CHAPTER 37 #2
My breath comes in shallow gasps as I peer into the darkness with a cautious eye.
I begin to count my breaths as my chest rises and falls, creating a steady pace for my body to withstand the battle that is to come.
The darkness in the cage is still, and I wait for any sign of movement, but nothing seems to stir within its depths.
Yet still, I feel something powerful lurking there.
Waiting to strike.
Waiting to kill me.
Fiery embers begin to sparkle in the darkness. Low popping and crackling sounds roar in the tunnel. Warm, amber light creeps along the dark gravel until finally, the whole tunnel is full of fire and smoke.
The crowd around me erupts into a deafening roar as the massive being prances out from behind a curtain of flames. It is none other than the legendary fire mare, the God of Fire’s horse, forged by flame throughout its body.
Shit.
Of course they would throw me in here with the one that can burn people to ash.
The last of the flock. The last one alive, in all of Azure.
Did she put me in here to die?
For a moment, we stand face to face, our gazes locked in an unspoken challenge. The heat from its body scorches my black, leather bodysuit like a thousand tiny devils, tempting me to back away from this fight, but I stand my ground. This is my destiny.
I will not let Prince Florian win. Not today. I will prove to him I can do this without them. That I don’t need him or Koen to teach me their ways. I am over them trying to protect me, control me, dictate my every move.
Damn it, I am my father’s daughter. I am a Deskyiara.
I need to start acting like a Deskyiara.
The mare is breathtaking. Yet, its eyes speak of death. Rumor has it, one touch to my flesh and I burn to ash.
Like most of the men before me it seems.
I’m pretty sure like the one man I am standing on. Rest in peace.
But will I burn?
My eyes lift, catching the sight of black boots hanging over the rocky wall. I hold my breath, noticing Koen eating food with his dagger as he intently watches me. He gives me a subtle nod, making my insides roll like a snake, tightening until I can't breathe.
He is alive. The only one who has survived so far it seems.
But how I wish he wouldn’t watch me with those eyes.
The horse’s hooves dig into the ground, bringing my attention back to it.
Its pitch-black skin has a silky coat, and the flames ripple around its body, which seems to move in time to its heavy panting.
The fire along the mane and tail dances wildly around it like a cloak fit for royalty.
It moves with grace as it struts side to side, its piercing, amber eyes never leaving mine.
I can feel each whisper of passing air on my face from its thundering hooves pounding against solid ground… I am transfixed.
Frozen like ice despite the scorching heat around me.
The beast's incandescent mane flows freely around its massive neck, while the deep red tail seems to billow out behind its body, engulfing both land and sky.
A defense mechanism. The horse is warning me.
Telling me to back down.
It’s more beautiful than a dragon. Now I know why the Gods chose these beasts for us.
Give into it, child.
I hear her voice whispering in the wind around me.
Embers soar in the wind. With every movement, embers flicker in mesmerizing trails that flow effortlessly before they evaporate back into thin air, just another testament to how truly majestic this creature from their Gods was meant to be.
Five realms, five Gods, five horses. Even if we have never seen one of dark, I’m sure it's as terrifying as the dragon forged by the God of Darkness.
I must ride the Fireninze. I must show them all that I can do this.
Or die trying.
To the Gods of Azure, watch over me.
The massive beast scuffs its hoof at me. The amber eyes, filled with fire, stay focused on mine without blinking. I stare at the dark onyx nose, watching it flare constantly as its lips vibrate. The Fireninze is waiting for my move.
I know what to do, and I know what the beast will do.
I stay focused, my hands beside my legs, and I am frozen.
Focusing on my breathing as I close my eyes.
The noises in the arena start to fade away as my energy drifts over to focus on the movement of the Fireninze.
Counting my every heartbeat, knowing the mare will only give me a few beats before it makes its move.
One. Two. Three. Four… Five.
The beast will charge at six.
I open my eyes as soon as I count to six, and the Fireninze is racing right towards me.
Closing my eyes once again, I focus on the counts of the hooves beating against the ground and feel the vibration of the heat coming closer.
When I reach six counts again, I open my eyes, feeling an inner strength build up within me and taking control of the situation.
