayal is in a man’s nature. My father taught me that.”

  Liam pulled away. He frowned. “What do you mean?”

  Sona sighed. “It means that if you die, I won’t have a reason to live anymore. All that’s good in me…will die with you.” Her lips trembled and she turned away.

  “But, Sona, I’m not going to die.” Liam felt helpless as she sobbed. Her words disturbed him. He turned back to the direction the Order waited. They were about to make the trek to Raeden. “I need you to trust me. I have so much power within me that you cannot even imagine. I will never let anything happen to you. I swear that I will never leave you. In this life, or the next.”

  “We shall see,” he heard her whisper and his blood went cold.

  “What was that?”

  “Nothing, Liam. I’m sorry. I’m being emotional.” She forced a smile. “You know how women can be sometimes. I just wanted to get that off of my conscious. Go on, Liam. I’ll catch up.” Sona wiped her face. “I need to compose myself.” She cracked a smile, but not one of joy, but of pain. “I can’t let that damned fairy see me with tears in my eyes.”

  Liam forced a smile, but her words repeated in his head as he walked. He put his hands in his pocket. His mind wandered to the image of her face covered in her own blood that horrible day. She had saved his life and nearly given hers. This revelation made him love her even more…but still, the girl with the red hair haunted him.

  ***

  “Perfect!” Rowe’s blue eyes brightened as they approached Raeden’s shiny silver gates. “We’ve arrived just in time for the festival of lights!” He grinned and sat up a little taller in his saddle.

  It had been a little more than a week since they had encountered the Shadow Elf camp and fought the riestling’s and Nostfar giant.

  They were all weary and looking forward to finally reaching civilization again. Raeden was a grand Tryan kingdom, ruled by the Alden clan. Like his mother’s family, they were an ancient clan, who ruled their respective kingdoms. Also, they were Oren’s greatest ally.

  Seven days of feasts, games, and celebrations were what everyone in each Tryan kingdom looked forward to each harvest season. It was a welcome distraction from their conquest to keep their lands free.

  Liam was trapped in his thoughts when Nani buzzed over to him with a grin on her face.

  “Liam?” She flew beside him, her legs outstretched behind her. “Are you all right?”

  “Of course,” he replied shortly.

  “Are you sure? You seem distracted.” Nani waited for a reply, watching his brows start to furrow. “What happened that day that you passed out? What did Sona say to you? You two haven’t been as mushy since that day.”

  Nani was right. Sona had kept her distance from Liam, and he had done the same. He wasn’t sure what had happened himself.

  “Nothing, Nani. I’m sorry, but there’s a lot on my mind is all.”

  “Never mind that. Tell me. We’ve been friends for long enough now that I can tell that something is bothering you. Go on, fess up.”

  “Nothing I said. Don’t bring it up again,” he snapped. Liam didn’t want her pointing out his weaknesses in front of the other soldiers.

  Nani stared at him. Her small face morphed into one of sorrow. She pursed her lips and flew ahead without another word. She met with the troupe of fairies and flew in line with them above the Order.

  Liam sighed with regret. He reached out to her.

  “Nani!”

  She flew too fast to even hear his apology. The moment those words escaped his lips he wished he could take them back.

  “Liam,” Rowe spoke up, taken aback by their exchange. His gaze followed Nani then back to Liam. “I hate to press the matter, but,” he paused. “You have been acting very strange since that day. You’ve always been the quiet sort, but even I can tell that you are not yourself.”

  Liam glanced at his friend. “I don’t know. I just feel…” his voice trailed as he tried to come up with the perfect words. He shrugged. “I just feel different.”

  He met Rowe’s eyes. “Something happened that I can’t explain.”

  Rowe raised an eyebrow, riding closer to Liam. “What was it? What did Sona say to you?”

  Liam shook his head. “It’s not Sona. Well…maybe she has something to do with it.” He frowned. It was rare that he couldn’t eloquently express himself. “I don’t know.” He cleared his throat and shifted uneasily in Midnight’s saddle.

  Liam gave Rowe a sidelong glance. “Remember that year in the Order, when we were out training and were faced with that horde of elven raiders?”

  Rowe slowly nodded. He kept his eyes forward. Liam noted how Rowe tightened his jaw. Rowe knew where the conversation was going.

  “We were heavily outnumbered and I was poisoned by that arrow. I saw what you did to them. It was appalling.”

  “What are you getting at?” Rowe shifted in his saddle. His eyebrows were bunched in annoyance.

  Liam shrugged. “I just want you to know that I can keep a secret. I’d never tell anyone about that vow you made. The one you broke once for me. I hope you never have to break it again. But, I just hope you can keep my secret as well.”

  Rowe met his eyes. They were serious. He gave a single nod. “Of course. We are brothers. Forever.”

  Liam smiled. He was the one person that he could count on. He took a deep breath and went on. “Good. Well, let’s just say, this all revolves around a girl.”

  There was silence and Liam waited for Rowe’s reaction, already wincing at what he would say.

  To his surprise, Rowe cracked a smile. It was a skeptical smile, but he didn’t look at Liam as though he had lost his mind. Liam prayed that he wasn’t.

  “Did I hear you right?” Rowe snickered. He seemed torn between humor and worry that maybe something really worrisome had happened to Liam when he passed out. “Did you just say, a girl?”

  Liam nodded, unable to look Rowe in the face any longer. Embarrassment had already washed over him

  Rowe burst out with laughter, his chuckles growing louder and more boisterous until Liam couldn’t hold back a low chuckle of his own.

  “Really, Liam? A girl? That’s wha
t’s making you all solemn and brooding?” Rowe mocked a low serious tone. “You’re unbelievable. I thought you would tell me something horrible. But really, a girl? You sneaky little bastard.”

  Liam sighed deeply. He already felt better for telling Rowe. He looked at the road as they crossed from a worn dirt path to one paved of stone. It led right to the gates of the city which was encased in a stronghold of silver and steel.

  Liam could see the palace of Raeden in the distance. It floated above the city, hovering like a shining cloud. Below the grand structure that had been built by both the Tryans and the fairies, were dozens of courtyards and gardens. Behind it, facing south was a blue-green sea that stretched outwards all the way to the Nostfar realm. Liam felt sadness within him, as he looked at the palace. It was much like his own.

  “So, tell me Liam,” Rowe pursued. “Who is this mysterious girl? Is it one of the soldiers? Myra perhaps?”

  Liam rolled his eyes. Rowe was going to drag this whole thing out. He would never hear the end of it.

  “She’s pretty enough I guess. But those lips…Imagine what she can do with those,” he chuckled, giving Liam a sidelong glance. “Or is it Jedra? I wouldn’t mess with that one.” He laughed at Liam’s expression.

  “Rowe,” Liam glowered.

  “You know I’m just joking. Everyone knows Liam only wants the very best. But you already have the best girl in Oren…” Rowe glanced back at Sona and to Liam. He lowered his voice. “So, who is it?”

  Liam thought a moment. Rowe had witnessed Liam’s darkest moments. There were countless nights of loneliness and regret. Days filled with constant training and drudgery. He had been tested both physically and mentally and Rowe was there every step of the way. Years in the Order could break anyone down. Fortunately, Rowe had taught him how to build himself back up. Liam was confident that he could trust him.

  “That day, when I blacked out, I met her. It was like a dream, but something tells me that it wasn’t,” his eyes narrowed. “It was real. I just know it. Everything was real, until…we tried to touch.” Liam held his hand before him, just like the moment he and the girl had tried to touch. His hand dropped. “It was like we were meant to touch, but something broke us apart, a light, and I woke up.” He looked at Rowe.