Feudlings In Smoke (Fate On Fire Short Story)

by Knight, Wendy

  “That's how you got this?” Will asked, motioning toward her burned entire right side.

  She nodded. “Yup.”

  “They set a trap for you, Ari,” Will said. Ward looked up sharply, his ever-present smile vanishing.

  “I know.” The knowledge had scared her several days ago, when, if memory served him correctly, he had specifically warned her not to go into battle, but now she seemed fine with it.

  “Our Carules sources said the information came from someone in the Edren family. That they were playing both sides.”

  Ari frowned, finally looking up at him. “You think Franklin?”

  Will nodded.

  “Well. That sucks quite a bit.”

  Ward sat back. “That's all I can do, Ari-girl. You gotta do the rest yourself.”

  She smiled gratefully. “Thank you, Ward. Burns like that would be awful hard to explain at school.”

  “Not a problem, missy. One of these days you need to learn to let the flames heal you all the way though.”

  “I know. I'm working on it.”

  Will showed Ward out, thanking him again before he shut the door. Ari came out of her room, already changed out of battle gear and into black sweats. Her cloak, the one she'd inherited from Ada Aleshire, lay over the back of the couch in the living room, but she ignored it. “I have this very handsome coat rack for a reason, you know,” he muttered, picking up the ancient cloak and tossing it on one of the hooks. The thing was bloodstained and burned, but Ari still carried it with her into every battle.

  His sister was weird.

  “Can I talk to you about something?” she asked. She slid over the back of the couch and landed in a heap on the cushions. Because it was hard to walk all the way around and sit like a normal person.

  To set an example, Will made a point of walking slowly around the couch to sit in the chair across from her. “Yep.”

  “It's not… fighting related. Or family related. It's… teenager related.”

  Will froze. This definitely sounded more terrifying than he could handle right now. “Are you sure it isn't fighting related? Maybe new spells we need to learn or something?

  She ignored him. “It's about Shane and Hunter and Charity.”

  Oh no. He'd been afraid this was coming. With Ari's secrets, she couldn't let anyone get close. Her friends, any that she'd allowed herself to make over the years, always got tired of being shoved away and left her. But maybe this time was different. Maybe that wasn't the case now. He crossed all his fingers hopefully. “What's up?”

  “We were totally fine. Hanging out, having all kinds of fun. We even went zip lining, Will. You don't go zip lining with just anyone.”

  Will wanted to point out that yes, you could in fact go zip lining with just anyone, but he kept his mouth shut.

  “Then all the sudden, they want nothing to do with me.”

  He'd been right. Why did he always have to be right?

  “But it's not just me. They don't want anything to do with anyone. They come to class, and then they're gone. They aren't even playing football anymore. And football without Shane and Hunter is like playing tag with a snail.”

  Will frowned. “As… interesting… as that analogy is, I'm not quite sure how to respond to it.”

  Ari rolled her eyes, sighing at him. “If they're doing it to everyone, then it isn't just me, is it?”

  “You pretty much just answered that question yourself.”

  “Will!” she wailed. “Help me!”

  He chuckled, dodging the throw pillow she hucked at his head. “Okay, okay. Are these guys related? I know you said Shane and Charity are cousins, but Hunter? Could they be having some family drama?”

  Ari sat back, her lips quirking to the side in thought. “Hm. I hadn't thought of that.”

  “That's because I'm beyond brilliant at all things relationship. So, see? It has nothing to do with you and everything to do with them. Give them some space and it will work itself out.” Will felt immeasurably wise.

  She eyed him skeptically. “You are brilliant at all things relationship? How are things with Dani again?” He opened his mouth to answer that things with Dani were very well, thank you, but she continued before he got the chance. “Anyway, there's a dance in a couple of weeks and I'm supposed to go with them.” She got up off the couch and retrieved the pillow. Will watched her suspiciously in case she wanted to throw it at him again. When she dropped it on the couch to shove behind her back, he finally felt safe to speak.

