Fire Within: Book Two of Fire and Stone (Stories of Fire and Stone 2)

by Stephanie Beavers

  Clean-up took longer than Esset had expected; everyone was exhausted, and even after Esset, Toman, Tseka, and Erizen rejoined the mages and soldiers and assured them that Moloch was dead and therefore his creatures were banished for good, it took time to tend to their injured and fallen. Erizen left within the hour. He made some comment about them promising he get credit and vanished shortly after. They returned to Sedina, a city full of terrified people; every single citizen, from the lowest peasant to the king himself, had collapsed when Moloch had activated the Ghostmaker. Every person wanted assurances that it wouldn’t happen again and that the one responsible was dead. Toman and Esset didn’t know how many times they explained that no one could make a successful Ghostmaker—there was too much power for any one structure or person to successfully control, and if anyone tried, it would rebound on the creator and send the souls back to their original bodies, just like it had happened to Moloch, destroying him in the process.

  They explained it again and again until the sun cracked over the horizon, until Toman and Esset were swaying on their feet. For a while, Esset thought they were going to be held responsible for Moloch’s attack on the kingdom, or at least for the damage Esset’s fires had done to the surrounding countryside, but then the king seemed to decide that he might want someone as powerful as they were around in the future in case anything went wrong again. The sun had fully broken over the horizon before the king finally congratulated and thanked them for their role in saving his kingdom and sent them away. Both of them found beds and collapsed into exhausted sleep without bothering to do so much as take their boots off.

  After rising that afternoon, and after conferring briefly, Toman and Esset quickly bathed and ate before collecting Tseka from the infirmary, where she’d been forced to spend the night. She looked immensely relieved to see them, and her wound didn’t seem to bother her much as she slithered towards them—apparently the mages that had acted as her emergency medics had done a good job. The three of them went behind the infirmary, where they wouldn’t be seen, and Esset summoned the salamanders to take them to Salithsa. The ethereal, fiery creatures swirled around them and everyone vanished smokelessly from the alley. They reappeared outside the sealed tunnel entrance to the underground city. The salamanders were barely visible for a moment after arriving before they vanished completely.

  “In case it’s a while before we get a moment of privacy again…thank you, Tseka,” Esset said, giving her shoulder a squeeze. Tseka pulled him in for a hug, then Toman too.

  “I did do it for you, my friends, but I also did it for my people,” Tseka replied after letting them go. “Moloch would have come after us sooner or later. After all, we were Lady Ateala’s failed pet project.”

  “I know. Even so,” Esset said with a smile and a shrug.

  “Well, likewise. It is because of the two of you that Moloch is dead, and that is good for many people, not just us,” Tseka replied.

  “Team effort,” Toman put in wryly, earning grins from Tseka and Esset.

  “Well, I’m tired. Let’s get our welcoming party roused so that I can tell our outrageous story and show off my new battle scar,” Tseka said, waving the two of them off. Toman grinned and nodded—he had animations inside Salithsa to signal the Nadra that they’d returned. The three sat down to wait, but it didn’t take long—Nadran Shapers soon shifted the earth so the tunnel entrance once again stood open. Mr. and Mrs. Esset, Sergeant Warthog, Nassata, Kessa, and others were all there to greet them.

  The reunion was a bit embarrassing, mostly thanks to Mrs. Esset and her abundance of hugs and tears. The Nadra immediately began preparing a celebration—and Nadran celebrations were impressive—to hail their heroes home. It was only after Toman and Esset were too tired to stand that the Nadra let them retreat to private quarters for some much-needed rest.

  The celebration continued for three more days before they finally had a quiet morning to themselves. That was when Esset saw the symbols for the phoenix’s summoning incantation flash across his vision. He wasn’t terribly surprised to see them, and he knew better than to keep her waiting long. He slipped away from Salithsa and found a clearing not far from the aboveground entrance to call her.

  The phoenix materialized in a beautiful dance of fire when he spoke her incantation. This was the first time he’d had the leisure to appreciate her beauty. Esset didn’t know what was to come, if she would ask for his life now, in return for the help she’d granted him, or if she wanted something else of him, but he didn’t feel any fear. If he had to go now, he had to go. He had at least done what he’d needed to. He wanted to live, but he was prepared to pay any price for what he’d accomplished. The phoenix floated in the air before him for a moment, her ethereal, shifting wings of flame outspread.

  “Well, Summoner, your battle has been fought and won,” she said to him. Esset nodded.

  “I have you to thank for our victory,” the summoner replied. She inclined her head slightly, but her next words surprised him.

  “And it is time for me to clear my debt to you,” she said.

  “Your debt to me?” he asked.

