Fantasy of Fire (The Tainted Accords Book 3) (2 page)

BOOK: Fantasy of Fire (The Tainted Accords Book 3)
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He might as well know the rest. I need to be completely transparent on this issue.

“There is no way I can think of to undo the damage. Even if the Bruma cannot find you now, they will attempt to mimic the Soar. Likely, some have already realized the Great Stairway is where you’ve remained unseen. Eventually they will find the Ire.”

Adox explodes upwards in a movement too powerful for his old frame. Fear helps him, I think. I’ve experienced the sensation often enough myself.

His limping pace halts after several minutes and I watch as he struggles to regain his calm.

“I think I could feel it,” he whispers. He places a trembling hand over his heart. “I blamed it on the Solati’s presence.” The wearied leader faces me, hands behind his back. “Jimmy has ruined us. I should have taken that Soar off him years ago.” The quiet words bounce off the cliff faces surrounding the fire pit. I hope Jimmy isn’t lingering nearby, listening. “This is my fault,” he whispers.

“Jimmy did so at my request,” I confess. “I asked him some time ago to tell me if he saw something unusual on the pathway. I didn’t anticipate he’d take my request to heart.” The words sound feeble; a weak excuse.

The growing morning light catches the tears in Adox’s eyes. His sadness is unbearable. There’s nothing worse than seeing an old man cry. “Do you realize what you have done?” he asks.

I blink several times to clear my own eyes. “Jimmy might have just saved hundreds of lives,” I remind him. They’re the wrong words to have uttered.

The leader’s face twists. “What do we care for the lives of Brumas and Solatis? What happens to us? There is nowhere left for us now. Everything my father worked for, thrown away with the foolish choice of a seven-year-old and the king’s conniving spy,” he says in a withering tone.

His defeat is heartbreaking. But I firm my resolve. The longer he has to dwell on my news, the more he will set against us. “Adox, I have a plan. One which will not expose the Ire to the Solati, but it will save many lives,” I say.

“I think the Ire has done enough for you,” he says. “If I’d known you were close to the king, I would’ve barred you from leaving.”

It’s lucky he doesn’t know I’m the Tatuma, then.

“You hold the fate of many in your grasp. Will you not listen to reason? So many will die. Don’t you care?” I ask, abandoning subtlety.

“When did Glacium or Osolis ever care about us?” he whispers furiously. I jump at the angry sound coming from the even-tempered man. “There has never been true peace! You’re too busy pretending to tolerate each other to help your own people. It was only a matter of time until one of you killed the other off.”

People are landing on Adox’s Island now, woken by the light and drawn to the argument. I have to remind myself that the army’s scouts will be unable to sight the Ire folk so high above the pathway they navigate, but sound travels far. The people know this and talk softly, frowns on their faces. There is no dancing and laughing. The Ire is far more subdued than I remember.

The leader’s reaction is much worse than I expected it to be. The news has crushed him and he won’t listen to reason. Or maybe he does hold a real grudge against the two worlds I’ve come from. I have to hope that’s not the case. That he can see past his own emotion.

“Adox, you have learned many things tonight. I know I’ve failed you and the Ire. But please don’t let this cloud your judgment. Glacium and Osolis haven’t treated you kindly in the past and I can’t change that. I didn’t even
do
that. Whether you accept it or not, the Bruma are now aware of the Ire’s existence. The Ire is hovering on the precipice of discovery. If you do not align with Glacium, Osolis will obliterate everything you’ve built. Maybe not today, maybe not next week, but one day you’ll wake to find soldiers outside your tent. Don’t burn this bridge,” I plead to him. “You can’t be certain when you’ll need it. And I can’t be certain if my king will offer you sanctuary again. Safety, Adox. For your
people
.”

I might as well have stayed silent. My words bounce off his anger.

“Are you threatening me?” he hisses. I take in the curious people crowding around us. They didn’t hear his words, but our body language gives us away. Several of the men are wondering if they should intervene.

I sigh in defeat. “No, Adox. Believe it or not, I’m trying to help you. I can see now is not the right time. I’m sorrier than you know for what has happened.” I dip my head and walk to my Soar.

“The answer will always be no,” he says.

I smile sadly over my shoulder. “Always is a very long time.”

Chapter Two

There’s no way I’m leaving. Adox will be furious to learn I haven’t. But he has to see reason! So many lives depend on it.

I won’t return to Glacium until he agrees to my plan, or until I’m forced to leave.

I fly to Isha’s rock. The welcoming hugs from Crystal’s parents, Isha and Cris, nearly bring me to tears after my sleepless night. They’ve yet to hear of my argument with their leader. As we prepare for breakfast, I warn them they might catch wind of the heated discussion from others during the day. I don’t give them any particulars because I don’t know how much Adox will tell the Ire. Out of respect, I leave it to him to decide what he wants to impart. I understand more about being the figurehead of a people than he’ll ever know.

“Your tent is still standing if you wish to rest,” Isha says with a sympathetic look. I met Crystal’s parents on my first night in the Ire. Crystal, though born in the Ire, preferred life in the Outer Rings. I imagine her girlfriend, Alzona, had a fair amount to do with this choice. It took me a long time to realize the Ire girl and the barrack owner were together. I hoped they’d worked through their problems by now. The last exchange I witnessed between them had been tense.

