The Firebrand Legacy (16 page)

Carine caught up to their guide, who was
huffing and out of breath.

“Please,” she said. “Do you think the
sorcerer that killed Limly and Selius is this Firebrand?”

He inhaled. “It doesn’t make sense to me,
because the one that killed your friend is a man, not a centaur.
Also, Firebrand would be too old to still be living. I don’t
understand it, but no one else besides Firebrand has ever had that
kind of power.” He shook his head. “All I can guess is that when
Luzhiv attacked Kavariel in the west, he unleashed the world’s
greatest evils.”

Carine swallowed. “So this sorcerer, this man
who is like Firebrand, how can we defeat him?”

Riolo shook his head. “I don’t believe there
is a way. Your only chance…well, I heard the man make a request of
you.”

“He wants us to go back, but you don’t
suggest we obey him, do you?”

“For your sake, do. Return to Esten. Appease
him.”

“We can’t do that,” Carine said, panic rising
in her chest. They couldn’t go back without finding a way to save
the kingdom, including her parents. “If you think we should go
back, why are you helping us across the wall?”

“Because”—Riolo looked into his dark
city—“your friend said you are going to heal Kavariel. Midway’s
Heartless One strikes without reason, however he pleases. We need
the dragon back, and if you can restore him, we’re counting on you.
For your sake, appease the sorcerer. For ours, heal Kavariel.”

Just as he finished speaking, a singsong
voice lifted up from below. “Who are those little mice?” The
speaker was a faun. He was dark in the new night with a frizzled
hair and beard.

Riolo stopped. “It’s him.”

“Who?” Carine asked.

“The Heartless One who’s taken over
Midway.”

The Heartless faun found a ramp inside the
wall. He climbed, hobbling over his hooves as though they were
injured.

“What are you standing here for?” Carine
said. “Run!”

Riolo didn’t budge. “No. Take the ladder. You
go. At the north gate are two more pegs in the wall. Hook the
ladder to the pegs and descend. Get to Kavariel. Capture his flame
or heal him. Either way, save us.”

David and Giles ran up behind as Riolo
transferred the ladder. Carine took the heavy bundle, fearful it
would throw off her balance, if the Heartless faun didn’t get to
them first. He clunked up the ramps.

“Go!” David said.

“Wait.” Riolo grabbed her arm. “One more
thing: stop in Verdiford. There is a scholar there named Ansa. She
has done extensive research about Firebrand. She might be able to
tell you about the man who killed your friend. Ansa. Can you
remember that?”

“Yes,” Carine said, watching the faun
approach.

“Go then,” Riolo said, stepping aside for
Carine to pass. She hurried past, the boys close behind her. They
ran and ran until Riolo was a speck, like a mouse, on the wall
behind them. The Heartless faun joined him on the brick, and must
have spoken a word.

The brick crumbled, and their guide toppled
down.

Leaving Midway meant leaving their kingdom of
Navafort and entering the northern region of Fletchkey.

Carine and the princes walked through fields,
emotions boiling over until a patch of tall pines gave them
privacy. David punched the first tree they came to. Giles rested
his forehead against soft bark. Carine squatted in the grass, face
in her hands.

Two men had died for their mission, and no
one could speak. Instead, they curled up separately under the tree,
and without food or drink, they tried to sleep.

Carine couldn’t. Death stalked them, almost
tangibly—first Limly, now Riolo. Carine didn’t have to be a genius
like Giles to know she was next on the list.

Just as she thought this, Giles rolled to
face her. “Are you stupid?” His harsh question came out
matter-of-factly, in the typical Giles way, but Carine felt the
weight of the deaths in his voice. “Honestly, I’d like to know,
because you would have to be stupid to put David on this suicide
mission.”

Carine pushed herself up and looked over at
David, who was lightly snoring. “What are you saying?”

“Our idea was to capture the dragon’s flame.
That in itself is dangerous and honorable enough. I was already
concerned that my obsessive brother might get too close from mere
curiosity. Now he thinks himself a hero. The only reason David’s
sane right now is that he’s dreaming about petting the dragon’s
scales and becoming best friends with it. You know that’s what he’s
thinking. Have you thought about this at all, Carine? How do you
expect David to get the blood into the dragon’s mouth? Have you
thought of that?”

