Flash Point (Elemental Trials Book 2) Page 2

  –from the journal of Tanith Hithaerien

  Warm air forced its way past her frozen lips and her aching lungs expanded. When she choked and began to cough, the mouth over hers withdrew. She coughed again, the sound wet and rattling. As she weakly expelled a mouthful of stagnant water, someone turned her onto her side.

  “Oh, thank the Five.”

  Jex.

  Enari’s eyes flew open and she tried to roll away from him, her fatigue and confusion obliterated by anger. She struck out and one fist connected with solid flesh.

  Jex grunted in pained surprise and withdrew out of reach.

  Large hands restrained Enari as she struggled and kept her from toppling back into The Pool. It was only then that she realized she was still in the Hall of the Ascendant, lying on the floor.

  And she was bone-dry; robes, hair, everything. Not a drop of icy moisture remained anywhere on her person.

  She began to shake, the terror and betrayal washing over her in waves that cramped her stomach.

  High Mage Eryk Alycon gathered his daughter into his lap and rocked her, brushing his calloused fingers over her hair and murmuring to her in a soothing voice.

  “It’s over. It’s over. You’re safe now.”

  The part of her mind not gibbering in terror recognized it as the tone one used on frightened animals.

  Then her former Sura, Vasi de’Curande, was there, her arms going around them both.

  “I’m so proud of you, Enari,” she whispered, “you were so brave. Just as I knew you would be.”

  They continued murmuring to her in soothing tones, touching her face and stroking her hair until the spell passed and she eased them away.

  “I thought you weren’t allowed to help?” Enari asked her father.

  The presence, though familiar, hadn’t felt like his, but it had called her ‘my daughter’, so it couldn’t have been anyone else.

  He frowned. “I didn’t.”

  “Someone was there with me besides The Dweller.”

  His eyes focused on something over her shoulder and she turned to follow his gaze.

  Jex was still there. He sat a few feet away, head bowed and refusing to look at anyone. The front of his robe was soaked, and he was wringing water from the sleeves back into The Pool as if the task was the most fascinating thing in the world.

  “Leave it to you to find a way to cheat!” Enari snapped. She knew her words were hurtful, but there was also some truth in them; she’d just never been so angry as to throw them in his face before.

  He winced at the venom in her tone, but his eyes remained fixed on the movement of his hands.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” he said after the silence had stretched too long. “With a lot of help from Antilles maybe I could have, but you saw him sitting on the bench where he should’ve been.”

  “He didn’t cheat,” Eryk agreed, “even if he could have. He performed his duty as required and pulled you out when the time came.”

  “I’m sorry, Nani,” Jex sighed, though he still refused to meet her eyes.

  “Enari – ” Vasi began, but Eryk shook his head.

  Together, the three of them rose to their feet.

  “I know you’re tired. If you wish, we’ll take you back to your room to rest before the evening celebration. You have a few hours yet.” Eryk put an arm around her and hugged her tightly.

  She blinked up at him, startled. It’d been just after dawn when they’d entered the hall.

  Vasi answered the unspoken question. “The rite lasts much longer than it seems. It’s three hours past noonday.”

  “I would like to lie down for a while,” she decided, unnerved by the sudden sense of being adrift in time, almost as much as by the rite itself. She clung to her father and felt immense relief when he turned them so that he was between her and The Pool.

  “Of course.” Vasi shot a glance between Eryk and Jex. “I’ll walk you back.”

  The two women left the room together, Enari leaning a little on Vasi’s supporting arm.

  “Well, is there anything else the Tower requires?” Jex asked. He climbed to his feet, knees popping as he straightened, “Diu, I feel a hundred years old today.”

  “You could have said no when she asked you,” Eryk reminded him. He reached out and placed a comforting hand on the younger man’s shoulder as they turned to extinguish the tapers and gather up the ritual items.

  Jex grimaced. “Just like Antilles could have told me no? Damned either way it seems.”

