Page 60 of A Queen’s Betrayal (Legends of Worldbinders #1)

Almost a week later, Kayson stood in the center of the training pit with his arms folded behind his back. He wore his usual all black, covered in gleaming, polished, lethal blades, looking as calm and unbothered as he always did.

Arenna had been surprised to find the king waiting for her this morning, rather than Marea. For whatever reason, her stomach toppled over itself when their eyes met from across the training ground. And she hated the uneasy feeling that followed it.

“Morning,” he said as Arenna stepped into the pit.

She unfastened her cloak and hung it on one of the nails stuck in the armory. “Good morning.”

“There will be a celebration in your honor in two weeks’ time. Your power needs to be ready by then.”

Arenna blinked. “I don’t want to be celebrated.”

“Too bad, Firewielder,” Kayson said over his shoulder. “For reasons I cannot figure out, people seem to like you.”

Arenna rolled her eyes as she trailed behind the king.

They reached the end of the training grounds in only a few seconds.

Standing in front of the oversized, iron gate that led to the valley beyond, Kayson waved to one of the guards perched on a battlement, and the gate groaned open. “Try to keep up,” he called over his shoulder as he broke into a steady jog.

Arenna cursed and ran after him, suddenly regretting the heaping breakfast she had devoured.

Minutes. It had to have been minutes since they left the gates, and yet Arenna was panting like a winded animal, her lungs, chest, and throat burning.

Kayson was still far ahead, his body no more than a faint silhouette in the distance.

Damn his nearly immortal, Fae body .

Arenna placed her hands on her knees and hunched over, trying to catch her breath. Her world danced on its axis, her head roaring as it spun. There wasn’t a warning when she bent over, vomiting her breakfast against the green plains.

After a few embarrassing heaves, she wiped her mouth on the back of her sleeve and forced herself to continue.

She hadn’t realized Kayson stopped and watched her from afar, his arms crossed over his chest. She paid him no mind as she brushed past him, sending a thanks straight up to the Seven when he didn’t utter a single word about her throwing up.

It wasn’t long until they reached their destination, a secluded space in the thick of evergreens stretching high into the clouds. They moved quietly into the blanket of green, ducking and weaving through large branches.

Rain had showered the valley the night before.

Arenna stopped, lifted her chin to the Realms, let her eyes drift closed, and inhaled the fresh air.

For twenty years, she smelled and saw only ash.

Rain seemed like nothing more than a fever dream, as did grass, trees, and pine.

She would never take those smells for granted again.

When her eyes opened, she was surprised to find Kayson standing in the center of the trees, eyes fluttering as he too inhaled the forest’s rich scent of pine and wet grass.

For only a moment, the sight took her breath away.

She did not ponder why but savored the sight of a male feared by all, soaking in the rain like it was his last time.

Embrace this kingdom, its kind, and you might find that fire fueled rather than snuffed . Arenna hadn’t forgotten Itta’s words when she walked out of the crypt. For the state of the continent, for her people and the Fae, she could try. “I never thought I would see something like this again.”

Kayson did not look her way, though his body tensed. “I assumed you never had.”

“A fair assumption.” Arenna took another step toward the king, delighting in the warmth of the sun on her chilled skin.

Just enough light broke through the tops of the trees, bathing the two of them in gold.

“I was four when the Rot came. It struck Brookworth first, and my port was just east on the coast.” She crossed her arms, suddenly feeling small.

“I didn’t understand it then. Maybe I still don’t understand it now.

But it was devastating—all the lives lost after that first wave, all the verdant land swallowed by black. ”

“I don’t remember much from when I was four,” Kayson said.

Arenna chuckled. “Well, when you’ve lived over two-hundred years, I wouldn’t expect you to.” Her gaze fell, heart aching with bad memories. “I fear it’s something I will never forget. No matter how long I live.”

Silence fell like fog, enveloping them. When the Rot came, it had been early spring.

The last of the snow had melted, and flowers began to bloom.

Birds chirped in the morning, and wolves howled at night.

