by Trudie Skies
The two of them strode for Raj’s horse, leaving her alone with Alistar.
“I don’t know if the Sandarian gods care for Neu Bosan,” he said, gazing up at Gai’s tree. “But every time I’ve come here and made a wish, it’s come true. I wished to join the Academy, and I did that. I wished to go on an adventure, and here we are.” His emerald eyes shone brighter in Gai’s domain.
“What do you wish for now?”
“Forgiveness.” His cheeks reddened. “I was rude to you, and I shouldn’t have been. I—I still want to be your sorran, Arl, if you’ll have me.”
“I’m the High Priestess of Rahn, Ali.” She placed a hand on her hip. “This is who I am. If you’re scared of my fire, if you can’t accept it—”
“I can—I do.”
She bit into her fig. Its fresh sweetness exploded in her mouth. Gods, it was the best fig she’d ever eaten. There were many things she should wish for—an end to war, to keep her family and Fire Walkers safe—but here, deep in the forest reflected inside her sorran’s eyes, there was only one thing she hoped for.
“Priestess!” Garr yelled. “Do you smell that?”
Smoke. Something was burning.
She gripped her sword hilt and ran down the path. Bright red flames twirled into the sky from a wagon on fire, and its flames illuminated bodies lying nearby. Their faces were charred black beyond recognition.
A gust of wind whipped the flames toward the trees lining the road. Mina ran to stomp out the glowing red embers that skittered over the cobblestones; they burned too close to the dry leaves blanketing the forest floor. If they spread farther, the whole forest could blaze and even Gai’s tree would be in danger. There was no sign of any attacker, but the trees were so dense that anyone could be hiding among them.
Only a Fire Walker could have caused this much damage.
Another gust of wind whirled about the wagon, scattering tiny pieces of burning wood high into the air. To Mina’s amazement, these didn’t fly off into the forest but swirled around her as if she were the center of a whirlwind. She shielded her eyes against the ash and smoke and grit that spun in tighter and tighter circles.
Clumps of soil and earth were pulled from the ground and clung to an unseen form only a few feet away. No, not unseen. Mina noticed the Shadow now, even as it surrounded itself in dirt and ash. Vines wrapped around its thick limbs and formed a robe of green leaves.
“What is that thing?” Garr said as he ran to her side.
“You’ve not seen a wraith before?”
His amber eyes went wide. “These are normal?”
Wraiths were weapons of the Ash Makers; all the tales said so. How did Garr not know what they were?
Alistar reeled behind her. “Stars above, is that a wraith? Here?”
“Oh Gai, is that another one?” Raj pointed to the wagon.
Another Shadow rose from the burning wagon and the fire moved with it, wrapping around it in a cloak of burning light.
Oh gods.
It was a wraith made of flame.
31
EARTH AND FIRE
The fire wraith spun in a flaming circle, scattering sparks that scorched the grass. Beside it, the hulking figure of the earth wraith slammed its fists on the ground, sending a shuddering pulse underneath Mina’s feet. She drew her sword and raised it into the Solaran stance. Whilst the earth wraith would likely pummel her into tenderized meat, the fire wraith presented the greater danger. It could destroy this entire forest in a heartbeat.
Burning the bodies was the only way to calm the wraiths for good, but the wraiths blocked her path to the wagon where their bodies lay.
Lune help us.
Raj cowered behind her. “Oh Gai, what do we do?”
Garr raised his fists into a fighting stance. “Burn it.”
“No!” Alistar drew his bow and nocked an arrow, though it shook in his hands. He’d witnessed sand wraiths at the Solend, but they didn’t compare to a wraith made of flame. “If you attack with fire, you’ll risk burning the forest!”
The earth wraith lumbered forward, each step a menacing thud.
Garr pointed. “It’s a god-damn walking tree! Burn it!”
“Don’t you dare!”
She took a step toward the wraiths. “You’re scared. I know. But I’m a Lunei, I can burn your bodies, I can send you back to Rahn. If you let—”
A whoosh of fire flew at them, forcing them to jump apart. The fire wraith shrieked an inhuman sound. Gods, it wasn’t just made of flames; it could command them, too.
