Wilde's Fire (Darkness Falls #1) (25 page)

“No. I’m trying to tell what time it is.”

He smiles. “I could tell you.”

“No. Flanna told me you can feel it.”

“We can …
you
can. You have to think about the sky, and where the sun is.”

As if I haven’t been doing that.

“I’m trying, shh.”

He lies back down on the pillow, staring at me, distracting me terribly. “I will be quiet.”

Closing my eyes, I think of the pale grays and blues in the morning sky at 5:00 a.m., and the pinks and purples of the clouds when the sun sets. I miss the sun, I need the sun, I
want
the sun. “Where are you?”

My skin warms. I receive a flash of the moon in the western sky, the bright, orange sun peeking over the eastern horizon—like it does around 7:00 a.m. I’m not sure if I’m imagining what I want to see, or if I’m actually
feeling
the sun, like Flanna and Arland tell me I can.

“Is it 7:00 in the morning?”

He sits up. “Yes! You did it. What did the time feel like?”

“Warm. I saw the sun peeking over the horizon.”

“You
saw
it?”

My thoughts turn frantic. “Yes, I
saw
it. Why are we still in bed? I promised Flanna I would help her in the kitchen from now on, and we have to go to training and—”

“Calm down, Kate. Flanna was made aware of my plans for us for the day,” Arland says, placing his hand over mine. “I have never been able to
see
the sun, and I do not believe anyone else has, either.”

I ignore Arland’s comment about what he can see. They’ve already told me I’m different from them; this doesn’t shock me as much as it seems to shock him. “What plans?”

He shakes his head; the corner of his mouth twists up. “I would like to take you on a tour.”

“I’d like that, but it’s so late. Why we are still in bed?”

“I felt you could use the extra rest.”

“Arland, I really don’t need any special treatment.”

He looks deep into my eyes, touching my soul with his gaze. “Kate, you
are
special.”

There is something within his eyes, something that tells me he wants more, something that makes my heart race. Every piece of me begs to lean forward and kiss him, but after what happened in the stables, in front of Cadman, I’m not sure I could handle the rejection if Arland denied me.

I laugh nervously and push desire aside. “I hope so; otherwise there’s a Seer out there who has wasted a lot of people’s time.”

Arland crawls from bed then holds out his hand. “Are you ready to get started, then?”

I take hold of him. “Yes.”

He pulls me up, and his chest presses against mine. My heart pounds harder. “W-what will we do first?”

He tugs me behind him toward the dresser. “We should eat.”

Opening a drawer on the right side, Arland hands me a shirt and pants, then opens the drawer on the left and pulls out clothes for himself. “The children wash and put the clothes away, every day.”

“Marcus and Anna told me they had to wash clothes and bed linens.”

Arland faces away from me while we dress. “Yes, Marcus and Anna wash. Glenna and Keely gather the dirty clothes and linens and make the beds. Art and Farrell put everything away—and there are so many more that have jobs to do.”

I slide the last item into my holster … my claymore. “I’m ready.”

“After you,” he says, holding the door open for me.

The candles burn in the sconces along the walls, flames flickering wildly. “Who lights all the candles?”

He presses his hand against the small of my back, guiding me toward the dining room. “Food first, then questions.”

Flanna sings to herself while she wipes the tables clean and pushes in the chairs. When she notices us, she winks at me, then continues with her happy, little song.

I smile at my friend. “Good morning, Flanna.”

“Good morning, Kate. Going for a tour today?” she asks, returning my smile.

“Yes.”

She clasps her hands together and gets down on one knee. “Promise me that you will not offer to help everyone else with their jobs, too.”

“I don’t intend to break the promise I already made to help
you
, Flanna.”

She dances across the room. Standing in front of Arland and me, Flanna kisses me on the cheek, like she did the first morning I helped around the kitchen. “Arland, you better not let anything ever happen to her.”

He places his hand on my shoulder and pushes me forward, into the kitchen. “She will be safe with me, Flanna. You do not have to worry about her.”

“What would you like to eat? Eggs, or Flanna’s Surprise? It appears as though we have both to choose from,” Arland asks, eyeing the food on the counter.

