Blood Of Fire (The Blood Burden Series)

by Wenona Hulsey

  Nicole fisted her hands at her sides, "Do you not realize that Kat and my dad almost died for this greater good and that the lives of both fae and warrior alike teeter on the outcome of this war. Sage died because of what you set in motion."

  Titania's eyes remained soft despite Nicole's brashness, "This is a war that needed to be started. The outcome will create a world that is better for all of us."

  "You don't know that," hissed Nicole.

  "I have faith in you. You weren't created by accident my dear. Greatness is your destiny and through it you will unite mine and your great grandfather's people."

  "How will war and death unite both sides? It doesn't make sense. Too many innocent people have already perished when only one person deserves to die and that's Loch. I will not kill anyone who doesn't deserve it."

  Smiling, Titania kissed Nicole's forehead, "Sweet dreams my brilliant granddaughter."

  Nicole stared confused into her grandmother's face as the world around her dissolved. She didn't understand. How would her not killing anyone solve this? This is war after all. Her eyes opened and she was back in her room staring up at the ceiling. The sun cast small columns of light across her bed but she didn't see them. An idea was spinning in her mind and it consumed her. "I will not kill anyone who doesn't deserve to die."

  She sprung from her bed and bounded out to the balcony causing the guard to jump clutching his gun tightly. Nicole grabbed onto the rail and stared out at the sunrise in silence. The colors of the horizon were the most beautiful and vibrant she had ever witnessed. The orange blended into pink which in turn blended into blue creating an artist's canvas. "So beautiful," she whispered. The joy of having a plan gave everything a brand new light. The world up until that moment for her was covered in a gray haze that only hinted at the pristine picture living underneath but now it was as if she had new eyes. There had never been a way to stop this war, it had to happen. But it could be a tool to create a new beginning.

  "It's a bit chilly for my liking," responded the guard who had been watching her from a safe distance.

  "Back home we call the final cold snap just before spring the Blackberry winter. After those last couple of cold nights you know the world around you is about to change into something beautiful." Nicole smiled and walked back into her room. Training today would be in the field with fire so she had to prepare.

  Chapter 22

  "Do it again," commanded Luke. He joined the front line in the formation of warriors and fairies as they re-aligned themselves to run through the drill again. Each time the front line consisting of warriors would begin by pummeling the first line with fire. Then the fae's archery line would fire a spray of arrows raining down on the target dummies. After the first two lines passed blurs with blades, both warrior and fae would inundate the field. Some flung small knifes through the air with such skill that they flew straight into the necks and eyes of their opponents; while others brandished swords that glowed with a blue power. In one swing the blade decapitated the target. An electric hiss accompanied each swing of the unusual swords.

  General Moyer stood above the group watching the action with a docile Queen Teya in a chair at his side. "They are perfect. You should be proud of your army."

  "Yes, very proud," Teya mumbled. Her eyes lazily drifted around the field then she went back to staring at the tips of her long hair. The necklace Luke and Slade had forced onto her glowed green against her pale chest. It was doing its job. Teya had become complacent and easy to manipulate because she could care less about the world around her now. All goals of world domination were gone along with any desires she had of living life itself. She only sat staring into space until someone spoke to her.

  General Moyer chuckled at the queen, "You were such a fool to treat Nicole that way. She should have killed you and taken the crown the day she arrived. You never deserved the throne."

  "Yes, she should have killed me." Teya agreed as if she was commenting on the rising sun.

  "Maybe she will when we go to the battlefield. We will let you stand in the middle like a trophy. The first one to kill you wins. How does that sound?"

  Teya's attention was distracted by the action on the field as the army finished the last wave of the assault so Moyer didn't receive an answer to his taunting. Luke and Slade walked up to the platform where they sat. "How did it look to you, General?" asked Slade.

  "Like a killing machine."

  "Are you seeing any weakness?" asked Luke.

