Trail of Flames Read online

  I remembered Darvin as a calm, hardworking shift leader. Even here, his desire to take charge was selfless and always for the good of the group. In the Fiero village, harvesting was just work and he was just a man whose job was to make sure we reached our quotas. In Edgewood, with its lack of leadership, I could tell that Darvin’s natural ability to lead was a matter of life and death for many people.

  We came to a stop outside a wooden wall. Darvin knocked three times, paused, then knocked twice more.

  “Who is it?” a muffled voice asked.

  “Darvin. I have three with me.”

  “Refugees?”

  He looked at us. “Outsiders, but friends of the town. One is my own.”

  There was a long silence on the other side of the door. Finally, I heard a latch slide and a heavy thunk similar to the one at the front gate. “It’s open,” the voice said.

  Darvin braced his knee against the door and pushed his weight into it. Finally, the thick wood pushed backward, leaving a tiny crack along the seam. Darvin slipped his fingers through and pulled sideways, sliding the door into the wall. “Watch your step.” He gestured us through.

  Darkness enveloped us within the room. I stepped in and nearly fell when I realized the floor was at least two feet lower than I expected. Cypress caught my right arm at the same time a different hand grabbed my left one.

  “If we could find any bricks, we’d make stairs.” I looked at the source of the voice, and as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I made out the soft features of a young woman.

  Darvin closed the door behind us with a loud clank. The young woman lit a lantern and I noticed the door was metal on the inside. The room was devoid of furniture, and most of the space was taken up by a dozen or so people. Some worked, some chatted quietly, a few slept on the hard floor.

  “You are from Darvin’s village?” the woman asked me.

  I caught her pale blue eyes, curious yet stoic. Her dirty-blonde hair hung in long waves beneath a loosely tied head scarf. “Yes, I’m Valieri.”

  “Nella.” She shook my hand, jerking when she felt its unnatural heat.

  “How do you know Darvin?” I asked to distract her.

  “We’re married.” She smiled sweetly as Darvin approached and kissed her on the cheek. For a brief uncomfortable moment, I remembered the crush I once had on Darvin. I felt both sad and relieved that I didn’t really care anymore.

  “Nella was one of the first people to argue for the Fiero refugees’ asylum here.” Darvin set his logs down by a cold woodstove. “Edgewood’s leader, Amos, worried that there wasn’t enough food in the village to risk taking in more people. But Lana, who leads now, is kindhearted. She said we could stay if we earned our keep. We’ve all been working here ever since, trying to…establish some sense of normalcy.”

  His eyes flicked from me to his wife and I saw how there was no such thing as “normal” for them.

  “How many came with you?” I asked.

  “Six,” he said solemnly.

  My stomach clenched with emotion. “Only six?” I murmured.

  He nodded, his eyes clouding with the same feelings I’d been carrying for over a year. I took a shaking breath. “Where are they?” I asked.

  Darvin sighed slowly. “Two were taken by the Sickness. A child named Rosa, and a man named Walten.”

  “The man who helped take care of the mules. My father worked with him.” I scarcely remembered the old man’s face, but I had a distinct memory of him speaking into a fearful yearling’s ear before gently taking its hoof between his knees to trim the overgrown nail.

  “The Sickness?” Cypress asked.

  “People began falling sick several months ago,” Nella said. “It comes on slowly, like a cold, but progresses as quickly as it spreads. Some survive, but many of the young and elderly were taken.” Her face knotted as she fought her emotions.

  Darvin touched her elbow. “Your father is outside again. Can you please bring him back in? He won’t listen to me.”

  She nodded with understanding and excused herself.

  When the door closed, Darvin continued. “Her younger brother was taken first. He was only twelve. Then her mother. We both know it’s only a matter of time before her father follows them.”

  I swallowed hard. “And I assume the City won’t help?”

  “The City hasn’t made a supply delivery in months,” Darvin said cynically. He dropped his voice. “They don’t care about these people anymore. We have no proof, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this plague was brought here by the City.”

