Trail of Flames Read online

  “Forgive the staring. I can’t remember the last time a Grakkir came to our village,” Cypress said thoughtfully. “Not within my lifetime, that’s for sure.”

  “The Grakkir thrived in solitude,” I replied. “Contact with the outside world contributed to their destruction.”

  Cypress cast me a quick glance, but I wasn’t sure if there was sympathy or distrust in his eyes.

  Unlike the eclectic Grakkir and Fiero people, the Secara all shared similar physical traits. Olive skin and dark hair were the norm, with eye colors ranging from emerald green and hazel to dark brown. Every pair of eyes was speckled with light green spots, barely visible until they looked directly at me.

  “It must be their power,” Saven suggested. “I can sense an energy within them, similar to yours and the Grakkir. I’m not sure which power it is.”

  “Perhaps that explains the weird pressure I feel.” With each person we passed, I felt a pushing sensation like gentle, invisible hands against my skin. It was the same feeling I had when I’d stood close to Khero, the wolf god, for the first time.

  Sadness threatened to envelop me as I remembered Tarek. I saw his funeral pyre burning behind my closed eyes, and Khero’s back as he disappeared into the forest after his companion’s spirit left its body.

  Saven bumped my shoulder with his nose, sympathy and melancholy drifting between us.

  “We’re mostly self-sufficient here.” Cypress interrupted my thoughts. “We can grow almost anything.”

  “Almost?” I asked

  “Any seeds we can find or trade for, I mean.”

  We reached the expansive garden that stretched across acres of cleared land. Straight rows were sectioned off in tidy squares, dividing types of plants into clusters. Fruits and vegetables of all sorts flourished under the watchful eyes of Secaran gardeners. Small vegetables grew among the rich green leaves.

  I crouched down and touched a wide lettuce leaf. “Already mature so early in the growing season.”

  “You sound surprised,” Cypress said.

  I avoided his eyes when I stood. “Having never witnessed it myself, it is surprising.”

  I kept forgetting that the Grakkir not only knew about the Secara but traded regularly with them. It wasn’t information a Shunned slave needed to know, and as a Fiero, the news was astounding. Another clan with Ancient Powers was alive and well despite the City’s genocidal attacks.

  The buildings were crafted from materials harvested from the forest, giving them a uniquely tree-like appearance utterly different from Grakkir or Fiero homes. Some of the lightweight clothing they wore to offset the heat was similar to our summer attire. Perhaps isolation was the only way they could survive, but they still thrived with the help of other societies.

  Besides the lively village around me, I was awestruck by the jungle surrounding the community. I’d grown up near a forest, but never had I seen trees so tall. Even on the forest floor, where very little sunlight could reach, flowers bloomed. Their garden put the Fiero gardens to shame. Crops of all kinds thrived in places you’d least expect them to grow.

  “The garden must take a lot of upkeep,” I observed.

  “Yes, but we all have green thumbs, so to speak.” Cypress chuckled. His friendly nature must have been a result of his trading occupation, or perhaps he was a good trader because he was so charismatic. While some people hurried away from Saven and wrinkled their noses at the Warrior’s Shield tattooed on my chest, Cypress didn’t bat an eye.

  “Where are we headed?” I asked.

  “My home. We can give you some supplies and send you on your way, but maybe you’d like to rest for another day or two?”

  I paused for a moment. Saven and I were both exhausted and not at our full strength. Even walking across the village made my head spin. However, the longer we stayed in one spot, the greater the possibility that the City would catch up to us.

  “I think we should stay no longer than two days,” Saven interjected. “And that’s only if we aren’t fully recovered by tomorrow.”

  “I agree,” I told Saven. Then I turned to Cypress. “Perhaps we will stay until tomorrow and see how we’re feeling then.”

  “Alright,” he said.

  About half a mile from the garden we reached a residential area. Houses made from reeds, massive leaves, and vines lined a small beaten road just wide enough for a horse cart to pass through.

  Cypress led us to the third house on the left side of the road and pushed the door open.