“Flanna’s Surprise will be faster.”

“I had a feeling you might say that.” He spoons some of her slop into two bowls. “Here.”

I take the bowls to the nearest table in the dining area, sit down, then inhale my breakfast—which magically tastes like bacon and eggs—before Arland has a chance to set down two cups of water. “You ready?”

He laughs. “May I at least eat half?”

Pushing out my chair, I stand. “Sorry. I’ll help Flanna while you finish.”

“Not today.” Arland catches my hand. “Sit with me.”

“O-kay,” I say, taking a seat next to him again.

“You do not have to help anyone today.”

Almost on cue, Flanna comes by the table, grabs my bowl, then twirls along as she takes them back into the kitchen.

“For the last part of your tour, I would like to take you for a ride.”

My breath catches. “Will we be passing the perimeter?”

“No. I have something special I want to show you.”

“You’re sure nothing can get past the magic?”

“You will be safe.” Arland raises his eyebrow. “Are you going to make me beg? Or are you going to trust me?”

I blow my hair from my face. “O-okay,” I stutter.

Finishing the last bite of his slop, Arland stands, then pulls out my chair. I expected him to present his arm for me to hold, but instead, he points in front of him, indicating he wants me to walk first.

“We will begin in the soldier’s quarters,” Arland says, at the same time a group of children stomp down the stairs.

“Hi, Kate,” Anna calls, her eyes big.

The other children push past us, and they all run in different directions.

“Hi, Anna. How are you doing today?” I ask my favorite child here.

She hugs onto my waist. “Good. I have missed you.”

Her love for me brings on a new wave of guilt from acting like such a baby the last couple days. I hug her back. “I’ve missed you, too.”

“Anna, I am giving Kate a tour of the base today. Would you like to show her where you and your brother wash the clothes and linens?” Arland asks.

She grabs my hand and bounces through the cavernous room where the soldiers sleep. Their thin mattresses, no wider than a twin bed, lay in rows, and appear to be made from down. Gray feathers tumble across the floor like balls of dust. Everyone has a sheet, a lumpy pillow, and a gray wool blanket—not nearly as nice as what Arland and I have. In the right corner of the room, more mattresses are rolled up and tied with rope.

I stop. “Who are those for?” I ask, pointing at them.

Anna smiles. “For new people.”

“Where do they come from?”

“Some find us, others we find. Tristan came to us that way,” Arland says.

“He told me his family was attacked, but your soldiers saved him before he was killed.”

Arland nods. “Yes.”

“So these mattresses are waiting for more people like Tristan to come along and occupy them?”

“That is our hope; unfortunately, the soldiers have not found many people to rescue, not like they used to.”

“But you found me and my brother, and we have not been here long.” Anna bats her lashes at him. “My mother told me you would become the greatest High Leader Encardia has ever seen. She said if anyone could end the war, it would be you.”

Arland was chosen to be a High Leader? Why didn’t he tell me this? I look at his eyes to check for shock, anger, or some emotion indicating he’s upset with her, but he just stands still.

I kneel beside Anna. “Are you from The Meadows, too?”

“No, my brother and I are from the Gorm Mountains.”

“Oh.” I shouldn’t have asked; I have no idea where or what the Gorm Mountains are. “How did your mother know about Arland?”

“Everyone knows, but he has to be bound first—”

“
Anna
,” Arland snaps.

She sucks in a sharp breath and stares at her hands. “Sorry.”

I don’t know how to react. Whatever Anna was about to say, Arland didn’t want me to hear. But he’s shared so much with me, why would he hide this?

He lifts her chin with his finger and smiles. “We are on a tour … .”

Anna nods, then walks to the far left corner of the sleeping quarters. Opening a door, she pulls me into their version of a laundry-bath combo. The room smells of sweet lilacs. Five washboards and tubs are built over the spring. Candles placed in wrought iron chandeliers burn brightly overhead.

Marcus scrubs bed linens over his washboard. Anna runs to her place and adds linens to her tub, alongside her brother.

Arland leans next to my ear. “I am sorry,” he whispers.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I keep my voice low, so the children don’t overhear.

