Read King of Mist (Steel and Fire Book 2) Online
Authors: Jordan Rivet
King of Mist (Steel and Fire Book 2) (36 page)
“Just return safely one day. I would be so disappointed if we never got to compete together again.”
“I’ll try.”
But Dara wasn’t sure she could return to Vertigon. No matter what Siv did, she didn’t see how she could live here. Her father had betrayed the kingdom. He knew she could Work the Fire now. And she had collaborated with her parents’ enemy, the man who’d caused the death of their other daughter. She had learned from the Fire Warden himself. There would be no coming back from that in her parents’ eyes. Dara grimaced. She had to stop thinking like that. She knew her parents’ true natures now. But she still felt the bone-deep desire for their approval that had once been such a huge part of her life. They weren’t worthy of it, but it felt as if the only way to escape their thrall was to flee.
Dara rested a hand on the night-black hilt of her Savven blade, reaching for its familiar comfort. She gasped. The blade was still hot to the touch. No, not hot. It burned with Fire, like a Fire Blade, but far stronger. She had never felt anything like it.
She ran a finger over the weapon, around the intricate curls of the hilt and the Savven mark stamped in the pommel. It hadn’t melted from the torrent of power she’d sent through it, and it looked the same as always. But it had changed. Somehow through that furious rush of power and desperation she had transformed the Savven into a Fire Blade unlike any she’d ever encountered.
Dara removed her hands from the hilt and didn’t mention the sword to the others. Too much had happened tonight, and she was too tired to even begin unraveling this new mystery. She could barely stand up, much less wield this new blade now anyway.
She was sure the memory of everything she had seen would torment her as she went to sleep, but in the end she didn’t have to worry. Vine settled her in a musty guest bedroom in the old greathouse, and Dara dropped into unconsciousness before Vine even closed the door behind her.
Siv expected the pain prickling all over his body to prevent him from sleeping, but it ended up being remarkably easy. Vine slipped him a tonic she used after particularly trying training sessions. The enormity of everything that had happened that day didn’t have time to crash down on him before he dropped to sleep.
When he awoke in the morning, the pain from his wounds returned with such a vengeance that he couldn’t think too hard about their situation anyway. Vine cleaned his wounds again and had Toff pack up supplies for him and Dara. While they fussed over the details, Siv hobbled to the window and peeked out through the curtain.
The snow had finally stopped, and nearly three feet of it piled around the greathouse. The mountain was deceptively quiet. A soupy fog hung over everything, giving the impression that the whole world had been painted varying shades of white.
Some time in the night, the Fireworkers had withdrawn the wall of Fire. Square Peak looked safe for now. The only evidence of what had occurred was a stark ring all the way around the peak where the drifts weren’t nearly as deep. A thick crust of ice, glimmering in the weak morning light, indicated where the snow had melted and refrozen around the burning barrier.
They had no time to wait for information about who held the castle as day broke. The Lantern Maker would surely send men to search the mountain. Vine wrapped Siv and Dara in thick cloaks and reiterated her promise to send them news in Trure. Siv borrowed rope to make a leash and warned Rumy he’d have to be on his best behavior until they got to safety. Then Siv, Dara, and the cur-dragon began the long, treacherous journey into the Fissure.
Siv looked back at the castle as they snuck from building to building and tree to tree on their way around the edge of King’s Peak. It looked the same as it always had. No structural damage. No remnants of the incredible power that had burned within the Great Hall last night. No hint that for the first time in a hundred years, the crown did not sit upon an Amintelle head. His father’s legacy was destroyed. Siv didn’t know what he could do to recover it. Or if he should even try.
For now, all he knew was that the cuts on his body stung like hell, and he and Dara were going to survive. Whatever it took, they would look out for each other. And even though he was no longer the king, he would not leave his people at the mercy of the Lantern Maker forever.
Epilogue
SORALINE
Amintelle huddled underneath her bed. She always thought she would be braver than this in the face of disaster. She had imagined what would happen if the castle was ever attacked, as it had been in the days of old before the Peace of Vertigon began. She had read about it in the history books. She had admired the long-ago queens who remained icy and defiant in the face of insurmountable odds. She had hoped she would be as serene as those ancient queens if such events ever came to pass again.
Instead, she curled in a ball underneath her bed, praying that the trouble would just go away. She was only seventeen. She didn’t want to die.
Sora shuddered as the door to her chambers opened.
“She’s under there,” said a voice in a familiar accent. Soolen. She’d had such high hopes for the visitors from Soole. Despite the troubling news from Cindral Forest, she had never guessed the Soolens would be part of the attack on the castle, the attack on her family.
