Fate & Fire Read online

  "I think that is a solid assessment, Tim." I reach over and pat him on the shoulder. Tim beams like I gave him the best compliment in the world.

  Tim has no magic, like Bee, but he is a scholar. He loves to read and deeply appreciates knowledge and books. He should teach others what he knows, instead of manning a library. So many people like Tim could work towards greater goals of educating our people, working to find better methods of magic and alchemy, and maybe even expanding non-mystic based medicine. That knowledge could help anyone who does not have access to a mystic healer.

  I drift off with my thoughts of a more positive productive future for Aster and the rest of the world. A future where there is an equality among women and men and magic and non-magic peoples. I smile inwardly to myself as I acknowledge it is the only kind of world I've ever wanted. It is why I've always been drawn to the warrior lifestyle. Now I have a chance to make the world of my dreams a reality, but that bitch, Celeste, is working hard trying to stop me.

  "Loosen up, Dina, you are about to start a fire." I snap my eyes up at Rhett and then back down to my hands which are emitting a soft glow. I sigh, lifting my hands into the air and shaking them violently in an attempt to get energy out before something ignites.

  "Ugh, fire is beautiful, but it is also a pain in my rear. Do you think you can go get Manu out of my bed, so Bee and I can have time together while we get ready?"

  "I don't think he will be happy with me waking him," Rhett responds. I shoot him a glare that says ‘you’d better wake up the oaf on my bed or else’. "Fine, I will do it, just letting you know, it will not be pretty."

  I am sure it won't be pretty. Manu seems to value his sleep as much as I do. I do not understand how he can be a great warrior when he sleeps like the dead. He is really good with his mouth. I can't wait to see how masterful his hands are. My body heats again, but for an entirely different reason.

  "What is wrong with you, Dina? You appear connected with the node again. You keep glowing and then stopping it. Are you trying to hide something from us? Are you connected to the node right now?" Bee asks in her mother hen kind of way.

  "No, it's not that at all. Although, I think that now that you mention it I am always attached to the node here in Lorcan now. I can feel it at the tips of my fingers begging me to take the reins, but I have to ignore it."

  "So, if it isn't the node, what is it then?"

  "Maybe, it is having all three of my men. I feel supercharged and not in the 'I will burn out' node kind of way. It is all mystic energy. There is also this extra connection between the four of us I don't understand yet.”

  “I may be able to provide insight into that,” Tim says. “Y-you see you're also a mage woman. I read in a book that mage women were a lot like mystics. They had their guards which were similar to harems, but they didn't have a need for the relationship component that mystics do. You are both mage and mystic, and so you have guards, but they are also connected through your harem. I have read nothing like it in any of the books. I am just assuming that it is what has created the bond between you and your men. They are tethered to you through mage magic, but they are devoted to you through the mystic.”

  “You know, you are insightful, Tim. If we all survive this, I think you have a great future as a professor.” I pause, debating how much of my dreams I dare mention. "I would like to make Aster a place where knowledge is accessible to all who want to explore it. Society can only improve by spreading knowledge and giving everyone an educated voice."

  My eyes drift up from the table I was staring at as I spoke to see a big grin spread across Bee's face, "See, I told you that Dina wasn't like other mystics." I can sense her pride wafting off of her.

  In that moment, the door opens, and a groggy long-haired islander stumbles through. "Leave me alone, Rhett. I am up."

  Manu strides over and kisses the top of my head before making his way to the couch to lay back down. "Bee and I will be in my room getting ready. Don't bother us unless it's an emergency, I have had little time with my friend since Cargil."

  We enter the room, and Bee starts in right away, “Wow, so you and Manu move quick!”

  “Oh, shut it. You know it is the magic at work,” I reply nonchalantly.

  “Right, it has nothing to do with him being absolutely gorgeous and strong.” Bee rolls her eyes.

  “Did you know his chest is covered in tattoos? I have never seen tattoos before. They are . . .amazing.”