  Though my respect for the City had long disappeared, it still felt strange to see another Fiero—especially one as loyal as Darvin—talk disrespectfully of our government. Such words would have been treasonous, and if a guard had overheard him say such a thing, Darvin would have been taken into the City for punishment. Things were different now, and it made my heart ache to see others struggling this way.

  “I’m sorry our traders haven’t been here for so long,” Cypress said regretfully.

  Darvin shrugged dismissively. “We never realized how easy we had it in the Fiero village. The City took care of us, but the people of Edgewood are under their control too. We assumed they took care of their own. But no, they consider these people disposable. We had the wrong idea the whole time.” He shook his head. “We’re all at the City’s mercy, and they’ve made it clear they don’t have any to give.”

  “More refugees?” An elderly woman’s voice came from somewhere within the building.

  When Glenna rounded the corner, both our mouths fell open. She hurriedly clutched me in a bear hug. “Valieri, you feel warm. You haven’t got the Sickness, have you?”

  I quickly pulled away. “No, no. We’ve been traveling all day.”

  “Come in, come in.” She gestured for us to follow her into the other room. Even surrounded by sick and exhausted people, the Fiero village’s baker still managed to show hospitality.

  The next room had nothing but an old wooden table and chairs. Glenna pulled each of them out and encouraged us to sit down. The entire building had probably been a store with living quarters, but now it was little more than a run-down shack.

  “Are you staying long?” Glenna asked. “It feels like a lifetime since I’ve seen you. What happened after the attack? I was certain you’d been captured or killed.”

  My mind buzzed with all the different ways I could answer her questions while everyone watched me, waiting for my story. I looked to Cypress, but he just tilted his head.

  “Did you ever find out why the City attacked us?” I finally asked.

  Darvin and Glenna exchanged frowns. “Guards have been here many times since the attack,” Darvin said. “They’re looking for someone who possesses the Ancient Fire. The problem is, they’ll never find that person.”

  I blinked in surprise. “Why do you say that?”

  Glenna scoffed. “It’s a myth. Ancient Fire, gods and goddesses, they’re all just legends. When my children were young, they used to beg me to tell stories about the Goddess of Fire and people who could create flames in their hands. I refused every time. It’s all nonsense. And now the City thinks these people exist and are somehow a danger to the rest of the world!” She scoffed again and threw her hands up in exasperation.

  “Our government is run by crazy people if they’re willing to destroy villages to find mythical Fire Makers.” Darvin looked just as irritated as Glenna.

  “Fire Bringers,” Glenna corrected.

  “Same difference,” Darvin said indifferently.

  My cheeks were hot, and my heart thudded against my ribs. I kept my face as neutral as possible, but the words were on the tip of my tongue. I wanted so desperately to tell them who I was, but I feared their response.

  “They destroyed the Grakkir village too,” I said.

  “Yes, we heard about the savage clan.” Glenna nodded. “Or the ones who control Animal Gods, right?”

  I saw Anza stiffen out of the corn
er of my eye, her hand curling into a fist in her lap.

  “They took me in,” I said quickly. “I ran away after the attack, and they helped me.”

  “Really?” Darvin couldn’t hide his surprise. “They didn’t just kill you?”

  “We are not as savage as the City would make you believe,” Anza said coldly. She pulled her scarf down, revealing the Warrior’s Shield. “Your government is full of liars. You should know better than to believe anything they have ever told you.”

  Glenna’s face turned pale. “I am so sorry.” Her voice faltered with shame and embarrassment.

  I quickly cut in. “The City taught us to believe many things about the world and its inhabitants. From what I’ve experienced, most are lies. However,” I took a deep breath, “some truths are scattered among their fabrications.”

  Glenna’s expression clouded with concern, like a grandmother looking at a wounded granddaughter. “What do you mean?”

  I looked up at Darvin’s hard face. Cypress shifted, bumping my knee with his own. I cast my eyes downward, searching for Saven’s reassuring energy and finding it somewhere far beyond Edgewood’s walls.