  “An Ascension isn’t only a test of the gift,” Eryk said with a dark little smile. “The aftermath is just as important as the trial itself, and not only for her.”

  ***

  Enari slept the afternoon away and it was with reluctance that she rose for the evening festivities. Celebrating was the last thing she wanted to do, but it was customary. She’d attended a few Ascension-day revels in her years at Turris Arcana, and now she understood the looks of hollow solemnity she’d seen on the faces of the newly initiated.

  The party was already well underway when she made an appearance, the room filled to capacity with laughing, talking people and redolent with the aroma of fresh bread and roasted meat. A glass of wine was thrust into her hand the moment she entered and they toasted her Ascension with cheers that almost shook the stones of the fortress.

  She wound her way through the crowd, searching for a place to hide…maybe a dark corner or a hole in the ground. Her turbulent emotions just weren’t meant for such gaiety and she wanted nothing so much as to disappear. At least Jex was nowhere in sight – thank the Goddess for small favors. In her current state, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to hold her tongue and she had no desire to row with him in public.

  Antilles Denier found her not long after, sitting near the great hearth and fending off well-wishers. He settled into the chair next to her and with a wave, shooed away the next person who tried to approach.

  “You look troubled, dear one,” he observed, eyeing her with concern as he took a sip from his goblet.

  Her smile died before it was half-formed, and she rubbed at her eyes. “Is it that obvious?”

  “Only because I know you better than most.”

  “I suppose I’m ruining the party.” Her shoulders slumped and she fiddled with her plate.

  He took it from her and set it aside before gathering her hands in his.

  “You’re angry, and that’s to be expected. The Rite of Ascension is a hard thing on a relationship as close as yours.” A brief flicker of sorrow contorted his strong features, but it was gone almost as fast as it had come.

  Antilles was one of the kindest, gentlest, most big-hearted men she’d ever met. Though she’d been shocked to learn that he and Jex were lovers before she came along – not because it was unlike Jex, but because Antilles had never let on – he’d treated her like a younger sister. He and Jex remained close friends to this day. Still, fearing that he might harbor at least a modicum of resentment, she’d worked up the courage to broach the subject with him a few years ago. Antilles had just laughed, planted a kiss on her forehead, and sent her off with the firm reassurance that all was well. Not once, before or since, had he displayed jealousy toward her or treated her discourteously.

  Enari swallowed hard, trying to force down the tears threatening to overwhelm her. She swiped a sleeve across her eyes and sniffled.

  “If it’s any consolation,” Antilles continued, “he feels awful.”

  “Good!” she snapped, “As well he should!”

  “Enari Alycon, spitefulness does not become you.”

  Her cheeks reddened in embarrassment, though the rebuke had been mild.

  Smiling, he patted her arm and then gestured towards the door. “Go on back to bed. You’ll feel better in the morning. If anyone asks, I’ll make your excuses for you.”

  “Goddess bless you.” She hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek before making her escape.

  No one tried to stop her as she left the
hall and the sympathetic nods she got from the adepts present eased her guilt. They, at least, knew what the day had held for her.

  Once in the corridor, her pride almost wasn’t enough to keep her from breaking into a run. But she forced herself to hold her head high and kept her pace down to a purposeful stride.

  The High Mage’s daughter would not flee like a frightened child, not from anything.

  She made it to the foot of the back stairs without incident, but upon reaching the second landing, she faltered. Looking down the hall toward her room, she gnawed her lip indecisively. After a moment, she continued to climb until she reached the top. Fresh air and the open sky had always helped her clear her mind, and tonight she needed that more than she needed sleep.

  The door leading onto the battlements stuck a little at first and she had to throw her full weight against it. With a stuttering screech, it gave way at last and spilled her out into the cold.