  “Yeah, I saw him training one day. They are impressive.” Bee twirls some of her chin-length mousy brown hair in her finger. Growing her hair out seems to be her way of rebelling against the establishment while helping me. No one has said anything to her about it either.

  Bee walks to my closet, “I snuck this in here while you slept. I didn’t want you to see it until it was time to put it on.”

  “Okay, stop with the suspense and show me the dress,” I snap.

  Bee opens the doors, “It’s not a dress.”

  Okay, not a dress? Bee pulls out a jacket that is longer in the back and short in the front. It is white with gold and purple ribboned trim. In front of the hanger is a pair of white leather pants and a purple shirt. My mouth drops open. I love it. I mean I would have gone with black, but this is still perfect. It is me.

  Bee lays the outfit on the bed before returning to my closet. Next she pulls out a pair of matching white leather knee-high boots. I can’t believe my mother had this made for me. Tears well up in my eyes.

  “Well, put it on,” Bee says, and I don’t argue. The first thing I try are the leather pants. They fit like a second skin.

  “Wow, Dina, all the men will go crazy with you wearing those. Your legs are fabulous.”

  I smile as I put on my matching boots and lace them up to the knee. They are also a perfect fit. I tie them and leave the leather strings hanging at the side giving the boots an extra flare of style.

  Bee holds the purple shirt out to me. I put it on and tuck the extra fabric into my pants. I go to put on my jacket, but Bee stops me. “First, you need to put on your belt.”

  “What do I need a belt for?”

  Bee pulls out a belt that has little pouches attached around the side. “Queen Maris said to put a crystal in this pouch, and in this pouch is a pinch of herbs you may need. In this last pouch is tinder for fire. The Queen will explain more to you, but it is bespelled. She says that if you take a pinch and place it in your palm and blow your fire on it, the fire will spread like an explosion. It is to get you out of any bad situation without having to tap into a node.”

  I am speechless as Bee fastens the belt to my waist. My mother must not understand that I am always attached to a node now. Bee hands me my jacket. It is fitted, tight on my arms, but still loose enough for full movement. The front buttons snug across my belly and opens again at my chest, amplifying my breasts. The jacket has a tail that opens wide at my hips and moves around the back giving a semblance of a short skirt.

  My hair still hangs in a messy tangle down my back. After spending a few silent moments admiring my apparel, I take a seat in a chair for Bee to rein in my wild strands of hair. She goes to work with rough hands braiding it into a loose braid and then piling it all upon my head. She pins it all into place while leaving it looking loose and carefree. She is an expert with hair. I can’t wait to see what she does with her own hair once it gets long.

  Looking in the mirror, I admire her work. The clothing is magnificent. Everything about me screams power a . . . queen, a very powerful queen.

  “Sit down, you’re not done yet,” Bee commands me.

  “What else can be added? I appear ethereal.”

  “This,” Bee says as she brings forth a box. She opens it, and within is a crown more intricate than my princess crown, and twice as beautiful. Simple and gold with amethyst stones woven through the band on threads of silver. The crown has no moon stone to signal my birth. Instead, the center is a rose gold flame with a small ruby set in the center.


  Bee stands behind me and places the crown over my hair working it into my braids and then pinning it in place.

  “Perfect. I know you don’t care about clothing, but Queen Maris knows a thing or two about appearance. She has made you appear regal, imposing, and kind all at once. She is right, this is the impression you need to make every day. I know for a fact that she has ordered more outfits similar to this one, you will never need to wear a dress again if you don’t want to. Dina, you will be the warrior queen.”

  I stifle a laugh at the last line, “I will not be a queen soon, thankfully.”

  A knock sounds on the door, “Trey is here, are you ready?” Rhett’s voice calls from the other side.

  I smile at Bee and square my shoulders. I am ready to go to Lumbai, face Celeste, and meet Gabal. I open the door and walk into the room. Everyone turns to stare at me with wonder in their eyes. Bee and my mother are right. The imagery of this get up stunningly influences people.

