Soul of Flame (Imdalind Series #4)

by Rebecca Ethington

  The sharp blades glinted in the dim light before Wyn deflected them in one glance, her magic sending them to the ground before her hand pressed away from her. A line of dark ink shot from her palm, right to a Trpaslík who had just exploded from the trees, dropping him to the ground.

  I’ll stop Ryland, Ilyan said urgently, my mind buzzing with the strength of his magic as he pushed the words into me. You get everyone to the cave. Ilyan pushed a flash of our destination into my mind, the path perfectly laid out as he ran to his brother’s aide.

  I rushed toward Wyn as her magic surged, burning the two attackers in front of her to ash right before my eyes. They were frozen in screams before what remained of their bodies floated into the wind, adding to the mass amount of ash the burning forest had already surrounded us with.

  Wyn’s face lit up as I met them, the smile on her face chilling.

  “Did you kill Edmund?” she asked in mad excitement, her hands flicking just as a tree to the right of her caught fire. Thom lifted it from the ground from where he stood, throwing it into a line of Trpaslíks running toward us.

  “We have to get out of here!” I yelled back, purposefully avoiding her question. I didn’t even know where to begin with an answer.

  I stretched my magic out, my heart falling at the wave of attackers that were headed in our direction. We hadn’t even begun to see the end of this; our only hope now was to run.

  Wyn looked at me like she was going to press for information before she thought better of it and nodded once. Her jawline tightened as she turned to where Thom fought behind her, his magic strained as he tried to keep up with the battle that had surrounded them.

  “Thom, you take the Draks with Jos. I can stop them all long enough to give us a good start, but you all have got to be ahead of me.”

  Thom nodded at Wyn’s instructions at the same time that Dramin and Sain pulled themselves to standing. Thom moved closer, ready to whisk them away toward the cave that stood just beyond the next clump of trees.

  Thom had just begun to get away as a woman with wild hair broke through the tree line right behind them, blocking their path. Her hands rose as I felt her magic surge toward Thom’s exposed back, and my heart raced as I witnessed the underhanded attack take place.

  My magic surged at seeing her there, the power reacting without me having to so much as move. The powerful pulse I sent toward her slammed into her heavy frame, sending her right into a large tree trunk, which promptly broke apart into slivers at the impact.

  The three men jumped at hearing the wild woman scream, seeing the flash of light that had flown right over their heads. Their faces turned up to me in panic, but I only stood still, my chest heaving as I waited for my heart rate to stabilize after witnessing an attack on my family so close to me. Thom nodded toward me in thanks before he helped the two men into the forest, the Draks’ tired bodies making their movement slow.

  Ice raced through my blood as Wyn’s scream rent the air behind me, the name on her lips igniting my fear “Ilyan!”

  My magic surged toward him as I turned, almost expecting Ilyan to be writhing on the ground in agony. Instead he stood, his hand on Ryland as he put him to sleep, throwing his limp body over his shoulder before he turned to push the enemy that surrounded him back, their bodies crumpling to the ground.

  “Ilyan!” Wyn screamed again, realization dawning on me. She wasn’t scared for his life, she needed him to move.

  Ilyan, run. You need to be ahead of Wyn. Run, I rambled. His fear heightened as he heard me, his confusion at what was going to happen running wild.

  Run! I yelled to him, pleased when he turned, ready to make his escape. I didn’t have time to explain.

  “He’s coming,” I said to Wyn before turning to run after Thom, only to find him just beyond the clearing as he fought through a line of Trpaslíks who had hidden in the trees.

  My magic surged as I threw one of the Trpaslíks to the ground, severing his spine as I pushed another away.

  Ilyan ran up beside me, one swipe of his hand sending the remaining few ahead of us into the burning fire we stood beside, clearing the way for our escape. I lifted Dramin from where he had curled up on the ground, slinging his arm over my shoulder as I supported him, pulling him toward what I hoped would be security.