  The night was clear and though the moon had not yet risen, the frosty starlight provided sufficient illumination. It was peaceful, quiet except for the moaning of the wind and empty, save the occasional drift of snow. Tundra stretched as far as the eye could see, though if she walked the northern battlements, she’d have a spectacular view of the towering Fengal Mountains. Turris Arcana stood sentinel at the head of a narrow valley in the foothills of the imposing peaks. At the other end lay the village of Eras, whose lights she could see through a low point in the crenellations. The glow was warm and inviting in the barren blackness.

  ’Will Jex be there tonight?’ she wondered. It wouldn’t surprise her.

  When his duties to the Tora allowed him to return from Rowan, he often spent time at the inn in Eras, playing – or rather, cheating – at cards and robbing the patrons blind. At this point, only unsuspecting travelers would play with him. The regulars merely smiled behind their tankards and watched the show without comment, as one or two over the years had ended in spectacular fashion.

  Two summers ago, in fact, he’d worked for the innkeeper an entire month to pay off the damages from one such incident.

  Enari had spent many an afternoon enjoying the sight of him stripped to the waist and sweating as he worked in the stables. In return, he had enjoyed the sight of her naked and flushed in the hay loft.

  Tears stung her eyes at the memory of the easy intimacy they’d enjoyed that summer, and countless times before and since. Dashing her sleeve across her eyes to remove the tears before they froze, she turned her back on the view of the village. She began to walk, head down against the wind and hands tucked into her sleeves for warmth.

  In spite of her heavy robes and brisk pace, the chill soon numbed her face and seeped into her boots to gnaw her toes. Finding a place where the parapet provided a measure of shelter, she slumped to the ground.

  When her physical movement – and the distraction it provided – ceased, the internal storm broke at last.

  Of all the emotions raging through her, betrayal was the strongest.

  Jex was the finest friend she’d ever had…and so much more. They’d met when she was eighteen and despite his being nearly seven years her senior, it had been love at first sight for her. She knew how cliché that sounded – like something from one of those ridiculous novels court ladies seemed to favor – but it was true. Headstrong, more than a touch conceited, and in possession of a mouth that should have gotten him killed long ago, still she couldn’t imagine life without him. Their connection had been instantaneous and over the following years, they’d grown to know one another inside and out.

  If anyone had asked her before today, she’d have sworn he didn’t keep secrets from her. But when she’d written to him and asked if he’d stand as her Chosen since Vasi was ineligible, he’d agreed without hesitation. Even though he’d known what the Ascension entailed, he’d remained silent. That had been three months ago; plenty of time to back out, or at least let her know what to expect.

  The bitter feelings tore at her, and it was worse than the physical discomfort of her time with The Dweller. How could they ever move beyond this…this breach of everything they were? How could she ever again offer her trust, let alone her heart, knowing he was capable of such duplicity?

  Not for the first time, she found herself wishing she were back at the Cyrilan Temple, sheltered by the kvinnas and their quiet simplicity. She’d spent the first eighteen years of her life in that secluded place, all the while longing for the experiences and freedom she thought the world would offer. Tonight, she longed for those years of naiveté, for the time when she was unaware how much another person could hurt her.

  He’d accepted her request with the full understanding of what would be done to her – no, what he would do to her – and agreed to do it, had done it, without hesitation.

  He’d known and it hurt. She hurt.

  It took a long time for the tears to stop, and she knew her eyes would still be swollen in the morning, but she didn’t have the energy to care. Wiping her nose on her sleeve, she took a shaky breath and leaned her head back against the stone. The cold wasn’t so biting now, and that realization worried part of her drowsy mind, but she was so tired it didn’t matter.

  Ignoring the warning of her instincts and better judgement, she closed her eyes and let her mind wander back to that morning. Everything in her world had still been right-side-up then.

  Chapter Three

  “The cold is unbearable! I miss home more with every passing winter storm, but the others assure me it won’t last. I’m beginning to think them liars. How they can stand to leave their beds or the minimal warmth of their rooms baffles me. If it weren’t for Eryk, I’d flee this place at the earliest opportunity! But for him…for this wonderful, aching, beautiful thing that is growing between us, I will stay.”

