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CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

Y up, I was fucked. The battle stims had left my system and the butterflies had flown away with them.

I’d been left in the cabin of the Flamebringers’ ship for the rest of the journey, banging my fists against the walls and fighting with everything I had to try and break through Kaiser’s binds on my soul.

But there was no escaping his possession, no matter how hard I tried to conjure my Void, it refused to answer me.

And now that the butterflies were no longer dancing in my brain, all my worries, fears and doubts had returned tenfold.

I felt sick. My head pounded. And the most twisted thing of all was that the come-down from that magical pink dust left me aching for more of it. But there was no returning to that blissful numbness.

I turned my left hand over, examining the scars, recalling what Mavus had told me about battle stims long ago.

He had suggested they might have the ability to heal my hand, but there was no sign of that.

It had more than likely been a lie to try and tempt me into a blood-tie for the privilege of taking the stims anyway.

I sighed, unable to see a way free of my imprisonment. Kaiser was using his possession to stop me from using my magic on this ship, so I couldn’t attempt to blast a hole in the hull and make my escape. It seemed I was stuck here, unable to fight, unable to flee, forced to wait.

The bitter truth was, I was on a path directly to The Matriarch, the ruling sovereign of Pyros, the vicious queen of the Flamebringers.

She was a terrible creature of battle and her dominion would surely reflect that.

I pictured bloodstained walls and fiery pits of torture, the oppressive heat of her volcanic palace too much for any foreign elemental to bear.

But when we docked and Kaiser led me to the prow of the ship, that wasn’t what I found. At least, not yet.

The canal steamed from the warmth of the water, stretching away through a rocky plain of obsidian stone towards a distant horizon.

Beside us, the land dropped sharply into a deep volcanic basin and a stone dam kept the water from flowing into the valley.

A series of steps headed straight down, deep into the vale where a city of black rock awaited us.

Rays of orange light were cast across the sky above the far side of the basin, the setting sun appearing to melt into the dark stones that jutted up around the towering cliffsides.

A glittering palace of obsidian glass rose from the heart of the city, sharp spires piercing the air and catching the light of the sun, its walls mirror-like in quality.

It was breathtaking, the architecture so much more beautiful than I would have given the Flamebringers credit for.

I knew this place from description alone. The capital of Pyros. Cinder Vale.

Kaiser had handed me some Flamebringer clothes to wear so as not to draw too much attention, and the leather jacket hung open to show a bland white shirt and fitted trousers beneath. I missed my own clothes already, but I guessed that was the least of my problems.

Kaiser gripped my arm, walking me down the gangplank onto a pier that led to the steep stone stairway. A row of Flamebringers barred our way forward, but they wore no uniform. They were dressed in casual coats, white shirts with open collars revealing glints of gold chains beneath.

They held an array of weapons from swords to axes, strapped in place at their hips or across their backs, and I felt the scrutiny of their eyes as Kaiser led me closer.

Only one thing united them and that was the emblem of the Magpie stitched into their clothing, the glimpse of wings and tails hinting at the very same tattoo.

These were likely some of The Matriarch’s Talons – her guards among the members of the Ember Wing - I’d heard plenty about their ruthlessness and lack of morality.

Mirelle Brimtheon ran her empire like a mob; she wasn’t the only gang leader in Pyros, but she was the one they were all united under.

“Esrins,” one of the Talons said keenly, bowing a little to Kaiser then North as he walked up behind us and I wondered what that meant. “The Matriarch is holding a celebration in the palace in honour of your return.”

North clapped the Fae on his shoulder. “You’ll all be attending too, Karl. The wine will be flowing all night long and there’s plenty to go round, so I won’t take no for an answer.”

The Talons shared looks, doubts passing between them but North shoved them onward down the steps and even kicked one in the ass to get him moving.

“The magpies will warn us of enemies on the horizon, you’re officially off duty,” North insisted, gesturing to a flock of birds circling high above the basin.

They were dotted everywhere, their eyes turning on us from rooftops and weathervanes.

