CHAPTER 39
“The Darklands can never return back to the land it once was with the darklings. The lava that courses through the lands must be destroyed.” - Book of Azure
THE FLAMES AROUND THE FIRENINZE’S body slowly flicker and die down, leaving a faint glow as the embers around us crumble into ash.
The fire from the logs begin to crackle and pop.
A sound so loud, yet so far, as the only thing I can hear is my heart pounding against my heaving chest.
The Fireninze backs up, her gaze fixed intently on mine. However, her eyes no longer swirl with the tempestuous fury that once threatened to consume her. It's as if her bonding to me, accepting me, has calmed the burning desire to kill me.
And nothing around us burns.
I understand that fire. I understand that storm inside that is on the brink of combustion. I feel this everyday.
I know I should avert my eyes, yet they remain locked on hers, unable to break free from the silent understanding that passes between us. As if I can hear her heart. Her thoughts. Her feelings.
Her power.
The rhythmic thud of boots pounding against the dirt echoes around us, but I am too stunned to react, my body frozen in place.
The Gods cursed me to burn. Scorching any man or woman who dares touches me. And now, I bond with the horse from the God of fire, who burns those who try to ride her.
Except me.
It's as if our torment of never coming in contact with another being makes us the perfect pair. Two lost souls, lonely, broken, but now broken together.
“Time is running out.”
A deep, breathy grumble vibrates from the Fireninze, steam curling from her flared nostrils. Her hooves strike the ground with urgency. My breath hitches with the sound of her voice.
Is the horse of fire communicating with me?
“I don’t understand?” My heart beats faster, pounding not only against my chest but also my head.
“You must remember it all.” The Fireninze’s hooves kick up dirt as she walks towards me, her head tilting to the side. “We have all waited for you.”
My brows pull together. “How can I remember when my sister won’t allow me to?”
“The stones. You must get the stones.”
My breath catches violently in my throat as a sudden grip clamps around my shoulder, yanking me backward with brutal force.
I let out a gut-wrenching cry. “Are you serious? That’s my broken shoulder!”
Florian's eyes are wide with shock, his fingers digging into the leather of my suit. “You could have died!”
I lift my chin defiantly, glaring up at the storm clouds swirling overhead. “I had a feeling I wouldn’t burn.”
My gaze trickles down towards the horse, watching as she trots purposefully back to the metal gate that is being cranked open for her.
“The mare must stay inside, or her flames will burn out.” Florian lets go of my shoulders, crossing his arms. “Her only weakness.”
“Then I must have a weakness.”
“You have just proven to the Realms you are more powerful than they could have ever imagined. No one has ever bonded with the horse from the God of Fire. Everyone who tries either burns, or they flee to their death.” His voice drops to a whisper. “This is your time to take the throne.”
“I am not ready.” My eyes meet his. “Not yet. There is more I need to understand.”
A raindrop hits my cheek, sliding down my chin before I whip it off and then I see him, Koen. He sits on the wall, knee bent up, staring directly at me.
Thunderclaps begin to roar in the sky as the rain finally downpours on us all.
His damp curls cling to his forehead and neck. Despite the water dripping down his cheeks, he remains still, his jaw ticking with the sudden lightning that rips across the sky. His eyes are unwavering, seeming to be eternally fixed on me.
“The games need to continue.” Florian clears his throat, as if he notices the tension between Koen and I. “The Fireninze will no longer participate since she has chosen you. And you must go to the Vitaei to heal.”
“That’s if the Vitaei is still standing,” I mutter under my breath before glancing towards Florian, his golden hair soaked against his body. “What comes after these games?”
“The first eight who bond with a horse will head to the Darklands and begin to kill more darklings. The last true game to see if they are true warriors, fighters, to continue living in the Pyre.”
“Every year they do this?”
He nods, taking a step towards the wall. “There are thousands of darklings. Every year, we try to kill off as many as we can in order to one day fight against the Darklands.”
I follow his steps, catching sight of the Queen sitting precisely on her throne up high on the mountain cliff. Her golden umbrella covers her. Her brows lift, a smirk dancing along her lips as she nods.
Was this her plan all along?
“Do the horses fight alongside us?”