  Our feet crashed through the undergrowth, heaving breaths and groans of pain sounding alongside the cracking of the fire that raged through the forest. I pushed ahead blindly, moving through a wall of smoke only to feel the earth begin to shake, the heat of Wyn’s magic surging through the ground as it rippled under us. I felt it move through the earth, a wave that heated the soil only to shoot through my feet and up my legs in a wave of fire.

  I let out a gasp, my eyes darting to Ilyan in fear as I ran. The burn boiled through my bones, continuing up my spine in an uncomfortable pain that made it hard to move. I opened my mouth in horror before the pain lessened, just as Wyn came streaking behind us, a maniacal laugh on her lips.

  “Run!” she yelled joyfully, as the heat in my feet sizzled in tiny points of pain and pressure.

  I heard the screams behind us, and I didn’t dare turn to see what Wyn had done. I only ran, my feet picking up as I helped Dramin through the forest, toward the dark jaw of the earth, the jagged teeth of the ancient rocks welcoming us in.

  Our breaths heaved in exhaustion as we moved, the opening growing wider and wider the closer we got until the blackness swallowed us up, leaving the flames of fire and the screams of pain behind us.

  My chest ached, my stomach twisting in agony as it tried to rip open again. I ignored it all. I didn’t stop running.

  Magic sparked around me in a multitude of colors that bounced off us and lit the way into what appeared to be an endless stretch of tunnel. The colors flickered against stone, the mixtures giving off rainbows of light that in any other situation might have been beautiful, yet right then, they were horrifying.

  The sounds of our pounding feet echoed off the cave walls as the light did, our breaths coming in pants and spurts and grunts as we pushed ourselves beyond what our physical bodies would allow. My magic pulsed through me as I ran, but I could already feel my energy lessening, the power straining as I pushed. I didn’t dare stop, not yet; I could still feel the Trpaslíks, their pursuit resuming just behind us, their magic surging as whatever Wyn had done wore off.

  “Does it strike anyone else as funny that I am in the same cave, running to the exact same city I escaped from less than a month ago?” Wyn asked, her voice coming in spurts as she panted in her exhaustion.

  “Shut up and run, Wynifred,” Thom snapped, the red light he held in his hand flashing in his agitation. “At least you wanted to be here in the first place.”

  “Through Germany or through Italy?” Wyn asked from ahead, obviously ignoring Thom’s outburst.

  I looked ahead, part of me desperately hoping to see the end—to see something ahead that would mean some rest—but instead I saw a wall of rock with two smaller openings, each leading in an opposite direction.

  One to Italy, one to Germany, just as Wyn had said. I couldn’t tear my eyes from the darkness of the caves, the endless pits desperately wishing to swallow us up, however, it was more than that. I had seen this somewhere before.

  My feet kept pumping as my vision flashed to black, the recall of the sight I had right after I had healed Wyn blocking my vision in a spark of light before it was gone, leaving the same two caves I had seen in front of me.

  “Take the left!” I yelled, everyone in front of me turning toward the left tunnel without question.

  I had barely turned my feet toward the new destination before my vision blacked out again, my body only able to keep my feet moving forward as my mind filled with another sight: Edmund and his men digging away at a wall of rock at the right tunnel while leaving the left tunnel untouched.

  I watched them dig, Edmund yelling, the slight shimmer over the other tunnel giving me all that I needed to know.

 
“Collapse the other tunnel,” I panted. Thom’s face whipped around to look at me in confusion. I just ignored him, keeping my face straight ahead as I screamed, “Do it!”

  Ilyan’s magic flared as he sent one pulse through the rock, a giant crack moving through the ceiling as rocks began to fall, blocking the other tunnel.

  Everyone ran through the dark opening of the left cave, the lights they held in their hands flickering against the dirt and stone as the tiny opening drew us in.

  Keep running, I panted into Ilyan’s mind, my feet sliding against stone as I slid to a stop, a plume of dust and pebbles flying around me.

  I watched Ilyan, Dramin and the others continue to run into the endless dark. The light they held dimmed until I stood alone in the darkness, my breath heaving in my chest. My body ached as I watched the black before me, my magic pulling me after Ilyan, while my heart pumped in expectation of what I needed to do.