  “I can lie, Summoner,” she said. “And I have. I wanted something. You were able to provide it. I tricked you into giving it to me. However, due to the nature of our contract, I cannot leave a debt outstanding forever. I must clear it.”

  “When did you lie? How did you trick me?” Esset pressed, surprised.

  “You know my power now, at least some of it,” the phoenix said. She didn’t like giving easy answers.

  “Moloch. When we first fought, you could’ve—” Esset began.

  “In the end, it doesn’t matter,” the phoenix said before he could finish. “A part of my power that I did not share with you is a limited ability to see the flow of time. This was how it had to end. You need not take my word for it: believe what you will. But for it, I give you a choice.”

  Esset knew he wouldn’t be able to pry any more information from her, so he played along.

  “What choice?” he asked.

  “The interim contract I made with you; it has been satisfactory to us both. I have seen your world through you, and you have borrowed my power. I give you the choice now to make that contract permanent, or to go back to how you were. Either way, we will not speak again,” the phoenix said. Esset struggled to process everything she’d told him so far. He’d thought he’d expected anything, but he hadn’t expected this.

  “When must I make this decision?” Esset asked, looking back up at her.

  “Now,” she said simply. “You may take as long as you like while we yet stand here, but the decision must be made before we part.” Esset nodded—he understood.

  To Esset, the phoenix wasn’t simply power, it was the ability to protect others—and not just his friends and family. He and Toman had traveled and taken jobs helping and protecting people, and he wanted to do that again. They’d done it partly to get stronger, so they could face Moloch, but also for the sake of helping people. With the phoenix’s help, Esset would be that much stronger, that much more able to help people.

  On the other hand, did he want her to be there for the rest of his life? Looking through his eyes, hearing through his ears, feeling through his body? He couldn’t sense her there, but he knew she was there nonetheless. He thought of what kind of life he might have after he stopped adventuring. Maybe he’d meet a girl worth sharing his life with. Maybe he’d take the Ashiier up on their offer. Then what? The unused power would be a burden then, and his silent, invisible companion an awkward inconvenience.

  No, he couldn’t live his entire life for other people. And then…there was great temptation with great power. Even the Ashiier were wary of that, and he wasn’t immune to anything they could fall prey to. He wondered how Moloch had started out—probably not that badly. Esset didn’t believe that anyone was born a monster, and Moloch had lived many lifetimes, thanks to his blood magic. He’d had plenty of time to become the monster he was. In fact, Esset ha
d to wonder if anyone who lived too long ended up either like Moloch or the Ashiier. They were two extremes, really—mere mortals just fell somewhere in the middle. Esset was confident he would be more like the Ashiier, but he knew better than to think he was a saint.

  “No,” Esset finally said. “If you go now, we’ll be even, all debts paid.”

  “You will be wise, one day,” the phoenix observed. “I hope you take up the offer the Ashiier gave you, some day. I am disappointed by your choice, but only for myself. Live well, Summoner.” The fire began to coalesce around her.

  “Phoenix!” Esset called before she could go. She paused, the flames swirling about her ethereal form.

  “Yes, Summoner?”

  “Thank you,” Esset said. Everything else aside, that was his last debt to pay. Gratitude.

  “You’re welcome, Summoner.” He felt her smile. The flames dancing in the air around them swarmed to her then, as if she gathered them up in her wings. Then she flashed skywards and vanished into the sun.

  Esset stood there, alone, for several long minutes. He lifted his hands and looked at them; he didn’t feel very different. He called fire to his palm, and it flickered there. He thought of the creatures of smoke and ash that he’d called before, but their incantations were gone from his mind. He remembered the tortoises though, and knew he could call them if he needed to—he knew what it would take. The salamanders too, to his surprise—now that was a useful summon to know. He wondered how much else was left to him as he extinguished the flame in his palm and turned back towards Salithsa. He’d just have to find out. There was still so much world to see, so many people to help. He wasn’t finished yet.

  Tseka grappled with a fellow Warrior in the training room. Even in mock-combat, there was comfort in being surrounded by her kind. There was familiarity in the serpentine movements of the one she was engaged with, predictability in the behavior. She knew which way he’d twist, how he thought, and what he wanted.

  After pinning her opponent to the ground, Tseka helped him up and clasped his forearm. She slithered out of the training ring to watch the next pair of combatants; again, she found comfort in watching their serpentine movements.

  Tseka leaned against a comrade. Her work was over, her people as safe as they could be. Her mind drifted forward, and she wondered what she’d do next. She considered exploring the world some more, and maybe revisiting the Ashiier…in time. For now, she had no desire to leave Salithsa. She had missed her people and her home even more than she’d thought.

  No, one day she’d grow restless again and probably leave, but for now, she was content where she was. She was at peace.