  "Yes. Divide them up into two opposing groups then neutralize all powers, Slade. Have them go head to head. I'm sure that Loch is counting on you being there and possibly using this tactic so they will be skilled in hand to hand combat too. We should do the same."

  Slade nodded then darted into the soldiers but Luke stayed behind. "What if Nicole is there?"

  "You need to focus on winning, not her. If Loch has somehow managed to convince her the warrior race is superior then she is just another fly to be swatted down."

  Luke kept his eyes on the army as he processed Moyer's words. "I know she won't turn on us."

  "Our intel says otherwise. She's training side by side with them."

  "There has to be a reason for what she's doing. I won't write her off that easy."

  "You will forget the woman you knew or you will not lead this army out on that battle field. You can't go into war with conflicted feelings."

  "I can lead this army," Luke shouted back at the General, upset that he was questioning his abilities.

  Moyer stood staring with a face of stone, "She will be leading Loch's army into war. Do you really think you will be able to stand your ground when the woman you love becomes your enemy? You will write her off and remember what your duty is to this kingdom." His voice softened slightly, "If she is still on our side she will make it known."

  Luke nodded then confidently walked back to the field to oversee the exercise but inside his head there was an explosion of anger. How could she be leading Loch's army? What could Loch possibly do to convince her to train with them? This was not right and there was no way he would allow himself to believe it. He would prepare for this war alongside his soldiers but when the time came he would do what was right. He belonged to Nicole. He was her warrior. Nothing was greater than him protecting her.

  Another two hours of training without powers had everyone breathing heavy but much more aware of what this war would look like if Slade was forced to level the playing field. The warriors were great with hand to hand combat because of their natural strength but not having their speed made them clumsy at times. The fairies were weaker without their magic but most were at least skilled swordsmen and archers so that advantage remained. Over all Slade and Luke agreed that they still stood a chance on a powerless field.

  "Do you believe it?" Asked Slade as the soldiers set up for another round of attacks.

  "Believe what?"

  "That Nicole is against us now?"

  Luke shook his head. He peeled his sweat drench shirt from his body and threw it to the ground. "Not a chance in hell." He knew in his heart that Nicole wouldn't side with Loch. She of all people would be able to see through the lies he was sure Nicole was being fed by his father. If she was training with them there had to be a damn good reason. But it didn't matter. Nicole belonged to him. He didn't care how barbaric that sounded. She was his to love and protect no matter the cost and he wouldn't let anything or anyone, including General Moyer, stand in his way.

  "Me either. She's too smart for Loch's games." Slade smiled a lopsided grin, "What's our plan?"

  "My plan is to lead this army into war," smiled Luke. Slade could read him a little too well but it would be nice to have another person watching his back as he tried to get to Nicole. "But our plan will be slightly different once things start rolling."

  Slade patted Luke on the back, "Let's get our girl back."

  **~***~**

  A single fire ball fell at Nicole's feet when she stepped to the edge of the field. Sh
e knew without looking who slung it her way. Brien smiled broadly from his group of buddies in the center of the fire training area. Nicole didn't give him the satisfaction of a reaction but instead took in the setup of the arena. Over all it was a basic field close to three hundred yards long and a hundred yards wide with a wide pond running down either side. Large boulders, a few narrow walls with doorways and several large dirt mounds made up the inside of the area. Dotted around the edge were several seared and unstable looking building shells, some two stories tall. Nicole made quick notes of each area of safety she could find. Today her strategy would be much different. No more being the hopeless rabbit in a maze of blood thirsty warriors.

  Claude tossed her a black jumpsuit and a red armband. "You're on team red. Team blue is your enemy. Only use red fire and shoot for the area covered by the suit."

  "Guess you don't want me scorching any of your men's pretty faces?"

  "The suit is fire resistant so yes it is much better for training purposes to avoid the face but the suit also marks your hit."

  Nicole slid the jumper on and zipped it. "One hit and the person is out?"

  "One hit in a fatal zone and you're out."

  "How will I know if it was fatal?"

