“Not the friendly kind,” Reven said.
“How many?” Slade asked.
Reven glanced through the missing wall, though I couldn’t see anything out there. “Seven at least. Bandits, most likely. They’re surrounding us now.”
Jasin swore under his breath. “They must have been watching this town. Waiting for us to go to sleep so they could attack.”
Yes, that was definitely their plan. I remembered as much from my short time living with a group of them myself.
“Can we get our horses and outrun them?” Auric asked, as he quickly pulled on his boots.
“Not likely,” Reven said.
“Especially not with Kira sharing a horse,” Jasin said. “But we could try.”
“Run or fight?” Slade asked, turning his green eyes to me. The others waited for my answer too.
I swallowed. All my life I’d stayed in the shadows and kept to myself, trying to draw as little attention as possible. I wasn’t used to being a leader and wasn’t sure I liked this new role. What if I made the wrong decision and one of them was injured, or Gods forbid, worse? How could I live with that?
I went over everything they’d said. We were surrounded and couldn’t outrun the bandits, not with me riding with one of them. We didn’t know the land around here, and the bandits probably did. No matter what we chose we were at a disadvantage.
“Fight,” I said, praying I’d made the right decision and wasn’t leading my men to their deaths. I’d only known them for a few days, but I was already terrified of losing them.
“So be it,” Jasin said, flashing a bloodthirsty smile. “I do love a good fight.”
“We have to be careful not to use our powers though,” Auric said. “We can’t let anyone know who or what we are.”
“Or we need to make sure no one is alive to speak a word about us,” Reven said, pulling his hood over his head again.
With that grim thought, we quickly prepared ourselves and left the ruined building, since there was no room to fight inside it. As we stood in the center of the village, the men all drew their weapons and I gripped my bow tight. Jasin clutched his large sword, while Auric held a long, thin blade with elaborate carvings. Slade lifted his huge axe, his stance wide, like nothing was getting through him. Reven disappeared into the shadows or maybe onto a nearby roof, I wasn’t sure.
Dark figures crept out of doorways and blades glinted under the starlight, but my rapid breathing was the only thing I could hear.
Auric raised his sword. “Here they come.”
“Protect Kira,” Slade told the others.
Jasin gripped his weapon tighter. “With my life.”
“I can protect myself,” I told them, readying my bow. I prayed to the Gods it was true.
17
Kira
As dark figures approached from all around us I nocked an arrow, my heart pounding in my chest. We were outnumbered and would soon be surrounded. What if I’d made the wrong decision?
When the first bandit came within range, I released my arrow. It struck the man in the chest and he hit the ground. I grabbed another arrow immediately, but by then the attackers were already upon us.
Thin knives appeared from the rooftops above us, landing in the throats of two of the bandits, killing them instantly. Thrown by Reven, no doubt. He leaped off the rooftop and his twin blades sliced through another bandit as he landed. He then launched himself at the next attacker in a blur of movement.
Slade swung his axe at a man wearing a gray hood, while Auric’s long blade clashed with a curved sword wielded by a woman. Jasin moved in front of me, meeting two bandits with his heavy sword, his movements swift and powerful. He spun and slashed between the two of them, keeping them at bay.
Everything happened so quickly it was hard to tell who was friend or foe in the darkness, and I hesitated to release my arrow while wishing I could be of more help in the fight. When Auric narrowly dodged a blow from the woman with the curved sword, I saw my chance and let my arrow fly, taking her down with a well-placed shot in the chest.
The two men fighting Jasin pushed him back against a wall and I saw a burst of blood under the moonlight. Panic shot through me and I readied another arrow to help defend him, but then a woman lunged at me with a dagger. Auric let out a shout and blasted a gust of wind toward her, sweeping her off her feet—and me along with her.
