From Flame and Ash: An Elements of Five Romance

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  The smell of burnt flesh and crisped hair filled my nose, but I ignored it, trying not to think about exactly what we were doing.

  I was helping to kill things, but I knew we had to. If we didn’t, they would kill us. There were at least fifteen Negs, maybe more. I had lost count, but they kept coming at us, kept trying to fight and kill.

  Sweat poured down my back and covered my palms, but it did not interfere with my Wielding.

  I knew the others were stronger than I was because they had been training longer, but I had this well inside of me as if I’d been collecting energy and power over time and just had to use it and let it out.

  But no amount of Wielding was infinite. The finite resolutions that we had meant one of us would tire out soon if we didn’t take out all of the Negs.

  And so, I pulled back the power inside me and pushed harder, using my Earth and Air in conjunction with Easton’s Fire and Earth. And I screamed.

  I couldn’t let the others get hurt. No matter the cost.

  Wyn fell, having been pushed down by a Neg, but then Teagan was there, pulling the Neg off her with his bare hands before he burned the creature to a crisp.

  Arwin was in the center of it all, using his Earth Wielding to push the Neg that had tried to take Wyn out.

  I couldn’t help them because more Negs were coming at us. Soon, I knew we would be okay.

  We were all working as a unit, a team.

  And then the last Neg fell, and Easton looked at me, his chest heaving as we all fought for breath.

  “Are you okay?” He asked me the question first, and as I nodded, he gave me a tight nod himself and then looked at the others. “All of you?” he asked, his voice rough and growly.

  “We’re fine. That last one came at me out of nowhere. It was like they were targeting us. What the hell, Easton?” Wyn asked the question, and I frowned.

  “Don’t all Negs just come at us like that?” I asked, wondering why Wyn looked so confused and stricken.

  “No,” Easton answered. “We’re not as close to the border as we should be for a Neg attack like this. There’s something else at work. Can’t you sense it? The fight isn’t over.”

  I looked into the distance, trying to see what he could. I shook my head. “So, someone sent these? Like the ones that came to Rhodes’ house and took Rosamond?”

  At the sound of Rhodes’ name, Easton glared, and I wondered what that was about. Maybe because they were on opposite sides of a coin in the battle of a war that nobody really wanted to fight—other than those who wanted more power? I didn’t know, but I didn’t have time to think about the grand scheme of things right now, not when Easton was so sure that something else was coming.

  “Those Negs came right at us. And, like I said, we’re not close enough to a border. That means whatever’s directing them has to be close. It was far too much of a coincidence to actually be a coincidence.”

  “Who’s directing them? Who could be around?” I asked, my voice soft. Because we were so far away from any other civilizations here and were in the Spirit territory, that meant that whoever was coming for us wasn’t in the territory that they were allowed to use for battle.

  Maybe I was wrong. As I looked off into the distance and saw the shadows coming, I knew I was dead wrong.

  “It’s the League!” Teagan shouted, and I looked over at Easton.

  “Who?”

  “The League. They’re Water Wielders. They’re known as the spies of the territory. I don’t really see them out in the open like this often, but they must not want us here. It’s not uncommon for them to patrol for the King of Lumière. They can’t know that I’m the king, do we all understand that?” Easton asked. We all nodded. Of course, we wouldn’t let them know that Easton was the King of Obscurité. If they found out that he was coming towards the Water territory, it could mean a full-out war rather than just memories of one and intermittent skirmishes. Of course, I didn’t know where I stood in any of it, so I didn’t say anything. I just hoped nobody would recognize what or who I was.

  “The League works for the king and only the king. Or, at least they should. But they could also be working for one of the lords, so be on the lookout. We don’t know why they’re here. Or what they want.”

  “Isn’t Rhodes’ father the Lord of Water? Why would he send them out?”

  Easton shook his head as he looked around. There was nowhere for us to take cover. So, unless the League just wanted to talk, we would have to fight hand-to-hand. I really hoped they just wanted to talk.

  “Yes, Rhodes’ father is the Lord of Water. And his grandfather is the Lord of Air. And his uncle is the king. He’s very connected, but that doesn’t really matter. Because while you may be safe from Rhodes and the others, we are Obscurité. You said yourself that I’m not your king, and that means Rhodes’ family isn’t either. So, you should be safe, unless, like Lore, someone doesn’t want you around. Do you know what I mean?”

  I sort of did, but I was still a little confused, wondering exactly what Easton meant by all of that. Because he was right, the knight hadn’t wanted me around, hadn’t wanted anyone to stop his power grab.

  Was it the same in the Lumiére Kingdom? I didn’t know, and because I didn’t know, I was going to be vigilant.

  I trusted Easton, even though it was a fragile trust at best.

  With both kingdoms so fervently trying to attack one another, I wasn’t sure that anybody really wanted the realm to come together. Maybe they didn’t believe that it was actually shattering.

  Maybe they didn’t want a Spirit Priestess.

  Or maybe a few did, and those in power wanted me gone. After all, that’s what had happened in the Obscurité Kingdom at first. That’s what I had thought Queen Cameo wanted. I had been wrong but hadn’t known that until it was too late.