  “I'm sorry, what? Don't you usually go with one boy? I know your relationship with Hunter and Shane is weird, but going with both of them and Charity?”

  She slumped, tipping her head back to glare at the ceiling. She looked so much like a normal, annoyed teenager and nothing like a mighty warrior that for a second, just one second, he could pretend that she was. “We're going as a group, Will.”

  “Right. Of course you are.”

  “On that note, I should probably get back to school.” She pointed a finger at him, “And don't think I've forgotten that little stunt you pulled today. I'm debating over an adequate punishment.” She shoved herself to her feet, crossing the room and touching a finger to the spark of the doorway she'd left burning. The portal bloomed to life, and he could see the airway hanger, and the sport utility vehicle she'd affectionately named Beep, waiting for her. She stepped through, but paused just on the other side. “Will?”

  “Yeah, baby sister?” he asked with a smile. She was going to tell him that he needed to lighten up, or that he wasn't allowed to lecture boys, or that she forgot his pizza, which she had, and now that he thought about it he was mildly annoyed, but she surprised him.

  “You always say that you aren't there to protect me like you're supposed to. I think you don't realize something.” She tipped her head sideways, considering him while his mouth hung open. “You trained me, Will. Without that, I would die a thousand times before the Prodigy ever found me. And today, you stopped that e-mail. You don't have to be fighting by my side to protect me.” She cracked the barest hint of a sarcastic smile. “Anyway, I'm an uber-powerful warrior. I don't need a babysitter.” Her sarcastic smile turned sad. “I need a brother who reminds me that I'm not a monster. Who loves me and always has my back. Who reminds me that I still have hope. If not for you, I would be lost. Remember that, Will.”

  ****

  “So did we, in all that excitement yesterday, ever find out who is betraying Ari?” Dani yawned, leaning against the door frame, and then blew on her hot chocolate while she watched him work.

  He shook his head. “No. It's not my mother. It isn't—” He almost said you, but caught himself just in time, “someone in the colony. My only suspect left is Franklin.”

  “Or Richard.”

  “Richard wants me dead. He has nothing to gain by killing Ari.”

  Dani didn't look at him, instead focusing on her hot chocolate. “Maybe he has something to gain by playing both sides of the war.”

  Will frowned, turning it over in his mind. “I don't see how he could possibly do that. The Council would kill him.”

  Dani sipped her hot chocolate, choking a bit as it burned her mouth. “Ouch!” she squeaked. Will watched her, amused, as she fanned her face. “That's still very hot,” she informed him.

  “I can see that.”

  She wandered away, which meant, apparently, that their spy conversation was over. Will liked mysteries — in books. On TV. Not in real life. Trying to figure out who had betrayed his sister wasn't entertaining in the least. And he was exhausted. He'd been going constantly for… he didn't even know how long.

  Will didn't know what else to do. He could sit and stare at maps and spreadsheets and data and e-mails, but they weren't answering his questions. There was a horrible feeling in his gut that the one betraying Ari really was an Edren. An Edren close enough to know her every move. It wasn't a thought he wanted to have.

  Yes, the Family had turned against him. Yes, they hunted
him. Yes, they had a price on his head. But he had abandoned them. There was a reason for their hatred. But Ari, Ari gave up everything to be what they needed — a hero, a reason to fight, a soul for the Edren cause. And if one of them was betraying her…

  The thought made him sick.

  Shoving angrily away from his computer, he stalked into the living room. Dani had been so quiet he thought she'd left, but she was curled on the couch, the remote in her hand. She looked guiltily up at him, brown eyes wide. “I wanted to watch TV.”

  He ran a hand through his hair. “We can watch TV.” He settled on the sofa next to her, and she rearranged herself until she fit perfectly into his side.

  “You seemed angry.”

  “I am. But not at you.” He chuckled at the thought. “And definitely not that you wanted to watch TV.”

