The Flame King’s Queen (Fire and Desire #3)

Chapter 15

15

Isavelle

I t used to be that when I flew into Amriste, only Biddy’s crows would greet me. Now there are farmers, children, geese, and dogs in the street once more. People wave to Ravenna and me as we head for my family’s cottage. The place isn’t as bustling as it used to be with half the residents dead, but it’s coming back to life.

“What a lovely place to have grown up,” Ravenna says, smiling around at the view. “So much sunshine and all the pretty cottages.”

“Where did you grow up? I realize I never asked you.”

“A place called Hurrow. We were overlooked by a big old manor that was crumbling with age. A lot of the houses were crumbling too. People claimed that the whole village was haunted.”

“And was it?”

“Most definitely.”

Dad’s hard at work getting his tannery set up again, so after giving him a kiss, Anise, Ravenna, and I take a walk around the cottages and laneways together.

“How are you and Dad adjusting with just the two of you in that house?” I ask.

“Good,” Anise replies, but her voice goes up at the end.

I stop in my tracks. “You don’t sound sure. What’s happened?”

Anise takes a long, slow look around the village. “Nothing’s happened. Dad is Dad, quiet and serious as always, and he’s grieving. We both are. It’s hard work trying to make Amriste feel like home again. It shouldn’t be an effort, should it?”

I look around the village square, trying to see it through my sister’s eyes. She was kept prisoner in an alternate version of Amriste, a shadow of the real thing. Nothing was as it should be, and now that she’s returned, half the people she once knew are dead, including our mother and brother. It’s no wonder this place doesn’t feel like home to her. It hasn’t truly felt like home to me either, not since I was tithed to the Brethren a year before the dragons returned to Maledin. Maybe it never truly felt like home. Even as a child, I was always trying to leave and travel north to the Bodan Mountains where Zabriel and his people had been entombed for five hundred years.

“Does Dad feel the same way?” I ask.

Anise shakes her head gloomily. “I have suggested we find somewhere else to live, but he won’t hear of it.”

That’s understandable. Dad spent many happy years here married to Ma, and it’s where his only son was given dragon rites. “When you are a little older in a year or two, perhaps we can talk about some other possibilities for you.”

“A year or two seems like forever.”

“It will pass quickly, and it will give you time to consider what you want to do with your life. Zabriel knows all sorts of people whom you might be apprenticed to or train with. You’re not limited to the scant options that women had under the Brethren. Also, if you are feeling restless for some travel, my coronation is later this spring, and you and Dad are welcome to join us in the capital.”

“Sounds fun.” Anise crosses her eyes and sticks her tongue out, making me laugh.

“Yes, I know, a stuffy ceremony. But I thought the tedium of seeing your sister crowned Queen of Maledin might be worth sitting through for the sake of the Dragon Games that are being held afterward.”

Instantly she perks up. “Dragon Games?”

“Yes, a whole week of competitions. Maybe two. All the dragonriders are competing.”

“Will the wingrunners compete as well?”

“I don’t think so, but you will see them in the skies.”

Ravenna has been walking quietly alongside us, but now she says, “The captain and his wingrunner Sovern gave us an impressive flying display the other day. They were as fast as lightning.”

Anise looks as though she’s about to combust with envy. “His wyvern is called Sovern? Is she the fastest? Did she absolutely amaze you?”

“She did,” Ravenna says with a smile. “She was the fastest creature I’ve ever seen.”

Anise looks anxiously around for a glimpse of the captain and his mount. “Is he here? Can he fly for me?”

“Come on, we’re going to see Biddy,” I remind my dawdling sister.

“But—”

“We will introduce you to Sovern before we leave Amriste.”

That exciting prospect has Anise skipping to follow us. We pass through Biddy’s squeaky front gate, and I knock on the door. There’s a shuffling sound inside, and then my crone opens it. It seems we’ve caught her in a bad mood as she sniffs in irritation when she sees who it is.

“Three girls on my doorstep, come to bother me. What do you want? Silly love philters and your fortunes told? I’ll take your coin and tell you nonsense, if that’s what you want.”

Biddy seems to think it never does anyone good to make them feel too welcome, but I know by now that we are.