Arenna would never forget falling asleep to a warm night, with a sky full of stars visible through her bedroom window.

When she woke the following morning, she headed to the door and opened it.

Her bare foot broke the threshold of her small cottage door, and her memories were forever tainted with the Rot’s ash.

Her tiny, pale foot was covered in soot up to her ankle, the ash puffing up like a cloud nearly to her knees.

“I remember walking to our well, wondering how upset Mother would be when she saw the edge of my white nightgown.” Kayson glanced her way, his eyes focused on her. “Only to find she too was covered head to toe, and that ash did not wash out easily.”

He stripped off his cloak, letting it tumble to the floor. “Do you remember your mother well?”

She allowed herself a glance at his chest, visible through the unfastened buttons on his tunic, the scars evident. “Not anymore,” Arenna whispered, placing a hand on her chest to clutch the locket that lay there. “There is a version of her in my head, but I don’t know how accurate it is.”

“There was a time I swore I would never forget my father’s laugh,” Kayson said, placing his hands in his pockets as he stared at the castle looming in the distance. “It was so distinct, you could recognize it from an entirely different room.”

Her stomach hollowed. “And now?”

Kayson blinked. “Now, I struggle to remember what color eyes he had.”

“We will see them again one day,” she said quietly. “And then we will never again forget a thing about them.”

Kayson’s jaw tensed, and though his eyes flicked toward her, the king straightened and returned his gaze to the trees. “Let’s begin,” he said flatly. “We don’t have all day. You’ll be performing at the celebration—a display of your power. They want to see the Firewielder’s flames.”

Arenna’s mouth dropped open. “Perform? I’m terrified I can hardly control it without burning something to the ground.” Her stomach dropped.

“Exactly why we have to train.” Kayson rolled the sleeves of his dark tunic up.

“Close your eyes.” Though she wanted to object, Arenna did as he told her.

“Listen to the song of the forest, the breeze in the trees, the birds above. Open your ears to everything around you. If you focus, you will hear more than you ever imagined.”

Arenna quieted her mind, pushing out any unwanted noise and letting the calm of the forest wash over her. There was only her, the grass beneath her boots, and the calming rush of a river.

“Now, reach out with your senses. Feel the pulse of life that courses through this valley, as if this forest is the very heartbeat of the world itself.”

With a furrowed brow, Arenna concentrated, her fingertips tingling with the raw energy of her power. Slowly, tentatively, she reached out with her mind, seeking to connect with the magic that thrummed around her.

At first, there was only silence—a void of emptiness that seemed to stretch on forever. But then, like a distant echo, she felt it—a faint flicker of energy, a spark amidst the darkness. “I feel it,” she whispered, her voice barely a breath.

“What you feel is the magic in these lands. Vlazias is as powerful as its inhabitants, and those ancient breezes date back to the beginning of our world. Your fire is not yours alone; remember that. It belongs to everything around you.”

Arenna nodded, a sense of awe washing over her as she embraced the profound connection she shared with the land. In that moment, she finally understood that her magic was not only a gift but a responsibility—a sacred bond that tied her to the very essence of existence itself.

“Now, imagine your reservoir. Imagine it growing, changing.”

She looked deeper within herself, to that place where her power formed. “I see it.”

“Command that power. Harness it, demand it to come to you.”

Arenna opened her eyes, feeling the flame move through her body like a rolling wave. Her fingers twitched, and her palms ached.

“Let it out,” Kayson whispered.

Fire burned, scorching the inside of her throat and chest. It ached as if it were ruining her from the inside out.

Arenna felt its beating heart, its wild nature.

She sensed the power and the wave of sickness from too much at once.

“ I can’t ,” she hissed through clenched teeth.

“I can’t control it. There’s too much, I don’t know what changed—”

“You can, and you will. Push it back down; force it into your reservoir. Make it calm down.”

Arenna didn’t know if her entire body shook or if the fire within was rattling her senses. But she fought against that growing burn, that pressure within her chest. Any minute now, she was sure her heart would burst.