  The inside was cozy and unexpectedly well-decorated. Rugs covered the dirt floor, sturdy wooden counters and furniture filled the room, and iron lanterns hung from the ceiling. Multitudes of plants grew in pots, and drying herbs hung from every inch of wall and ceiling. The inside of the house was just as much a jungle as the outside.

  “Mother, we have guests!” Cypress called.

  A woman entered the kitchen from the next room. She must have been in her forties, but her dark face looked much younger. Her sharp black eyes sparkled with intelligence and suspicion.

  “So, this is the Grakkir girl you have been taking care of.” Her voice was thick with an unusual accent. She turned her attention to the doorway. “I’m afraid you’ll have to stay out there, Snake God.”

  Saven hissed and slunk to the open window. Cypress’s mother surprised me with her bluntness, but she didn’t seem unkind. The Grakkir were all respectful of Animal Gods, and the other Secara appeared more overwhelmed than anything. This woman, on the other hand, seemed to feel none of those emotions.

  “I’m Valieri.” I gave a friendly nod.

  “Kalea,” she said. “Please, sit down. You look like you might collapse at any second.”

  I gratefully pulled a chair from the kitchen table. The furniture was made of hardwood coated with some type of shiny finish. Handmade cushions were strapped to the chair seats. I recognized craftsmanship from the Grakkir village, but no items like this had been in Tarek’s house. As a Shunned man, he had created most of his own belongings.

  Cypress set a cup of water in front of me. “I’ll make some tea.”

  “Thank you.” I sipped the water gratefully.

  “Cypress told me you were nearly frozen out there,” Kalea said. “I reprimanded him already for traveling too far up Snowy Mountain. Do I need to do the same for you, or will your parents do that when you return?”

  I couldn’t tell if she was joking or serious. “My parents are…no longer in this world.”

  For the first time, Kalea’s stern face faltered. “I’m sorry to hear that. I apologize.”

  I tried to wave her off, to make it seem like it was no big deal, but I was so exhausted that tears brimmed my eyes.

  Cypress set steaming mugs on the table, snapping me out of my thoughts. A Warrior must not show weakness, I scolded. Especially not in front of strangers.

  Kalea gently blew on her tea. A strand of dark hair slipped from the messy bun on the top of her head and fell against her cheek. Why did she remind me of someone? Her stern expression, her subtle but commanding demeanor. It was all so familiar to me, but I knew I had never met her before.

  “You are a Warrior?” She eyed the large tattoo covering my chest and throat. “A young Warrior. Perhaps you recently finished your training?”

  “I did.” Her knowledge of the Grakkir surprised me.

  “But you don’t have the traditional Warrior dreadlocks. I thought that was mandatory for all Warriors?”

  I touched my hair, which fell sloppily around my shoulders. I’d braided my overgrown bangs away from my face, but the unruly plait was a far cry from dreadlocks. “No, it’s not mandatory for women.” I tried to sound convincing, but maybe she could tell I was uncertain. Even Anza, the only other female Warrior I had trained with, had her hair in dreadlocks before training began. Women almost never became Warriors, so I honestly had no idea if what I said was true. How likely could it be that Kalea would know such an obscure fact?

  “Mother, she is ti
red,” Cypress cut in. “You don’t need to ask her a million questions.” He glanced at me apologetically.

  “I’m sorry,” Kalea said. “We have so few visitors—I can’t help but be curious when one is dropped on my doorstep.”

  Her dark eyes cut into her son, and I sensed there was more behind her words than just irritation caused by an unexpected guest.

  I sipped my tea uncomfortably and set the mug down on the table. “Saven and I will just go stay in the cave. I did not mean to be a burden.”

  I pushed away from the table and stood, but the world spun around me. My knees wobbled and I grabbed for the chair.

  Cypress reached out and caught me. I quickly pulled away, but he stared at me with alarm. “Valieri, you’re burning up! You should lie down.”

  “No, I—”

  Kalea’s palm was on my forehead. “By the gods, you’re right. Here, come with me. You can stay in the storage room. It’s quite cool in there.”