“What about an anti-love philter, Mistress Hawthorne?” Ravenna asks as she settles herself on a stool.

“No such thing, my girl, any more than there is a potion that can conjure love out of thin air. Top that teapot up, Isavelle. There’s more hot water over the fire.”

I pass out cups of tea as everyone settles into chairs. There’s a sparkle of satisfaction in Biddy’s eyes as her gaze travels from Ravenna to Anise to me, and I can tell what she’s thinking because I’m thinking it myself. All of us together with nothing more pressing to do on a sunny afternoon than drink tea and gossip.

“Well, have you learned anything useful since I saw you last?” Biddy asks my sister.

“But we only saw each other last evening when I was coming back from the river,” Anise says.

“Someone of your age may have learned three new things since breakfast. Try harder.” She turns to Ravenna. “And you, girl?”

I listen with interest, hoping I’m about to learn what kind of spells Ravenna used to escape her Alpha.

Ravenna shakes her head. “I’ve had little chance to learn anything useful in such a long time.”

“Don’t be so sure. A witch needs more than just spell-learning. She needs experience, otherwise, we’d all be as foolish as wizards. And you, girl?” she says to me.

I consider this, turning her words over in my head. I haven’t cast a single spell since I saw my crone, but I have discovered other things. “I have learned new dragonriding feats, how to treat an itchy patch of skin on a wyvern’s wing, and how frustrating it is to sit out of a battle.”

Biddy sets a saucer of water in front of me. “Show me if you can still see.”

I hesitate as I stare at the black water. “Can…can a powerful interplanar mage tell when a spell like this is being used to spy on him?”

“I should think so. No doubt he will stare right back at you.”

I have no desire to see Emmeric staring back at me, looking so unsettlingly like my own mate. Maledin has been peaceful ever since Zabriel attacked his southern stronghold. Better to let sleeping fledglings lie than try to discover where he is and draw his wrath.

Gazing into the black water, I picture my mate, and send my consciousness out to find him. I feel him respond warmly to me. I blink to clear my mind and say with a smile, “Zabriel sends his greetings.”

“That is an impressive spell, and you do it so easily,” Ravenna says, sitting forward to examine the saucer. “I have never been able to scry or borrow an animal’s eyes. So many times I was nearly caught by the witchfinders, and all I had to warn me of their coming was when they tripped over my wards. Do you think you could see anyone you wanted to see?”

“I’ve only ever tried this with Zabriel, but I think I could. Only I’m not sure if I should. While you were with Kane, I did think that I might use this spell to reach out to you.”

Ravenna frowns. “But why?”

“Because I was worried about you, of course. But that would have been rude and intrusive.”

“You were worried about me?” She looks astonished, and then squeezes my hand. “No one’s ever been worried about me. If I had felt the brush of your presence, I would have been grateful, not angry.”

“Now I wish I had reached out to you when you were all alone with that horrible man.”

She shakes her head. “It’s all right. I always knew that you and your king would welcome me back if I ever got away from him, and that was more than enough to give me the strength to do what I needed to do.”

And what was that? What did she do to get away from Kane? I’m burning to know, but I can feel old Biddy’s eyes on my neck and hear her unspoken words. A witch does not pry, my girl.

Ravenna looks happiest when she’s not speaking about Kane, and so I let the topic rest. She shows us one of her favorite warding spells by setting it up around the cottage. Suddenly the crows on the roof and the sparrow in the garden are all visible to us inside, outlined in white light.

“It’s very useful for seeing who is at your front door, and if he wears a broad-brimmed hat and a long cloak.”

“That’s a very old spell,” Biddy says. “Who was it who taught it to you?”

Ravenna hesitates. “A witch I knew a long time ago. All the witches I knew are long gone. I haven’t talked to fellow witches like you and Isavelle for so long.” She drops her head, studies her hands, and finishes in a mumble, “You never judge me, no matter what my failings are.”

“None of us is perfect. We are all doing our best in difficult times.”

“Yes, Mistress Hawthorne.” Ravenna doesn’t sound convinced. If my mate was a witchfinder, I doubt I’d be convinced either. I struggled with my feelings for Zabriel for such a long time, and he was a good man. Kane is vile.