With a mind of its own, her fire realized she had taken a moment to breathe and acted on it. Flames tore from her hands, spewed from her mouth. She shrieked, clamping her hands closed as if that would turn off the onslaught of power.

But when her eyes no longer blurred with red and gold, Arenna realized her fire was contained. It wasn’t shredding through the beauty of the forest; instead, it slammed into a circular, rippling globe around her.

Kayson stood on the outskirts with two palms lazily raised in front of his stomach, as if whatever he had done to contain her wrath— her fury —was no bother to him.

If she weren’t so hot and aching, she might have scowled.

“Turn it off,” he demanded.

She could not. Her power thrashed inside her like a caged animal, desperate to claw its way out by any means. She had no control over the flame, nor the intensity of this surge of power.

Arenna opened her mouth to tell him as much, but Kayson snapped, “If you tell me you cannot one more time, I will gladly brand it on your forehead.” Her fire roared at that, and Kayson merely laughed. “It’s interesting to see your fire respond to your emotions.”

“ Tell me ,” she seethed. “Tell me what to do.” Fire continued tearing from her body, disappearing into the translucent purple that rippled around her.

Kayson shrugged. “I did. You just have to listen.”

As she slammed her palms toward the earth, she screamed inside her mind, crying at the roaring embers, the reservoir overflowing with molten red.

But the fire did not stop.

And it did not stop aching.

Arenna started choking. She gasped for air, her raw throat burning, each breath searing her nostrils. Her vision blurred again, but this time it wasn’t red—it was black, as if she were slipping toward unconsciousness.

Kayson stepped toward the globe. His face showed rage—maybe worry. “Turn it off. Now.”

“ I . Can’t ,” Arenna panted, her voice hoarse as she enunciated each word. “It’s too much. It’s too much,” she repeated, each syllable scorching her throat.

“You’re going to burn out,” Kayson growled, placing a hand on the ward containing her fire. “You can do this, Arenna. You have to let go.”

At that, she glanced up. Fire still dominated her surroundings, but her eyes locked with the king’s just outside the ward, his hands pressed against the translucent purple as if trying to offer comfort, though he wouldn’t release her power from the ward.

“Do not let him control you anymore,” Kayson shouted as her power swirled, intensifying inside the barrier. “Shut it off.”

Her heart strained as she closed her eyes. Jaksen appeared instantly, his twisted grin spreading across his face. Manacles dangled from his clenched hand, watching her with cruel intent.

Rage ignited her core. She hated him . Hated that even continents away, he was threaded into her soul, slowly eroding it bit by bit. Arenna screamed, clutching her head. “ Get out! Get out! ” she roared.

You are nothing, Arenna .

Jaksen moved closer, unlatching the manacles as he approached. You know you cannot do this. The Seven made a mistake. You know how useless you are .

Arenna sagged to the ground, her body now completely cloaked in blues and yellows. Her fire reached its peak, the grass beneath her igniting, but she couldn’t feel the flames’ rage as they kissed her skin.

Tears rolled down her cheeks, sizzling as they were consumed by the fire. She didn’t bother wiping them away, the ache in her chest too heavy to comprehend anything else.

Give up. You are useless. You are unworthy of this gift .

In her mind, Jaksen’s hands reached her, roaming across her skin, gripping her hair as he yanked her head to face him. He locked one of the manacles around her wrist. Forever, you belong to me .

Still burning, Arenna laid against the moss-filled floor. The cool earth did nothing to ease the heat ravaging her. When Jaksen placed the second manacle around her wrist, she managed to open her eyes.

Kayson was pounding on the ward, shouting, though his voice was too muffled to understand.

His eyes were wide, filled with worry . .

. or fear. She couldn’t tell. Yet still, he didn’t release his power, knowing full well that if he did, the forest would be consumed by her flames.

The purple hue grew close enough for her to smell the rain within it, as though Kayson’s scent was woven into its fibers.

His features twisted in determination, Kayson raised his hands and brought them crashing down on the ward. In an instant, his power enveloped her, snuffing out her fire like the wick of a candle.