  Saven hissed loudly, but Kalea wasn’t fazed by the sound. “There is a window in the room. Slither around to the back of the house.”

  Reluctantly, I let her lead me to the storage room. The room had a tiny window covered by a heavy sheet. Kalea shoved a few boxes against the walls, clearing an empty space in the middle of the floor. I pressed my back against the wall, trying to still the spinning room. A moment later, Cypress appeared with an armful of blankets and cushions.

  I watched, not sure what to do with myself, as Cypress transformed the floor into a makeshift bed. Kalea pulled the sheet off the window and revealed Saven’s large amber eye peeking in. With a grunt, she opened the dusty window and let air into the musty room.

  “You can rest here for now and we’ll bring food in later if you aren’t feeling well enough to join us at the table,” Kalea said.

  I was embarrassed by the fuss, but grateful for the hospitality. I wasn’t truly sick, but I had to play along so they wouldn’t suspect I was actually a Fiero. “Thank you.”

  Kalea’s eyes softened as she nodded. I realized that her stern yet nurturing personality reminded me of my mother. A knot grew in my throat. I’d lived a lifetime since my parents had died.

  They left the room, shutting the door gently behind them. Saven and I were both relieved to finally be alone.

  “What happened after I fainted on the mountain?” I asked him, sitting cross-legged on a cushion.

  “Some of it is a mystery to me, as I was also unconscious most of the time.” Saven watched me through the tiny window. “I awoke briefly when the young man, Cypress, used his horse to pull me onto the sled behind his wagon. I was unconscious again until we descended from the mountainside.”

  “Did you attack him?” I asked.

  “I didn’t have much strength, but I was…difficult to deal with…after I warmed up.”

  I might have scolded him, but I would have been defensive too if I had been picked up by a stranger. “Did he try to fight you?”

  “Not at all,” Saven replied. “Which I found unusual, considering my appearance. Instead, he tried to reason with me. He said, ‘I suspect that you are an Animal God with a Grakkir companion who is either injured or ill. The Secara are allies of the Grakkir, and we have traded together for many years. Please, let me take the two of you to my village so you can recover. Then you can go back to your people.’”

  “And you believed him about being a Grakkir ally?”

  “Yes,” Saven said assuredly.

  “Why?”

  Saven gave a slow hiss. “A god sometimes knows these things. I sensed no ill intent from him.”

  I trusted Saven’s instincts as much as I trusted my own. “Cypress seems honest, but I’m still wary of these people.”

  “That is wise.” Saven turned his head towards the other homes, listening to household sounds that I couldn’t hear. This place was peaceful. He turned back to me. “I was wary of him too, but I had little choice at the time. If we had stayed out in the wilderness we would have died.”

  I took a deep breath and sighed. I felt uncertain about sleeping in the unfamiliar house with strangers surrounding us, but I was exhausted. I lay down on the soft pillow and looked up at Saven.

  “Did you notice the way Cypress reacted when I told him the City attacked the Grakkir?” I asked.

  “Yes,” Saven replied. “I don’t think the Secara are allies of the City, but that doesn’t yet make them our allies.”

  “I agree, but they are the closest we have right now.”

  “What was that old saying you read?” Saven asked.

  “Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.” Except in this case, we knew the City and its devilish ways. Surely there were evils outside those walls we didn’t yet know about.

  Chapter 2

  Iawoke sometime in the middle of the night, perhaps because of the hot, stuffy air. Saven was asleep outside the window. I couldn’t see him, but I could feel his calm presence, deeply dreaming.

  The sound of muffled voices drifted into my room from the other side of the door. I stood up, padded quietly across the floor, and pressed my ear to the rough wood. It was too thick to hear clearly, so I eased the door open just the slightest crack.

  “Why would you think she’s lying?” Cypress asked.

  “You’ve been around Grakkir Warriors before,” Kalea said. “Her demeanor is nothing like a quiet, proud Warrior. She seems too uncertain, timid, easily made uncomfortable. A person could prance around naked in front of a Warrior and they wouldn’t so much as twitch an eye. This girl, Valieri, gets bright red in the face just by having attention on her.”

