Falling For Fire

by Talia Jager

  Falling For Fire

  Copyright © 2015 by Talia Jager All rights reserved.

  First Edition: November 2015

  ISBN-13: 978-1518785146

  ISBN-10: 151878514X

  Editing by Christine LePorte

  Cover and Formatting by Streetlight Graphics

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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

  This book is dedicated to:

  Montana Stockwell – this book wouldn’t be possible without her.

  Keri Reames – who is always there for me to talk to.

  And Cleo – who gave me a snowflake tattoo to go with this book.

  Chapter One

  Sorin

  From my chambers high in the castle tower, I had a spectacular view of all of the Summer Court. I leaned out the window just enough to feel the sun on my face as it rose over the horizon. Dawn was my favorite time of day. It meant a brand new day had just begun, a day to fill with adventure and memories. A blank slate to write on.

  After a few minutes of enjoying the sun, I crossed the room to the wardrobe and pulled out a pair of long, tan shorts and an orange shirt.

  My stomach grumbled, telling me it was time for our morning ritual. We weren’t allowed to eat until we got through that. I walked up to my dresser, picked up the silver crown, and put it on my head. Looking in the mirror, I made sure it was straight, then noticed a piece of grass hanging off one of my wings. I reached up and gently pulled it off, then dropped it on the floor.

  Making sure my parents weren’t around, I slid down the banister, jumped off, and waited in the foyer for them. I was hungry and ready to greet our kingdom so I could eat.

  Thankfully, my parents and siblings showed up shortly after I did, and we fell in line by rank.

  Horns interrupted the peaceful music that filled the air, and a loud voice announced, “Good morning, Summer Fae! I present to you, the royal family!”

  The castle doors swung open, and my father and mother walked outside followed by me and then my brother and sister. The five of us made up the Summer Fae royal family. Two years older than my brother and ten years older than my sister, I was heir to the throne. Someday I’d be king. Therefore, I stood next to my father with my eyes forward and showed no emotion. My parents sat, the crowd cheered, and then some of them approached with gifts.

  The sun was higher now and pouring its light onto our land. Morning glories were blooming, and the land came alive with the sounds of animals, birds, and insects.

  A girl about my age set down two baskets: one at my parents’ feet and the second one at my feet. I could feel her admiration and nervousness as my mother lifted the colorful scarf from her basket and smiled at the girl. Mine contained a wooden plague carved with an intricate design. I nodded a thank you. She bowed and hurried away. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my mother whisper to my father. Probably some comment on whether or not she approved of the girl. Didn’t matter, that girl wasn’t my type.

  Afterward we ate breakfast, which consisted of delicious fruits and breads. My parents talked about the upcoming day as the rest of us ate silently. When we were finished, my father took my brother, Dune, and me to the training fields. The land was full of all types of creatures busying themselves with everyday life. A playful piskie zoomed by my head, tousling a tuft of my hair in the process. Two fauns bowed their heads as they walked by.

  My father turned to us when we reached our destination. Looking over the fields, he said, “Sorin, Dune, teach them well today. You never know when a battle is brewing.”

  “We always do, Father,” I responded.

  As soon as my father left to check on the rest of the kingdom, my brother challenged me to a sword fight. This was a constant thing he did, to prove he could beat me, but he always lost. Today was no different. I beat him in less than ten minutes. Feeling his sense of hopelessness and humiliation made me feel like anything but a winner. Sometimes I wished I could turn off the ability to feel what others felt, but I couldn’t. It was something all faeries could do. We could block some feelings, but we could never completely turn it off.

  “Again.” Dune blocked me from leaving.

  I sighed. “You don’t want to embarrass yourself.”

  His fist clenched by his side. “I know I can beat you.”

  “I’m sure someday you will, but that day is not here yet. Keep practicing.” I tried to be encouraging. He wasn’t a bad swordsman; he just wasn’t the best.

  His bright red and orange wings flapped twice and then he stepped back. “Tomorrow.”

  I pointed to the army of faeries waiting for us to teach them. “Let’s focus on bringing them to the next level.”

  We spent the next several hours training kids to be warriors. After sword fighting, I taught a group of younger fae how to shoot a bow and arrow.

  When the training was over, we joined in a game of hurling, my favorite sport, and played until the shadows were low, telling us it was time to go. I walked over to my canteen and gulped down some water.

  “You were brutal out there. Don’t take this the wrong way… I think you need to loosen up.” My best friend, Keir, elbowed me. “Come with me tonight.”

  I glanced over at him. His bright red hair was matted down with sweat, and his eyes burned with excitement.

  “Where?”

  “Just a group of us getting together.”

  I opened my mouth to decline but felt the tenseness in my body. He was right. I needed to relax. A night out sounded like the answer. “Fine.”

  “Good.” He slapped my back between my wings. “Two hours after sundown. Meet me near the fallen tree.”

  “Why there?” It seemed like an odd place to meet.

  “Just be there.”

  “Okay.”