  It felt right, having Dani there, so close. He slid his arm around her and she leaned her head against his shoulder. He had no idea what they watched — his mind whirled too fast trying to figure out how to save Ari, but the girl next to him brought much needed sparks of peace in the darkness he was lost in.

  Chapter Six

  Will called Ari the next day after school. The girl needed to get something straight in her head. “You aren't fighting again. Not until I know who's behind this.”

  She sighed. He could hear people in the background, and not just girls. He grinned evilly. Maybe now was a good time to threaten some boys? “You aren't busy, are you, baby sister?”

  “I was doing homework. So… no. Not at all.” He could hear the smile in her voice.

  “Are those boys I hear in the background?”

  She choked. “Weren't we just talking about life and death situations? You can't just go changing the subject to something trivial, like,” she dropped her voice to a whisper, “boys, Will.”

  “I can, too.” He leaned back in his office chair and put his hands behind his head. He liked being a big brother.

  “Fine. Yes, Will, those are boys you hear in the background. I'm at school. I go to school with boys.”

  He sat forward with a thump. “They're not in your dorm, are they?”

  “Nope. We're in the library. Does that appease you?”

  He relaxed, sitting back into his chair. Nothing good ever happened when boys were in the dorm room. At least, that's the way it was on TV. “No one says appease anymore, Ari.”

  She snorted. “Appease is a fine word.”

  His sister had always been amazingly good at throwing his words back at him. So he went in for the kill. “Do I need to have a talk with these boys?”

  “Yes, Will.” He could picture her throwing her hands up in amused frustration. “You need to have a talk with them about how it's very inappropriate to do homework in the library.”

  “Touche. Okay, back to why I called…”

  “Because you love to hear yourself talk and when you can't hear yourself, you settle for the next best thing. Me.”

  “I do have a smooth, somewhat sexy voice. Maybe I should give up my day job and be a radio announcer.”

  “Or a sports announcer. I could teach you all about football!”

  He'd taught her to throw and catch a football when she was still tiny, never dreaming it would become such an obsession for her. He was glad she'd finally found boys who let her play. “Yeah… If I'm not mistaken, I believe I taught you everything you know about football.”

  “Touche.” Now she was outright laughing. It was so good to hear her laugh he almost didn't want to lecture her.

  Almost, but not quite.

  “So, back to fighting.”

  “We weren't fighting.”

  He sighed. “You. Aren't. Allowed. To fight. Not until I figure out who's sending the Carules your locations. Is that clear?”

  “Hold that thought while I walk away from people so no one can hear you yelling at me about secrets no one knows but you.”

  “You're such a punk.” He got up, wandering around the room. There were pictures on the walls — of him and Ari, of Ari practicing in the training grounds, of Ari and Dani, and Ari and Ward, and so many other memories. He could see their mother in her — they practically looked like twins, except Vivian was much shorter than Ari. In a world where everyone was taller than average, Vivian was a complete anomaly. In fact, she was probably the only sorceress he knew under five foot nine. And seeing her in Ari was the only way he got to see her at all. His heart hurt.

  “Okay. I think I'm alone now. Make this lecture quick though. I have a test tomorrow and a dance the next day. And p.s. — you don't have to give any boys any talks because Hunter and Shane are still barely talking to any of us. In fact, they just got here to check on a project and they're already packing up to go.”

  Will could hear the hurt in her voice. “But it's your entire group they're abandoning. Not you, Ari. This is different than before.” Before — all the times in all the other schools that Ari had been shunned and ignored and bullied. Until Ari refused to be bullied again. That little incident hadn't gone over so well. But she'd never been picked on again, so her somewhat… violent… tactics had worked. Plus, she'd grown about six inches. That helped, too.

  “Right. So, back to your lecture?”

  “My lecture. Yes. You aren't allowed to fight until I figure this out.”

  “You said that already.” She was mocking him.

  “I said it again to emphasize my point.”

