War—
Not only that between provinces, but a war for the existence of magic.
“Our people have caused too many problems for Ulder’s line. As long as he is in power, he’ll do whatever it takes to extinguish us.”
Because of the prophecy,Lory thought to herself. Because Khayrivven’s father had foretold that one Flame-born woman would be the downfall of the Brestolyan king.
With her free hand, Lory plucked a slice of meat from the grate, dropping it onto the bread to let it cool before eating it. It was greasy but tasty, spiced with something sharp and sweet that Lory had no name for. Chewing in silence gave her time to think while Enya was eyeing her from a few feet away, a hint of skepticism slipping through the kind facade Lory so desperately hoped she could trust.
“Why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself, Lory?” This clearly was more of an order than a question, and Lory would have gotten up and left under normal circumstances, just because getting between the Flame-born and the Criu rebels was something an ashling under the Triad’s scrutiny could certainly not afford. But the leonthor growled into her mind, grumpier even than most of Lu’Shen’s patrons if they couldn’t get their preferred woman for the night,“Your allies they are, Elory.”So Lory swallowed her next bite and sighed through her nose.
“I grew up on the streets of the capital, and I would have died there, had one of the?—”
“Not tell them about the captain she must,”the leonthor interrupted her, and Lory wondered if she might hit his head if she picked up the rock beside her knee and aimlessly threw it into the shadows.
Shaking her head, she started again. “I only recently found out I have fire magic. Controlling it has been a challenge.” At the leonthor, she thought,“There, happy? Nothing about thecaptain. Nothing about the Ward. Nothing about anything, really.”
Much to her surprise, keeping Khayrivven a secret did feel better than expected, and to prevent them from asking any more questions, she amended, “How did you find out you had fire magic?”
Enya shook her head. “There will be time for those questions later. What are you doing in the mountains? How did the creature find you?”
With a shrug, Lory sat up a little straighter, wondering if she needed to be afraid of the people who were supposed to be her allies after all. “I was sent into the mountains as prey for a hunt.” It was the closest to the truth she could get without giving away a word about Khayrivven, Ashthorn, or the real reason she’d been sent into the mountains—to test her loyalty. A loyalty that wouldn’t be welcomed with praise and enthusiasm by the people in this cave.
It was Olive who measured her with disbelief this time. “Because you’re a Flame?” The woman was incredible at keeping her emotions off her face, but the expression in her dark eyes told Lory she wasn’t as surprised to hear this as she let on. “Who hunted you?”
“People loyal to Ulder.” Again, a half-truth, but the leonthor hummed his approval of her words into her mind, and when she glanced into the corner, the gilded outline of themythical beast appeared where fingers of sunlight invaded the darkness seaming the cave.
“Why is it so important they don’t know about Khayrivven and Ashthorn?”It was more a thought at herself, but the leonthor answered anyway.
“Only themselves they trust. Ashthorn Ward never heard about they have, and best it is, perhaps, they never will. But the captain, heard about they have.”
“Nothing good, I suppose,”Lory shot back at him, while she endured the gaze of pity spreading on Enya’s features.
“We’d seen signs of magic a few nights ago. Lighting on a non-thunderstorm night, flares of gold and orange glowing above the forest, but we didn’t know they were doing a hunt.”
“The last time they hunted magic wielders out here, the leonthor came back empty-handed,” Olive commented with a glance at the creature in the corner, who cracked a lilac eye, shifting his head on his front paws.
“This has happened before?” The question was out before Lory could stop herself.
It was Hadrick who spoke this time, his face grave. “We see signs of magic every other week out here. Usually, the leonthor becomes restless, and sometimes he disappears for hours. This is not the first time he’s brought anyone back to our sanctuary. It’s the first time someone has called it a hunt, though.”
Lory eyed the man head to toe: the plain clothes, the suspicion in his gaze as he refused to look away. “What do people call it?”
“Attacks.” With one hand, Olive lowered her plate into her lap, wiping a crumb from the corner of her mouth with her sleeve.
Silence ruled the space around the crackling fire for a long minute while Lory measured the three Flame-born with narrowed eyes. They knew more than they let on for sure, or they wouldn’t be exchanging glances, but did that mean they weren’t trustworthy?
“The best shot at survival they are,”the leonthor hummed into her mind, lifting to his paws and padding out of sight once more as from the pitch tunnels leading from and to the cave, unfamiliar noises sounded.
“What’s that?” Lory prompted, bread dropping from her fingers as she reached to her hips to draw weapons that weren’t there.
Both Hadrick and Enya shook their heads.
Before Lory could get to her feet, the flames rolled out of the stone circle enclosing them, finding their way across the floor toward her. Like a sledgehammer, her heart pounded against her ribs as the three Flame-born rose to their feet.
“What have you done?” Hadrick demanded, and from the look in his eyes, Lory knew he was the one who commanded the fire to flare in a tight mesh around her—not close enough to burn her, but definitely close enough to show he wouldn’t think twice before frying her if he had to.
In the tunnels, the noises grew louder. Lory didn’t dare turn away from the three magic wielders who seemed under the impression that whatever mayhem was being wreaked in other parts of the cave was her doing.