“Do either of you know any defensive or offensive spells?” I ask them both.

Ravenna shakes her head.

“Not from me, girl. I’m just a cottage witch,” Biddy tells me.

I don’t know about just a cottage witch. Biddy Hawthorne looks after an entire village full of people and managed to stay hidden from the Brethren. That’s not just anything.

We finish our tea, and Biddy shoos us all out of her cottage.

“I wonder how we can learn new spells now,” Ravenna muses. “There aren’t any books of witchcraft left, are there? I suppose the witchfinders burned them all.”

“Yes, I think they probably did.”

I did hear that the Brethren were cataloguing witches’ spells at one point so that the witchfinders knew what to be wary about, which gives me an idea that I stow away for later.

When we return to my bodyguards, Esmeral, and the wyverns, Captain Ashton patiently and kindly indulges all my sister’s questions about his mount. I think he’s eager to demonstrate his kindness and friendliness in front of Ravenna.

In the end, I have to prize my sister away from Sovern and send her back home, promising over and over not to forget to send her an invitation to the Dragon Games.

When Ravenna is settled behind Ashton on Sovern with her arms around his waist, the captain looks happy and ready to conquer the world. She says something to him, and he gives a deep, rich laugh.

I refrain from looking at Fiala because I know that she’ll be pained at the thought that there are any tender feelings between those two. The thought of Kane going on a jealous slaughter spree has put me off hoping for a budding romance, but I still feel disappointed for them.

Back in Lenhale, Zabriel is there to meet me, Ravenna, and our escort at the dragongrounds. There’s a broad smile on his face as he pats Scourge on the flank and then approaches us.

“Did Lenhale’s powerful Omega witches have a good afternoon with their crone?” Zabriel has his fists on his hips as he grins at Ravenna and me atop our mounts. He’s always encouraged me to be more than the Omegas were in Old Maledin. They were precious and adored, yes, but they were also looked down on, underestimated, and bullied.

“We did, thank you.”

He puts up his hands to help me down from my dragon and sets me on my feet. He wraps me in his arms and buries his face in my neck, breathing in my scent. All around me, my mate’s scent grows rich and comforting.

After he kisses me, he says to Captain Ashton and my bodyguards, “You may go off duty now. I’ll see that Isavelle and Ravenna get safely back inside the castle.”

Ravenna pulls a loose ribbon from her hair and finger-combs her curls, which have been blown around during our journey. She smiles and waves to my bodyguards. “Thank you for your escort.”

“Thank you, Ma’len . It was our pleasure, Miss Ravenna,” Fiala and Dusan reply with courteous bows and fly off in the direction of the eyrie.

We don’t need his escort any longer, but Captain Ashton lingers a short distance away, fiddling with his mount’s saddle.

We’re about to head across the bridge to the castle when several dragons lift their heads and stare at the skies. Zabriel and I turn to look with them, but dragons have much better eyesight than we do and it takes a moment for us to see what they’re staring at. It’s a large dragon, approaching from the east.

A large, yellow dragon.

Nilak screams in outrage, and Scourge bellows a warning.

“Not again,” Zabriel growls, and runs for his dragon.

I grasp Ravenna’s hand and pull her behind Esmeral, who has her wings spread and her head low in a threatening hiss. She wants to fight Auryn, but we need to get Ravenna out of here before Kane can grab her.

Instead of flying over the dragongrounds to attack the dragons, Auryn lands.

I tug Ravenna’s sleeve. “Quickly, let’s get on Esmeral and get you out of here.”

Captain Ashton has run to her other side. “Miss Ravenna, I’ll make sure you’re safe from him. Come with me.”

But Ravenna pulls away from both of us and takes a few steps forward, curiously watching her mate as he dismounts his dragon.

Kane’s knees buckle, and he staggers as he hits the ground, but he manages to stay on his feet. As he turns and makes his way toward us, his gait is slow and labored, as though it’s taking all his strength to put one foot in front of the other.

The hair ribbon Ravenna is holding is caught by the wind and drops from her fingers.

Zabriel has dismounted Scourge and returned to our side. He takes a deep breath. “He’s sick. He’s no threat.”