I hit the ground hard on my back, all the air knocked from my chest and my head smarting from the impact. The bandit woman recovered faster and grabbed her dagger off the ground, already getting back to her feet. I sucked in a breath and lifted myself up, but I wasn’t quick enough in reaching for my own knife from my boot. She raised her dagger, but then a barrage of rubble slammed into her, courtesy of Slade I assumed.
Only problem was the rocks went wide and smashed into Jasin and Auric too. Flames lashed out from Jasin’s hands at the two bandits in front of him, setting them both on fire, along with everything around them. In an instant, the nearby brush was alight and blazing with heat.
Behind me, Reven swore under his breath and conjured a downpour of water over the flames like he’d done this morning, except on a larger scale. A much larger scale. Suddenly we were up to our knees in a flash flood of muddy water, which swept two of the bandits away into the forest. I grabbed onto a nearby piece of rubble to steady myself as the water rushed around me.
Within seconds, all our attackers were either dead or gone. I wasn’t sure if any of them had escaped or not. If they did, then our secret would be out.
A body floated up beside me and I shuddered, while our nearby horses stomped their feet in the rising water. I lifted my bow above the water and each of my men looked somewhere between stunned and exhausted, which was about how I felt too. We were all soaked through, covered in mud and blood with a few cuts and bruises, but at least we were alive.
“Is everyone all right?” I asked.
Jasin touched his neck, which was still bleeding. “Nothing serious.”
“I’m fine,” Auric said.
Reven regarded the ruined village like he still expected trouble to emerge from its dark doorways. “We should get moving.”
“No kidding,” Jasen said, as he trudged through the knee-high muddy stream. “Think you summoned enough water here?”
Reven’s eyes narrowed at him. “I wouldn’t have had to use my powers at all if you hadn’t set the entire place on fire.”
“That wouldn’t have happened if Slade hadn’t attacked me with a pile of rocks,” Jasin snapped.
“That was an accident,” Slade said.
“We all made mistakes,” Auric said, glancing at me. “I’m sorry I hit you also.”
“We’re still alive,” I said. “That’s what matters. We just have some things to work on, that’s all.”
“That’s an understatement,” Jasin muttered.
We made it to the horses and began packing up quickly, all of us eager to get away from this wretched place. But then Slade stopped just before mounting his horse and moved to rest his hand against a large rock nearby. All of us paused to watch him, wondering what he was doing. He closed his eyes and stood there, his palm pressing on the smooth stone, before finally pulling away. “There’s a cave nearby. We can camp there tonight.”
“Now you tell us,” Jasin said, throwing up his hands.
“I didn’t feel it’s presence before.” Slade frowned. “Actually, I didn’t know I could do that until now.”
“Fascinating.” Auric said. “I suspect we’ll all discover new uses of our powers the more we use them.”
Reven mounted his horse in one quick movement. “Let’s go.”
As Jasin pulled me up onto the horse behind him, he flinched a little. His neck was soaked in blood from the wound he’d received earlier. The wound he’d gotten defending me.
I lightly touched his neck, inspecting the gash. “We should take care of this.”
“I’m fine,” Jasen said, as he flicked the reigns o
f his horse. “Just a scratch.”
“We should at least clean it and wrap it.” As we left the abandoned village behind us, I covered his wound with my hand, trying to stop the flow of blood. It was the only thing I could do while we were riding. Warmth flared as we touched, making my fingertips tingle against his skin.
“It’s not so bad, really. I’ve had worse while shaving.” Despite his words, he rested his hand over mine, like he didn’t want me to pull it away. I became acutely aware of how close we were, with my fingers on his neck and my other hand on his hip. But I didn’t pull away either.
I ran my thumb slowly along his skin. “I just hate seeing any of you hurt.”
“Ah, so you do care about me.”
“You may be growing on me a little,” I admitted.
“I knew it.” He flashed me a roguish grin over his shoulder.
“Don’t get—” I started, but then I pulled my hand away to check the flow of blood and the rest of the words caught in my mouth. Jasin’s neck was not only no longer bleeding, but it didn’t seem to be injured at all anymore. How…?
