Kindle the Flame (Heart of a Dragon Book 1) (34 page)

Kinna threw him a disgusted look. “Linc, you're no help.”

“Of course not. That's why you keep me around.” He ushered her past the entryway into the main room.

Tristan sat inside at the dining table. He shot to his feet, sending stew from his bowl sloshing across the table. Joanna clutched her chest. “Kinna.”

“Mother. Father. It's so good to see you again.” Kinna didn't bother to brush away the tears that traced her cheek.

Then Kinna found herself smothered in a group hug that threatened to squeeze the breath from her once and for all.

“Kinna, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry,” Tristan murmured over and over.

“For what?”

Tristan led Kinna to the table. Lincoln joined her on the chair next to hers. Kinna wondered how Lincoln felt so at ease with her parents. To her knowledge, he hadn't known them before.

“For creating such expectations for you. For making you feel like such a failure.” Tristan glanced over at Joanna. “For all of it. You are our daughter, and you are perfect just as you are.”

Kinna gave a watery smile. “I love you both, and I know you only wanted what was best for me. I just—needed the space. That's why I left, I suppose. I needed to find out who I was.” Her eyes met Joanna's, and she saw that her mother understood. “It was good—a learning time.”

“Aye. That's what we hoped.” Tristan traced the circles in the wood grain with his finger. “Listen, Kinna, I'm sure you have a lot of questions—”

“I do.” Kinna nodded.

“—about lots of things, but—”

“How does Lincoln fit in the picture?”

The orange-haired Pixie ducked his head, looking as if he were trying to fade from sight. Joanna glanced at Tristan, and then spoke. “He's your Guardian, Kinna.”

“So he said. But he wouldn't tell me why. Why is he my Guardian? How do you both know him? How did he suddenly crop up just before I left last fall and—”

“Patience, Kinna. I will explain.” Joanna's rich voice lowered. Julian's uncle and aunt had stepped out to give them some privacy, but they were never safe from the King's guards. “We have a visitor.”

“What? Who?” Kinna searched the room. The air left her lungs in a whoosh as she recognized Cedric's tall form and auburn hair as it glistened in the candle light. He stood at the base of the loft steps, and Kinna jumped off her stool. “What are you doing here?”

The last she had seen the Dragon-Master had been in the countryside outside of The Crossings where she'd lain for days in a feverish delirium. He had been kind, but he had little connection with her Pixie world; he'd merely passed through as a traveler once months ago, and she'd fed him a meal.

Cedric moved from the stairway toward her. He stopped a span from her, his hazel eyes studying hers intently. She returned the gaze, curiosity and dread of something unnamed mingling in her mind.

“Listen, Kinna.” He ran a hand through his hair. “The King is still searching for us. I'm sure you've heard. Just in case anything happens, I want you to understand something.”

“What's that?” Kinna narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

Cedric inhaled a deep breath, blew it out. “You and I, we—we're brother and sister.”

“What?” Kinna's lungs emptied of air. She glanced over at Tristan and Joanna. Tristan nodded. Kinna turned disbelieving eyes back to Cedric. “What do you mean?”

“We're twins. And not only that. We're royal twins, progeny of King Liam and Queen Olivia of Lismaria, and—and birthed in the fire of Dragons.”

“I—I don't understand.” The chair was behind her; she sank into it, her knees as weak as water.

Cedric nodded seriously. “You and I were four years old when Sebastian killed our father, King Liam.”

“But—”

Cedric held his finger to her lips. “Let me finish. Sebastian produced his own heir through our mother, the Queen Olivia, but she and the child died in childbirth. In his rage, Sebastian ordered us killed. At that point, I had been marked, but you had not. Your ceremony was mere days away. Even so, keeping us together would make us easier to find. Our nurse decided to separate us. She escaped with us to safety. She met my mother, Shaya, in the desert, and Shaya adopted me. She took me as her own son, but in so doing, she put my life at risk. So she purposely committed an unforgivable Centaur rule that would banish her for life.”

Kinna shook her head in confusion.