There are beads of sweat on Kane’s brow. His eyes are bloodshot and hollow, his cheeks are gaunt, and his skin is an unhealthy shade of yellow. He staggers over to Ravenna, and in a rasping snarl, he says, “You should have used more poison if you wanted to kill me.”

Ravenna draws herself up to her full height, which isn’t much when facing an Alpha as large as Kane. She barely reaches the middle of his chest. “Maybe I wanted you to suffer.”

They hold each other’s gazes. I feel my mate tense, ready to lunge for the other Alpha if he attacks Ravenna.

But Kane doesn’t attack. Sweat rolls down his cheeks and his clenched fists tremble. He seems barely strong enough to form another sentence, let alone remain standing.

“Go back to your flare, Kane. I don’t want you here,” she tells him.

“Who says I’m here for you, witch?”

Zabriel steps forward, his arms folded. “Your mate will return to you if she wants you. Go back to your flare.”

“I’m not leaving.” Kane glances around and sees Captain Ashton, who’s staring at Kane with a mixture of horror and dislike. “You. Show me where the competitors are staying and where my dragon may rest away from the king’s flare.”

Ashton’s eyes narrow in anger.

“Competitors? You’re not thinking of competing in the Dragon Games?” I say to Kane.

“Of course I am. Auryn and I are going to win everything.” He blinks hard and sways on his feet.

Ravenna’s fingers flex like she longs to cast a spell. “I said I don’t want you here, Kane.”

“And I said I’m not here for you. Auryn and I are here to win.”

“Then be careful what you eat and drink, or you will find yourself turning inside out from vomiting a second time.” Ravenna whirls around and stalks away from him, her cheeks reddened with anger.

Kane leans down, and with shaking fingers, he snatches Ravenna’s hair ribbon from the ground and stuffs it into a pocket. Then he glares at the rest of us. “Well? Where may I rest? If no one will help me, I’ll find my own quarters for my dragon and for myself.” Kane lurches back to Auryn, his feet dragging on the ground.

How can Kane compete when he looks as though a harsh word will finish him off?

I turn to Zabriel. “Ravenna won’t be safe if Kane remains in the capital with his feral dragon. I thought the games were for our flare only, not for any dragonrider who just turns up. There must be rules against this.”

“There are no rules against this,” Stesha tells us.

Beside me, Zabriel doesn’t look surprised, but my heart plummets. “But, dragonmaster, he’s an enemy dragonrider. These games are just for the flare and our riders, surely.”

Stesha looks as though he’s bitten into a rotten apple. His expression has been that way ever since he arrived at the dragongrounds, drawn here by Nilak’s indignant screams. She hasn’t let up her furious alarm calls since she laid eyes on Auryn, and for once, Nilak and I are in complete agreement. I’m half tempted to join in her shrieking.

“I wish I could say you were right, Lady Isavelle. The rules are very clear. All dragonriders who can demonstrate a strong bond with their dragon are allowed to compete. Kane rides Auryn back and forth across the country. His bond is strong. It doesn’t matter how we feel about Kane, but in Maledin, there are no enemy dragons.”

“Then can we change the rules?” I ask.

“That’s a question for the king.”

I look hopefully at Zabriel.

He reaches for my hand, and I slip mine into his and hold on tight. “ Sha’lenla , technically I can do anything I want, but I don’t think that’s the kind of king you want me to be.” He winces as Nilak throws her head back and screams louder than ever. “Stesha, all my thanks to Nilak for alerting us to danger, but I believe we’re alert enough already.”

Stesha flashes him a look of irritation, but a moment later, Nilak’s screams fade away.

“He can’t be called an enemy after bringing down the southern barrier for us,” Zabriel says. “As long as he doesn’t cause harm or trouble, I believe Kane must be allowed to compete. What do you think, dragonmaster?”

“I don’t care if Kane stays or goes. I care if his dragon murders our fledglings.”

Anxiety seizes my heart. Some of the flare are caring for young dragons. Esmeral could have hatchlings any day now.

On the far side of the dragongrounds, the enormous yellow dragon crouches on the ground, smoke pluming from his nostrils, and his slit black eyes are trained upon our flare.