  “Perfect. You are perfect.” Trey steps forward and gives me a light kiss on my forehead.

  I look over to Manu who takes a knee, “The fates have given me a gift,” he says with humility.

  “Oh stop it, all of you,” I demand and look to Rhett who, for the first time, says nothing. If anything speaks volumes it is the silence of a man who never shuts up.

  “Let’s get going. I don’t want to be late when I still have no clue how this is all going to work.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Once we arrive in the hallway that has the slow descent into the mountain we see the lines of warriors. I have never seen so many warriors in formation before. Men and women lined up in all of their gear with their choice of weapons. The line is so wide we have to squeeze past the warriors by pressing our bodies against the wall.

  Part of me wishes that we left earlier, so our descent would have been more comfortable, but then I would have missed out on this sight. I have never seen a war, nor have I ever seen a country prepare for one. Yet, here I am only nineteen suns old and in a power position of this war. These warriors will go fight for me and for Aster. They will do as I say, and yet I have no experience in the matter.

  “I wish Hoda was still here to advise in situations like this,” I mutter, not expecting anyone to hear me.

  “Don’t worry, Vex is Hoda’s equal in experience with war, and if I remember correctly Queen Maris has equal experience. You are well advised and not a queen yet,” Trey says from behind me before he reaches up and pinches my ass in a playful way.

  “Hey now!” I swat his hand away.

  “I'm only trying to lighten the mood, love.”

  A smile crosses my face in response to Trey and his playfulness. It is nice to see the Trey I first met in the grove whilst I ran away. It seems like years ago, but truth is it wasn't long ago at all. Time has a funny way of jumping forward amid chaos. Life was so much more simple then.

  The line of warriors end five hundred feet from the large door. Standing next to the door is my mother dressed in an all black dress with her crown perched upon a black veil that only covers her now salt and pepper hair. She is in mourning and has pulled off the look while appearing as regal as ever.

  Next to her are Vex and two warriors I don't recognize. My three warriors and I approach my mother. Bee and Tim stop near the front of the line. “I have arrived,” I say with a big bow to Queen Maris.

  “Stop it, Dina. This is a serious day,” my mother chastises me.

  “I know. I know.” Truth is I took a note from Trey’s book and tried to use dramatics to diffuse the tension.

  “Do you like your clothing?” she asks me while looking me up and down.

  “Yes, it is perfect. Thank you for that. I feel powerful and confident. Before today, I never knew that clothing could affect the mood of the wearer.”

  “Style is a powerful thing and creates a strong image in the heads of those around you. This is a lesson for you to remember, use style to convey a message. Say nothing to any of the warriors, and they will still follow you because you appear strong and self assured.”

  I take in my mother's words with the small realization that she is giving me a crash course in queendom. The pit of my stomach drops away when I realize that she does not plan on being queen much longer. Nerves shoot through me, and I have a difficult time breathing. I gasp in air and turn towards the wall, so no one can witness my moment of panic.

  In that moment, a hand starts rubbing my back and another hand lands on my shoulder. The familiar thrum of energy settles within me bringing a much needed sense of peace. Thrum .... Thrum . . . . Thrum . . . . The node within Lorcan is working through me and my men. I am understanding now. They are my anchors that allow me to be continuously connected to a node. The energy distributes between all of us through the thread of our bond.

  As soon as I pull myself back together, I turn around to find Queen Maris and Vex standing in a way to block the view from the warriors. “Try to hold it together until you are in private. Even though your magic is volatile, you can show no weakness in public,” my mother says.

  “Right. I’m sorry,” I respond.

  “Never apologize,” she chastises.

  “Fine, Mother. What do we need to do now?”

  “You need to open the barrier to let us into the portal room, so I can teach you how to activate the portal.”

  “And how do I open the barrier?” I ask her.

  “Well, I am not sure because this is raw node energy, and I would never be so careless.” I roll my eyes. My mother is on a roll today.

