Chapter 15
Chapter
Fifteen
He showed up again. Told me more things that are insane. And yet, somehow, the insanity makes more sense than everything I’ve grown up with. Speaking of insanity, it’s insane that I still have no idea who he is.
— From the journal of Violet Andrever
Finn had warned me that I was yet again spending the day with Azar.
Apparently, since my fire channel was the most accessible one, Finn had decided we’d focus on it as my best chance of protection.
I didn’t complain, except that it meant more time with Azar.
When I showed up at the kitchen, Finn met me with a pastry and an apologetic smile.
I took the pastry. “Let me guess. Zachariah has you doing something super important that will keep you busy all day?”
“Sorry, Lexie,” he said, rubbing my shoulder. “You going to be okay solo?”
I hesitated momentarily. With Griff gone and still no word on when he would return, Finn was the only one I could trust. Especially with Cillian still at large. Although I supposed after the other day, I could add Andrei to the list of people I trusted.
“Solo?” Azar showed up behind me. “The Master of Histories isn’t accompanying us?”
Finn ignored him. “Lexie?”
I smiled with an assurance I didn’t feel.
“Go. I’m good.” Maybe if I kept telling myself that, I’d start to believe it.
My insight told me Azar didn’t care enough to attack me.
But the question was whether or not he’d care enough to defend me, should someone else attack me.
I wasn’t quite confident enough in my skills yet to believe I could incinerate an attacker, but I knew Azar could with barely a thought.
Finn gave me a look that said he didn’t quite believe me, but turned to Azar. “She’s all yours.”
“Oh, goodie,” Azar said. “If you are finally ready? Come to me, Princess.”
He threw the medallion around my neck, and instantly, we were falling through the ether. When we landed, I still fell to my knees, the snow soaking through the leathers, but I only dry-heaved this time. Progress.
Quicker than last time, I was back on my feet. Wet snow was falling heavily today, the clouds an ominous gray. I knew I was in for a long, cold day.
“Begin,” Azar stated.
I looked at him. Begin what? He hadn’t created a fire this time. I guessed I was starting them from scratch today.
I tunneled into my fire channel where it eagerly awaited me and pulled it up to the surface.
Azar placed a stone a distance away. “Light it up.”
“It’s stone.”
He gave me an expression that could only be described as disgust. “Did we not have this conversation before? Stone will burn if you want it enough.”
I gave him a dubious look. “Are you always this charming? Or is it just for me?” But I pulled fire up through my channel, aimed, and released it at the stone. It hit, and I felt a moment of joy for actually hitting my mark.
“You hit the stone. Oh, good for you.” The derision in his voice burst the joy. “Is it in flames? No? Then try again!”
I gritted my teeth. “Your enthusiasm is overwhelming.”
And I tried again.
As soon as I had barely mastered both hitting the stones and surrounding it in fire, Azar decided to shake things up. I knew that because he had lobbed a fireball in my direction.
“Shit!” I cried, throwing myself to the side and narrowly avoiding getting hit.
“Is this dodging class? No!” he screamed at me. “Defuse it with your own fire channel.”
“My mistake, I figured self-preservation was still allowed!” I shot back at him.
Apparently not, as the next one again came directly at me. This time, I was more prepared, and held my ground, fire channel at the ready. I flung my power out, and the fireball careened back toward him.
A wicked grin crossed Azar’s face, as though I was finally a worthy opponent. Now he looked like he was having fun.
Uh-oh.
“You’re enjoying this too much,” I told him.
The grin became wider, if that was even possible.
I didn’t have time to dread what came next before he threw everything he had at me. Again and again and again.
I was exhausted, but I wasn’t falling over. So that was progress.
I’d lost track of how long we’d been out here, the snow continuing its endless fall. My hair was plastered to my scalp and my skin was clammy. But at least all of the fire work had kept me somewhat warm.
The back of my neck prickled the same way it had last time, again with the strangest sense of being watched.
I looked into the trees but again saw nothing.
Then there was a strange spike from that golden place inside me—the one I’d yet to have anyone adequately explain.
It flared, giving me a burst of energy, almost enough to stop leaning against a tree.
“That’s enough for one day.”
The voice sent my heart racing.
Striding out from the snowstorm was Griff, snowflakes landing in his sandy hair. His eyes were hard, focused solely on me, raking over me. He looked furious. Not at me—at Azar.
I hadn’t seen him in days. And now here he was, on the side of a mountain, apparently for me—his wayward responsibility. I couldn’t quite tell through the snow—was that a limp? Had he been injured? How bad was it?
“Ah, there’s our missing teleporter,” Azar sneered. “Nice of you to finally join us.”
“She’s done.” He reached my side and offered his hand for support.
I shook it off, trying to stand solo, but with the dismissal of my fire channel, the exhaustion set in fully. My teeth started chattering and I stumbled.
Griff caught me before I could fall. “Had to be stubborn,” he muttered.
The moment we touched, even through gloves and layers, that jolt went through me. But also something more. Heat. Blessed heat.
This time I gave in. I clung to him, but chose to pretend otherwise.
