Court of Flame

by Miranda Martin

  I have faith that you will evade Emberich, though I fear I have no real advice to give you in the face of what feels like overwhelming odds.

  Just know that we stand with you.

  -Aaden

  I read it through two more times before it penetrated the fog that surrounded my mind. I just couldn't seem to absorb the words. Many had already fallen? I read the message over again, feeling the weight of responsibility settle on my shoulders. My head cleared slightly.

  Nobody was going to come take control. Nobody was going to come in to lead, to tell us what to do. I had to make decisions. Everyone was counting on me.

  It looked like we were right back in a war we could not afford. I'd thought that dark chapter in our history was over and done with, but here we were, in dire straits once again. Only it was worse than before, wasn't it? Our numbers had already taken such a great hit in the last war. We couldn't afford more loss of life.

  Not that Emberich cared, so long as he was in charge, and everyone obeyed him. Never mind that he might end up the King of a barren land.

  "Adara?" I looked up at Reelin's sharp voice. "What's the plan?" he asked. He looked confident that I would have one. That made one of us.

  Amna and the rest of my guards were arranged in a semicircle around me, their faces equally expectant. I could see the fear and anger lurking behind those eyes, and the hope that I would have a direction they could aim that volatile mix of emotion at.

  Think—I had to think. I resisted the urge to hit myself in the head in the hopes that it would knock a plan loose. I was sure that wouldn't inspire a whole lot of confidence in my sanity.

  I forced the gears to start turning through sheer power of will. We couldn't go to any of the other flocks right now. I knew that wouldn't be a good idea even before Aaden had sent me that message to stay away. Even if I could find a flock that had managed to hold its own, my presence would only make the flock a target. I wasn't willing to do that. It would likely only result in more lives lost. Even if I were willing, one flock wasn't enough to protect me from the forces Emberich has managed to collect. So that was a definite no go.

  My next thought was dragon territory. Ashur and Mia. I knew they would let me take shelter with them, but I immediately shied away from that option as well. As with a phoenix flock, they were only one skein. Unlike the phoenixes, the dragons were independent from each other, working together only under extreme circumstances, like the last phoenix civil war.

  It had taken overwhelming circumstances to prompt them to join forces and get involved. I knew Ashur was working with the others to change that, to have a more united front when it came to things that affected them all. The fact remained that it had taken a lot to have them help the last time Emberich had decided to make an example of those who conspired against him by attacking the flocks they had belonged to. Part of the catalyst for that had been that Emberich had started attacking dragons as well for providing aid to the phoenix refugees. I doubted Emberich would be that stupid again, unless he had lost all his faculties.

  Maybe the dragons would step in again, maybe they wouldn't. I didn't want to bring the fight to Ashur and Mia again if I could help it. They could be left stranded on their own against a good portion of the phoenix population. They wouldn't stand a chance. Even if other skeins came to their aid, there would be more casualties, casualties that we might be able to avoid if I took another path.

  I thought of Omari, of the people in that city who had only been kind to us, of Ashur and Mia themselves, both of them showing care and compassion when they didn't have to. I couldn't be involved in their destruction.

  We needed to get rid of this cancer that ran through our society once and for all—ourselves. Because there was crystal-clear issue this catastrophe had succeeded in shining light on. The problem wasn't just Emberich. It was the people who followed him, that they accepted his rule, followed without question. They turned a blind eye to all the bad things he did, paying any price for the comfort of the familiar. Rather than stand up for what they knew was right, they accepted him and that had allowed him to rule and then come back with support still waiting for him, even after everything that had happened. We needed to address the demons in ourselves. Our willingness to accept without question. The fear of standing up for what’s right, no matter the cost. Perhaps not rooting that out to begin with was the reason this had occurred again.

  But to do that, I needed a place to figure out a plan. Somewhere that it would be difficult for Emberich, or anyone who wanted that bounty, to find me. I sighed as I settled on my best option reluctantly, seeing no real way around it. I really didn't want to go back there, but beggars couldn't be choosers. I was definitely not in a place to quibble.

  "I think I know where we can go to figure out the next step to take," I said slowly, meeting Reelin's eye.

  He nodded. "We are with you." It had the weight of a vow.

  Amna repeated it. So did the rest of the guards, one by one, the chorus of their voices driving home the responsibility I had to shoulder. I really hoped I was making the right choice.

  Chapter Ten

  We touched down a couple of miles from our destination, far enough away that we wouldn't be spotted landing. A necessary precaution. Jacob was already waiting for us, along with five large cars equipped with armor. And, I was sure, all the bells and whistles that would make a long trek in the desert safer and more comfortable. Not that we were planning on going very far at all.

  I scanned the people he'd brought with him as we changed and dressed in our human best. We needed to blend in as much as possible. I felt a pang as I pulled on the same pair of shorts I'd worn on my trip with Sven to Ashur's territory just a few days before. I could never have predicted things could go so wrong in so short an amount of time.

  I clenched my jaw, determination following that sharp stab of despair. I'd free him. I wouldn't stop until I had.