I will grip tightly onto the reins with both hands, wrapping them around my palms before stretching them wide and preparing myself to whip it around the flames to claim my ride.
The reins are completely inflammable. They will not combust against the Fireninze’s heat.
“Slide under the Fireninze. The stomach of the mare has less heat, making it easier for you to slide under. Once under, whip the reins around to pull you up. Once you have one leg over the back of the Fireninze, pull your body up. But you must activate your bracelet.” The words of the man I must not speak about replay in my mind.
The man I must keep my distance from.
No matter how much my heart longs to be near him.
Koen.
The memory of his words are distracting me.
The thoughts of him, consuming my every thought.
He is going to make me fail this.
I take a deep breath without removing my eyes from the horse and sprint towards the clouds of fire.
As I dash, my fingers press the hidden button on my wristband that sends a signal to alter my clothes.
Something I practiced repeatedly during training with the brothers.
The material heats up slightly, then begins changing colors to an orange hue that matches the mane of the horse.
Ridges are all over my chest, and a clear mask covers my face, protecting me from any heat.
I am now covered head to toe in an incombustible bodysuit.
Forged by the magic that pulses from the Light Stone.
The only way to try and bond with the Fireninze.
I am ready to ride.
I will not die. The Gods cannot have me today.
As I feel my legs power through the ash, sprinting straight towards the beast, the mare starts galloping faster towards me, and I know this is when it is about to strike.
“When a Firerninze sees that you are not standing down, they will speed up, and their fire begins to ignite brighter. They are preparing to dive into you. This is when you slide.”
Koen warned me, and even if I hate him, I must listen to him.
The moment the front hooves lift from the ash below us, I slide my body under the beast, fire blasting around my body as I rub my hand along the warm, onyx belly and whip my reins around, pulling my body up.
My leg now wraps around the mare's broad body as I hold onto the reins with one hand and quickly press the button on my band, activating our ride.
Connecting us as one.
The straps that will bond us swivel out of my band and connect to the blazing mane. As soon as they bond, the mare slams its hooves into the ground beneath us.
Everything around us is silent. My heart drops.
All I feel is the Fireninze’s stomach stretching out and sinking in as she breathes.
As I hold my breath, her body shifts down.
The horse is about to buck.
My fingertips dig into the reins. I tense, and my insides begin to knot. The horse's muscles start to move within its legs as my body starts to slowly sink into the back, and then the mare ignites.
The mare flies through the arena, lifting her front and back legs repeatedly as she circles around.
“She isn’t going to make it!” Another man laughs and roars with others in the stadium as I pass by him.
I grasp tighter to the reins that have formed from my bracelets and focus on the mare's movements. The screams from the arena are now rumbling through my ears, but I must try to block them out. Stay focused. Stay calm. I cannot let them win.
My legs are squeezing around her broad belly tightly with each move, yet still I feel myself slipping.
The mare is at full speed now, and no matter how much grip I have, it just doesn't seem enough to hold me there any longer.
Ember sparks are flying everywhere, sparking a few dried-up sticks and leaves in the arena.
This mare is going to burn this place to the ground.
With me in it.
The flames from her mane ignite more, billowing out with the wind, making it difficult to see where she is taking me. I know I am failing this ride.
I feel myself slipping away.
The sensation of my stomach dropping as she soars through the sky is almost too much to contain. Her hooves meet the ground every single time with an echoing thud, and I can’t help but know the Queen is in the audience watching me—disappointed.
Or pleased.
I’m sure Florian’s eyes are glued on me. He feels as if everyone’s life in this Realm depends on me.
But they shouldn't. He shouldn’t, but he believes the stones on my arms are more than just the dragons I wield, and I fear Queen Antivianna will use me until I die to find out what it means. But if that means I have the chance to save the people I love, I will do it.
My eyes are fixated on the Royals above. They are watching each leap and jump carefully. The mare moves so assertively, my eyes cannot keep up with what direction she is taking me.
I glance up high at the audience in between the flickering flames, all their eyes trained upon us both, but their roars are now faded to straight faces.
Then, my head is slammed straight against the back of the mare’s head, creating an impactful crash, and everything goes dark.