Cedric went on. “She killed a Centaur spy whom Sebastian had turned by trampling him to death. The spy had found her with the child—that is, with me, and overheard some of the conversation she'd had with our nurse. Shaya killed the spy, and because she knew that she would have to answer too many questions from the tribal leaders, she flayed him as well. When a Centaur flays another being, the punishment is lifetime banishment from the Clan. She knew this, and she also knew that it was the only way she could keep me safe. The Clan would banish her, and she could leave without anyone searching for her. If she didn't leave the Clan, there would be too many questions, too much chance of discovery.”

Kinna was speechless. She leaned her weight on the table, not sure what to think.

Cedric continued. “Our nurse thought it best to split us up, make it harder to find us. She took
you
to Tristan and Joanna and asked them to care for you. After that, she returned to her first love, her practice of
taibe
.”

“You mean...”

“Yes. Our nurse was Helga.”

“Helga.” Kinna's mouth dropped open as she thought of the pink-haired, jolly, round woman from the cottage. “How do you know all this? Do you know Helga? I mean, recently?”

Cedric shook his head. “No, but since I've been here, I've been told.”

“Told? By whom?”

“By your mother.”

Kinna whipped around to stare at Joanna. She found her tongue. “Please tell me what's going on. How do
you
know all this?”

Joanna flushed and cleared her throat. “Helga is also my mother.”

Kinna was beyond the power of expression. She stared blankly at her mother—her adopted mother, apparently. “You see, Kinna,” Joanna murmured, “I am Seer Fey. Just as Lincoln is. Just as my mother, Helga, is. We pledged an ancient vow before the Great Star that we would watch over the direct line of descent from King Aarkan in exchange for his help to protect our homelands, centuries ago. When you left us, and I could no longer watch over you without putting Tristan in grave danger, I charged Lincoln with the responsibility. I knew about Cedric's story, because my mother unfolded it to me years ago.”

Kinna finally found her tongue. “Wait a moment.” She rubbed her temples. “You're Fey, Mother? Seer Fey? I know you have the necklace with the Seer Fey symbol pendant, but I thought it was—a trinket, memorabilia, something your Pixie had given you long ago.”

Joanna shook her head. “No, Kinna. The necklace is mine, truly mine.”

Kinna shook her head in disbelief. “But ... you married a human.”

“Indeed.” Tristan's deep voice broke into the circle. “Your mother keeps her gifts well hidden. She must, as long as Sebastian sits the throne.”

Kinna's eyes moved to the pendant that hung on a chain across her mother's chest and then to the similar one that draped around Lincoln's neck. “Wait.” She turned to Cedric. “You said ... we were birthed in the fires of Dragons.”

“Aye. Your mother said it's why your connection to your Dragon is stronger than most Dimn have with their creature, even after achieving
psuche
. It's why the beasts will obey direct orders from me, even without benefit of
psuche
. Our father wished to give us superior connections to the Dragons, special gifts, so even before we were born, he asked the
taibe
for their help and blessings. When we were born, the
taibe
wove all their gifts into the magic that placed us in that egg.”

“I—I don't understand.”

“I'm not sure I understand it all either; there's more to learn, but listen,” he lowered his voice, “we can't hide forever, and both of us need to leave here before daylight. Sebastian's men are watching your house, but they won't be thrown off the trail for long, especially if they gain any idea that Chennuh is nearby.”

Kinna started up; she had forgotten all about her Dragon. “I must—”

A loud, heavy knock vibrated the oak door. “Open up in the name of the King!”

The group stared at the door in silent panic for one heart-stopping moment. Kinna gripped Cedric's arm, her fingernails digging into his flesh. “What do we do?”

The guard's voice bellowed. “Open the door! We followed the Dragon-Master's trail, and we'll break down the door if you do not open it immediately.”

Cedric grasped Kinna's shoulders, his whispers urgent. “They know I'm here, but they don't know you are. I'll turn myself in, but you run. Now.”

“No, I'm not going to—”

“My lady.” Lincoln's quiet voice spoke in her ear, and his strong, insistent arm propelled her to the loft stairs. Tristan and Joanna hastily rose. “I'm coming,” Tristan called. “No need to break down a perfectly good door.” He glanced at Cedric, who nodded to him. Kinna, Lincoln, and Joanna hastily ascended the stairs. Lincoln pushed Kinna upward, but her eyes never left her adopted father. She kept her gaze on him until the floorboards lost him from view, and Joanna hurried them toward the window.