“So what do you propose we do about that thing?” Garr said.
“The river!” Raj exclaimed. “Lead it to the water!”
“It’s too close to the Tree of Gai,” Alistar said. “We can’t risk it.”
Mina felt that familiar tug in her blood—of Lune calling her to reach those bodies and burn them. “There’s only one way to stop a wraith. I have to get to that wagon. Distract them!”
“How?” Alistar yelled.
“I don’t know—shoot them!”
Alistar cursed and fired. His arrow whizzed past and struck the earth wraith in the chest. A second and third arrow sank into the wraith but didn’t have an effect on the beast. It grabbed the shaft embedded in its chest and snapped it in half. Alistar fired another, and another.
Garr scooped a stone and threw it at the fire wraith. The stone fizzled into nothing as though made of paper, but it caught the wraith’s attention. It turned on him and launched spears of flame. One caught his arm and he hissed in pain.
Mina ran for the wagon.
The earth wraith swerved from Alistar and swung its massive fist. She ducked under it and sliced Hawk clean through its arm. It fell as a clump of useless dirt. Wraiths were practically invincible, but she and Talin had subdued a whole cluster of them at the Solend by hacking them into manageable pieces. If she could reduce this thing down, it would be one less problem.
Her feet slipped into a steady rhythm as she danced around the wraith in circles. Its remaining arm was cumbersome and slow enough to evade, and it couldn’t deflect her blade as she made quick cuts. Mud, leaves, and vines tumbled from its body with each slice.
She skipped back and admired her work. The wraith was little more than a muddy stump.
Garr was gawking at her.
She wiped sweat from her brow. “What, you’ve never seen a woman use a sword?”
“Not like that.” He grinned.
“Oh Gai,” Raj gasped, and pointed a shaking hand at the stump.
Wind spun around the earth wraith. Mina crouched into a protective stance as roots were ripped from the forest floor and formed fresh limbs of thick wood.
She brought Hawk down on its new arm. The blade lodged halfway. She tried to yank it free, but it remained stuck. The wraith drew back its arm, ripping Hawk from her grip and sending her blade clattering down the path out of reach.
Its fist lunged. She ducked under but failed to spot its other fist heading straight for her. It slammed into her chest, knocking the breath from her lungs and flinging her through the air. She landed on her side with a painful thud.
Raj pulled her up. “Are you all right?”
Mina gasped and rubbed her ribs—bruised, but hopefully not broken. “I’ll live.”
Both wraiths approached her. They wanted her. They wanted her Lunei blood.
She’d never get to the wagon like this. “I can’t send you back to Rahn if you don’t let me!”
Alistar fired more arrows, but the earth wraith swatted them away. “I’ve got three left!”
Garr slipped away from the fire wraith and snatched her sword. He held it in an unfamiliar stance, but steel alone wasn’t going to defeat these. She wouldn’t have defeated Barahn Khalbond in the tournament with steel alone either. The only thing that defeated him was his own fire.
If she could summon a shield, maybe she could contain the fire wraith.
She snapped her fingers. A feeble puff of smoke rose from her palm, but no flame. She dug her heels into the dirt and thrust her fists out, willing her blood to spark. But no flame ignited. Her inner embers sputtered, as though she’d suffered a wound. Gods, was she bleeding? She yanked up her shirt to check. Tiny red dots spread across her stomach. Bug bites.
The bitey bugs had got her.
No wonder there were no gods-damn Fire Walkers in Gaisland!
“Arl?” Alistar was frantically waving his bow at the approaching earth wraith.
“Summon a shield!” she called to Garr.
“I can’t!” Garr hopped between spears of flame as he held the fire wraith’s attention. “I’m covered in bug bites! I can’t burn!”
Gods-damn useless Ash Maker.
If their flame couldn’t stop it, then she’d have to change tactics. She held out her empty sword hand as if still wielding Hawk and began to dance once more. “Ali, aim for its eyes!”
