Chapter 7 Maxim, King of Ember
Chapter Seven
Maxim, King of Ember
Explosions of fire billow up ahead as I soar across the mountainous border between the Ember and Iron Kingdoms, my golden serpent carrying me swiftly through the air.
The toxic scent of clashing iron fills my chest as we draw closer to the battle on the barren plain past the wide mountain range.
Not a battle between Iron Fae and Ember Fae.
An hour ago, darkness like nothing I’ve ever experienced rushed south from the Iron Kingdom, over the mountains, and across the sand dunes of my home.
The darkness blocked out the setting sun’s final rays and cast the landscape into an unnatural night.
While the stars quickly resumed shining in the east and west, here a dark channel has formed, maybe half a mile wide, not a star visible above me.
Not a single moonbeam strikes through the air or reaches the ground.
And now, the unearthly shrieks of starving vampyrs set my teeth on edge. Shrieks I never thought I’d hear anywhere near my kingdom. The dark creatures swarm the fae at the border, taking down eagles and their Iron Fae riders as well as attacking my people, the Ember Fae, and our golden serpents.
From this distance, all I can do is watch the carnage.
Another eagle plummets and a mass of vampyrs immediately converges on the downed bird and its rider, the bird’s screams strangling and cutting short when the dark creatures form a mound over them.
Writhing and feeding.
Even upon my Iron Fae enemies, I would not wish this fate.
Leaning low over my serpent’s neck, I murmur, “This is where we part.”
I had planned for him to carry me as far as possible into the Iron Kingdom.
My goal was to pursue the Oracle.
Yesterday, I finally acquired the legendary fire dragon’s hide that will allow me to infiltrate the Iron Kingdom without fearing that my fire will destroy everything around me.
If my flames threaten to burn beyond my control, I can wrap myself in the dragon’s hide to stop the fire from spreading.
Or, if I wish for my fire to fulfill its potential destruction, I can use the dragon’s skin to protect a fae of my choosing.
The Oracle.
She’s the one I’ll protect.
But now I’m flying into a new battle, and I won’t risk my serpent’s life. I certainly won’t abandon my people to this fight.
If we don’t stop the vampyrs right now, they’ll use the darkness to surge farther into the Ember Kingdom wherever the dark channel extends.
“Seek shelter in the mountains behind us,” I command my serpent.
I sense he’s about to disobey me. He certainly doesn’t turn away or slow down. But I’m not about to take advantage of his bravery.
I’ll need to use my fire to its full extent to fight the vampyrs, but by doing so, I’ll endanger every other living creature near me.
Nothing survives my flames.
“Don’t come after me,” I order my serpent one last time before I take matters into my own hands and launch myself from his back.
Leaping into the air, I jump toward the rocky earth below, landing lightly a hundred paces from the battle ahead.
I race along the flat ground, gratified when a glance back confirms my serpent is obeying me by turning away from the fight, even if he’s moving slowly and repeatedly checking on me.
Satisfied that he’ll stay safe, I run onward, my arms and legs pumping while the rocks and sand try to slow me down.
The large satchel I’m carrying bumps against my back. The dragon’s hide is folded within it, along with two sets of clothing, including masks and hoods to conceal my identity, and a pair of short boots, all tucked away within the protective hide so they won’t burn to ash if my fire explodes.
Up ahead, multiple towers sit at equal distances apart, each Ember Tower built to oppose an Iron Tower.
I aim for the most heavily besieged Ember Tower. The fact that the vampyrs have made it this far indicates that the opposing Iron Tower has already been overrun—or soon will be. The darkness makes it hard to see, only the bursts of Ember fire lighting my way.
Undoubtedly, many of the vampyrs have already fed.
They’ll be stronger for it. Harder to kill.
I’ve never seen a vampyr before today.
Nobody who ever set foot in the bloodlands has survived to speak of it.
Well, I’m about to find out if my power can end them.
Across the horizon, plumes of fire break through the darkness, lighting up the battle and revealing multiple smaller swarms of vampyrs trying to take down the serpents.
But it appears their fangs can’t easily pierce the serpents’ scales.
As my people fight back with their fire, the vampyrs’ burning bodies fall to the ground…
Only to get up again.
Fuck. Ordinary Ember fire doesn’t kill them.
I’m still fifty paces away from the main fight when I spot the serpent that belongs to my cousin Kaiba. The golden snake’s scales gleam as it crashes through a group of vampyrs who were trying to take down an eagle.