Florian pauses at the wall, letting his body rest against it. “Yes. We need them against the dark magic that they wield.”
“When do we leave?” My chin rises, and I cross my arms tightly.
Tilly will be there. This is my chance to find her and kill her. I will have my revenge.
“Impatient now, are we?” He starts to climb the wall, his boots digging into the ledges as he grunts to lift himself up.
“You have no idea.”
THE VITAEI IS SOMEHOW STILL standing.
I leave without watching the remaining men compete in the games, due to the pain from the broken bones inside my shoulder, and soak in the water instead. It feels like hours I am alone, soothing, until Theon and Kaine both come to heal as well.
Both bonded with the horse of the sky, the Lasyius.
And of course, Koen bonded with the one of the ice, the Iycekazie. I wonder how the horse from his Realm feels about him bonding with another during these games.
I have learned from Theon, every year the horses are bonded with a new set of riders to take down the darklings and have the chance to fight against the Wailing Mother.
After their year at the Pyre, they head back to the arena and wait for a new set of riders.
If the horses don’t die in the last battle game against the darklings.
Supposedly the dark magic that pulses through their Realm, flows through the lava that surrounds their Kingdom.
One touch of the lava, and you burn, scorching your body until there's nothing left but bones and then, the transformation takes place.
One touch, that is all it takes for you to become a darkling, bonding you to the dark magic for life.
I wonder what happens if one of our horses touches it.
But now that we have the eight that have been bonded, we have a celebration to honor those who didn’t survive.
A night to remember those who have come before us, and those who will come after us.
Ninety-one lives were lost in the games, due to Skydance running off and vanishing.
The guards never found him, and I fear he is waiting for me.
Watching me. I almost sense the darkness around us, as if time is running out and the war is coming sooner than we thought.
I must take the stones. I must read the book.
But even if I want to run off and head back to the chamber of the Queen, I cannot.
Not tonight. This is the night the Queen will confirm our place in the Pyre as the chosen eight, by looking into our minds and souls.
In front of the Royals and most of the Realms. Or at least, the ones that have received an invitation by the Royals of Eekatia.
She must welcome us.
The fire of the Gods must turn the fire blue for us, upon the selected eight, granting us a spark of their fire. A fragment of their light. The spark from the fire forms an ethereal shield, guarding us and empowering us to battle the darklings.
An armor granted by the Gods.
I should be thrilled, my heart racing with excitement that I am about to face my sister.
The burning rage that has been flooding my mind and body will now be able to unleash, to take her down for good.
I will stab my dagger through her heart, just as she did to me. Yet, my heart beats with exhaustion.
My heart beats with sadness. As if a black hole has formed inside my heart and is gradually devouring it until there is nothing left.
The betrayals of those I loved have cut me so deep I am unsure if I will ever heal.
I sit on the edge of my bed, twirling my damp hair as I stare at the floor. Almost allowing time to pass by without wanting to move.
The ash is gone, the body is gone, and all that is left is cobwebs weaved in the corners. My eyes shut, and I clench my hands around the bed frame, holding in the raging yells that want to rip from my throat.
But I force them away. I force the thoughts that are consuming my mind away.
I force him away.
And focus on my one purpose… revenge on my sister.
My eyes wander around the empty room, and I catch sight of the white bow and arrows Kaine crafted for me, making my heart skip. I squint my eyes, noticing my initials, S.Q., scratched out, showing the raw wood underneath the white surface.
I rise, grabbing the bow in my hands as my fingers glide over the new initials, S.D.
Serene Deskyiara.
A soft tug pulls at the corners of my lips, knowing Kaine did this for me.
I place it gently down, hoping one day I might never have to use the bow to kill.
But if it comes down to it, I will do anything to protect my friends.
To protect this Realm. Even if almost everyone in it has tried to kill me.
But it will end. The bloodshed will end.
With exhaustion, I fall back onto the bed, allowing my chin to rise and close my eyes.
My door creaks open, I must have forgotten to shut it all the way.
Klyara walks in, an ombre dress with the colors of a blazing fire elegantly laying across her arms.
“The Queen wants you to wear this tonight.” She places it next to me on the bed. “Seems as if she wants you to match the horse you have bonded to.”