Page 31 of Crown of Iron (The Crown Trilogy #1)

Eighteen

“ A ll of you?” I ask, spinning around the center of the training field.

Four Khiros have formed a box around me, one in each corner.

Terro holds a small dust devil in his palm, Greer glares at me with droplets of water trickling from her fingertips, blades of grass slither up the legs of a Pianti soldier like adoring pets, and Kyron.

They each stare at me, waiting for the moment I take control of their gifts.

“All of us,” Kyron answers, opening his hand. A ball of flame appears and rolls from his palm to the back of his hand, following the sway of his wrist.

For the past two weeks, all I've done is train, eat, sleep, and train some more.

The practice sessions at the river soon moved to nearby fields and included others with different gifts.

I've manipulated tree branches and created weapons of ice.

Blinding lights, rushing water, gusting winds—here isn't a gift I haven't controlled.

My training has left me with no room for complaints.

My power is stronger, surer, and I'm another step closer to my goal.

I crack my knuckles and lift my hands, and everyone's power trembles with excitement.

The earth in Terro's palms is the first to come when I summon it with a curl of my finger.

Its pointed tip bounces on the ground as it skips to me.

I motion for the tiny twister to spin faster.

It picks up more dirt and grows. Terro huffs in mild frustration as I wield his gift in a way he cannot, and I don't hide my smile.

“Another, Raelle,” Kyron orders.

I worried for a slight moment that Kyron would dismiss me, leaving me to figure this all out on my own after what happened at the river.

He respected my decision, and within minutes, he returned to teaching me.

For the last couple of days, he has pushed me hard, urging me to command two gifts at once and build my endurance.

The only thing that has changed is the flirtatious banter and stolen touches.

We placed a divide between us, one that doesn't allow us to entertain anything beyond friendship.

I hate the chasm and miss toeing the line of possibilities with him.

Calling forth the blades of grass, I will them to grow to unnatural heights. They do as I command, and I push the spinning earth toward them. The twister pulls the blades up by the roots and the greenery stretches through the speeding dirt, slicing the air.

“Good, and another.”

Biting down on my lip, I hold my new creation in place and reach for Greer's water.

My arm trembles as I pull it toward me, leaving my friend empty-handed.

The water slithers just above the ground, following my directions to go to Kyron.

This is the first time I've worked three gifts at once and it's harder than I thought it would be.

My muscles ache, chest constricts, and every inhale burns my throat.

Kyron nods, and I tug on his fire. Nothing.

“Come on,” I say through gritted teeth and pull again.

His power has always been so willing to obey my command, almost like it would betray him and become my own.

I reach for it again, but it holds steady like a belligerent child.

Pulling as hard as I can, I thrust my hand forward, taking with it the puddle.

The water soars straight up, blasting Kyron in the face and extinguishing his flame.

The general sputters, his hand still acting as if it's cradling his flame while streams of water fall from his hair.

I lose my grip on the other two powers, and they snap back to their owners.

Kyron runs his hand over his face, raking off the water and combing his hair back. “You did well until you got frustrated.”

“I don't think I can command more than two. The water was hardly moving. ”

Greer approaches and claps me on the shoulder. “You’ll get there.”

“And just think of it this way, you got Kyron wet,” Terro says, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Wet you say?” Kyron shakes his head, sending drops flying everywhere.

Terro laughs and gives the general's head a rub. “All right, I have to go. I promised Ulric I'd help him fabricate some shoes for the horses.”

I thank everyone for helping me and retrieve my canteen from the ground. I'd stupidly hyped this moment up all day, hoping to impress my friends with my budding powers.

My friends. Were Greer, Terro, and Ulric really my friends?

From the moment I stepped foot in this camp, they knew who I was.

The attention they paid to my betterment as a soldier was nothing more than watchful eyes making sure their future queen stayed out of trouble.

I never intended to step foot on a battlefield until that night.

The skills I've been learning from them were meant to help save my father.

But things have changed. I want to be as valuable as them in a battle.

I want them to turn to me for guidance and help, but I doubt it will ever happen.

They will never see me as an equal, not in strength, power, or in status. Yet I keep trying.

“Raelle,” Kyron calls, jogging up behind me and matching my pace. “Don't be hard on yourself. What you did was amazing.”

His compliment eases the pain of my broken ego. “I'll try not to and thank you. It's just so important to me that I get this right and I'm an asset to you.”

He places a hand on my shoulder and turns me to face him.

“You're more than an asset. Most of these soldiers are too young to have fought beside Micah. When the time comes and they learn you're out here sweating and bleeding for the cause, they’ll fight even harder for you. You will give them hope.”

I scoff and say, “When they learn their queen made a fool of herself and enlisted in the army?”

“No. When they learn you didn't waltz in here and demand we find your father because you are anointed the next ruler.

When they learn you've undergone the same rigorous training as them, with a few extra chores.” He smiles like he is picturing me mucking the stables before his features sober.

“When they learn you care about them as people and not just soldiers.”

His words fill a void inside me that has slowly bled since he confessed he knew who I was. Maybe I did earn my place here, and the respect and friendship given were not part of a guise. But if it was, it doesn't change the reason I'm here.