  As soon as I was dressed, I stepped towards Jacob, with Reelin and Amna already on either side of me. They always managed to be ready before me, no matter how quickly I moved. Perhaps it was part of their guard training to dress quickly. I wouldn't be surprised.

  Jacob looked just like he had the last I'd seen him. Buzzed dark hair, scar down the side of his handsome face, muscled body clad in a white t-shirt and tough canvas pants that I was sure hid a variety of weapons and tools. Not the kind of guy that you'd see and think 'baker.' But he hadn't always sold cupcakes for a living, and I didn't think that was all he did now either, despite what he said. He was dangerous, and he looked it.

  If I saw him on the street, I would be wary. Maybe even cross to the other side if I was alone, a rare occurrence these days. But I knew him and had reason to trust him, which was why I'd contacted him. He'd been the one to help Sven find me and get me away from Eli. If that wasn't a stamp of approval, I didn't know what was.

  The four drivers he'd brought with him also had a certain toughness to them in the way they stood, in the way their unreadable eyes watched us, that reminded me of Jacob. I wondered if they were in the same line of work Jacob had been in before mostly going the straight and narrow path. They sure looked it. Maybe this was the equivalent of a class reunion for them.

  As I stopped in front of Jacob, I couldn't deny feeling a little exposed. Jacob, I trusted. Four more humans I didn't know, when we were going into the heart of human territory, where neither phoenixes nor dragons were welcome...that made me uneasy. For good reason. But this was our best option.

  I scanned the faces again, not getting a better read this time around than the last. Their ages ranged from early twenties to early forties, though that was a guess on my part—hard living could age a person. They were dressed similarly to Jacob with various bulges on their person that I doubted were filled with candy. I hoped Jacob had chosen well.

  "Thank you for helping," I greeted Jacob, taking the initiative. "I didn't know where else to go."

  He nodded as he looked back at the large group o
f obviously dangerous and trained individuals behind me. His people looked hard, but mine outnumbered them, and they had the added benefit of being able to take to the air if they needed to. He and his men had to trust us as much—perhaps even more—than we had to trust them. That thought helped steady me.

  "You made the right choice," he said, his eyes serious as they turned back to me. "Even if you brought a couple football teams worth of fighters," he added wryly.

  I chuckled. "Igna decided on how many he wanted me to take," I explained. My smile faded just as quickly as it had appeared. Igna had been at the palace, guarding Sven like he always did. If Emberich captured Sven... Igna would never have let that happen, not if he could help it. I absorbed that knowledge, swallowing hard. The chances of him being alive were slim, and that was if I was deciding to be optimistic. I took a moment to grieve, but only a moment. He would want me to move on, to focus on the task at hand, not on things I couldn't control or change.

  A firm hand reached out to grip my arm. I looked up, a little startled at the touch.

  "You'll figure something out," Jacob murmured, his eyes holding mine. "You just need to regroup."

  His eyes gave me an anchor to use, a stable point to pull myself back together, back to the here and now.

  I nodded, trying another smile, though I felt it wobble at the edges a little.

  "That's the plan," I said lightly.

  His eyes searched my face. "If there's anything I've learned in my life, it's that there's always hope. Even when it feels like there isn't," he said in a low voice. "If you give it up, Emberich has as good as won. And that's what he's counting on."

  I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as I nodded. It was easier said than done, but I was trying. Giving me a sharp nod in return, he let go and stepped back.

  "Can you divide them up between the cars?" he asked, casting a measuring eye over my guards.

  “Yeah.” I turned to pass on the task to Amna and Reelin. They would know how best to divide the group strategically. They didn't disappoint, smoothing everything out efficiently.

  We were in the cars and driving towards the city dome in no time flat, with me in the car Jacob was driving, back to the place I never wanted to visit again, truth be told. It didn't hold good memories, not for me. All I associated it with was Siro and me being kidnapped and held against our will, while Eli and his pet doctor drained me of my blood repeatedly.

  I hadn't known what their plan was, but I honestly could never have predicted that it would be to bring Emberich back from beyond the grave. I hadn't even known it was possible. Sure, I had heard rumors that mixing Original Blood with a dead person's ashes could bring them back, but reading it or hearing it was a totally different animal. Emberich had been gone for a long time. I didn't even think it was possible to bring him back. Even those thoughts couldn't distract me completely from where we were.

  As we drove closer to the giant dome, one of many that the humans had to build to protect themselves from the harsh sun and the polluted air, I felt my heart beat a little faster, my palms sweat. I took a deep breath, held it in, and let it out. It was fine. I was fine. I was going in of my own volition this time and I could leave just as easily. I hadn't expected this reaction, not when I'd had to go back in even after Sven had rescued me. Perhaps the bad shape I'd been in hadn't allowed me to go into a full-blown panic attack. All right, deep breaths. It was just a place.

  "Are you all right?" Jacob asked, glancing over at me as we stopped in the line of cars heading into the guarded gate. "You look a little pale."

  "Not my favorite place," I explained, forcing my fists to open.

  He nodded, sympathy lurking in his eyes. He'd been there with Sven, seen the state I'd been in when they'd found me.