“I had planned to tell you when I took you on our ride.”

Crossing my arms over my chest, I turn and face him. “You couldn’t give me a hint? And what does
bound
mean?”

He straightens. “I promise to share everything with you, but not inside.”

So many people have kept things from me; I don’t want Arland on that list. “Okay, but if you hold any—”

“I will not keep anything from you.”

Two little girls walk into the room, carrying more soiled things for Marcus and Anna to wash. I’ve seen these children before; they’re the ones Marcus and Anna are supposed to bring to the next training session.

Arland kneels to speak with the girls. “Glenna, Keely, this is Kate. I know you have seen her around, but I would like you to introduce yourselves.”

They dump their loads next to the washtubs, then offer their hands to me.

“I am Glenna, this is Keely.” Glenna is the older of the two. She’s about a foot taller than Keely, and a foot shorter than I am.

“Nice to meet you. What do you two have to do now that you have brought the dirty things in here to be washed?”

“Make beds,” Keely says. She might be all of five years old; brown ringlets hang down to her waist.

My mom carries a picture of my sister and me in her purse. The photograph was taken when we were around Keely’s age; she looks like she could be one of us.

“All of them?”

“Yes.” Glenna sounds agitated, probably from me slowing them down.

Arland and I follow them out and watch as they make the beds. Experience has made them quite the experts; I’ve never seen anyone wrap sheets and blankets around a bed that fast.

The door opens behind us while we’re watching the children. A woman, whom I’ve not met, steps in.

“Good morning, Enid,” Arland says.

His words bring Enid to a standstill. Her eyes widen, and she wobbles like she wants to take a step back out of the room, but composes herself.

“Morning.” Avoiding our eyes, she rushes by and enters the laundry room.

I give Arland what I hope to be a questioning look.

“Ask Flanna,” he says. “Thank you, girls, for showing us how well you make beds. We are going to the gardens now.”

“Okay.” Glenna gives Arland the same smile as Anna did earlier.

“It seems you are good with children, too,” I whisper. He’s definitely better with them than I thought he was.

“I have a soft spot for them,” he whispers.

I wave goodbye to the girls as we head out of the room.

Arland leads me through the dining area, down the hall, and pushes open the door that had been locked when I tried to get through, the other day.

“Why do you keep this door locked?”

“In the past, when our own turned against us, they always attacked the food supplies first. Kill the source of life; kill the people surviving off it.”

We come into a huge underground garden. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Vegetables cannot grow without natural light, but, somehow, here they do. Everywhere I look, green, lush plants sprout from the ground. All the other children are in here, digging, watering, wheeling dirt around, and collecting food in bins.

“How do the plants grow?” I ask.

Arland clears his throat.

The children look up.

“Most of you know Kate by name, or have seen her around, but I would like you to show her how our garden grows. Will you all, please, give her a demonstration?”

Stopping what they’re doing, the boys and girls sit on the ground, hold hands, and chant something. The air warms. The room feels so bright, it becomes difficult to look around, even though there’s no more light than before. I have the urge to avert my eyes, but there isn’t anything from which to avert them.

The plants grow before my eyes, shooting up about an inch or two. “This is amazing!”

“That is enough. Thank you.” Arland turns from the children to me. “The plants respond to our magic. We never farmed food like this, before Darkness came. It is another way we learned to adapt,” he says.

“When our own attacked the food, why didn’t you just regrow the plants with magic?”

“We need seeds to start a garden; those who turned against us left nothing.” Arland shakes his head. “I pray one day I understand their motivation.”

“Why don’t you use magic against Darkness’ army?”

“We do as much as we can, but our magic works with nature, not against it. Even if we could use it to kill, it would not be enough to fight against this kind of evil.” Arland whispers as the children work.

“But you can fight with fire, that’s magic?”

“Correct. Some magic can be manipulated into fighting. We can use magic to hide things, or open and close doors, make food grow, but—aside from fire—we cannot use our magic to kill.”

“Will you help me learn to use magic?” I squeeze my fist and whisper
Solas,
but nothing happens.