  I had to remember that while I trusted Rhodes and Rosamond, I didn’t know any of their family, I didn’t know what they wanted from me. Or what I could do.

  The League walked to us, their heads held high. They wore long, blue robes that billowed in the wind. All were perfect copies of one another, despite the fact that while they each had shaved heads, they all had different skin tones and eyes of different colors. They looked like a unit though, through and through.

  I wondered if they had sent the Negs. Or maybe it was someone else. Or perhaps it was all just a big coincidence. The fact that there were no answers, and everything was just coming at us all at once made things harder to believe. “I’ll be the one who talks,” Teagan said. “You stand behind Lyric, Easton. Look like you’re just a pageboy or something. If you can, my king,” he said sarcastically and gave us a wink.

  I knew we were all on edge, and I was a little worried.

  “How can we help you?” one of the men said as he walked up to us. “You’re coming nearer to the Water territory than you should, Obscurité.”

  “We’re just on a mission, one to meet with the Lord of Water.” Teagan smiled, holding out his arms. “As you can see. We mean no harm. We just took out some Negs. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “We are just on our way for a training session. You should be careful, you don’t know what could be out there.”

  I frowned, wondering what the hell all of the undercurrents meant. It was all so confusing, and it was clear that no one was actually saying what they meant.

  I must have looked nervous because Easton reached out and tangled his fingers with mine just for an instant before giving them a squeeze.

  I was so shocked that I looked up at him. He shook his head slightly but still leaned into me as if knowing I needed some reassurance. After all, I had no idea what was going on. But knowing Easton was beside me made me feel safe. It was as if I knew that I might need to fight my way out but felt better because I wouldn’t be alone. No matter what.

  “We were just passing through,” one of the League members said, his gaze directly on
me.

  “As are we,” Teagan said.

  “Thank you for taking out the Negs, it saves us some time. Travel safely, all of you.”

  And then the League turned on their heels as one and walked the other way as if they weren’t going to fight us and had nothing to do with what had just happened.

  “What’s going on?” I whispered, leaning into Easton even more as I asked.

  “I have no idea, I think the League just wanted to test us or check out our Wielding before they come at us. And them being on a training exercise? Don’t believe that for a minute. So, we need to keep our guards up and just get you to Rhodes and the others. Because while they’re going the other way, I have a feeling we’re going to see them again. Soon.”

  I watched as the League walked away, going so far into the distance that soon they just looked like little dots until they were no more.

  They were all Water Wielders, ones with a lot of strength, that much I could tell.

  I just wondered exactly who they were and why and if they had sent the Negs after us. And exactly what had just happened. Because they weren’t just going away, wouldn’t just leave us in the middle of a territory that wasn’t ours or theirs. They were watching us.

  And I knew this wouldn’t be the last time we saw them.

  No, this wouldn’t be the last time at all.

  Chapter Thirteen

  We decided to set up our campsite instead of trekking all the way through the wards. Doing so could possibly create another incident far too quickly—or worse.

  The border between the Spirit territories and any of the other four elemental territories wasn’t like the other borders. Between the Water and Air, and the Earth and Fire territories, there were actual amalgamations of the two elements that were reflected in the environment and the people who lived within the borders. It wasn’t the same within the Spirit territories.

  I had never been to the Lumière inner border, and while I might one day, from what I had seen of the Obscurité inner border, it was like its own section of the world. I didn’t know if the Spirit territory borders had been like the other borders at some point, but I didn’t think so.

  Now, the border was stark, a clear line of non-amalgamation where one began and the other ended. There was no true evidence of what the Spirit Wielders had once been, and even if there had once been a clear sign of their power and a trace of elements here, there were no signs of the blending of the two now, not like with the other inner borders.

  To me, at least, the Spirit Wielders, however they had lived, seemed a little distant. A little disconnected from the other elements.

  Maybe it was because the only Spirit Wielder I’d ever met in person was the crazy man who had said a bunch of things that didn’t make any sense. Or maybe it was because they had been eradicated and forced to flee after the Fall.

  Those who had wanted to use the Spirit Wielders for their gain, to appropriate their powers to increase their own, told me more about who the Spirit Wielders were more than anything else written about them.

  Either way, after seeing the Water Wielders come at us as they had, even if the League hadn’t really questioned us or attacked us, we wanted to collect our forces and make sure that we were ready for what was to come.

  Because we didn’t know what we were walking into.

  The League, perhaps the entire Water territory, knew that we were on our way into the Lumière Kingdom. We couldn’t hide that. And considering that I was supposed to be allowed into both kingdoms, at least according to what others had said, it shouldn’t have been an issue. I should’ve been allowed to have my guard and just walk in and ask for help with my training. But we all knew that nothing was ever that easy.

  Everything seemed to be shrouded in shadow, and I would just have to hope that we all made it through somehow.