  “But she has the Warrior’s Shield,” Cypress countered. “The City wouldn’t allow for a tattoo that suggestive, even in the Fashion District.”

  “I don’t think she’s a City Dweller either,” Kalea said. “She’s too sharp. She must be Fiero.”

  I almost gasped aloud. Just like my own mother, Kalea’s eyes could see right through a person. Were my lies not convincing enough? Or was she just unusually well attuned to the intricacies of Grakkir, Fiero, and City cultures? What else did she know, and how did she know it?

  “And what if she is Fiero?” Cypress asked, his voice low. “That alone isn’t cause for concern, is it? She must have her reasons for lying, especially since a Fiero would have no idea who the Secara are.”

  “Her lie is cause for concern now,” Kalea replied. “I don’t buy that story about the Fiero attacking the City, not for a second. The Chancellor may have the City Dwellers’ blind trust, but not us.” Kalea scoffed with disgust.

  The Fiero attacked the City? Is that what the City is telling people? I wondered. We’d always been taught the government consisted of a council that made decisions together, with the Chancellor serving only as a figurehead. Did he have more power than we’d been led to believe? Were there more layers to the government than we’d been taught?

  “But she is a fugitive,” Kalea continued. “The City must have had a very good reason to destroy the Fiero, their lapdogs. They couldn’t risk losing so many goods without a motive.”

  Cypress finally caught his mother’s hints. “You don’t think?”

  Kalea must have nodded, because Cypress continued. “I thought the Ancient Fire died centuries ago.”

  “It had died, or at least that was the rumor. The girl was dehydrated and exhausted, but that was no ordinary fever setting her skin ablaze.”

  My heart thumped wildly against my ribcage. Her knowledge about the Fiero was incredible for someone who lived in an isolated community. I swallowed hard and glanced over my shoulder, quickly assessing how easily I could grab my belongings and slip out the window if I needed to.

  “So, what do we do?” Cypress asked.

  “Harboring a City fugitive is dangerous business,” Kalea said, her voice low and thoughtful. “However, a Fiero with the Ancient Fire and an Animal God is… it’s unheard of.” She sounded both impressed and worried.

  I couldn’t tell b
y her tone if that was good or bad. It could easily be both in her eyes.

  “Mother?” Cypress asked expectantly.

  Kalea sighed, perhaps torn between possible decisions. “Cy, you are a smart young man, and I believe in your judgement and intuition. Spend time with the girl. See if you can earn her trust and decide if she is reliable. In the meantime, I’ll deliberate with the other village leaders. When the time comes, we must decide if she is friend or foe and act accordingly.”

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  I slept very little after overhearing the conversation between Cypress and Kalea. My mind raced with possibilities. Should we stay and recover our strength? Should we run immediately? Could the Secara still be potential allies? When Saven awoke sometime after sunrise, he sensed my discomfort and peered through the window.

  “What’s wrong?” He tilted his head.

  I relayed to him the conversation. When I was done, he gave a slow, thoughtful hiss. “Do you think they can be trusted, or might they mean us harm?”

  “I’m not sure yet.” It bothered me how Kalea wanted Cypress to “earn my trust,” which sounded manipulative, but we were in a similar situation. Though it was important not to let the City kill or injure anyone else on my account, we also couldn’t afford to gain more enemies.

  “At this point, any ally would be useful to us,” I continued. “They don’t seem to like the City either, which can work to our advantage. However, if they are on the City’s side and don’t want to end up like the Fiero, then that would give them a good reason to turn us in. I imagine it will only be a matter of time before there is a hefty bounty on our heads.”

  “Staying here too long puts us and the Secara in great danger,” Saven reminded me. “We need to decide quickly if we can trust each other and be on our way.”

  “I agree,” I said.

  A soft knock on the door startled me.

  “Come in!”

  Cypress peeked through the doorway. “How are you feeling?”

  “I am well.” I tried to imitate the Grakkir accent and their blunt way of speaking.