  Toman sat at the entrance to Salithsa, his face turned towards the sun. He’d seen his brother slip away and followed, but waited for him at the tunnel mouth. He felt a peace within himself that he’d never known before. With Moloch gone, his fears could be laid to rest. He knew there were still great scars on his soul, but they couldn’t be reopened into wounds again. They would fade, with time. It was possible they would even give him strength.

  Toman saw a flurry of flames rise up into the sky but didn’t fear—whatever had happened, it would be okay. He trusted his brother, and for now at least, he trusted fate. But what was next? What would he do now? He’d never before given it serious consideration. He’d never really thought he’d outlive Moloch. Would he find a trade, settle down? Find a woman? It was about time he figured it out.

  Toman shifted on his rocky seat. He didn’t really need to figure it out now, though. He and Esset probably weren’t done adventuring yet. There was still good they could do in the world, so he had time. Maybe he would eventually consider the Ashiier’s offer, as he knew Esset and Tseka would.

  Toman waited until Esset came walking back to the tunnel.

  “Being antisocial again, I see,” Toman greeted his brother with a jibe and a smile. “Reading a book, no doubt, while everyone else is partying.”

  “You know me too well,” Esset replied. They both knew he would share everything later.

  “If only I didn’t,” Toman said with a mock-sigh. “Trying to keep you socially acceptable is a never-ending battle.”

  “Says the one who belches after meals,” Esset replied disdainfully, taking the role of snob and lifting his nose in the air.

  “It’s a compliment to the chef,” Toman replied.

  “Barbarian,” Esset retorted, his snob-façade cracking with a grin. Toman stood as Esset moved past him to the tunnel.

  Toman paused at the entrance to Salithsa and looked up at the sun. Its warmth caressed his skin and he smiled. His trials weren’t over yet; he was still young. He turned and stepped into the inviting darkness, towards his friends and his family. Their lives stretched ahead of them, and he intended to embrace them and everything they had to offer.

  The brothers looked at each other simultaneously and grinned.

  “Race you back,” Toman challenged Esset.

  “You’re on,” Esset accepted, and they tore headlong down the tunnel.

  Thank you so much for reading my second novel! If you loved this book, please leave a review wherever you purchased it. If you’d like to read more, you can track me a number of different ways:

  My website (including my blog): http://stephaniebeavers.com/

  Twitter: @St_Beavers

  And click here to sign up for my mailing list to be sure you receive updates for my new releases!

  Comments or questions? Shoot me an email at StephanieNBeavers@gmail.com.

  If you haven’t read them already, check out my free short story on my website. And The Wolves Danced features Esset, and it’s set before the events of Calling On Fire. If you missed Calling On Fire, you can find it through here!

  Keep an eye out for my next adventure!

  When I finished my first book, it didn’t really feel done, because the story wasn’t finished. There are no words to describe how good it feels to have truly finished both books! This was all I had planned for Toman and Esset, although I still have plenty of ideas, and they may return one day.

  I want to thank my readers for joining me on this adventure. Hearing from people who have enjoyed my books has been such a blessing. I also want to thank my family for the incredible support they’ve shown me in this endeavor.

  I also want to thank my editor, Brenda Errichiello, once again. Even after having edited one book, there was so much more to learn in editing my second! Thank you, Brenda, for all you’ve taught me.

  Thank you to the awesome people at Wyrding Ways Press for making my words on the page look good (that’s proofreading and formatting, folks!)

  Props to Damon Za again too, for a second amazing cover.

  Finally, I want to thank my wonderful fiancée, with whom I can have a conversation about what kind of dragon abilities would win in an all-out battle. (He is a staunch supporter of fire, but I hold out for the advantages of ice.) There is nothing like a conversation about random magical things (especially dragons!) to inspire me.

  Stephanie Beavers always knew she wasn’t from the real world. That was why she spent so much time daydreaming and living in various fantasy worlds created by others and herself. Stephanie knew she was actually supposed to have been born as a dragon or a cat—or at least someone who had magical abilities. Now grown, she appreciates the beauties of the real world too, but saves herself from sanity by spending as much time in magical, or at least fictional, worlds as possible.

  Stephanie shares her mind with a myriad of characters, most of them not human, and most of them possessing magic or special abilities. When they get too loud inside her head, she writes them out or drowns them out by submersing herself in the fiction of others. For those who love magic and adventure, she offers you an outlet so you can escape reality too.

  Fire Within: Book Two of Fire and Stone

  Copyright © Stephanie Beavers 2015

  All rights reserved

  Formatted by: Wyrding Ways Press

  Cover
Design by: Damon Za

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Pretext

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  AFTERWORD

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  COPYRIGHT