“Why didn’t you say any of this earlier? Why
didn’t you say this to David?”

“Our relationship is complicated. Scratch
that. It’s fragile. So is my brother. One step too close to that
dragon and he’ll burn—like Alviar, but to death.”

Like her sister. “I’m sorry.” Carine
repositioned her head on a root.

“That’s not enough.”

“Then what do I do? Can’t you convince him to
change his mind? David looks up to you, Giles. He tries to hide it,
but he does. You know it.”

Giles inhaled through his nose. “David won’t
listen to me. I have never seen him this determined.”

“Then what do you suggest?”

His dark hair was silvery blue in the
moonlight. His lips formed a straight line. Somehow Giles managed
to look regal even with bed head and dirt on his face and clothes.
“You may not think I’m the type of person that would care about
this. But these last few weeks, my brother and I have gotten along.
He usually spends time with his friends, but this has been
nice—together. I do not wish to jeopardize that by standing in his
way, especially not when this is your fault and
your
responsibility to clean up.”

“He won’t listen to me. I’m just a
shoemaker.”

“You’re his friend.”

“But what if healing Kavariel really
is
the best thing to do? If we only capture the flame, we’ll
only have protection for one year.”

“He’s my brother,” Giles gritted. “You let me
worry about protecting the kingdom.”

Carine sighed. “What if he doesn’t
listen?”

Giles pulled his surcoat over his shoulder
like a blanket. “Then be creative. This was your idea, Carine. His
blood is on your hands.”

They waded through miles of overgrown fields
spotted with occasional islands of evergreens. Giles forged the
trail up ahead. He didn’t speak to Carine.

David had woken up refreshed, as though
hungry to feel happiness again.

“Did you know,” he said to Carine,
high-stepping through tall grasses, “that you can hear the dragons
farther north in Fletchkey? There’s a place up there where the
Etherrealm nearly touches ours. You can see green and pink lights
dancing to the dragon’s music as they sing in their realm. They say
it melts hearts.”

“You told me.”

David swept the tops of the grasses with his
hands. “Well, did you know it’s painful for dragons to enter this
realm? That’s why Kavariel and the others don’t stay. They come for
their duty and jump right back to the Etherrealm.”

“What about Luzhiv? He stays.”

David shrugged. “He doesn’t count. He’s
always the exception. But you know, it’s probably still painful for
him, staying. And that’s what I wonder about. Why does Luzhiv stay?
Why does he put himself through that pain? Just to turn people into
Heartless Ones? Just to attack other dragons? That’s why it’s so
important to heal Kavariel. Good Ether. I can’t believe I didn’t
think of this sooner. Once I heal the dragon, not only will we get
our borders back, but he can go home. Right now, he’s uncomfortable
just being in this realm. Not to mention that he’s torn up and
maybe dying. I can’t imagine.”

“David…” she said.

His eyebrows knit, hearing the change of
subject in her tone. “What?”

Carine’s fingertips drummed against her
stained surcoat. “Never mind. Sorry. Go on.”

“Okay. Well, like I was saying, it’s not
natural for them to stay here long. At least, that’s what they
concluded the last time Luzhiv injured a dragon. But his wounds
weren’t nearly as bad as Kavariel’s are now. At least, according to
what we know.”

Carine pushed her hair behind her ear and
stopped. “David.”

He didn’t ask this time. He watched her face,
serious. Ahead, Giles slightly altered his gait. He must have heard
the change of subject, but he kept walking ahead.

Carine pulled at the scratchy fabric of her
skirt. “I’ve been thinking…maybe when we were in the shop, maybe I
hadn’t thought everything through.”

David smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll fill in the
details. Trust me, I’ve been thinking about it plenty.”

Carine glanced at Giles, but he didn’t look
at her back. “Like what?”

“Well, the main challenge is getting the
blood into the dragon’s mouth. I was thinking and thinking about
it, but the answer is simple. All I need to do is tie the vial to
an arrow and shoot his mouth.”

“Bow and arrow, that’s smart.”

“Especially since it’s my favorite weapon,”
David said. “I can’t compete with Giles as far as swords go, but I
can hit any target.”

Carine nodded. She wanted his plan to work,
but his idea had one crucial problem. “But the dragon’s mouth will
have to be open.”