  She snickered. “You did that very well. I will not fight again until the world does not need fighting.”

  “I'm serious, Ari.”

  Her laughter died. “I know you are, Will. I know you're scared. I don't get scared, but I am a little worried. I will do everything in my power to not fight again.”

  “Thank you. That's all I ask. And… you don't get scared? Tell that to the spiders and the crickets.”

  He laughed as he hung up.

  With Ari's promise not to fight, Will could actually relax. For two whole days, he hung out with Dani and they pretended to be a couple not trapped in a magical prison of their own making. He cooked a romantic dinner with candles, even. They watched a movie on a projector outside. They went on many long walks and he kissed her enough to make up for all the lost years of not kissing her. For two days, it was heaven.

  But when he was wrenched from sleep by frantic pounding on his door late, late at night, Will knew heaven had just crashed headlong into hell.

  He jerked the door open, rubbing sleep from his eyes. “What's wrong?”

  “Will, my parents just called me. Ari's in Adlington, and the Carules Prodigy just showed up with his Guard.”

  Inside the house, Will's phone rang.

  “No.” Will shook his head as he turned his back on her, going into the house. “Ari isn't in Adlington. She promised not to fight and she never fights without asking me for a shroud first.”

  “Will! My parents—”

  “The Council is going to find out about your parents, Dani! You have to stop using them!”

  He heard her sharp intake of breath behind him, but he couldn't answer as he picked up his phone.

  “Will? Ari's in Adlington! And–and they say the Carules Prodigy is there. She and Richard had a fight and he won't pull her out and I can't do a saldepement and no one—”

  Behind him, the front door slammed shut. Will spun around, but Dani had left without a word. “Mom, slow down. How did Ari get to Adlington? I talked to her earlier today—”

  “There isn't time to slow down!” Vivian sobbed. “She's in trouble, Will! She's alone and the Carules Prodigy and his Guard are both there and Richard won't let me go to her. I used to be able to do a saldepement but I can't anymore!”

  Ari needed him. Will knew he was shoving his existence into Death's face and waving a white flag, but he would not let her face this alone. “Don't worry, Mom. I got this.”

  “Will! You can't go, either. They'll all kill you! I can't lose you both!”

  Will was already p
ulling on his gear, his blood roiling at the thought of a fight. He might have refused the war, but the love of a battle had never left him. First and foremost, he was an Edren sorcerer, created to protect.

  “You won't lose either of us, Mom. Not tonight.”

  It was time to be what he was born to be.

  Dani met him on the dirt street outside his house. “I'm going with you.”

  “No, Dani, you aren't.” His voice was curt, much sharper than he had intended it to be. With herculean effort, he softened his tone. “I need you to stay here so I have a way back. If I can get to Ari, I'm dragging her out of that battle, even if I have to knock her unconscious to do it.”

  “Will, I—”

  “Please, Dani. Please watch my back. I need you here or I have no way to get her out of there.”

  “They'll kill you, Will.” Her voice broke. “I can't let you face this alone.”

  He took her face in his hands, memorizing every detail, just in case. She was so beautiful, even as tears streaked her cheeks and her lips trembled. “Dani, this is what I was born for. I have the strength to face this. I can save Ari, but I can't bring her back without you.”

  She sobbed once, and he kissed her, trying in those few short seconds, to tell her how much he loved her and how much he would always love her.

  But it was time to go.

  The door shimmered open behind him and he had to release her. He had to let her go and walk away knowing he might never come back. “You just hit send, Will. As soon as I hear it ring, I'll start counting,” she called as the door started to shut behind him. “Will, wait!”

  He turned at the last second and a shroud blasted through just as the doorway was gone completely, with her words caught on the air and carried to him. “I love you, Will.”

  “I love you, too, Dani.”

  The shroud fell across him like a warm blanket, enveloping him in a false security. They might not be able to see his face, but one spell and they would all know who he was.

  And he would be fighting not only frenzied Carules, but angry Edrens as well.