An arrow sank into the beast’s earthen face, and then another. Was it possible to blind a wraith? She didn’t know, but it didn’t really matter. Alistar’s arrows would at least distract it—keep it angry and raging and unaware.
She wove between its flailing arms and ducked into a roll as the earth wraith swung a heavy fist straight through the fire wraith, splitting it into two. Flames crept up the earth wraith’s arm and it staggered backwards.
Now there were two smaller fire wraiths and a burning earth wraith.
“Got any better ideas, Priestess?” Garr muttered.
“Do it again!” she yelled.
“Stars, are you serious?” Alistar exclaimed. “You want to make more?”
“Make them smaller and I can get past them. Keep distracting them!”
Garr swung her sword at the earth wraith. Alistar tossed his bow aside, swapping it for rocks and whatever debris he could get his hands on. Together, he and Raj lobbed a barrage at the fire wraiths. Their attacks were futile but kept the wraiths occupied.
Mina charged between them.
There were two bodies littering the road, but the wraiths had come from the wagon itself. She raced toward the burning wreckage, but it was too hot, too dangerous. Perhaps her fire could reduce the whole thing and its occupants to ash—if she could summon it.
A horse lay in the grass, dead, and beside it was a Gaislander, or at least a man in the remains of Gaislander robes—his face was a charred mess. A blackened symbol had been burned upon the cobblestones of the road at his side: a three-forked flame.
The sigil of House Rhaesbond.
Gods, what did that mean?
A Shadow flickered across the man’s body. Why hadn’t this one formed a wraith and attacked? “I’m here to help you, but you need to help me. Who did this? Who attacked you?”
The Shadow rushed over her. Mina cried out as it wrapped around her like a cloak, drowning out the roar and heat of the fire and the shouts from her companions until nothing remained.
We stopped to rest, thank Gai. How my back was aching! I slid off my horse with a hushed groan. I didn’t want them to know my back howled like it did or they’d think me old and not up to the task. I adjusted my sword in my belt and stretched. Gods, it hurt, and not even a few herbs would help this time. The Green Hands warned me riding wouldn’t do my back any good, but as my old commander used to say, I’m useless at following orders.
And now we were heading to another gods-damn war. I hadn’t recovered from the last one. Maybe I’d finally admit my back was all but useless once the conscription came. I ran a hand over my sword hilt. This had once seen blood, plenty of it, but now was little more than decoration and a deterrent to would-be thieves. I prayed I never had to use it again.
It would be worse for my companions. Much worse.
I climbed up the wagon. A polite knock on the door in the sequence we’d agreed—three short taps—and a man’s head popped out. A thin layer of fuzz coated it, but it hadn’t grown much in the weeks we’d travelled. He hid the red tattoos on his neck with a scarf.
“We’ll take a quick break,” I said. “The trees are thick here if you want to stretch your legs. No one will see.”
He dipped his head in a submissive bow. It hurt my heart to see him react that way. “No, we thank you, but we’ll remain hidden,” he said. “Do—can we have water?”
“One moment.”
I headed behind the wagon and rummaged through my supplies. We’d rationed well on our way from Nasiri. A noise behind me made me spin, and I peered into the trees. A bird. Just a bird. I chuckled to myself. Once we reached the safety of Grenai, I wouldn’t be jumping at every sound. Easier to cross Gaisland and lose any pursuers in the forest than risk getting caught trying to board a ship in Saraani or Solus. I’d run this same trip many times, from Nasiri, Fellbani, and even dared Darasus, though now that war was upon us, their suspicion grew.
Something tapped my shoulder. I spun around again and swallowed a curse. A Duslander held out a purple bottle. He was shaved bare like the rest of them, but my eyes were drawn to the brand on his forehead—a three-forked flame.
Worse than Fire Walker markings. His brand told me a tale that he never could—because they’d cut his tongue out. That’s why Neu Bosa was never an option for my companions. I’d heard the rumors of what befell Fire Walkers over there. A fate worse than the Temple of Rahn.