  “I mean…the Ancient Fire isn’t a myth. Neither are the gods. There exists one person in this world who can create fire with their bare hands.” I licked my dry lips. “Me.”

  Silence.

  No one moved or breathed. My ears felt hollow as the utter nothingness pushed against my eardrums. Someone shifted in the next room and coughed, the only sound that broke against the barrier suddenly separating me from my fellow Fiero.

  “What?” Darvin’s voice was harsh and demanding. Glenna only stared, but her eyes grew watery as she realized what this all meant.

  “The Ancient Fire is real,” I said.

  Darvin turned his back to us and his shoulders heaved with gasping breaths. Glenna stared at her hands and clenched her jaw. A single tear slipped down her wrinkled face and fell onto the rough tabletop.

  “Are-are you saying the City is…?” Glenna’s soft voice failed her.

  I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Looking for me? Yes.”

  Glenna shuddered and covered her mouth to stifle the sob that heaved from her chest. Darvin still had his back to us, staring at the far wall with arms crossed.

  “I never imagined anything like this would happen,” I murmured. “My family kept it hidden my entire life. We always assumed if anyone found out, I’d be taken into the City and punished. We didn’t know the entire village would be punished.”

  “Your parents knew about this?” Darvin’s voice was blunt and cold.

  “Yes. And Jenassa and our teacher Juliano.”

  His arms dropped to his sides while his hands clenched into fists.

  “Please, I didn’t know—”

  “You need to leave,” Darvin said.

  Cypress and Anza both glanced at me. I stared at Darvin’s back.

  “But I—”

  “Just get out of here!” Darvin spun around and slammed his fists on the table, making all of us jump.

  Hot tears sprang into my eyes. I looked at Glenna, but she stared down at the table, her hand still covering her mouth.

  “This is your fault, Valieri. All of it. As far as I’m concerned, you aren’t a Fiero anymore. You’re dead to us.”

  My skin grew cold and all the wind was knocked out of me. “You don’t mean that,” I whispered.

  Darvin was silent. Glenna glanced at him, but neither said anything.

  “You coward,” Anza spat.

  All eyes turned to her. “Excuse me?” Darvin challenged.

  “She is one of your own and you turn your back on her? You disgust me.”

  Darvin took one step. Anza sprung up from the table and drew her sword, pointing it at his throat. Everyone gasped in alarm, but none more than Darvin. His throat bobbed and he slowly lifted his hands in surrender.

  “You call the Grakkir savage, but at least we are loyal. She didn’t ask for the City to attack your people, yet still you blame her. Don’t talk down like you are better than anyone else at this table.”

  “Anza,” Cypress warned.

  Anza’s gaze flicked to us and she lowered her sword. Suddenly, her eyes grew distant and she became still. “Mjoll says there is danger coming. We need to leave immediately.”

  “Mjoll?” Glenna squeaked.

  “One of two Animal Gods outside the village,” Cypress added flippantly, producing surprised expressions from both Glenna and Darvin.

  Loud voices carried from somewhere outside the building. The outer door opened, and Nella rushed into the room, the young guard from the front gate at her heels. “City soldiers are coming; you all need to hide. Darvin, take them to the basement.”

  The previous exchange was momentarily forgotten as Darvin and Glenna rushed to the farthest wall in the building. “Help me with this,” Darvin demanded. He grabbed one handle on a huge wooden chest sitting atop a dirty rug and Cypress grabbed the other. Together, they lifted the chest and Glenna pulled back the rug. Beneath it was a metal grate, which she yanked open with significant effort. She led us down a ladder into dark nothingness. Other figures we didn’t know followed behind us.

  The room was musty with the scent of mildew and old vegetables. Though it was cooler than upstairs, anxious sweat beaded on my forehead. The trapdoor closed and we heard the chest thud back on top of it, sealing us off from the world. Bodies shifted around me, but it was too dark to make out any features. I figured the strangers were other surviving Fiero refugees, but I couldn’t see their faces and it was too risky to ask who they were.