“Did you hurt her?” The second voice was deep and firm.
“No, sir. We killed her guards, but she is unharmed.”
“Good.”
Sora bit back a sob as a pair of boots approached. She had seen the first guard go down with a sword in her belly. A sweet girl named Luci Belling. Sora had thought they might be friends in other circumstances. Denn Hurling had been posted outside her door too. He had guarded her since she was small enough to sit on his knee and pull at his red mustache. He had been like an uncle to her as well as a protector. How would she ever tell his twin sister, who was far away in Trure? Sora missed her own sister. And she missed her mother.
The boots stopped beside her bed. Then she saw a pair of knees, and finally, a face.
“Hello, Princess. May I have a word?”
“What do you want from me?”
“I believe that conversation would be much easier if you’d come out, Soraline.”
Sora shuddered at the sound of her own name being spoken by that deep, powerful voice. She recognized the face, though it was difficult to see with her cheek pressed against the cold, dusty floor. It was Rafe Ruminor, the Lantern Maker. Why was he working with her Soolen captors?
“Are you going to kill me?” she whispered, her voice sounding unforgivably small. Why, oh why couldn’t she be braver than this?
“That depends on you,” Rafe said. He waited, but when Sora made no move to emerge from underneath the bed, he continued. “I control this castle. I had intended to place young Rollendar on the throne and see to it that he followed my wishes. That is no longer possible as he got himself killed. Your brother is dead too, by the way, in case you were unaware.”
Sora sobbed. Siv. Her loving, infuriating brother. She had been sure he would be such a good king. The world had gone to ruin. Sora felt as if the bed over her head was the only thing keeping her in one piece now. She stared at the Lantern Maker.
“Did you—?”
“Bolden Rollendar killed him,” Rafe said. “He attacked the castle with a squadron of trained men.”
“But . . . but you said Bolden is dead too?”
“Yes. Most unfortunate.” Rafe leaned in closer. Sora wished she could hide the tears slipping onto the dusty stones beneath her. She had never felt so alone. “I believe this transition will be easier if the people do not see it as a coup,” Rafe said, his voice soft and firm. “The army is not fully in hand, and I don’t wish to deal with so many complications at once. But if the figurehead bears the Amintelle name, I can see a good many things being different.”
“But what do you
want
from me?” Sora repeated.
Rafe Ruminor smiled.
“How would you like to be queen?”
Thank you for reading
King of Mist
. The third book in the
Steel and Fire
series, called
Dance of Steel
, is coming soon!
Sign up for Jordan Rivet’s mailing list
to get an email about a special discount when the book launches.
For a dystopian adventure featuring a gutsy female mechanic on a post-apocalyptic cruise ship, check out Jordan Rivet’s
Seabound Chronicles
.
If you enjoyed
King of Mist
, please consider leaving a review on Amazon and telling your friends. Thank you!
Acknowledgments
Thank you for reading the second book in the
Steel and Fire
series! It wouldn’t be possible for me to tell this story without the help of a few key people along the way.
I especially want to thank Willow Hewitt, Brooke Richter, Sarah Merrill Mowat, Rachel Andrews, Laura Cook, Marcus Trower, Amanda Tong, Rachel Marsh, Kaylee Peelen, Whitney Galletly, Kaitlyn Godfrey, Mike and Angela Chang, Geoff and Alison Ng, all my siblings, and Ayden and Julie Young for their encouragement and advice along the way.
Susie and Lynn at Red Adept Editing and the team at Deranged Doctor Design helped me polish this story and turn it into a book. The Author’s Corner continues to inspire me to do better with every release.
Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed
Duel of Fire
. Your positive feedback has made a huge difference. Thanks for skipping some sleep to hang out with Dara and Siv. I can’t wait for you to read Book 3!
As always, I’m grateful to my husband for his support and belief in me as I’ve been on this writing journey. Thanks for cooking me dinner and listening to me think aloud so often.
Jordan Rivet
Hong Kong, 2016
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jordan Rivet is an American author of fantasy and science fiction. Originally from Arizona, she lives in Hong Kong with her husband. She is the author of the post-apocalyptic
Seabound Chronicles
and the
Steel and Fire
fantasy adventure series. She fenced for many years, and she hasn’t decided whether the pen is mightier than the sword.
The Seabound Chronicles
Seabound
Seaswept
Seafled
Burnt Sea: A Seabound Prequel
Steel and Fire
Duel of Fire
King of Mist
Dance of Steel
more to come…
Don’t forget to join Jordan’s mailing list for special discounts and updates on new releases!
Find her online at
www.JordanRivet.com
and on Twitter
@Jordan_Rivet
.
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