“I just want to give these soldiers back their general.” I wince as soon as the words leave my mouth. “Not that you aren't their general.”

“I know what you mean, and I want him back too.”

I release a long sigh. “You said before that Papa was like a father figure to you, and you were so young when you arrived here. What did you do when he came home? Who took care of you?”

“Are you worrying about my well-being?”

I meet his sarcasm with my own quick-witted response, saying, “You were a child. I’d worry for any young person growing up in this environment without parents.”

“Three of the retired families that have remained at camp cared for my basic needs before I could care for myself. They gave me a room in their homes, tended to my school lessons, and made sure I was fed. As I got older, your father took the lead on teaching me history and began my training as a soldier. At sixteen, I asked him if I could move into the barracks and that’s been home ever since. ”

Kyron forms a ball of flame and tosses it to me. I throw it back to him, settling into a comfortable game of catch as we walk.

“I don't mean any offense, but you don't seem like the ideal candidate to be my father's second in command. He had to have known it was going to be difficult to get the soldiers to rally behind you in his absence.”

“He did, but he always said I was born to lead, and it was my choice what kind of leader I'd be.”

I catch the fire in both hands and let it warm my palms as I bask in the words of my father.

It amazes me that he raised Kyron on the same principles he taught me, and at the same time, it doesn't. My father is a firm believer that no one is a lost cause.

Given the correct environment and opportunity, they will choose the right path.

“So leading was easy for you?” I ask, sending the flame sailing through the air to him.

“Hardly. When I was old enough to understand how I differed from the others here, I fought him on the notion.

How was I ever going to convince these people to follow me when I was what they were fighting against?

But Abrum was adamant that it didn't matter who commanded the army. If they were void of integrity and not willing to die for every soldier, they would eventually be without an army to lead. To prove his point, we made a pact. For a year, I would conduct myself as a leader and take on every responsibility he threw my way with no complaints. When the time was up, we would evaluate my standing with the other soldiers.”

“I bet he made it hell for you,” I say with a smile, swatting the fire back to him.

“He did, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. Ulric and Terro were the first to fall in line with my leadership. Greer…” He chuckles and shakes his head.

“It was harder for Greer. I was competition. Our sparring matches were brutal, the whispered exchanges between us were hateful, and at one point, she asked to be stationed at another camp.”

The notion of Greer not being here shocks me. Every soldier knows who she is, and she is a fierce leader to them. “Really? Why didn't she leave?” I ask.

“I begged her to stay. She’s one of the best soldiers and her place is here.

If I let her walk away, it would’ve been the most careless thing I did for Basecamp.

And that winter, when his second in command was named general of another camp, Abrum went to Micah and told him he was replacing him with me. ”

“And Micah was all right with that?”

Kyron shrugs. “I'm sure Abrum received some pushback, but he got what he wanted. The king signed the promotion order. But I’m sure Micah thought my leadership wouldn’t take place while he was king.”

“Are you saying he was going to leave you to be my problem?” I ask with a laugh.

He cocks an eyebrow. “Or your father was setting you up with a very capable general at Basecamp.”

I hum as I think that over before saying, “Why do I actually think that’s right?”

“Because it is. He would have never left you and the kingdom in incapable hands.”

The last bit of doubt I have in Kyron vanishes.

My father loved him so much he treated him as one of his own.

All the important lessons he taught me, he shared with him.

If the man who means the most to me thought so highly of Kyron, then I'm compelled to do the same.

He is the right person to take my father's place and lead the army .

“You know, Abrum taught me that as well, to never fold when I know something is right. That's why we have a council meeting in four days to begin strategizing how to bring him home. No more playing it safe. It's time to go in and get him,” Kyron says, batting the hot ball with his fingertips.

I miss the flame, and it burns out before hitting the ground. “I don't suppose you would allow me to attend,” I say, struggling to speak around my heart pounding in my throat.

He steps beside me, matching my pace. “It’s for commanding officers only. Unless…” He cocks an eyebrow. “You plan to pull rank again.”

“No,” I say, shaking my head. “I'm not doing that anymore. I'm no better than the other soldiers, and I want to earn my place here just as they have.”

“You've earned your place here, Raelle. Never doubt that,” he says with a sidelong glance.

“I just don't want them to view me differently by spouting some stupid future queen bullshit. I should be in on the council meeting because I have some insight into what's going on between Micah and Esmeray.”

He stops walking and asks, “What do you mean?”

“I know things , but to find out you're going to have to invite me to the meeting.”

He scans my stoic expression. This is my in, my guarantee that I can join in the rescue mission and push things along. I place a hand on my hip while holding his gaze, and one side of his mouth pulls into a smile. “You're bribing me into inviting you?”

“I'm saying I know things I'm not at liberty to share unless it's at the meeting.”

He laughs and drapes his arm over my shoulders, leading me off the field. “I think you just bargained your way into your first officer's meeting, princess.”

It's not exactly the tactic I want to use, but this is too important. I can give them insight to Micah and minimize the trouble they could get into for planning a mission behind the king's back. When it comes down to it, I can take the brunt of the blame, and we can all get what we want.