  Keir left, and I headed up the walk into the gray stone castle. The door closed with a bang, and I crossed the foyer and reached the kitchen in no time. After checking to make sure I was alone, I grabbed a piece of bread and shoved it in my mouth.

  “I saw that, Sorin!” a lady’s voice rang out.

  I spun around and found a faerie near the back door with a bushel of fruits freshly picked from the gardens. Her bright green hair hung down in two long ponytails, and she wore a yellow dress that brought the yellow out in her wings. Marin was our cook and had been with us as long as I could remember. “Snacking will ruin your supper,” she scolded with a gleam of humor in her eyes.

  “I’m a growing boy,” I said and sent her my best puppy dog look.

  She pursed her lips. “Fine. You can have one piece of fruit to go with the bread.” She tossed me an apple. “Now go, before your parents have my head.”

  I blew her a kiss and ran up the backstairs and headed to my chambers.

  “Sorin!” a tiny voice yelled.

  I turned to find my little sister running down the hallway toward me. I caught her and spun her around in the air. “Good evening, Princess.”

  “Do you like my dress?” she asked.

  “Oh, Skye, you are the most beautiful princess in all the land.”

  She beamed, then wiggled out of my arms and continued down the hall, her tiny magenta wings fluttering after her.

  I continued on down the long hallway. My mother stuck her head out of her chambers. “Sorin. Pleas
e do come here.”

  I entered her room. She stood in front of the mirror dressed in a long flowy orange dress. “Yes, Mother?”

  She motioned for me to help her with a necklace and held up her golden hair. “How was your day?”

  I clasped the necklace around her neck. “Fine. I taught a bow and arrow class.”

  She reached up to fix my hair and then rested her hands on my shoulders. “You should always be presentable. The kingdom looks up to you.”

  “Yes, Mother.”

  “Any girls catch your eye yet?”

  “No. I still have over a year to find a bride.”

  “What about the one who left you a gift this morning?”

  I shrugged. “She’s okay.”

  “There must be one girl out there you like?”

  “I haven’t found her yet.”

  She smirked and by the look in her eye, I wondered if she didn’t already have my marriage all planned out. If it were up to her, it would already have been announced. Promises were made any time after the age of sixteen but had to be done by eighteen, with the wedding to come as soon as both turned eighteen. My seventeenth birthday was only a couple of months away, and Mother was getting restless.

  I, however, wanted to take my time. Picking the one who would stay by my side for the rest of my life was not easy. Especially because faeries had a long life expectancy. I wanted someone with personality, unlike my mother, who was very callous for a Summer faerie.

  “You won’t force me to choose, right?” I asked, thinking my mother was more evolved than that.

  “Of course not. I’ll choose for you.” She spoke in a tone that assumed no possibility of disagreement.

  I tried not to let her words change how I was feeling, but she felt the change in my emotions anyway. “Who you marry is important, Sorin. You must think of your children.”

  “I’m sixteen, Mother. I have plenty of time. You didn’t have me until you were a hundred.”

  “Being the eldest child comes with great responsibility.”

  “I didn’t ask for it.”

  She sighed. “As you know, I was the eldest child, and when my parents died, the Summer Kingdom became mine. If I hadn’t chosen such a good man to be my husband, you children wouldn’t have turned out so fine. So you must pick someone who is strong and who will be a good mother but will stand by your side and support your decisions.”

  There were a few other qualities I was looking for in a bride, but I kept my mouth shut and let my mother talk for another few minutes before the dinner bell rang. I excused myself and slipped away to get ready.

  Dinner was always held in the great hall, a room twice as long as it was wide, with a lot of high bay windows and a tall ceiling. We weren’t required to wear formal attire unless we had guests. Tonight it was just the family, so we were still in T-shirts and shorts. My mother was strict but not overly formal. We were to be presentable but didn’t need to be in tuxedos. We could wear shorts and tank tops, but they couldn’t be stained or wrinkled.

  The table was full of fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and breads. Skye chatted about her day with the teacher and playtime with a friend. Dune talked about training.

  “What about you, Sorin?” Father asked.

  “Just an average day.”

  “You should make it an extra…ordinary day,” Skye said.

  I laughed. “Extraordinary.”

  “Yeah, that.”

  “The day’s not over yet. Maybe it will be.”

  After the sun went down, I read a book to Skye and kissed her goodnight.

  “Sorin?”

  “Yes?”

  “You’re the best big brother ever.”

  I laughed and whispered, “Don’t tell Dune that.”

  “He’s fun, but you always make me feel special.”

  “You are special. Now get some sleep.” Once I had closed her door, I thought about what she said and decided to check on my brother. I found him polishing some old coins. He looked as if he was concentrating, so I left him alone.

  I made sure to be at the fallen tree on time. Keir was already waiting with two winged horses. “Is it so far we need to fly?”

  “It is.”

  “You’re anxious,” I commented.

  “Hanging out with them takes all the pressure off, but sneaking off is always unnerving, and I want you to like my friends.”

  I rolled my eyes. “What pressure? You’re not the eldest prince in the court.”