  –from the journal of Tanith Hithaerien

  “Consorts preserve, do you have a death wish?”

  The harsh demand ripped her from a hazy, pleasant dream of soft kisses and a warm embrace.

  With a groan, Enari blinked, opened her eyes, and bits of frost flaked from her lashes. Her entire body was stiff and when she tried to straighten her legs, they didn’t respond. She realized with alarm, that she couldn’t feel her fingers or toes.

  How long had she been asleep?

  Still muttering curses under his breath, Jex yanked off his cloak. He knelt and bundled her into the fur-lined warmth.

  She protested when he lifted her into his arms and he snapped at her to shut it. Then they were moving, his long stride eating up the distance back to the exterior door.

  He carried her all the way to her room, setting her down just long enough to rifle through her pockets for her key. After a few seconds of swearing at the stiff lock, he got the door open and herded her into the room ahead of him.

  She found herself suddenly awash in warmth and the soft glow of firelight. Her bed called to her, but when she tried to take a step towards it, she discovered inanimate blocks of ice had replaced her legs while she slept. She’d have fallen on her face if Jex’s arm hadn’t snaked around her waist.

  Guiding her to the hearth, he began stripping her clothes from her frozen body and she lacked the strength to stop him. In half a moment, she was naked and starting to shiver in earnest as hot and cold chased one another in waves through her bones.

  “This might hurt a bit, but you’ve only yourself to blame,” he said, rolling up his sleeves and lifting her again.

  Only when he turned his back on the hearth did she notice the tub of steaming water standing in front of the fire.

  Not just a basin, or even one of the hip baths she’d made do with once or twice out of desperation, but an actual tub filled with actual hot water. Scented oil dappled the surface and filled her room with the delicate perfume of summer violets.

  Jex must have done this hours ago, as a way of trying to make amends and she couldn’t deny a brief flicker of gratitude. Being warm and clean had always been nigh-on necessity for her.

  He
lowered her into the bath and as soon as the hot water touched her, she whimpered. Her skin burned and prickled, though she knew it was simply her body’s reaction to the extreme temperature change. It would pass, but for the first moments it was agony. A few tears escaped her closed eyelids and Jex’s thumb brushed them away.

  She turned her face aside, embarrassed, but he turned it back.

  “What were you thinking, Nani?” His voice had lost some of its edge, and now he sounded anxious. “If I hadn’t known that you liked to walk… You would have died out there.”

  She was aware of what could have happened if she’d stayed outside much longer, and she cursed herself for being so careless. He’d saved her life and that thought stole a little of her bitterness. She’d thank him properly…after she throttled him for almost killing her that morning. He deserved worse, but she was finding it more and more difficult to maintain the appropriate level of wrath as the heat soaked into her.

  Jex settled on the floor beside the tub, folding his arms on the edge and resting his chin on them. He studied her, but didn’t say anything.

  A strand of raven hair caressed his cheek and she ruthlessly squelched the urge to brush it back. Instead, she pulled her knees up to her chest, hiding her body from his view. It was a petty insult – he’d seen all of her there was to see, on many occasions – but she couldn’t help it.

  He fought a smile at her petulance; it wasn’t nearly as affecting as she likely intended. After a lengthy silence, he shook his head and sighed. “I know you’re angry and you feel I betrayed your trust.”

  “Did you not?” she demanded, “You drowned me!”

  “Do you think it was easy? That I enjoyed it?” A little scorn colored his tone. “And you didn’t drown, did you?”

  “No thanks to you!”

  “In complete thanks to me!” he snapped.

  “Just go away and leave me alone!”

  It was a useless demand and they both knew he wouldn’t leave until he’d had his say, but she was so close to the ragged end of her patience.