“Needed to stretch your legs? Can’t say I blame you. We’re safe enough here if anyone else wants out to walk a bit.”
He pushed the bottle into my hands and nodded with insistence. They’d stolen his voice, but not his spirit.
“Many thanks, my friend.” Odd. I didn’t remember packing purple bottles. I carried it around to the back of the wagon and handed it through the window. “Here you are.”
The Fire Walker took it with his head lowered. I hoped one day he’d learn his worth and not bow to any man, Houseman, or king for the life he’d suffered. This world owed him more.
He opened the purple bottle and took a long swallow.
Then his eyes went wide.
He dropped the bottle and a clear, oily liquid began to pour out onto the floor of the wagon. Whatever it was, it had an odd whiff to it, like smoke. Sweat poured down the Fire Walker’s face and he gasped for air.
“What’s wrong? Are you—”
The whole forest turned red. Flame seared through my skin and shredded through my flesh until—
Mina’s eyes shot open and she sucked in air. She ran both hands down her face. Thank the gods, her skin was still intact. She’d felt it melt, felt the fire rip through her.
Rahn’s Breath. That’s what these men had drunk.
Their wraiths were hurt, terrified, and there’d be no stopping them. She needed to return them to Rahn’s light now.
She snapped her fingers. Nothing. Gods damn it.
On the other side of the burning wagon, the earth wraith lunged for Garr, trying to seize him by the neck and failing—but knocking him harshly to the ground in the attempt. The twin fire wraiths tossed fireballs at Alistar and Raj, who did what they could to keep the flames from reaching the trees.
Amid the embers scattered about the wagon, a glint of purple caught her eye. The bottle she’d seen in the Shadow’s memory.
She ran to the wagon and grabbed the scorching hot bottle from the ground. This had killed the Fire Walkers. Ignoring the pain, she swished the bottle around. Not quite empty. Gods, she was foolish for even considering it, but one drop would be enough to force her fire out.
Tira’s face appeared before her—larger than she’d ever seen her, rising high above her in the wagon’s flame. She looked down in fierce anger and shook her head in a resolute no.
“I don’t have a choice.”
The earth wraith had Garr pinned to the ground. If she didn’t burn the bodies now, the Ash maker would be joining them.
Mina tipped three drops onto her tongue and swallowed.
>
Heat roared through her veins and burst across her body, dissolving yet another set of clothes she’d have to replace. Her scabbard fell to the ground, as did her mother’s dagger. She dug her bare feet into the dirt and thrust the fire out. This time her flame came in a rolling wave.
Blood fire was strong, and a woman’s fire burned stronger, if Iman spoke true. Mina could reduce this entire wagon to ashes and the bodies trapped inside.
She could do this.
She ignored the throb in her head, the rapid pulse in her veins, the flutter of nausea in her stomach, and concentrated all her power on the wagon. The roof caved in and released a torrent of white sparks into the air. But still the wraiths fought on. It wasn’t enough.
Sweat poured down her forehead and hissed into steam. She could almost feel the blood pouring from her body in a river of fire, the life leaving her veins. Then she felt a cool hand on her cheek. The Shadow stood beside her now, arm lifted up, fingers cupping her face.
And then he vanished.
The battle was over.
The wraiths had disappeared, leaving only smoking black grass as evidence they existed at all. Raj fell to his knees in exhaustion. Ali sank down next to him and wrapped an arm around his friend’s shoulders. A few feet away, Garr rolled onto his side and gasped for air. They’d live.
Mina took a deep breath and willed her flames to ease.
They wouldn’t.
I am the master of my own self, and this fire is mine to control.
The river of fire continued to flow.
Rahn’s Breath was burning through her blood.
Alistar staggered toward her, his mouth wide open.
Why was he staring at her? Because she scared him. Because she burned and he hated her for it. But there was no hate or fear in those emerald eyes—just shock.
Shock and something else.
“Ali?”
The trees blurred into a single dark green smudge. They grew darker and darker until Mina found herself falling into a bed of burned grass.
32