I stoop to enter the tent, eyeing the packed mattress in the corner with longing. The only thing standing between me and sleep is the dusty black suit I’m wearing. Removing the skin-tight garment is a task in itself, but soon it’s draped over one of the wooden supports of the tent. I take a single step toward the bed.

“Where is she?”

I freeze, recognizing the voice.

“Hamish,” Isha says in greeting. “Willow has just laid down to rest.”

Please don’t come in here
. I look over my shoulder at the closed tent flaps.

“Do you think she’s still awake?” he asks, his voice moving closer. “Willow,” he calls. I hold my breath, not answering. Instead, I tiptoe to the mattress and sink slowly down onto it so it doesn’t make a sound. Footsteps sound outside the tent.

“Leave her be, Hamish. She looked dead on her feet.” The steps halt, but do not recede.

“I’ll tell her you stopped by,” Isha hints.

“Okay,” he says reluctantly. “Tell her I need to talk to her as soon as possible. Everyone’s saying she’s betrayed our location to the Bruma king.”

I tense, almost storming out to defend myself. I wait for Isha’s answer. I hope she doesn’t kick me off her island. I don’t think I could face anything else without sleeping first.

“If that’s so, I see no reason why she’d return to warn Adox,” she replies. I smile to myself, listening as Hamish leaves and Isha resumes her pottering. I close my eyes, snuggling into the blankets. Nothing in two worlds—not the war, or the firelight squeezing through the walls of the tent—could keep me awake.

* * *

After several failed attempts to rouse myself, I manage to pull my suit back on and stagger out of my tent. The Ire is dark; I’ve slept all day. The much-needed rest has cleared my head and given me strength. The smell of Isha’s cooking drifts over to me and I shiver, eager for the fire’s warmth. I’ve forgotten how bitterly cold it gets up here. It took a long time to accustom myself to the climate close to Glacium and I wonder how the Solati army, hundreds of meters below me, is faring with the cold.

“Hamish has come looking for you a few times,” Isha says. I nod as I chew the tender meat and bread. I withhold my moan of delight, but only just. Isha’s beef stew could nearly rival Avalanche’s.

“I’ll go and visit him tomorrow,” I say. Seeking out Hamish is not something I should be doing. He has feelings for me and I don’t return the sentiment. I know what I feel for Hamish: friendship. But conveying this to him is a different matter. Sometimes I miss the lack of emotion in Solati culture.

I swallow back the last delicious mouthful and look up, surprised, as Adox touches down onto Isha’s rock. I watch the old leader from the fire as he approaches and try to assess his anger. It takes me a few seconds to analyze his giveaways: the tension, the twitching, the tapping. They all mean something. What once came to me naturally has become harder without regular practice. There’s no need to search for the truth on Glacium. The Bruma there are blissfully, and often crudely, clear about what they mean.

Adox appears a great deal calmer now, but the hard line of his jaw and the uncharacteristic coldness of his eyes tells me much. He speaks quietly to Isha and she nods, strapping herself into a Soar.

He maintains eye contact as he limps to the fire, hands clasped behind his back. He doesn’t sit this time. A bad sign. I wait.

Adox clears his throat. “I apologize for my anger earlier today. The tidings you brought were shocking, to say the least. I have come to give you my final answer,” he says.

It’s not favorable, I can already tell.

He holds up a hand as I open my mouth.

“I will not risk the lives of the families here, or the secrecy of our sanctuary. If continuing our hidden way of life is still a remote possibility, then we will operate as we always have and hope for the best,” he starts. “If we help you, the risk to us is great and the consequences sizeable. I told you I was reluctant to help the two worlds who have treated us so appallingly because of our parents’ choices, but this point is small in comparison to my other reasons.”

He turns away from me and continues. “My decision is supported by those currently in power. In particular, the Tatum of Osolis, who is renowned for her cruelty toward her people. But … I do have hesitations regarding your own king. He is young. I don’t know much of him. To all reports, he stays secluded in the castle most of the time. How can I be assured he won’t one day decide he wants to eliminate the Ire?” he asks. His reasoning is sound. It doesn’t mean he’s right, but I can understand his position.

“Why introduce such a risk when we could just carry on?” He turns back to me.

I choose my next words with care. “You will never have anything to fear from me. But your argument depends on the Ire remaining a secret. Adox, Jimmy flew into the king’s castle. Your
people
are already discovered. How long will it take for Bruma to realize there’s only one place flying could have gone unnoticed? Only one place where you would need a contraption such as the Soar? Without secrecy, the Ire is doomed. It cannot stand against two worlds. It cannot even stand against one.” I stand next to him and stare into the fire. Really, I want to grab his stooped shoulders and shake sense into him.

“Your hesitations about my king are understandable, but ill-founded. His reasoning is objective and sound. Your judgment of the Tatum, however, is accurate.” I frown and glance up from the fire. He’ll think I’m biased. Supporting my king while tearing down the enemy would be how a loyal subject would reply. How wrong he is.

