It’s real fire, Princess. It’ll burn whatever it finds.
The world tilts a little. I thought he’d ride down and stop the flames. I thought he and his soldiers would be safe from harm. That he would swiftly rescue these settlers and this would be an easy solution.
Another gust of cold wind sweeps down through the valley, blowing sparks and flames along the dry grass. I blink, and suddenly there’s twice as much as there was before, blowing toward the people gathering buckets. The soldiers are shouting, people scrambling to avoid the flames.
That trapped woman screams again. The wind has blown flame onto her dress, and she’s panicked, beating her skirts against the ground. Her circle of safety has shrunk to half the size. She backs toward the hut, but that’s no better. Flaming bits of straw are falling from the roof.
Another woman is on the other side of the burning grass, and it sounds like she’s shouting to the trapped one. She looks ready to stride right into the flames.
I look toward the king and his soldiers, who are on the other side, heading toward the stream.
“Oh,” I whisper. “Oh no.” Then I raise my voice. “Ky!” I shout. “Ky, there’s a woman—”
But I break off. He can’t hear me. The shouts are too loud, and I’m too high.
That woman disappears from view again.
I think of my mother, of the way Lady Clara screamed. I think of Asher, racing to help the king and his men.
My heart is a caged bird, wildly flinging itself against the bars.
Suddenly I’m not thinking at all. Not anymore. I’ve drawn up my reins and dug my heels into the horse’s sides. Nikko and Charlotte shout behind me, but I barely hear their words. I’m already flying down the hill.
THE HEAT FROMthe flames hits me like a wall, making my eyes burn and the air hard to breathe. This army steed must be used to confrontingfields of fire, because my horse is bold and unflinching, even when another gust of wind sends sparks and flaming bits of debris in our direction. A glowing ember lands on my arm, and I shriek and smack it away.
It’s possible I’ve been too bold.
Then I realize Charlotte has followed me, her horse cantering through the flaming grass at my side, her expression marked with determination.
She’s so brave—and she really doesn’t have to be. I think of that moment Ky asked if she could be a friend.
Yes, I think.She definitely will be.
I’ve lost track of Asher, but I spot Ky among the scrambling people, and I aim the horse right for him. One of the other soldiers gives a shout of warning, and the king whirls in surprise. I haul on the reins to bring the animal to a sliding stop, but I’m already leaping out of the saddle. Charlotte is half a second behind me, breathless and winded, her horse fighting her grip on the reins.
The king catches me before my feet even hit the ground, his strong hands secure on my waist. His eyes are full of concern, but his expression looks like thunder. “Princess, I said—”
“There’s a woman,” I gasp, breathless. “You didn’t see her. She’s trapped—”
“Where?”
I point. “There! Behind the—” The wind changes, and I get a mouthful of smoke. My words break off and I cough hard.
The king takes stock of me quickly, then looks to my lady. “Charlotte,” he says sharply, his voice full of command. “Help them. Join the line.” He points at his soldiers, who are already pulling buckets from the stream, but his eyes return to mine. “Princess. Show me.”
I cough again, then grab his arm and pull, and he follows me around the hut. The woman has even less space now. She’s younger than I thought, probably not more than thirteen or fourteen. She’s sobbing, pressed up against the wall of the building, sparks raining around her from the roof. Her friend has made it to her side, but the edges of herskirts are singed and dark with soot. Both their faces are bright red and awash with sweat, their clothes damp and flecked with charred spots.
“Please,” I say to Ky, my voice cracking with panic. “Please help them.”
He sketches a sigil, and it pulls a patch of fire right off the ground, leaving scorched, dry grass in its wake. I gasp. “But you—I thought—”
“Walk at my back, Princess,” he says, cutting me off. I don’t understand how his voice can be so cool and commanding while everything inside me feels as hot and agitated as the flames. “But you must stay close.”
As he says the words, fire surges into the area he just cleared. He crushes the flame from his palm and summons more from the ground, opening another path. As soon as we step into it, fire begins to crowd into the space he cleared.
Stay close. Got it.
My breathing roars in my ears as he begins to walk. Flames are already beginning to swoop into the space, so I match my footsteps to his. Step by step, he summons a handful of fire, then crushes it away—but there’s always more ready to burn and replace what he’s taken. It’s like trying to watch someone empty the ocean with a bucket.