Kinna heard the door open below. There was some commotion. “Is that really necessary?” Tristan asked angrily at one point.

“Aye, 'e's the King's prisoner and deserves any cuts 'e gets. And don't go in'erferin', ol' man, or I'll take ye in fer harborin' a fugitive.”

Joanna had silently opened the shutters. The roof slanted down to a shed in the back, and the alleyway was clear.

“Come, m'lady,” Lincoln whispered. “We mustn't stay.”

Kinna glanced between the two of them and saw the gravity on their brows, the deep concern for her welfare.

A tear tracked down her cheek. “Mother ... tell Father I said goodbye, and that I love him.”

Joanna nodded as she smoothed Kinna's hair over her shoulder, her fingers stroking her daughter's cheek. “
Las e kinna
,” she whispered, her voice clogged with tears. “Kindle the flame, my daughter.”

Kinna and Lincoln sneaked back to the copse of trees where Chennuh waited with a thousand moons in his scales. She climbed onto his warm back, pulling Lincoln up after her, and she listened to the beat of Chennuh's wings as he arched the massive membranes into flight. The town and its houses spread into a puzzle map far below them, and together, they rose into the spangled blackness of the velvety night sky.

Above them lay freedom. Below them lay prison.

But Kinna had every intention of setting her twin brother free.

D
ragons
:

Mirage
– a Dragon covered with mirrored scales, hard to see, capable of turning completely invisible with the right touch.

Poison-Quill
– a Dragon covered from head to talon with poisonous spikes. The poison is deadly to beast and human; quick treatment is necessary if the poison gets below the skin.

Nine-Tail
– a Dragon that has, as its name suggests, nine tails, each one with the ability to operate independently, each one with a sharp spike on the end.

Ember
– a Dragon whose scales burn with constant fire, sometimes hotter and brighter, other times smoldering and low.

S
eer Fey
– an ancient collection of Fey that held the gift of “sight.” As time progressed, they morphed into the category of creatures called Pixies. Seer Fey still maintain a presence in this world, though their numbers are greatly reduced.

D
imn
– the trainers
of the creatures in their respective Clan (e.g. Dragondimn live in the Dragon Clan)

C
lans of West Ashwynd
:

Centaurs

Cerberuses

Direwolves

Dragons

Dryads

Elves

Goblins

Griffons

Mammoths

Ogres

Phoenixes

Pixies

Sirens

Trolls

Unicorns

Valkyries

M
easurements
:

Orlach – approximately three inches.

Span – approximately a foot.

Length – approximately a yard.

Fieldspans – approximately a mile.

M
oney
:

Sceptremarks

Denn – a hundred denn to one sceptremark

P
suche
– the soul
-connection between a human and a creature that allows them to know each other's thoughts and feelings.

T
aibe
– magic

T
aibos
– sorcerer

T
aibas
– sorceress

I
must admit
that as a child, I never yearned for a Dragon, but now that I am a mother of three Dragon-obsessed children, I'm overcome with a longing to know these magnificent creatures better. It doesn't matter the fact or fiction of the subject; all that matters is that I open a world to my children that we can revel in together.

So here I must say a thanks to my children for giving me ideas and inspiration for the content of this book, and to my generous husband, who put up with backloads of laundry and dishes as I wove my worlds.

To the members of the Shenandoah Valley Writers, I owe many nights of laughter, chocolate, and hazy-eyed discussions about the politics and intrigues of West Ashwynd and its citizens.

To my editor, Emily June Street, I am eternally grateful. Without her help, I'd never have figured out the multi-faceted maze that is the world of self-publishing. You are also spared a book twice as long as the current one as a result of her efforts. She has several excellent books on the market of her own, and I highly recommend
Velo Races
, a book that I found intriguing and thought-provoking.

To my Creator, I'm thankful every day for the gift of imagination He's given me. May I always use it for Him.