I search his face. “Maybe, against all odds, you’ll get through this undetected. But one day, whether the population grows too large for the Ire, or someone is sighted soaring, you’ll be discovered. You have the opportunity to garner favor with Glacium and, in time, with Osolis for helping to prevent this war,” I say. “Take control of how you’re discovered. Don’t wait until you’re chased into a corner.”

The words ring inside of me. Adox fades away as I realize the words I’ve uttered exactly describe my predicament with the veil. Will I wait until I’m backed into a corner to reveal who I truly am? Or will I take control? It’s strange, but the thought resounds deep within me in a way it has never done. Suddenly the path I must take is vivid and clear. I have a few seconds of clarity before I remember what I’m in the middle of.

I glance up at Adox, but he’s missed my heart-dropping epiphany. Instead, he’s mulling over my words. It gives me some tiny hope. Perhaps time is all he needed.

“The only flaw in this reasoning is that Osolis would become our temporary enemy until, in your perfect world, they were to recognize our actions as a service,” he says. “There is no way the current ruler will see our interference in a good light. Possibly the Tatuma, from what I am told, but she has little power and is currently in your king’s dungeons.”

I have to work hard so my expression doesn’t betray me. Is that what my mother is telling everyone?

I clear my dry throat. “If some kind of guarantee of the Ire’s future safety can be given from both Osolis and Glacium, will you help?” I breathe. His head tilts to the side, probably wondering if his ears are working properly.

“Such a thing would be impossible,” he says. The slightest uncertainty colors his words.

“But if it were?” I press.

He clasps his hands in front of him as he studies me, searching for a trap. I hold his gaze until my eyes begin to water.

“Then that could change everything,” he says. I beam at him. It’s not a promise, but it’s progress. There’s a muted thud from someone landing behind me. Isha is back.

“But,” Adox’s voice rises. “Until I have that very doubtful assurance, I will stick to my original answer. I will not risk my people’s lives. Not even to save one Bruma or Solati. My decision might make me immoral, it might even prove to be wrong, but I believe this decision is best for the Ire.”

“It is your decision to make,” I say. “And your choice to change it.”

His eyes narrow, but he hangs on to his composure. “I’ve decided to let you leave the Ire again. Mainly because I doubt that we could actually hold you here. Last time we tried, you dealt with my largest men … efficiently. I ask that you leave by early morning so you’re not sighted.”

My mouth dries. Only one night to make my own decision.

He stops in front of me and searches my face with weary brown eyes. “I know nothing can stop you from choosing to reveal our home to your king. I would kill you, but I fear this could start something the Ire could not finish. So I beg you not to disclose our whereabouts to anyone.”

I hold his gaze and nod, before turning back to the fire for some warmth. After a minute, someone sits beside me. I look up into green eyes.

The person landing was not Isha.

I study the handsome face next to me, again feeling that curious mix of attraction and regret. Regret, because I constantly feel like I’m hurting Hamish’s feelings. But the rest is harder to explain. Hamish wasn’t right for me. Once he might have been, but I wasn’t the same girl as before. Like Kedrick, there’s an openness and an innocence to Hamish, which I know will always prevent me from fully depending on him. I need someone who understands me. And more than that, I want someone who can handle my past and my future. Perhaps Hamish could do the first, but he’s proven on many occasions he might not be able to do the second. As attractive as he is, testing my feelings for him isn’t worth the gamble.

I’d also be fooling myself if I didn’t recognize that any eagerness to explore my feelings for Hamish would really be stemming from my need to forget Jovan.

The green eyes darken. “Really?” Hamish asks as I remain silent. “Nothing?”

I close my eyes and tilt my head back.

“Last I saw you, you were running off to save a friend.”

“Technically I didn’t run off,” I mutter. “I flew.” Hamish doesn’t appreciate the joke.

“And then we don’t hear from you for weeks! You never came back! For all we knew, you might have died out there!”

It did sound awful when he put like that. I had a terrible habit of forgetting my friends. A consequence of never having any friends and only needing to worry about myself. A scar.

“I’m sorry Hamish.” I turn to look at his hopeful face. It does affect me, but it doesn’t compare to how Jovan affects me—
affected
me.

“And then you come back here and make Adox angrier than I’ve ever seen him. What did you do?”

I avoid his steady gaze, wondering what I should tell him. Adox wants to keep my news from general knowledge or he wouldn’t have asked Isha to leave. Hamish is a friend. But one who will spend more time with Adox than with me.

“Adox doesn’t want me to say, and I have to respect that. I’m in his territory,” I decide. Hamish’s breath hisses at my response. I wince at his hurt expression.

“I see.” He stands. I reach out and grab his arm.

“No, you don’t see,” I say. “And I don’t want to keep this from you. But please just accept that I can’t tell you for good reason.”

“You never can tell me much, can you?” he asks. “You can’t tell me why you came here in the first place, why you were in the pits, why you suddenly left, and why you’re back. I’m beginning to wonder if I know you at all.”

His words are too near my own thoughts to deny.

BOOK: Fantasy of Fire (The Tainted Accords Book 3)
5.96Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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