  "Understandable," he said easily, inching forward with the line. "But the reason why Eli stashed you and Siro here was precisely because it would be more difficult for phoenixes to find you here. I can't think of a safer place for you to be right now."

  I nodded. I knew all that. But it didn't lower my anxiety as we crept closer. I needed a distraction.

  "How are you going to get all of us in?" I asked. "Won't it look suspicious that we're coming in a literal caravan?"

  "Simple," Jacob responded as one of the guards outside the dome started walking towards us. "Money. Works like a charm every time," he murmured with a cynical smile.

  It must have. The guard let us through with only a cursory glance, and even that probably so he looked like he was doing his job to bystanders. I always found myself surprised at exactly how porous security was for dragons and phoenixes at city domes that didn't welcome either.

  Perhaps that wasn't a mistake. I was starting to think it was an open secret, but one that everyone would deny. I didn't think it would keep us safe if someone discovered what we were. It probably all depended on us not being caught. I shuddered at the thought of a pitchfork mob chasing us while we were trapped in there.

  Ironically, we'd been banned in the first place because of the destruction our battles caused. I couldn't say that reasoning was wrong when we were looking at another civil war within the same year. That was probably a really sad record of some kind. Go us.

  The gate slowly opened in front of us, and we drove into the small holding chamber. Wind buffeted the side of the car, keeping the polluted air outside and the cleaned air inside.

  I already felt claustrophobic.

  I dug my nails into my hand, the pain helping me clear my head. I was fine. It was just difficult to convince my body that I wasn't deliberately trapping myself in a prison. The gate behind us closed. And then the one in front opened, allowing us through into the dome itself.

  I breathed a small sigh of relief. Not that I loved the feeling of being trapped in a large cage, unable to use my wings, but it was definitely better than the small cramped space between those two gates. We drove into the crowded street. There weren't many places in here that weren't crowded. A growing population and a finite amount of space would do that quickly. I had heard that a few more domes were going to be built soon for that very reason.

  Near the front, by the entrance, it was particularly busy, with storefronts and markets packed in together, sidewalks teeming with foot traffic, and the streets lined with too many cars, the filtered light of the sun coming in through the transparent hexagonal panels that made up the actual dome. I'd almost forgotten the sensory overload aspect of being in here. The blinking lights, shouting people, the hum of various engines. It was a lot.

  "There's the last one," Jacob murmured, referring to the last car in our party.

  I glanced in the rear-view mirror to see it coming in past security. Good. We were all in without incident.

  "Are you sure you want to go to the new place here?" he asked, looking a little worried. "Won't other phoenixes know about it?"

  I'd thought about that possibility. If it was the old place, I would have been more wary of taking everyone there, but it was a new purchase. After Jacob had said the security of the building itself wasn't up to par at the old property, Sven had sold that place and bought another condo in a different building. Jacob had been the one to advise him on security measures. Nothing like a paranoid ex-mercenary to make sure a place was safe.

  "Nobody knows about it yet," I explained. The other place had been used by various phoenixes when they'd needed it. "There hadn't been a request for shelter in the city recently."

  When Sven had told me he was selling the condo and getting another one, I'd understood the reasoning behind it. We had business dealings with humans that sometimes had us going into the city domes, along with visits simply to keep up with the goings-on of humans. As much as they wanted to keep themselves separate from both us and the dragons, we all lived in relatively close proximity and had multiple economic ties. What affected one race affected all the rest.

  "All right," Jacob said, giving in to my judgment on this. "We're going to park in a nearby public garage. My guys will l
eave from there. We'll walk the rest of the way." He looked over at me. "I trust them. But no use giving out the exact location to anyone unless it's absolutely necessary."

  That made sense and I appreciated his caution.

  We drove past the teeming crowds to one of the nice parts of the dome. The sidewalks were in better repair, the crowd thinned out, and faux trees made an appearance in order to create a more prosperous atmosphere.

  The parking garage we drove into dipped underground; a lot of the city dome made use of the space underneath as well. Inside the garage, there were empty stalls, but the others simply stopped behind us. I watched as the doors opened and all my guards stepped out. The drivers maneuvered in the tight area and drove off as soon as their passengers were unloaded, saluting to Jacob through their windshields. He waved back as they left, stepping out of the car.

  I stepped out as well, following Jacob's lead. Reelin and Amna opened the back doors and followed suit. Then we all headed out to the sidewalk to walk the next block and a half. I felt a little conspicuous with so many people together, but when I looked back, the guards had broken off into smaller groups, spacing themselves out to look like we weren't one large group, but rather multiple smaller ones. Smart.

  Walking at a brisk pace, we passed multiple different styles of residential buildings on the way to ours. Most of them tended to classic architecture and neutral colors—whites, grays, tans. Nothing colorful or gaudy, not in this area. It didn't take long to reach the right building, somewhere under ten minutes. The exterior of the building was done in various shades of white, from cream, to ivory, to stark white, and everything in between, with detailed carved patterns.

  The front door was the only color on the street side, a deep, polished brown that mimicked wood. At least, I thought it mimicked wood. I suppose it was possible it was a restored door rather than a replica. We didn't have wood to waste on doors these days.