  I ran back to the opening, my legs screaming in agony as I continued to push them. My chest shook as I inhaled, raising my hands into the air. My palms were flat as I pushed them against the space in the opening of the cave, and the wide wall that I was going to create in an attempt to keep Edmund from pursuing us. My magic surged as my fingers stretched, a shimmering smoke seeping from my fingertips. The smoke was like liquid against oil as it spun and danced in the air, moving and swirling and fanning out as it crept from me.

  Light oozed from my hands as the shield grew and spread. A weak glow floated around me as it licked against the air. The smoke stretched over the opening like a net, the light touching every bit of space before the opening was sealed. The light of my magic decreased as it solidified, creating a seemingly solid wall of rock. To the cave beyond my wall, the barrier was now just an expanse of stone, another stretch of wall, the same as it was surrounded by. To me, it was a window that tinted everything brown and red until the light seeped from the surface, leaving me in the ebony pitch.

  I stood still in the dark, my breathing a heavy pant as I tried to get my body to relax, my attempts forgotten as more than a dozen Trpaslíks ran through the main tunnel, their own lights held in front of them. My breath tightened in my chest as they ran into the space, my body frozen as I tried to convince myself that they couldn’t see me. They screamed in anger, their pace slowing as they faced the caved-in tunnel before them, unaware that I stood only feet away.

  The lights they held flickered as they looked around in question, each of them yelling in a language I didn’t understand before they ran at the collapsed cave, their fingers clawing at the rocks that blocked the opening while their magic surged and began to blast the rock away.

  I didn’t need to see any more. I turned and ran, a light of pure gold erupting in my hand as my magic pulsed. I moved as fast as I could, my legs protesting every step, my muscles aching and throbbing. I pushed myself until the burn left, unable to ignore the desperate call of my heart to meet back up with the others. With Ilyan.

  Are you okay? I asked Ilyan as I ran, hoping that he could still hear me.

  That he wasn’t too far away.

  Yes, his deep, worried voice pulsed into my head, giving me a little bit of relief. Is it safe?

  Yes. It worked. They can’t see our cave. They should be working on your collapse for a while.

  You are amazing, my love. I smiled at his words, not knowing what to say to them. I slowed my pace as my heart swelled, the calm I felt moving right into him. Our hearts slowed in unison, my soul calming as his did.

  We are going to stop and make camp. They can’t go on much longer, he said, and I could already feel his body slow, the pulse of his magic growing stronger as he stopped. They weren’t that far ahead of me; it should take me about ten minutes to walk there.

  My agitation calmed at the thought, and I quickened my pace a bit, desperate to get back to Ilyan as fast as I could.

  I’ll be there soon, I whispered.

  I’ll be waiting.

  I smiled at the tenderness in his voice, the calm that he pushed into my heart, and I continued walking. The golden light I held in my hand pulsed against the crevices of stone I was surrounded by, making it look like I had inadvertently walked into a cave of gold and diamonds. It was beautiful.

  I fought the urge to reach my hand out and touch the glittery surface, not wanting the illusion to be destroyed. The golden light looked so pure, so perfect. I wanted to share the light with everyone.

  I smiled at the thought just as my magic pulsed, the signature of Wyn’s magic flying right toward me. Her power seemed heightened as she ran at me, the strong heat setting me on edge.

  Wyn is coming to you, Ilyan spoke into my mind, the tone of his voice adding to the worry her magic had given me

  Yes, I can feel her.

  She knows. His voice was simple, but it ran through me like ice. I knew she did, I had seen that look in her eyes in the kitchen before, but I could already tell that this visit wasn’t going to be congratulatory.

  Is she mad? I asked, her magic flaring the closer she came. Ilyan’s agitation washed over me, his memory rushing into me as it repeated the quick conversation he had with her.

  I could see her prod for answers, her demeanor more of that confusing adult persona that had been flashing through her lately. Ilyan had laughed at her demand, unwilling to give her the answers, and so she stormed out, right to me.