The Matriarch’s magpie flocks held an unusual intelligence and seeing them here in her stronghold confirmed their true power.

The keen glint of magic in their eyes assured me they were no ordinary birds, but what secrets they held I didn’t know.

North soon had his arms slung around two of the guards, singing a song at the top of his lungs that spoke of Pyros’s greatness and their certain destiny to win the war.

I rolled my eyes at the bullshit, fixing my gaze on the palace beyond and wondering what fate awaited me there.

Escape plots flitted through my head, one to the next, but all of them hinged on me being able to fight off Kaiser’s possession.

I thought over every time I had conjured the Void in me before, picking through each detail to try and understand what linked them.

A shudder ran through me at the memory of what had happened when it had awakened on the battlefield of the dead.

Whatever magic I’d found in the soil there ought to be buried for good.

It was probably toxic, something that I guessed had been left behind by so much death.

I didn’t know for sure, and maybe I didn’t want to know either.

A plan of escape was particularly hard to grasp as I walked into Cinder Vale flanked by Kaiser Brimtheon. But I decided to see this as a test from the stars. I’d find a way out, I just had to look hard enough.

As we made it to the first stone street which was gilded in the amber light of sunset, the informality of the city took me by surprise.

The buildings that clustered around the palace were built from black volcanic rock with shutters on the windows and colourful paintings decorating the walls.

Images of flames, magpies and roaring volcanoes stood out among fire-breathing Dragons and red butterflies.

Laughter carried from open windows, their coloured shutters thrown wide to let out the sound of happy families. Children ran along the streets carrying wooden swords, but none of them seemed afraid or cornered by the strongest of them. I didn’t see a hint of war here and I couldn’t understand it.

“It’s good to be home,” North called, circling back to walk beside Kaiser while the Talons led the way on. “Cinder Vale is alive this evening.”

The heat in my veins was rising and bitter thoughts raced through my head. Why did they get to live like this? Why were they so damn happy? Where was the terror? Where was the struggle?

“What’s wrong with the whelk?” North elbowed Kaiser, pointing me out. “She looks like a narwhal just farted in her mouth.”

“Did you expect me to be happy about walking into my enemies’ land as a prisoner, you flaming fuckwit?” I hurled at him.

North smirked, arrogance shining from every corner of his face. He was good looking in a pretty boy kind of way, but there was grit to him that lay beneath it. A honey trap for dumb little flies.

“Guess not,” he mused. “Mother’s going to cut out your tongue if you speak to her like that. Better watch it, whelk.”

I glared at him and the Talons shot me curious glances, but they quickly looked away when they met Kaiser’s gaze. They may have had questions but they were either not allowed to ask them or too afraid to.

The mood changed as we entered a new part of the city, the streets here lit by firelight, all the buildings so close together that there wasn’t much sunlight filtering down to us.

Fae were all crammed into the taverns, spilling out of them with raucous laughter, tankards sloshing with ale and music filling the air.

There was a fast drum playing and some sort of string instrument beating out a tune that plenty of Fae were dancing to.

A female centaur trotted past us with her bare tits bouncing as she went, her black horse tail swishing behind her and almost flicking me in the eye.

There were plenty of Fae half or fully shifted.

A couple of Werewolves were lapping ale from a dog bowl and a white Pegasus had plonked itself on a stool at a table alongside drunken Fae who were playing a card game.

It was raucous and joyful. I’d never witnessed a place in the world that seemed so carefree.

The Talons carved a path through the crowd but with no real urgency, saying hello to every second person, waving to friends and pausing for brief conversations.

North and Kaiser were quickly spotted and cries of their names carried to the sky.

A Medusa with snakes curling from her head gave North a seductive look and pulled him close.

He sank his tongue between her lips without hesitation then whispered something in her ear before he hurried back to Kaiser’s side.

They were being hailed as heroes, like they were returning home from battle and free drinks were offered to them from all sides. Eyes turned my way curiously and my hackles rose at being surrounded by so many enemy Fae.

When we finally made our way out of the mass of taverns and down a quieter street, I was relieved to be able to breathe again.