Stroke The Flame

by Elizabeth Briggs

  Stroke The Flame

  Her Elemental Dragons Book One

  Elizabeth Briggs

  Contents

  Free Book!

  1. Kira

  2. Kira

  3. Kira

  4. Jasin

  5. Kira

  6. Auric

  7. Kira

  8. Slade

  9. Kira

  10. Kira

  11. Reven

  12. Kira

  13. Auric

  14. Kira

  15. Jasin

  16. Kira

  17. Kira

  18. Kira

  19. Reven

  20. Kira

  21. Slade

  22. Kira

  23. Kira

  24. Kira

  25. Auric

  26. Kira

  27. Reven

  28. Kira

  29. Kira

  30. Slade

  31. Kira

  32. Kira

  33. Kira

  34. Jasin

  35. Kira

  36. Auric

  37. Kira

  38. Reven

  39. Kira

  40. Slade

  41. Jasin

  42. Kira

  43. Kira

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  Hollywood Roommates - Excerpt

  Also by Elizabeth Briggs

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

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  1

  Kira

  I crept through the forest in search of my prey, my hand tight on my bow. Heavy rain left a sheen of water on my face even with my hood covering me, and I wiped it off on my already-soaked sleeve. The storm was getting stronger. If I didn’t find a deer or something else soon, I’d have to give up and return empty-handed. Roark wouldn’t like that.

  I made my way toward one of my traps up ahead, stepping carefully through the high brush and keeping my eyes peeled for any game. With the weather as it was, I doubted I would have any luck. All the animals in the forest had no doubt retreated once this sudden storm had come upon us. The only thing left out here would be elementals and shades—and I had no desire to confront either of those.

  When I’d set out a few hours ago, the sky had been clear and bright. Only in the last hour had the storm clouds gathered overhead as if out of nowhere, or perhaps summoned by the Gods themselves. I shivered, and not just from the cold that sank into my bones through my soaked clothes.

  I bent down to check the trap I’d left this morning and breathed a sigh of relief. A large rabbit had been caught inside. Tonight I’d be fed. Tonight Tash would be safe.

  I tossed the rabbit into a sack and loaded it onto my shoulder. When I turned around, I wasn’t alone. I dropped the sack and aimed my bow, my heart in my throat.

  An old woman stood before me, her body hunched over with age, her skin pale and wrinkled. She wore a frayed traveling cloak and frizzy white hair escaped her low hood. I might have heard her as she approached, but the storm drowned out all sound except for the pounding of rain in the trees.

  “Can I help you?” I called out to her, as I lowered my bow and retrieved my fallen sack.

  “Perhaps.” She stared at me and frowned, then looked around as if confused.

  “You must be lost. I can show you to Stoneham, the nearest town.”

  “That’s kind of you.”

  I offered her my arm and she took it, leaning upon me. Her grip was strong, even though she seemed so frail I worried a strong gust might turn her bones to dust. I wondered how she had found herself in the middle of the forest in the first place. She shouldn’t be traveling alone, especially not in this weather.

  “What’s your name?” she asked.

  “Kira.”

  As we carefully stepped through the forest she gazed up at the dark sky, letting the rain wash over her face. “There’s a storm coming.”

  I patted her wrinkled hand where it rested on my arm. “I think it’s already here. But if we hurry, we can get out of it. The inn is just ahead.”

  “There’s no escaping this storm.” She turned toward me and her eyes were like steel. “Not for you.”

  Her words sent another shiver down my spine. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

  She held my gaze another few seconds, then waved her hand. “Just the ramblings of an old woman. Nothing more.”

  I frowned, but continued walking through the wet brush. “We’re nearly there now.”

  “Yes, indeed we are,” she said.

  A rustling sound up ahead caught my attention. I dropped her arm and drew my bow. “Stay back. I’ll make sure the way is clear.”

  I took a step forward as I peered through the brush in front of us, watching for the slightest twitch of a leaf or the dash of fur. But there was nothing other than the relentless rain.

  When I turned back, the woman was gone.

  “Hello?” I called out, spinning around and scanning the area for her. The storm made it hard to see anything, but there was no trace of her anywhere. She’d just…vanished.

  I went back the way we’d walked, calling out for the woman, but I couldn’t find her anywhere. There was no sign she’d ever been in the forest at all.

  After many long minutes, with the rain pounding down on me and the wind whipping at my cloak, I reluctantly gave up my search. I told myself she must have gone ahead to the village without me, but something about that didn’t feel right. It was the only explanation though, unless she was a shade. But if that were true I wouldn’t still be breathing, according to the stories I’d heard anyway. I’d never actually seen a shade before, but it was said they were ghostly figures that could turn invisible, pass through walls, and suck the life right out of you. As strange as the woman was, she seemed perfectly human at least. Still, probably best for me to hurry back.