  “What’s wrong?” I looked up at the sound of Easton’s voice and frowned. I hadn’t realized that he was so near, but I should have known. There was always someone near me, as if they were afraid I’d run off and hurt myself. Or maybe, more likely, fearful that one of the League members would come back, and we’d end up in a fight that I wasn’t ready to have. Because while I was better than I had been even a few weeks ago, I still wasn’t up to the same level of skill as the others. But that’s what happened when you had a century to learn. I’d had a year.

  A year where I hadn’t really even been in the company of others that could actually train me well. Alura had helped, but I still didn’t know her motivations, and everyone kept saying that she had secrets that weren’t theirs to tell.

  To say that annoyed me would be an understatement.

  “Lyric?” I blinked, not realizing that Easton had crouched in front of me. He was so close, I could feel the heat of him, and I wasn’t sure that I liked it.

  “I’m fine.” I said the words quickly if a little harshly. But then again, I tended to be like that when I was around Easton. I didn’t know what it was about him, but he just set me on edge, even though I knew he wouldn’t hurt me. He had done everything in his power to make sure that I was okay, even if he wasn’t the nicest about it.

  “You looked lost, at least in your thoughts. What’s going on in that head of yours?”

  I shrugged and leaned back from him. It was hard to think when he was so close. And, I tried not to think about that. Tried not to think about the fact that I felt a little clutch in my belly when he was near. Attempted not to recognize that I knew there was some kind of connection between us.

  Maybe it was just because we got on each other’s nerves. Or maybe it was because there was something more.

  But I wasn’t going to think about that. Because I had thought about something like that before. I had thought that I could be someone special. And I had been wrong.

  I wasn’t going to be wrong again.

  I wasn’t going to let myself feel like that.

  Because, no matter what, I didn’t have time for things like that. I didn’t have time for crushes or thinking about boys or girls that gave me flutters in my stomach.

  Because, apparently, I was supposed to save the world, only I didn’t know how to do that.

  Somehow, putting it into terms like that, when it all sounded so big and farfetched, let me breathe easier. Because when I thought about each minuscule task that I had to complete, each step on the list that didn’t actually exist yet, I couldn’t catch my breath.

  “I’m just thinking.” I looked away for a moment before turning back to him. “Are you on guard for the camp or are you going to sleep, as well?”

  Easton studied my face again before shaking his head. And then he sat down on the log next to me and looked around.

  “Wyn, Teagan, and Arwin are on patrol. We’re not a huge camp, so we’re all really within each other’s views. And it’s not like we’re in tents.”

  I nodded, looking up at the bright sky above us.

  There wasn’t a single cloud. But then again, I wasn’t sure if there had been clouds in the sunlight. Everything was so sepia-toned, as if the sky itself couldn’t hold clouds nor have the blue color of the human realm or other parts of the Maison realm.

  Because even in the Fire territory, there had been blue sky. Not everything had been painted in reds and blacks, not really. It’d been just as vibrant as the Earth territory, if a bit warmer.

  Nothing was as it seemed, at least not in the Maison realm.

  And not when it came to me. Not anymore.

  “So, why aren’t you sleeping yet?” I asked, not looking at Easton.

  “Well, number one, I’m not tired. I don’t think I’ll be sleeping tonight. Hard to do when I’m already on edge and trying to make sure my people don’t get hurt. The League is around. I can’t feel them, but they won’t just leave us alone to walk near their territory. There’s something up with them, and I want to figure out what it is.”

  “You’re not going to go out and follow them, are you?” I asked and put my hand right on his sh
oulder. I hadn’t meant to touch him, and we both froze. He looked down at where my hand was, and I pulled it back as if I’d burned him or myself.

  I swallowed hard and met his gaze, wondering what the hell I was doing.

  “I’m not going to follow them. Because that would leave you unprotected.”

  I swallowed hard. Not understanding. “The others will be here. I’d still be protected. You would be the one without help.”

  “I’m the king, and stronger than you think I am.”

  “Are you?” I asked, my voice low. I didn’t know why I said it. Why I even thought it.

  I watched as he licked his lips, and I wondered why I was noticing that at all. I didn’t even like him. Or maybe I liked him too much. Perhaps I was just falling into this trap because I was scared and I’d rather think about Easton’s jawline and his lips and not the fact that we were going into a territory that I’d never been to before. Either way, I was being thrust into a world of magic and mayhem that didn’t make any sense.

  I’d rather think about that little clutch in my belly rather than the possible danger, even though I shouldn’t. I’d much rather do that than think about the fact that I was this prophesied destiny that didn’t make any sense.

  I didn’t even know what the prophecy meant. Nor did I know all of it, only what others had told me. If it weren’t for the fact that I could feel the Wielding in my veins, that I’d actually used Earth and Air Wielding in the past, I still would’ve thought it was all fake. That it was all just a story to tell others.

  I would think that I had been born with nothing, no Wielding at all. But now it was unlocked in me.

  So I knew what I was. I knew what the others told me I was.

  I just didn’t know what to think or do about it.

  So, yes, maybe I would think about Easton and the way he was looking at me, a way I didn’t understand, rather than anything else.

  It just made more sense.

  “You should get some sleep, though,” Easton said softly. “We don’t know what’s coming tomorrow.”