  Claude pinched at the material on Nicole's sleeve. She could feel that the top layer was loose compared to the tightness of the liner when he tugged. "Under the fire resistant layer there are different color zones that will shine through when you're hit. If you see red…you're dead."

  "Easy enough." Nicole made her way to the edge of the red squad and as usual she was ignored. Shala stepped to Nicole's side and started dancing her way into her own jumpsuit.

  "What's the strategy Soldier Keenen?" A hush settled over the group as they all stared at Shala in disbelief. Shala stepped through the group until she was in the center. "She will be leading us into war so it's time to see what she's made of."

  All eyes drilled into Nicole. Her heart jumped up into her throat making it impossible to speak. Mentally she started pulling a list together of her experience with war. Battleship, ummm Call of Duty…I wonder if Contra counts? Then she remembered one advantage in strategic planning that she had over them all. Telepathic ability. So far most of the warriors had been successful at keeping her blocked out but she had never bothered to challenge their barriers. After all there were times she was able to temporally overcome Slade's shield powers like when she opened the gateway the first time. "I hope this works," she mumbled under her breath just where Shala could hear her.

  "Here's the plan." She stepped into the center of the group and lowered her voice. "You all must let me inside your heads. Stop blocking me so I can guide you."

  "We don't need you to guide us. We all know where every warrior is just like you do thanks to our blood." One of the twins had managed to be thrown onto Nicole's team and he wasn't too friendly. He was the slightly leaner of the two skilled swordsmen with black hair and eyes that matched.

  "Kade, give her a chance to prove herself," shouted Shala. Everyone, including Nicole was baffled by the support Shala was showing. Nicole couldn't help to wonder if this was just part of her game or if Shala really believed in her.

  "We will go up the field in two teams. I'll fall back into the second team and issue the commands as we move forward. Trust me and I'll get you all through this safe." Nicole was surprised by the confidence in her own voice. She didn't realize until that moment how much she was depending on this plan to work. There was no other way. Not just for this training game but for her plan to win this war.

  Though the reluctance was clear in their faces they all nodded and divided up into two teams. Nicole walked around the front team as Shala told her everyone's names. She tried to quickly associate each warrior's slightly unique pull with a name. When she felt that she had a good handle on the links she stepped back and talked to each warrior by name telepathically. She couldn't help but giggle at some of the shocked and startled expressions on the hardened warriors' faces when she spoke.

  When both teams were ready she signaled Claude who was perched on a watch tower above. The enemy team would be coming from the opposite side of the field and though she could feel them there she couldn't see them. She didn't wait for the gun shot to signal game on—she pressed her power forward imagining it drilling into each mind on the far end of the field. It licked and swirled like invisible flames as it tried to taste each mind, dancing along every wall until it found a weakness. Most of the minds were simple to touch. They had grown accustomed to her not trying to break in so they weren't paying close attention but she knew the second she ran across Scarface's mind. It was locked up tight. Each time she pressed forward the shield blocking her pressed back.

  Not wanting to test her luck she pulled back. The news that she could penetrate blocked minds was a little secret she wanted to keep to herself. Pushing too hard on Brien could give her away when he was making such an effort to conceal his thoughts.

  Scanning the field one last time she turned her attention on the people around her. "Team one up the right. Team two will go left once the first shot is fired." Nicole nodded to both groups then added, "From here on out remain silent. Speak to me in your mind and listen for my orders. Stay hidden until I tell you to fire."

  Kade grunted in Nicole's direction as he led the first group away. Nicole took the sound as agreement as she watched the unit move up the side of the field. Send two into the first building. Instantly, and to her relief, Kade signaled the two men flanking his lift side to split off into the building. The unit quickly moved out of Nicole's sight so she switched tactics and monitored the tugs in her mind that linked her to each warrior.

  The blue team was approaching but cautiously. No burst of speed or showing off. They were playing everything just as they would in a real battle. The first troop of the blue team was about to reach Nicole's first hidden soldier, Terry. She was a small framed woman standing just over five foot who, aside from her skill with fire, looked very much normal. She had taken cover behind what used to be a complete building. But now it was no more than a two battered walls creating an 'L' shape with one broken window.