  I headed toward the inn, more by instinct than sight at this point. As I left the forest, my shoes sank into the mud and the relentless wind tore the hood off my head. I tried to tug it back on, but there was no use. My hair was already soaked through and I was chilled to the bone.

  Lightning flashed overhead, followed immediately by the deep rumble of thunder. I ran for the inn as fast as I could, but the wind was so strong it seemed to push me back, as if it was fighting my every step. I slipped in the mud and fell to my knees, bracing myself with my hands. The impact jolted through my bones, and for a moment I could only remain there, dazed and covered in mud from head to toe.

  As I tried to stand, a bright crack lit up the sky, blinding me. Searing hot pain struck my head and I screamed as a bolt of lightning coursed through me. Electricity spread within my entire body, setting every nerve on fire and burning me from the inside out. It raced through my blood, and I thought my heart would burst from the power warring for control within me. Time stopped, and pain became the only thing I knew.

  And then it was gone.

  Deep, cavernous thunder sounded all around me as my sight returned. My entire body shook and trembled uncontrollably. Mud covered me completely, rain pelted my face, wind lashed at my hair, and sparks danced in my blood. As if the elemental Gods themselves had thought to strike me down, then decided to let me live after all.

  I scrambled back to my feet, nearly slipping again in the slick mud. When I was steady, I grabbed the bag with the rabbit from where I’d dropped it, before stumbling to the back door of the inn. I opened the door with some effort, the wind battling me still, and then stepped inside the familiar warm kitchen that smelled of stew and baked bread. Once the door was shut, I fell back against it, breathing heavily.

>   I’d been struck by lightning. Yet somehow I still lived.

  I quickly checked my body, searching for signs of injury, but I seemed to be physically fine, although my cloak was charred and I was in great need of a bath. The only thing that afflicted me was shock.

  None of it made sense. Lightning usually hit the tallest thing around, and I was nowhere near that. I’d been surrounded by much better targets. The inn. The stables. The trees. Why had it hit me?

  And how had I made it through without a scratch?

  2

  Kira

  “Kira?” a friendly voice called out. My best friend, Tash, who worked as a waitress in her father’s inn and tavern. Like most of the people in the Earth Realm, she had dark skin and thick black hair, which she often wore in a braid, and with her cheerful smile she made even the drabbest apron look good. She rushed over to me and gasped. “You poor thing. You’re completely soaked and look like you went mud wrestling with the pigs. Come in out of the cold and we’ll get you something to warm you up.”

  “I’m all right,” I said, but it wasn’t very convincing. I’m pretty sure my teeth chattered. “Just need to change my clothes.”

  Tash bit her lip, but nodded. “Did you get anything?”

  “Yeah.” I handed her the bag with the rabbit. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do. Between the elemental attacks on nearby farms and the Black Dragon’s taxes, food was scarce these days. Something Roark reminded us of often.

  Her face softened with relief. “Thank the Gods.”

  I snorted. “The Gods have abandoned us. Thank me for setting up the traps in advance.”

  She chuckled. “Go clean yourself up, you’re tracking mud all over the kitchen. Mother’s going to have a fit.”

  I stepped out of the kitchen and into the small room behind it, where I currently lived. Roark, Tash’s father, owned this inn and allowed me to stay here as long as I caught him some game and fetched some herbs and spices from the forest. If I brought something back, I got to eat that night. If not, I didn’t. If I missed two days in a row, he’d beat Tash in punishment. Oh, originally he’d tried to beat me, but I hadn’t cared. I’d suffered much worse before. He soon realized it hurt me more to beat his own daughter, my one true friend.

  I’d never missed two days in a row again.

  I quickly stripped off my soiled cloak, along with the rest of my hunting leathers, then changed into a simple blue dress with frayed edges. I exchanged my muddy boots for my one pair of dull slippers. Nothing could be done for my wet, crusty hair, which was more brown than red at the moment, but I tried smoothing it down anyway and wiped away the dried dirt.

  Once again, I checked myself for any signs of injury, but there seemed to be no lasting damage from my brush with death. Even so, I sank onto the narrow bed and rubbed my eyes with trembling hands, willing the sense of dread to leave me. Between the old woman’s words and the lightning strike, my twentieth birthday was definitely not going as I’d hoped.

  After pulling myself together, I returned to the kitchen. Tash herded me into the tavern, to the lone empty table in the corner. “Sit here,” she said. “I’ll fetch you something to eat.”

  “Thanks.” I gave her arm a quick squeeze before she slipped away.

  The inn was packed with soldiers and travelers trying to avoid the storm, and the air had a humid, musky scent. I quickly scanned the room, but the old lady wasn’t in sight. Perhaps she’d already gone to her room to rest. I ducked my eyes when one of the Black Dragon’s soldiers on duty gave me a stern look. They were always watching from behind their winged helmets and scaled black armor, ready to enforce her rule. The green markings on their shoulders signaled they were in the Earth Realm division of the Onyx Army, under the command of the Jade Dragon.