“Yeah, so?”

“You know what happens when a dragon opens
its mouth, don’t you?”

David’s face changed. He was suspicious now,
defensive. “That’s why I’ll use a bow and arrow. It’s a perfect
solution. I can shoot it from a safe distance. And don’t worry
about Kavariel. I’ll remove the arrow tip and replace it with the
vial.”

“It’s not the dragon I’m worried about. You
say you can shoot it from a safe distance…are you sure?” Carine
wanted to shake him, realizing now that he really could be setting
himself up to die just like Louise.

David furrowed his brow. “This is my mission,
okay? I know what I’m doing.”

“But what if you—”

“Carine, you’re driving me crazy. I’m not a
scholar or swordsman like Giles. I’m not a speaker or charmer like
Marcel. But this is one thing I can do. I know I can. It’s my
destiny.” She didn’t respond. “I thought you believed in me
too.”

“I’m not saying you can’t. I’m asking you,
please don’t.”

Jaw tense, he shook his head, crossing his
arms over his chest and looking out over the field. “I can’t
believe it.”

“Kavariel killed my sister, David. I don’t
want you to die the same way.”

“Boo-flaming-hoo.”

His words were vitriolic and stung Carine.
She watched his face for some remorse, but David didn’t turn her
way. Carine walked ahead in silence until the sun began to set.

Fletchkey silence wasn’t as peaceful as it
was made out to be.

The next day, they used up the last of their
money on two horses and some rations in a Fletchkey village.

A few miles outside town, they made camp. No
one spoke. Giles collected sticks from the surrounding forest.
Carine pushed coals around, and David, sitting across from Carine,
didn’t look at her. The firelight lit up his face as he
scowled.

Carine dropped the stick she was using to
push coals and watched David’s face. His hair was flat and oily
from the journey, and there was ash on his chin. His clenched jaw
did not relax. He did not look up.

Carine brushed off her skirt. “I’m going to
help Giles get firewood.”

David didn’t acknowledge her.

Pine branches waved in the slight breeze.
Long wild grasses grew around the soft dirt. Dusk grew darker, so
Carine picked up any pieces she saw. A squirrel watched her from
the trunk it was clutching. A bird ran through the grass. A line of
ants wound around a flower stem. Even the woods were livelier than
the campers. She’d ruined everything.

Carine reached for a stick at the base of a
tree near a coiled vine. The vine convulsed, shrinking and
expanding like a constricting snake. Her armful of sticks clattered
to the ground. The top of the vine unwound from the tree. It
pointed at Carine like the head of a reptile. With a racing heart,
she batted at it, but as her fingers neared, the vine’s head
attacked. Carine jumped back. The rope snapped around her wrist and
pulled her to the tree. It had her arm in three tightening
coils.

Carine screamed for help. She ripped at the
vine with her left hand, pulling against it with her weight. The
grass seemed to shudder. Another vine crackled against a high
branch. It shot down as the first pulled her arm.

“Help!”

It was no use. The second vine wrapped her
torso to the tree. Her head slammed against the rough bark. For a
moment her vision blurred, but through the trees, she discerned the
white spotted horse. Giles looked small and distant as he rummaged
for something in the dirt. Could they not hear her?

“Hel—”

A black-gloved hand muffled her scream.

“Shh,” said a voice behind the tree.

Carine trembled. The scent of leather drifted
to her nose. It was the smell of her distant home, as though that
fragrance too was meant to torment her.

“I told you to go back. You disobeyed.”

Her heart pounded. The sorcerer had followed
them. She wanted his voice to give her clues, but since he
whispered, his words just sounded airy. She couldn’t tell how old
he was or how strong. He didn’t have any noticeable accent. She
just knew was he was powerful. He was the one who overtook Esten
and killed Limly.

“I’m going to remove my hand. Do not scream.”
He didn’t have to finish his threat. One Manakor word from him and
the snake-vine would finish its job.

Carine gasped for air. He hadn’t blocked her
nose, but she still felt suffocated. She didn’t dare turn, so her
head remained against the bark as the vines constricted her. “Don’t
kill me.” Her voice came out smaller than she expected. “It won’t
do you any good. Killing me won’t make the princes go back. They
will never surrender Esten to you.”