“What is it?” Jasin asked, twisting on the saddle to look back at me. Auric glanced over at us, his brow furrowed, while Slade stopped his horse.
“Your neck,” I said, running my fingers over it, not believing my eyes. “The wound. It’s gone.”
Jasin touched the area where he’d been cut with a frown. “Gods, you’re right.”
“Kira must have healed it,” Auric said.
“Me?” I asked. “I didn’t do anything.”
Slade shrugged. “You’re the representative of the Spirit Goddess and the next Black Dragon. It makes sense you would have some powers of your own.”
Jasin stretched his neck, but he didn’t seem to be in any pain anymore. “Incredible.”
Auric examined Jasin closely. “I’ve heard rumors that the Black Dragon can heal her mates. I should have realized that would apply to us as well.”
I stared down at my hand, which was still coated in Jasin’s blood. “When I touched Jasin my hand felt warm, but he’s always warm so I didn’t think much of it. Maybe that’s how I did it?”
“Is anyone else injured?” Auric asked.
Slade shook his head, and we turned to Reven, who’d been watching the entire conversation in silence. When all eyes fell upon the small cut on his forehead, he sighed. “Fine, you can heal me.”
I slid off of Jasin’s horse and climbed up behind Reven. I was even more hesitant to touch him than Jasin, but I braced myself and lightly rested my hand over Reven’s forehead. While Jasin was comforting and warm, like sitting near a hearth on a cold night, Reven was cool and soothing, like diving into a refreshing lake on a hot day. That same tingling feeling returned to my fingertips, and when I pulled my hand away, the cut on his forehead had vanished.
“Praise the Gods,” Slade said quietly.
I stared at my hand. Even though I hadn’t been given any direction by the Spirit Goddess, it seemed she’d given me a gift too. Praise the Gods indeed.
18
Kira
As the moon climbed the sky, Slade guided our horses through the forest toward the mountains and the cave he’d sensed. The entrance to it was so small that none of us could squeeze inside, but he used his powers to push some of the stones away so we could enter.
We spread out around the cave and Jasin started a fire, while Auric created a breeze so the smoke would travel outside. Slade made a circle of stone, which Reven filled up with water, allowing us to wash ourselves and our clothes as best we could to get the mud and blood off. I took care of the horses, rubbing them down and giving them a few slices from an apple. They all butted their heads against my hand, wanting my attention. No surprise, really. Animals had always liked me. A coincidence, or because I was the representative of the Spirit Goddess? I wasn’t sure.
After washing our clothes, we hung them on rocks near the fire so they would dry by morning. I’d donned one of my fraying dresses, while Jasin had opted to go shirtless, wearing only trousers after claiming he was hot. I tried not to stare at his naked chest and failed horribly. Who could blame me, with all those muscles on display and that intriguing trail of dark hair going down into his pants? He smirked at me, like he knew I was enjoying the show, and I swallowed and forced myself to look away.
None of us were ready to sleep yet after a fight like that, even though we were all exhausted. Instead we spread out around the fire and ate some of the dried meat, bread, and fruit we had stored in our packs.
“Let’s admit it,” Jasin said, as he leaned back on his bedroll in a way that flaunted his well-developed chest. “Tonight was a disaster. We got lucky, but it could have gone another way easily.”
Auric smoothed back his blond hair, which looked darker since it was still wet. “We simply need more training. Not just on our own, but as a team.”
“You should practice fighting against each other too,” I said. “And then once you’re all masters, you can teach me. Since supposedly I’ll be inheriting these powers soon.” I couldn’t decide if I was excited about the idea or nervous. The guys could barely control their powers with just one element and I was supposed to master all four somehow. Including fire. I shuddered just thinking about it. But until I got those powers, I’d be at a disadvantage too. I was pretty good with my bow, but my fighting skills were a bit rusty otherwise.