  At the bar, a couple travelers were speaking in hushed tones, but the word “elemental” drifted over to me and caught my attention. I leaned forward, straining to hear the rest.

  “Miners dug too deep and angered those big rock elementals,” a man wearing a dark green cloak said. “They smashed up the town pretty good before they were finally driven off.”

  “Aren’t the Dragons supposed to deal with those?” another man muttered into his tankard.

  A woman with a red scarf around her neck snorted quietly. “They’re too busy collecting taxes and trying to stomp out the Resistance.”

  “I saw the Crimson Dragon the other day in the next village over,” another man said, making my back stiffen. “Flying overhead like he was looking for something. Or someone.”

  The woman glanced warily at the nearby soldier before whispering, “I heard the Golden one was in Pebbleton a week ago.”

  “We never get Dragons this far from Soulspire. Why now?” the first man asked.

  The second man downed his drink with a sour look. “The Black Dragon is demanding more tribute than ever before. Her Dragons are there to make sure we obey. Or else.”

  Cold fear gripped my throat. If the Dragons were nearby, that meant it was time for me to leave Stoneham. And soon.

  I’d seen two Dragons in my life and never wanted to see one again. The screams and smell of burning flesh still haunted my dreams, but Stoneham had been safe so far. I’d been here since I was seventeen, living in the back of the inn that Tash’s family owned while keeping my head down and staying out of trouble. This town was at the very edge of the Earth Realm, far enough away from Soulspire that the Black Dragon and her mates never flew out this far.

  Until now.

  Tash set down a steaming bowl of rabbit stew and a tankard of mead, along with a small cake she’d decorated with white frosting. “Here you are!”

  “What’s this?” I asked, arching an eyebrow at the cake.

  “It’s for your birthday, of course. You didn’t really expect me to forget, did you?” She flashed me a warm smile.

  “Thank you, Tash.” I hadn’t wanted her to make a big deal about my birthday, but I appreciated that she remembered it. She was the closest thing I had to family, after all.

  She bent down and gave me a quick hug. “Happy birthday.”

  I hugged her back. “Hey, did you see an older woman come through here with white hair? I stumbled upon her in the forest, but then I lost her.”

  “No, but I’ve been in the kitchen all night. Father probably took her up to a room already.”

  “I hope so. I don’t like the idea of her being out there alone.” Something about the encounter tugged at my gut with a sense of wrongness, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

  Tash squeezed my shoulder. “If you didn’t see her out there, then she must be safe inside somewhere. Maybe she’s staying with family in town.”

  “I’m sure you’re right,” I said, trying to banish my unease as I took a bite of my cake. “Mm. This is delicious.”

  “Of course it is.” She winked, but then was called away to another table. I watched her go and sadness clenched my heart tight. I didn’t want to leave Stoneham. Tash was my best friend, and more than that, she needed me. If I was gone, who would protect her from her father?

  Perhaps she would come with me if I left. But no, she would never leave her mother behind. Maybe it was only a coincidence the Dragons had been spotted nearby. Maybe they would never come to Stoneham.

  Maybe I didn’t have to run. At least, not yet.

  A commotion and a shout at the bar drew my attention. Two of the soldiers hauled the man in the green cloak off his stool and shoved him to the ground, while the woman cried out, “We were just talking! We didn’t mean anything by it!”

  I watched with dread, my stomach twisting at the knowledge of what would happen next. I’d seen it before, and no matter how much I wanted to help those people or stop the soldiers, there was nothing I could do. I knew how to defend myself a little, but not against two armored soldiers with swords as long as my arm. The only reason I’d made it this long was by keeping my head down and staying out of trouble. But that didn’t stop me from wishing the
re was something I could do to stop this.

  One of the soldiers grabbed the wonan’s wrist and dragged her off the stool too. “Sounds to me like you’re part of the Resistance. Don’t you agree, Ment?”

  The other soldier nodded, while a cruel smile touched his lips. “That it does. And we all know how we deal with Resistance scum.”

  The cloaked man shook his head vehemently. “We’re not Resistance! We’re loyal to the Black Dragon, I swear it!”

  “Tell that to the Spirit Goddess when you see her,” Ment said, as he hauled the man to his feet.

  Roark glared at them from behind the bar and rubbed his hands on a towel, but said nothing. The soldiers gave him a nod as they led the two struggling people out of the inn. The door shut, and the entire room froze as a howling scream tore through the sound of the rain, before it was cut short. With grim faces, the other people in the tavern returned to their meals and their conversation, including the other man who’d been talking with the doomed travelers. Maybe we were all cowards, but it was the only way to survive.

  I dropped my head as shame and despair battled inside me, along with the keen realization that there was no point in running. No matter where I went, there was no escaping the Dragons or their soldiers.

  3