Kaiba’s serpent rams the group, gnashing his strong jaws, giving the eagle and its rider the chance to flee.
Before this moment, I never would have imagined an Ember Fae defending an Iron Fae.
I guess we’ll be enemies again soon enough.
Kaiba’s serpent twists in the air, circling to the left.
My heart jolts because Kaiba isn’t riding him.
Where is my cousin?
Praying he hasn’t fallen to his death, I rapidly scan the landscape, my eyes narrowed with effort to see in the dark, able only to make out details when fire lights up the sky.
Finally, I catch sight of Kaiba’s distinctive crimson flames exploding in plumes at the top of the Ember Tower I’m running toward.
My heart surges with relief.
Kaiba has proven himself to be a loyal general to me, as trustworthy as my sister, Zenaida, which is why I’ve given him and Zenaida responsibility for the tasks I can no longer safely carry out. While Zenaida manages the day-to-day of my kingdom, Kaiba leads my army.
I can’t afford to lose either of them. Not from a political point of view, nor from an emotional one.
He and Zenaida are the only Ember Fae who are willing to come near me, even if they face the threat of death by my volatile fire each time.
As I draw closer to the battle, my ears ring with the clash of iron blades, screeching eagles, shrieking vampyrs, shouting Ember Fae, and the rush of fire.
Fucking chaos.
It ignites my power in a dangerous way.
Flames flicker at the edges of my fingertips, catching in the wind as I run, threatening to explode. Making me a danger to everyone. Not only to the vampyrs.
“Kaiba!” I roar, trying to be heard over the din of battle.
I need to tell him to retreat. He needs to get all of the Ember Fae away from me so I can deal with the vampyrs without killing my own people. “Kaiba.”
It’s impossible for him to hear me above the turmoil of battle. Particularly from down here on the ground. But there’s no way I can get to the top of the tower without my serpent.
Even so, I don’t regret sending my serpent away. He already risks too much flying me around.
Just as I consider trying to funnel my fire toward the largest swarm of vampyrs—to create a visual disturbance that will get Kaiba’s attention—a blur of gold streaks toward me from my right.
A small serpent, riderless, shoots in my direction. Each serpent has a narrow head like that of the ancient dragons, with two long horns extending parallel to their bodies. Without wings or legs, they move by snaking through the air, harnessing their internal magic to stay airborne.
The darker shade of this serpent’s horns, as well as its smaller size and sharp speed, indicates it’s a female.
For a split second, I contemplate the possibility that she’s terrified and simply careening in my direction, trying to get away from the vampyrs, since I’m at the edge of the battle.
But she flies straight for me, her head lowered in the way serpents approach so their riders can latch on to their horns to swing onto their backs.
Damn, she’s brave.
My fingers are on fire. Within moments, my clothing will catch fire, too. Once I take hold of her nearest horn, it will burn to ash, and my flames won’t stop there. If her intention is to carry me up to Kaiba, it will be the last thing she does.
But it’s her life or the life of every Ember Fae and golden serpent—and Iron Fae and eagle, for that matter—within burning distance of my fire.
When I set my power loose on the vampyrs, nobody will be safe.
My only alternative is to retreat. Take myself away from this fight. But if I do, the vampyrs will continue their massacre. They will feed and grow stronger, and as long as this unnatural darkness lasts…
I snarl beneath my breath.
I am King.
My fire is my curse, but if my flames are ever to do any good, it’s here and now.
Seconds before the female serpent reaches me, I slow my pace, prepare to leap onto her back, and speak loudly. “I honor you for your sacrifice.”
The slight twitch of her body tells me she heard and understood me.
Still, she flies straight and true, angling her approach so she’ll fly alongside me, which will allow me to leap from the ground without losing momentum.
My muscles bunch, and my feet leave the ground, my left hand reaching, closing around her left horn.
Just as my fire blossoms outward and I swing myself toward her back, a gust of wind carries a cry to my ears, sharp and clear through the chaos.
A scream.
Pure as a bell. Filled with pain and torment, a cry that reaches into my chest and wrenches at my heart. The sound hits me like a fist, jolting through me.
The Oracle…
I recognize her voice, her cry plucking at the fibers of my soul.
Instantly, my flames go out, extinguished just as they were three days ago when I first heard her scream carried to me on an explosion of golden light.
Now her cry brings the frost of winter, an icy breath that calms the fire in my heart, gifting me a moment of peace. Of rare control.
It won’t last. Not if it’s like the first time.
I don’t know what has caused the Oracle such pain.