  “How would you go about opening it?” I ask again in a different way, hoping this will spur a more direct answer.

  “I would go in there, open myself to the node, and ask it to open.”

  “You want me to open myself to the node again? Do you remember what happened last time?”

  She nods, “But this time you are prepared to fight for control, and your men are with you to keep you stabilized.”

  I crack my fingers and then shake my fists at my sides, “Okay, let’s do this.”

  Queen Maris raises a hand to signify for the doors to open. Once open, all we can see is a wall of orange and red swirling energy. I look to Trey, Rhett, and Manu, “Can you see that?”

  All three of the men nod with concerned faces. “What is it?” asks Manu.

  “Pure node energy. Mother, what happens when someone tries to enter?”

  Vex picks up a loose stone black with soot and tosses it into the doorway. As soon as the stone hits, the wall bursts into flames. The warriors behind me erupt into whisper talks. Manu steps back behind me like I am the one meant to protect him and not the other way around. Okay, well that explains why Gabal was not capable of getting into Lorcan.

  I take Trey and Rhett's hands and leave Manu behind this time. I will need to do it without him because his nervousness is affecting me. Both Rhett and Trey have seen what will happen before and have an idea on how to help me.

  “Okay, boys, are you ready?” They don’t even answer before I walk us through the still burning flames. Once inside, I turn to look back through the door. It is like looking through a window with flames burning cold on the other side. I have seen nothing like it before.

  “This is well, impossible,” Rhett whispers.

  “It is possible otherwise we wouldn’t be here,” Trey retorts.

  “Maybe it is a dream, and we aren’t here,” Rhett says in a hopeful voice.

  “This is most definitely real, and I will need your help because Mother says I need to use the node and ask it to open.”

  “What do we need to do?” Trey asks.

  “Hold on to me, don’t let me go, and open yourself to the excess energy that flows out of me. It will help keep me grounded, and if my theory is right, then it is what you are made for and why you can now see and feel energy you weren’t able to before.”

  Both men take an arm. I close my eyes and allow the background thrum of energy to an increase in sound. T
hrum . . . . Thrum . . . . Thrum . . . . It is getting closer. The energy is building, and I speed up the process by meeting it half way.

  I push my energy down into the ground and am met with the node. Her unfiltered energy rushes through me. I am instantly taken aback. In the next moment, she is trying to pull me down her ley lines like before. She wants to show me something, but I don’t have time. I strengthen my hold on Rhett and Trey.

  I feel myself jerk back, and the node protests because I’m not doing what she wants of me. The barrier around the room still stands strong.

  I attempt to pull myself back into my body to gain control over what I need to ask. I repeat the words in my head ‘Please open the barrier and let my army through.’ over and over. The node doesn’t want to relinquish her protection on the mountain. She is a fierce mother energy. I wonder if any other mystic has ever realized the node is a real viable energy that even associates to a gender.

  I send love to her core letting her know how much I respect what the node is and the energy within. In response, the thrum increases and envelopes me in a warm embrace. We are one in that moment. I lift my arm pulling out of Rhett's grasp and allow the barrier to drop. I can operate the portal because the portal is made through the node and its ley lines.

  I drop Trey’s hands and approach the giant symbol within the middle of the room. When I touch the node, I am shown multiple locations throughout the world. Realization dawns on me that I can take this army anywhere, even Cargil or Luhl. Instead, I stick to my mission. I have never been to Lumbai, but I am connected to someone who has.

  The image of Gabal comes to my mind. He is dressed in a gray tunic, black pants, and a simple golden crown rests upon his dark hair. Love shoots through me from the node and into him, “She is coming,” he says.

  The symbol bursts into flames and then opens a circle portal much larger than the one Celeste used. I nod at my accomplishment and walk out the door to signify it is time for everyone to move through. I must go last because the node wants her protection back, and as soon as everyone passes, I will give that to her.