I was freezing through and through, and Griff let off significant warmth.
I arched toward him, trying to absorb some of it.
His free arm curved around my waist, tugging me closer into that warmth.
I half protested, given that my clothes would soak his, but he flashed me a look, telling me to shove it.
Now that I was next to him, I could see the faint signs of travel and battle on his clothes and face. His scruff had several more days of growth. And I caught a faint whiff of something coppery—was that blood?
Azar somehow managed to look down his nose at Griff, even though Griff was several inches taller than him. “And you think you know how to instruct fire wielding better than I do?”
“No, but I do know Lexa, and she’s done.”
I was startled to hear my name on his lips; he usually just referred to me as Princess. Come to think of it, I wasn’t sure I’d ever heard him say my name, at least in my presence.
“I’m taking her back.” He looked down at me, eyes softening as his hand came up to brush snow from my cheek. “I trust you can find your own way?” he tossed at Azar over my head, and without waiting for a reply, spun us through the ether to home.
When we landed, he steadied me as usual, hands tight on my waist. “Are you alright? Azar can be…”
“Intense,” I finished. “But yes, I’m alright. The better question is, are you alright? Is that blood—” I spotted a dark stain on his coat, just below where my hands rested on his chest.
“It’s not mine, Princess,” he reassured me gently, brushing my hair back and causing me to look up at him. “And yes, I’m fine.”
I was sure the worry showed clearly on my face. “I thought I saw you limp—”
“I’m fine,” he soothed me again. Looking me over, his mild expression gave way to aggravation as he realized that my coat had frozen in its position due to my fire channel melting the snow and then refreezing it, over and over.
Brushing some flakes from my hair, he ushered me inside one of the side entrances.
“Let’s get you warmed up, and then I’ll tell you about it.
But first, tell me about training with Azar. ”
“I was actually starting to get the hang of it there at the end. Right around the time he started trying to incinerate me. I’d appreciate it if we could find a teacher who didn’t take ‘trial by fire’ literally.”
He let out a sound of displeasure. “Azar never does think of others beyond himself.”
“You know Azar?” My teeth were clattering.
Making that sound again, he set to work on the frozen fastenings of my coat. When they wouldn’t budge, he swore, covering it with his hand. His other hand reached under my coat and pressed against my back, warmth radiating out from it.
He was using his limited fire channel to thaw both me and the ice from my coat. I melted, this time internally.
Once he managed to divest me of my frozen coat, he stripped off his own and wrapped it around me. It was still warm from the heat of his body and smelled like him. I burrowed into it, as much as I could while still walking.
“I know Azar. He was here when I grew up.”
That was the most Griff had alluded to his childhood. I knew from Finn that they had spent time here as boys, but didn’t know much beyond that.
He led me to the kitchens. “I’m starving, and I’m sure you are too.”
“You came straight to find me?” A warmth that had nothing to do with the coat settled through me.
He gave me a long look. “I told you I would.”
I sank into a chair set out of the way in front of one of the rarely used cooking fires.
The heat from the fire started to penetrate the chill that had settled deep in my bones.
Griff left my sight for a moment, then returned, handing me something hot to drink, before settling in the chair by my side.
I wrapped my hands around the mug and let the warmth seep into me.
Looking at the fire, I beckoned it closer. It jumped to do my bidding, the flames arching toward me but stopping just short of setting me on fire. That was something, I suppose.
And yet, it was nothing compared to the heat I had felt when his hand was on me, his fire channel warming me.
Griff watched all of it with his usual mask in place. “Impressive,” was all he said, drinking from his own mug.
Even though the kitchen was bustling as always, the staff pretended to ignore us, continuing to go about their business. Cadhla dropped off a loaf of bread as she passed.
“Thank you,” I murmured, the sweet, yeasty smell transporting me back to Nana’s kitchen.
She bobbed a quick curtsy and hurried off.
Griff stretched out his legs closer to the fire, wincing slightly as he did so.
“What’s wrong?” I asked immediately.
“Just stiff. Nothing to worry about, Princess.” When I gave him a hard look, he added, “It’s an old injury. It flares up in the cold. Unrelated to my trip.”
“Tell me about the trip.”
In a soft tone, he did. He told me about the village that had been destroyed by hufen. About how hufen had still been lurking around the outskirts of the village, and he had destroyed them. About staying long enough so the Veil could repair itself so that hopefully no more could enter.
“How many?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
He knew exactly what I was asking. “Only two deaths. They were lucky.”
We sat in silence for a while before I changed the subject. “How did you even find me on the mountain?”
“I’ll always be able to find you. No matter where you are,” he replied in his mild, even voice. But somehow, that soft, simple statement rang through the kitchen as a vow.
That should have been ominous, right? The possessiveness should have irritated me.
Except, for some reason, it felt like an anchor, tethering me to a safe harbor.
Heat, separate from the fire, pooled in my stomach.
As his hand reached out and covered mine where it rested on the arm of the chair, a comfort settled in my chest, something I hadn’t felt since before I’d first set eyes on him over two months ago.