  Terry, Nicole spoke via their connection, on my count fire out the window. He's about to run past you to take out a bigger target.

  What? She huffed. Like I'm not a threat.

  Three…Two….One...Now! Silence was all she heard then a torrent of profanities broke the calm. A warrior walked out to the middle of the field and yelled, "I'm dead," then sat down shaking his head and mumbling under his breath.

  Got him, announced Terry proudly to Nicole.

  Great job. Now move to a safe area. Nicole motioned for her half of the team to follow her. Most of the enemy was moving toward the action on the right side of the field just as she expected. She led her team around the first dirt mound then signaled for Jake, Rain and a young man who looked like he should still be in high school named Scott over to the next building. Scott upstairs, Rain take the bottom floor. Jake, post around back.

  Creeping through the next two sections Nicole and Shala took a spot behind two large boulders. Kade, there's a pair coming up from behind—

  I feel them, he snapped back in her mind.

  The urge to teach him a lesson was hard to pass up but instead she said, They are going to knock the wall on top of you so you need to do it first. Within seconds she heard the wall crashing to the ground and could see the rising plume of dust and smoke just a few hundred yards away. Finish them before they can get free of the debris. Two things happened in the next second. The tug that signaled Kade was approaching the downed targets told her that two more warriors were out of the game but in the same moment she felt the heat of fire. In her distraction she let Scarface slip in on her and Shala.

  Before she could react Shala tugged her forward in a run, "It's not a fatal hit." The two blurred into the next building taking the stairs two a time to the second floor. The room was empty with scorched walls and the floor boards were worn
thin. Once they stopped Nicole checked the burnt spot on her shoulder. Yellow cloth showed through the hole in her jumpsuit confirming Shala's non-lethal assessment. Back to it. Nicole spoke to Shala's mind with a small smile.

  Do you feel that? asked Shala silently

  Yes. Nicole could feel Scarface was approaching them quickly along with the other members still alive in his team. Something was off. The way he had shot her in the shoulder when he could have easily gotten a fatal hit didn't seem right. And how he kept his mind locked up like a steal trap. It all left a pit in her stomach as she rolled the facts around in her head. Then Shala's words from the first day of training replayed in her head, Brien never misses. That's his gift.

  It's a trap. Nicole's mind wrapped around the thought just as the first fireball hit the bottom floor. He was going to set the building on fire with her and Shala in it. He wasn't playing by the rules any more.

  "What is going on?" Shala blurted out loud as her eyes went wide.

  Nicole bolted to the window. Studying the terrain below the shimmer of the brackish pond caught her eye. "Seems Brien is out for my head but don't worry, I've got a plan."

  Smoke began to fill the room as the lower half of the building started to burn. The old, dry wood wouldn't take long to become an inferno so Nicole had to act fast. Focusing on the water she held both palms out. A blue glow pooled in her palm and crept around to the back of her hand until it painted its way to her fingertips.

  "What the hell?" Shala stared past Nicole to the wall of water that was forming. It pulsed and shrunk back into the pond only to repeat the process again each time growing taller until it was three stories tall.

  Nicole smiled and nodded toward the growing wave, "That's my plan."

  Coughing Shala covered her mouth and nose with her shirt, "Hurry. I can't stand this much longer."

  Nicole nodded. The smoke was becoming very thick but to Nicole the heat building was much worse. The air in her lungs felt hot enough to cook her insides and almost too thick to breath. She pushed for one final build of the wall of shimmering water just as another fire ball slammed into the window. Shards of glass pummeled the team but worse, Nicole lost her control on the wave and it plummeted back into the water. "Not good." She bit off the words through gritted teeth. Scott, Rain, Jake. We need some help. Try to distract Brien so I can put out this fire. Nicole channeled the thought to the three waiting warriors she had dropped a few hundred yards back.