  “I still have pressure! My father is the High Knight,” he argued with a smile. “Maybe not quite as much as you do, but it’s there.”

  He led me down the path, and then we mounted the horses and took off. It was too dark to see much of the beautiful land, but the stars were out, and they always amazed me.

  We followed the river to a waterfall, and then suddenly my horse dashed downward. I held on and thought about squeezing my eyes shut, but we landed behind the falls before I could.

  “Are we at Four Corners Falls?” I asked, perplexed.

  “Yes. The falls are relaxing, and it’s a nice space to chill out.” He was already off his horse and walking away. “I want you to meet my friend Rory.”

  Catching up to him, I said, “All right.”

  We emerged into a clearing where four different waterfalls dropped into one pool of water. It was quite the sight to see. Faerhaven was divided into four courts, or Seasons as some like to say—Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring. Four Corners Falls was a neutral area where all four Seasons met. Leading away from the lake were four rivers that separated our Seasons and carried the water back to our lands.

  Directly across from us was Winter Land, covered in snow with a waterfall that was half frozen. Someone had built a family of snowmen and a few snow forts.

  To the right was Spring Land, where flowers were sprinkled all over the ground. The trees and plants were all swaying as if a gentle spring breeze was blowing.

  Autumn Land, to the left, was full of bright-colored trees. The ground was mostly dirt and rocks.

  We were standing in Summer Land, where the grass was bright green and a fire burned in the rock fire pit.

  “Do you remember learning about this place?” Keir asked.

  “Yes. Each land is blessed with its own magick. The snow won’t melt even though it’s warm here, the fire won’t go out, and the breeze always blows.” I glanced at the large pool of water. “Some faeries say the water here is magical.” I followed the river with my eyes as it wove between the Winter and Spring Lands.

  I scanned the area for Keir’s friend. A few girls were talking under a tree. “So where is he?”

  “Who?”

  “Your friend Rory.”

  Keir laughed. “No! Rory isn’t a he. Rory is a she.” He pointed to the most beautiful girl there.

  “Bro,” I said, punching his arm.

  “What was that for?”

  “You could have warned me your friend Rory was a girl.”

  He laughed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think it was important to mention whether or not my friend was male or female.”

  “When they’re that pretty, it is.”

  My heart did a flip-flop, and I took a step toward her and then paused. My brain caught up as to why I was hesitating, and my heart sank in my chest. My mind connected the dots—her hair, eyes, wings—she wasn’t one of us. She was a Winter Fae.

  “What the hell, Keir?”

  “What?”

  “You’re hanging out with Winter Fae?”

  “Why not? We’re just having fun, letting go. Stop being so uptight and join us.”

  She looked up then and caught me watching her. Her pale face turned an adorable shade of light pink. Then her eyes rested on my wings, her smile faded, and she glanced away.

  “Come on. I’ll introduce you.”

  “I don’t know…”

  “Sorin, she’s fun to hang out with. What do you have to lose?”

  “Nothing, I suppose.” I fol
lowed him over to where she stood with a friend of her kind and two Autumn Fae.

  “Rory.” Keir opened his arms, and she hugged him. “Do the thing,” he said, taking a step back.

  Rory held her hands out, cupping them side by side. Snow flew into her hands creating a ball the size of a basketball. She placed her hands on each side of the oversized snowball and then pulled her hands away quick like she was going to make it expand, but instead it created snowflakes of all different shapes and sizes all around the clearing.

  She smiled as her hands dropped to her waist. Wiggling her fingers, she made the snowflakes twist and turn all around us. Then she cupped her hands back together, and all of the snowflakes went back to being one giant snowball.

  Looking at me, she closed the space between us and said, “Hold out your hand.” Her voice was like that of an angel.

  My arm obeyed before I could stop it. She placed the snowball in my hand and put one of her hands on top of it. Then she pushed down once hard. The snowball disappeared, and her hand was clasping mine. My heart beat furiously.

  I shifted my gaze from my hand to her face. She was staring at our hands as if she were concentrating. When she pulled her hand from mine, there sat a beautiful snowflake made of ice about six inches around.

  Rory looked at me. “For you.” Then she lightly blew on the ice snowflake, making it shimmer for a moment. “Now it won’t melt. I’ve graced it with winter magick.” She smiled, turned, and walked back to her friend.

  Keir laughed and then said, “Rory, this is my best friend, Sorin.”

  Her eyes met mine again, and she smiled. “Nice to meet you, Sorin.” She didn’t offer me her hand again or reach out to hug me. She just nodded, which was the acceptable greeting from opposite fae.

  “You too.” I nodded back. She was exquisite up close. Her hair was a mix of blue and white-blonde, her eyes an icy blue, and her skin pale. She had sparkles brushed all over her eyes and hair. The sleeveless light blue dress brought out the blue in her lips. On her shoulders were the markings of a Winter faerie—snowflakes.

  Her friend whispered something into her ear, and she looked from me to her and nodded. Together they went off to the other side of the clearing. I turned and watched her.