“At least you can patch us up when we get injured,” Slade said.
“Hopefully that won’t happen too often, but I suppose I need to practice that also. Or even just figure out how I did it.” I sighed and wiped bread crumbs off my lap. “You each fought well earlier. Maybe you could teach me some tricks too.”
“I’d be happy to teach you lots of things,” Jasin said, with a naughty grin that made me shake my head, even though I was a secretly a little bit tempted.
“Training with each other is a good way to pass the time while we’re in camp,” Auric said. “We have many nights ahead of us while we travel to the different temples.”
“I have something we can use to pass the time tonight.” Slade reached inside his bag, then pulled out a large dark bottle.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Whiskey. Finest in the Earth Realm.” He chuckled softly. “Okay, that’s not true, but it was cheap at least.”
Slade poured us each a bit of whiskey and we all relaxed as we took a sip. After a few minutes, even Reven looked less tense than usual. With the alcohol warming me from the inside out, I felt more comfortable around the guys than I had before. Even though things had gone wrong tonight, we’d fought together, bled together, and all had each other’s backs. That kind of experience created a bond like nothing else could. Or maybe that was just the alcohol talking.
As Slade poured me a refill, he said, “Last night you asked us about where we’re from and what we did before this. I think it’s time you told us more about yourself, Kira.”
My fingers tightened around my cup. “What do you want to know?”
“Everything,” Auric said with a warm smile. “Did you always live in Stoneham?”
My past was not something I liked to talk about. Even Tash knew very little about my life before I showed up in her inn looking for a job. But these men were supposed to be my mates. I had to tell them something, and maybe someday I’d feel comfortable enough to tell them more. “No, I only lived there for the last three years or so. Before that I traveled around a lot.”
“Where were you from originally?” Slade asked, as his fingers ran through his dark beard in a very distracting way. “Somewhere else in the Earth Realm?”
“I grew up in the Water Realm, actually. A small town on the coast called Tidefirth.” Thinking back to those happy years made my throat tighten with emotion. “But I’ve lived in all of the Realms at some point or another, for a short while at least.”
“Sounds like you were on the run from something. Or someone.” Reven gazed at me from under his da
rk hood with those brooding blue eyes that seemed to peer deep into my soul.
I looked into Jasin’s eager brown eyes next, then Auric’s intelligent gray ones, and Slade’s calm green ones. Each man stared at me, but none of them pressured me to reveal more about my past. But I would have to take a leap at some point. Might as well be now.
I drew in a breath. “My family was killed by the Crimson Dragon when I was thirteen.” My hands wrung together in my lap, while I forced the next words out. “He burned down our entire house with my parents still in it. The memory has haunted me for my entire life.”
Jasin reached over and grabbed my hand. “I’m so sorry.”
“That must have been horrible,” Slade said.
“It was.” I shuddered as I remembered the flames, the smoke, the screams, and worst of all, the smell. “I only survived because my parents made me hide, after warning me that the Dragons would kill me if they ever found me. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I think they were part of the Resistance. They knew the Dragons would come for me too because of that. I’ve been laying low ever since.”
Auric took my other hand and gave it a squeeze. “Could your parents have known what you are?”
“I doubt it,” I said. “How could they have known? Even I didn’t know until the four of you showed up. Did any of you think something like this would happen?”
“Not a chance,” Reven muttered.
Slade shook his head. “I still barely believe it.”
“What did you do after your parents were killed?” Auric asked.
“I was so terrified that I fled my home as soon as I could. Hitched a ride with some traveling merchants at first. I moved around a lot after that until I landed in Stoneham.” There was more, of course, but I’d already mentioned my parents’ deaths. I didn’t need to drag up any other bad memories tonight.
Before they could ask me any more questions, I downed the rest of my whiskey. “I’m exhausted. I think I’ll hit the sack.”
Stroke The Flame Page 7