DISTANT FOOTSTEPS PIERCE MY RINGING eardrums as I roll onto my back and gaze at the now black sky above. Small raindrops begin to drop against my cheeks, sliding down my face as if they are tears. But they aren’t. I feel no pain… just pure rage.
Shit. I failed.
I begin to tune out the noises of chatter from the people of the arena and focus on the anger that is boiling within my body. My stomach begins to rage like a hurricane and burns with fire.
How did I fail?
But I’m alive.
As I am replaying every scenario that went wrong inside my mind, a head starts to block the scenery above.
“Hello…” I roll over on my side and force myself up. I dust off the ash from my suit and slowly start to press the button to disengage the incombustible suit.
“Well, at least you’re smart enough to activate the suit, the others…” her lengthy finger gestures over to the ash-filled piles, “were not as swift as you were. I believe it was a painless death.”
“I suppose that makes everything better.” I roll my eyes.
“You know what I am going to say, don't you, Serene?” She glares at me with her pitch-dark emerald eyes and her thick eyebrows sunken down with disappointment.
Her long, icy white hair is curled outward from her pointed jaw with her multicolored stone crown perfectly twisted around her head.
The language of the flames, bold against her skin. I wonder if she now has more.
“I know, I know, I know. You let your fears override you, and you didn’t become one with the Fireninze.
” I’m sure Koen enjoyed watching this. My eyes glance up towards where he was sitting, but he is gone.
“The brothers told me this would happen if I didn’t tune out the noise of my mind and listen to the beat of the horse's heart.”
“They were right.” Her arms cross. “Koen left. As soon as you failed.”
The word “failed” makes my throat tighten, my jaw clenching with the agony of those watching me.
“I wasn’t looking for him.” I glance away, watching the people in the crowd still cheer with their beverages. “Does this mean I am out of the games?”
I start to walk away from her, ignoring the bystander guards who stare at us, still dusting off my suit to head back to the entrance.
But I don’t want to run into him. I cannot see him.
I cannot see them both.
I wish he wouldn’t write me letters.
This was how we would keep our love a secret centuries ago. He must leave the past in the past.
“No. But how do you expect the Realms to follow you if you cannot show them the truth of what is inside of you?” I can hear her footsteps following behind me, her heels clicking against the rocks beneath us.
Her voice snaps at me, sending my teeth to grind together.
I know she is about to lecture me, and honestly, I don’t want to hear it right now.
I am just a Deskyiara, the last bloodline of the true Descendants of the Gods. But I fear, if my father were here, he’d look down on me just as Queen Antivianna is.
Maybe Florian was right. I need them to help me through this. Even if everything inside me screams I can do it alone.
“I will get there. I will.” I stop, turning my head back to her, arching my back straight. “I have to.”
“What I saw out there was weakness. A true Queen never shows weakness.” She walks past me with her hands clasped together in front of her golden gown.
The dragon-like wings branch out from her back as she walks past me.
Golden shimmers and white sparkles reflect off her jewels that swivel down the spine of her ball gown.
A Royal, with no specks of dirt along her olive skin.
I wonder how she would like being thrown in the games.
“I think you are wrong.” My chin tilts high. “Showing weakness might be exactly what the people of our Realms need. Why should they bow to a Queen when that Queen shows no empathy to their people? Why bow to a Queen who will throw anyone in the battle games if she is displeased?”
Her brows raise, her soft expression shifting to a disbelief. “I must say, that mouth of yours will have you killed one day.”
I shrug. “I think it might be the only thing that is saving me. Well, besides the burning of people. Yet I am not allowed to use it to survive here.”
Our eyes lock in an unspoken challenge before she clears her throat and turns.
“I wish the oracles could see your future. It would help the Realms to know if you are truly what the Gods intended you to be. Unsure how the God of Fire would choose,” her eyes grace up and down my body, “a woman who cannot even ride.”
My throat tightens. “I suppose only time will tell.” My bottom lip trembles as I take a deep inhale. “Let me try again, right now.”
She sighs, rolling her eyes away from me with frustration. “That isn’t how the games work.”
“Neither is having a woman compete in them. Yet, here we are.”