  We stifled our breaths as footsteps moved above us. A man’s deep voice asked about the Sickness and Nella answered something along the lines of, “It has taken many victims.”

  I bumped someone’s shoulder and stared at their form until I realized it was Cypress. He grabbed my hand and held it tightly. I nervously squeezed back, feeling his racing pulse. Anza was just behind me. I looked up at the ladder and noticed Darvin was still on it, his face close to the trapdoor.

  The voices became louder as footsteps approached. “No sign of any fugitives?” the soldier asked.

  “No, sir.” I recognized the young guard’s voice. “We keep a close watch on the nearby roads, but much of our force has fallen victim to the Sickness.”

  The soldier made a gruff noise of dismissive acknowledgment.

  “Sir, has the City made any progress with the latest medicine shipment?” Nella asked.

  “The City’s officials are very busy tracking down this dangerous individual and the other Fiero escapees. We have reason to believe they are being helped by other nearby villages.”

  “Of course, I understand. But the people of Edgewood need help.”

  “What do you think we’re doing?” the soldier snapped. “Securing the Fiero fugitives is for the good of the entire world. Your tiny village is inconsequential.”

  “Not to the people who live here,” Nella insisted.

  A loud smack followed, then the sound of a body collapsing to the floor. Darvin lurched, but I grabbed his ankle before he let his emotions expose us all. I saw his face turn towards mine and I realized he had more to gain by giving me away.

  “Please,” I whispered breathlessly, releasing my grip.

  Darvin stared at me, then turned his face upward without saying anything.

  “Edgewood will get their supplies when the City has them ready.” The soldier’s voice was gentler this time.

  “Of course, sir,” the guard said.

  “We’ll continue our patrols,” the soldier stated. We waited until the footsteps gradually faded and exited the building. Even though I was certain the soldiers were gone, I still jumped when the chest was lifted from the trapdoor and Nella’s face appeared above us.

  “They’re gone,” she said.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  She touched her red cheek and gave me a lopsided smile. “Can you blame a girl for being pers
istent?”

  Darvin led the other refugees up the ladder. I moved to follow them, but Glenna grabbed my wrist. “You need to go out the back way.”

  Her voice was cold, but I could tell she was sad. “I’m sorry this happened,” I said genuinely.

  She gave a tight smile and moved to touch my face affectionately but withdrew her hand at the last second. “I know. I’m sorry too.”

  There was something strange about her tone, as though it weren’t so much the attack she was sorry for, but the fact that I existed at all.

  Without another word, we crossed the room and found a ladder leading to the second trapdoor. Cypress climbed up and pushed against it. The grate groaned as though it hadn’t been moved in years, but eventually opened with a sickening scrape of metal on metal. When we reached the top, we were in a back alley, pressed right up against the wooden fence surrounding the town. I looked down at the pile of rocks that had covered the grate and carefully put them back in place.

  “Valieri!” Saven’s voice came from somewhere within the forest.

  “We’re coming out,” I responded.

  I stepped down the alleyway towards the main street. A small group of soldiers appeared at the end of the alley and I froze. One cocked his head, noticing us. They didn’t wear the skin-like armor I’d seen before. Instead, they had metal plates attached to their torsos, shins, and arms.

  A voice—possibly belonging to the young guard—called somewhere down the street, grabbing the soldier’s attention.

  “Other way,” I ordered.

  We spun and hurried in the opposite direction.

  “We need to jump over the fence,” Cypress said.

  I looked back and saw the soldiers had disappeared. Cypress called to the nearest trees and they drooped their branches over the wall. We grabbed hold and pulled ourselves over. As soon as our feet hit the ground, we sprinted away from Edgewood. Trees and foliage whipped past as I tracked Saven’s energy. When I finally saw his face, I breathed a sigh of relief.

  “I think we’re safe here,” I panted.

  No sooner had I said the words when something hard collided with my face, knocking me flat onto the ground.