The Shadows That Burn (Daughter of Fire #2)

Ch.14: Into The Fire

The palace of Imarnia was a clouded swirl of darkness. It was so intensely black that I could barely see any of the structures or the looming towers as if they were swallowed whole. However, the rest of the kingdom was a patch of fire and smoke from where I could see. Lucius had brought us atop a hill overlooking the town's borders, and what my eyes had witnessed almost knocked the balance off my legs. The city that was once bright with pixie lights as if they were tiny specks of diamonds now had a trail of destruction wherever I looked. The tall, silver iron gates were nothing but dented and broken slaps of metal on the ground, and behind it lay the havoc wrecked upon the once sophisticated town.

My eyes stung with tears I couldn't afford to shed at the moment -or rather, I wouldn't allow myself to. This was a place I almost considered home, and now I don't know what remained of it.

"This spot will allow us to assess the situation better," announced Lucius as he perched one arm on a trunk of a sloped tree that almost dangled from the edge. Jade-green eyes stared at the ruin befalling before him, and he cursed, slamming his fist. "I can't believe the city fell so quick!"

"Well, they didn't know they were going to be attacked by their own king," I said, noting his clenched teeth and the unfiltered anger within his face. "Courtesy of Agatha, of course."

I wonder just how much destruction could have been avoided if Agatha had the decency to inform the kingdoms about the gravity of our situation. As Lysa said, the people could have been evacuated much earlier. Defenses could have been amplified, and maybe Lis wouldn't have been held captive by her brother.

I never allowed myself to think of what possible horrors Lis must have been through by now.

Lucius tightened his pressed lips but did not say anything else. I heard shuffling from my right, followed by a frustrated growl. Elsie was still struggling with fastening the leather bands around her arms.

"I hate this!" she complained.

"It's not that difficult." I went to assist her, strapping the two small buckles. She grumbled but allowed me to help her with the other one. "See, all done!"

"This armor is shit." She attempted to stretch her arms, and the leather creaked as she pulled. "I can barely move! And everything is so tight. Plus, it's ugly."

She wasn't wrong about that. The dark brown piece of fabric was nothing more than an unflattering drab. It wasn't even that practical or comfortable -like Elsie said, everything was too constricting, from the square-shaped bodice, the grey undershirt, to the tightly fitted pants that made running an almost impossible feat. But it was the only thing offered to us by the Congress, and it's not like we were ranked wizards who had their battle gear specially made by skilled armorers.

"Quit complaining. It will make do."

"Oh?" She raised a thin grey-white eyebrow. "Remind me again, how many did you burn on your missions?"

I ignored her incriminating smirk. It wasn't my fault that the damn piece of clothing nearly burned off every time I used my magic. I think I lost count of how many times I had to replace it over the course of these three months.

"If you two are done talking about fashion," Cleo quipped, rolling her eyes. "We have a kingdom to save."

Even before teleporting here, she looked absolutely appalled at Agatha pairing her with us. She might have preferred going with Gerard's party since they're more likely to ignore her than talk back.

Elsie snorted, "You're one to talk. You look like a goddamn bird."

She eyed Cleo's armor -or what I believed to be armor hidden beneath blue and white feathers. It looked ridiculous, but I supposed it helped with her magic.