But a fire like that doesn’t discriminate, and it doesn’t stop.
That kind of fire would burn the world, leaving me a king of ashes.
I’m not so proud to admit that Stellen is smarter than I am. I’m certain he will form a plan and attack strategically. He always does. Striking when and where it hurts the most.
But I am of the fire, and fire is volatile. My emotions dictate my actions, and they can flare from furious to destructive in a matter of heartbeats.
The only time I was calm was in the Oracle’s presence.
Far below me, the landscape has become rocky, the sandy terrain of my kingdom encroaching from the south.
Further along the Iron Kingdom’s southern border, rocky mountains protect against the dry heat of my land, but here, whatever rivers might have once existed have turned dry.
I could claim this corner of Antony’s kingdom if I wished, but I would rather leave a wide barrier between my people and the bloodlands’ dark inhabitants.
As I verge further south, I draw closer to my border, although it remains miles away. My serpent riders have followed their orders to return home. Before we left the Ember Kingdom this morning, headed for the coastal village,I swore them to secrecy. They won’t breathe a word of where we went today for fear I’ll burn them and their families to ash.
Being alone now doesn’t frighten me. I’m often alone.
Without warning, iron metal glints at the edge of my vision.
My head snaps up in time for an arrow to whoosh past my face, its tip grazing my jaw, slicing across my skin.
A sharp burn registers in my senses, along with the scent of my scorched flesh. I’m certain it only missed me because I moved my head in the nick of time.
I’m not invulnerable to iron, but the stomach-turning smell is the least of my concerns.
When I try to identify my attacker’s position, the sunlight flares in my eyes, and I can’t see where the fuck the strike came from.
I lean low over my serpent’s neck as he deploys a defensive maneuver. He’s experienced enough with battle that I don’t have to signal to him which way he should go.
As he rolls mid-air, tipping so far to the left that we’re nearly upside down, I catch a glimpse of my would-be assailant.
A single giant eagle streaks across my view, its majestic chestnut-brown wings recognizable even from the barest glimpse I catch.
So is its rider.
Cassia of the Starlit Court stands upright in her bird’s saddle, expertly aiming two more iron-tipped arrows at me, her balance and precision beyond compare.
Antony’s sister is one of the most formidable, deadliest warriors in his airborne legion. I hate to admit it, but she’s more skilled than any of my serpent riders. She’s taken down many of my warriors and many of Stellen’s fighters, too. Last I heard, her kill count was at one hundred.
It’s why Stellen’s General, Lilis, has been trying to take herout. Well, that and to provoke Antony into doing something reckless.
Now, it seems Cassia must have been caught up in the fight back at the coast after Antony got away with the Oracle. She’s certainly been delayed for some reason; it seems the other two eagle riders have abandoned her.
Perhaps they’re dead.
Whatever the reason, she’s chosen to pick a fight with me.
A choice that can only guarantee her doom.
Within the brief moment that I catch sight of her, I lean backward, allowing my serpent to carry me through his mid-air roll while I grip his body tightly with my legs, my muscles honed for these exact maneuvers, keeping me safely on his back even when we’re upside down.
Fire builds in my palm as I anticipate exactly where Cassia’s eagle will carry her by the time my serpent’s path evens out.
My arm is outstretched, and my fire is ready.
She won’t shoot her arrows at me in time to stop me.