  I guess I’ll find out. I cringed when a blob of orange light flared ahead of me as she grew closer, the aggressive flare of anxiety running through me. I pushed it away as best I could before she came into view.

  “So when exactly were you going to tell me?” she snapped the moment she came into view, the orange light she held mixing with my gold to make the cave look like molded cheese sauce.

  I already missed the gold.

  I watched her come, letting her words wash over me, determined to keep my face as impassable as possible, knowing she would see through it anyway. As much as I wanted to tell her, I was still apprehensive, and her full blown accusation wasn’t helping much.

  “Tell you what?” I asked, my voice higher than it should have been for such a simple question. I guessed I wasn’t going to be able to make her fight for it as much as I wanted.

  Sure enough, she rolled her eyes, her jaw clenching and unclenching in agitation.

  “Oh, don’t play coy,” she grumbled as she came right up to me, forcing me to come to a full stop. “I can read you like an open book. You walking around like a goon wearing a hoodie, Ilyan binding his hair with the délka vedení královského again, and obviously Ilyan can read your mind or some nonsense. It’s not like you guys really hid it or anything.”

  I knew we hadn’t; we had foolishly tried, and I supposed to anyone else it might have worked, but not to Wyn, not to Dramin, and certainly not to Ryland.

  I swallowed the lump that had built in my throat and tried to come up with some form of response, but none came, so I held still and waited for the police-force-style questioning to continue, knowing full-well I had to answer her. Judging by the smile trying to creep onto her face, she knew, too. Although, I wasn’t sure if she was going to erupt into giggles or hysterics.

  “When?” she asked, her voice hard even though I could still see the smile trying to escape.

  I exhaled deeply and looked away; I knew I couldn’t leave her completely hanging.

  “Last night. After we left your room,” I whispered, my voice breaking as if I was letting her in on some dirty secret.

  “Obviously,” Wyn said as she rolled her eyes again, the action so over-exaggerated that I couldn’t help but smile. “Well, at least whatever I said worked.”

  “I knew it.”

  It was a lie; I hadn’t really known it so to speak, but looking back on it now, it made perfect sense. Silly, meddling Wyn just wouldn’t leave well enough alone; she never did. I should have caught onto her game sooner, however, at the time, I had been too embarrassed at having been caught in such a conversation.

>   Wyn smiled, breaking through the angry mask she had given herself and prancing a bit through the darkened cave, her joy at having been caught in her game infectious.

  “I couldn’t let Ilyan ruin this for himself. He’s been waiting so long.” Wyn laughed as she pleaded her case, but she didn’t need to; I agreed with her

  “I know.”

  “I am happy for you,” she squealed in my ear as she rushed at me, the bone-crushing hug wrapped so tightly around me I was having trouble breathing, yet I didn’t care. I clung to her as she did me, the wide, goofy grin plastered to my face.

  “You seem so much stronger, calm. I don’t know how to explain it, but something has changed.”

  “Thank you,” I gasped, the words barely coming out.

  Wyn pulled away, finally realizing I couldn’t breathe, her body practically bouncing with excitement before me.

  “So are you going to let me see it?” I stiffened at her question, my nerves prickling in fear. I had no idea what she was talking about. My confusion must have been clear on my face because Wyn rolled her eyes as she pulled at the hood that was still placed on my head.

  “The braid,” she clarified, her voice showing exaggerated irritation. “I am assuming Ilyan did it the right way this time.”

  Her voice had gotten soft, the whisper almost pulling me back into the ceremony—the beauty of it, the feel of Ilyan’s fingers in my hair. I could still feel that secrecy, that need to keep something so beautiful hidden, something for Ilyan and me to treasure. Strangely, part of me wanted to show her, though, like a secret that you just couldn’t keep to yourself.

  My heart thumped as my stomach turned, my hands lifting to remove the hood that Ilyan had so gently placed over his masterpiece. I felt the weight on my head change as I released the braid, the long, golden ribbon untangling itself to fall down my back and snake to the floor. Wyn said nothing as she stepped around me, her breath catching. I waited for an explanation, anything, but she stayed silent.