Flames licked the wood, flickering with the cracks of embers bursting free. A face formed in the fire, smiling at first, before opening its mouth into a roar. Another face emerged from within the mouth before following the same routine. Kira's lips twitched as four more faces followed in the same pattern. She loved that she could sit openly in Addricks house, using her magic, and not fear someone walking in on her. The longer she found herself around the Wilders, the more comfortable she became. Despite the black of her pupils consuming her iris, she didn't need to keep her eyes closed to hide them. Life suddenly seemed complete, like she'd been missing a part of herself since birth and it had returned to her.
One hand twirled in the air, calling the flames to her. They spun together in a thin stream, their heat brushed against the tips of her fingers. Her other hand rose to hover above her fire hand. Fingers danced in rhythm when snow fell from her palm. The stream of fire turned to ice which fractured and splintered as a frosty spike stretched into the hearth. Her smiled widened at the sound of the shattering ice cracking from the heat.
"Must be nice."
The sound of Ry's voice caused Kira to jump, the magic releasing with the smashing of the ice against the hard surface of the floor. She glanced over her shoulder to see Ry leaning against the wooden couch. He grinned before jumping over the back and sliding in beside her. Kira swatted at the strands of his hair which hit her in the face. Her hand curled around some of the greasy strands and threw them back in his face.
"What must be nice?"
"Being able to use magic without worrying if the villagers will find out and turn you in to the guard."
Kira shrugged. "I found my people." She raised a hand to Ry's cheeks and rubbed her fingers through the beard. "You look better without it . . . and without the girl hair."
"Girl hair?" Ry gasped, grabbing a hand full of the black strands. "This is high quality horse hair woven by the Wilders magic. It'll grow like normal hair and—"
"Save me the traders pitch." She laughed. Kira slid off the couch onto the floor. Both hands waved back and forth. A square of wood appeared from within a puff of thin smoke. Black and white checkers alternated the surface. Ry joined her and grabbed the ivory carving of a horse Kira conjured. More pieces emerged from within the board's squares.
"Chess," he said, his gaze lifted from the horse to Kira's eyes. "You know, now that I've seen you and Addrick both conjure magic I wonder about something."
"What?" she asked as she lined up her black pieces along her side of the checkered board. Ry followed her lead with the matching ivory set across from her.
"Your eyes turn black when you do magic, but Addricks doesn't. Neither did the Wilder's eyes that cast a spell on Sabina and me. Why is that?"
"Maybe because they're able to use their magic more where I had to keep mine hidden and had to hold back." She shrugged. "I don't know. As Addrick keeps reminding me, I know nothing about magic except how to use it. And I suspect he doubts I even know how to use it."
Ry sighed. "I don't get you and him."
"Ry—"
"I'm not jealous. Really, I'm not."
Kira raised an eyebrow as she grabbed one of her pawns and slid it one space forward.
Ry laughed. "I love you. Always have and always will. When I proposed to you at the Coming of Age dance, yes, it was out of convenience for us both, but that doesn't change the fact the love is there. Sure, you're more of a sister to me. Hell, sometimes you're more of a sister than my actual sisters, but it's there. You know that isn't a word I say lightly. The problem lies with Addrick. He's a complete and total ass. Why him? Of all the guys that have ever noticed you, why him?"
"I don't understand it myself, Ry. You're right, he is an ass. He's arrogant, pompous, condescending, and every other word you can think of that means ass. Despite my physical attraction to him, I tried to ignore my feelings. Then I saw the real him. This front he puts up, the one where he acts like he's better than everyone, is just that. A front. Deep down, Addrick has a heart that was hurt when he lost his family. If you heard him talk about Alyssa, you'd understand."
"Alyssa?" Ry dropped his pawn. His hand hovered over the piece, his eyes lifted from the board to Kira.
"Yeah." Kira returned her gaze to the board, pondering her next move. "That's his sister's name."
"But she died?"
Kira shrugged. "That's what Addrick said. Are you going to straighten up your piece or are you giving me the free victory over the pawn? You know I'm going to beat you anyway, but if you want to hand it to me early then by all means."
Ry tilted the pawn upright. Kira made her next move and looked up at him with a smile. Her smile faded when she caught sight of his mouth hanging open. Wrinkles creased her brow.
"What?"
"When did she die? I mean, how old was she when she supposedly died?"
"Three," Addrick said.
Ry jumped and looked to see Addrick leaning against the staircase railing. Red hair appeared to shine in the fire lit room; his eyes were trained directly on Ry. With a grunt, he pushed off the stairs and stomped over to the couch. Long legs stretched outward, intentionally bumping into Ry, as Addrick took a seat and leaned back. Kira shook her head at him. There was plenty of space for him to stretch his legs to the side or even to sit closer to her, but he'd intentionally taken the spot closest to Ry.
"And you're sure she's dead?" Ry slid away from Addricks feet.
"What's it to ye?" Addricks voice rose to a near shout.
Ry raised his hands. "I don't mean any disrespect or wish to speak ill of the dead." His head tilted to look upstairs. Sabina was still sleeping in Addrick's parent's room; she had been for the entire night and most of the day. Kira was tempted to check in on them, make sure both were still breathing, but walking in on Ry in bed with a girl wasn't high on her list of exciting moments. She'd done it once on accident. She took almost a year to wash the sight from her mind.
"Then ye better get to the point. For Kira's sake I'm not throwing ye out right this second, but tread carefully human. Her care for ye will only get ye so far where talks of me family is concerned."
"When we were with that Wilder tribe their seer cut our hands and put our blood in some kind of pot before tying them together."
"She used blood magic? That's impossible," Addrick said. "Most Wilders from New Calandria shy away from that kind of magic, especially seers. They know the damage that much power can do."
"I don't know if it was blood magic or not. She cut—"
"If she used yer blood to cast a spell it's blood magic—"
"All right, fine. Its blood magic, the point is—"
"I can't believe ye were daft enough to merge yer blood with a—"
"Will you two stop arguing?" Kira sighed. "Let Ry get to the point before you start ripping his head from his shoulders. Seriously, whip them out and compare them right now so we can be done with this measuring contest."
Ry choked on his laugh, but Addrick raised an eyebrow. Kira smiled. He growled and waved a hand toward Ry before tucking it under his arm when he crossed them over his chest again. Kira turned her attention to Ry, watching him take a deep breath and scratch the back of his neck.
"We saw Sabina's past, at least a part of it. A Wilder named Dorthea bound her magic when the Queen kidnapped her. They dyed her hair, did everything they could to make her look like the real Princess and hide her true Wilder nature, but Sabina's real name." He took a deep breath and looked at Addrick. "Is Alyssa."
Addrick growled and jumped up from the couch. One foot knocked over the chest pieces in his rush toward Ry. He grabbed his tunic and lifted Ry to his feet. They seemed to move in fast forward, a blur of motion trailed behind Addrick when he jerked Ry to him, slamming him against the wall, cracking it. Fire burned around his hands, burning Ry's tunic and singing his skin. Kira leaped to her feet and tried to reach the boys, but Addrick released one hand from its grip and pointed it toward her. She flew backwards from an invisible shockwave and hit against the far wall.
Air rushed from her lungs. Pain rocked her spine as she rolled on her side and looked back to Addrick. One hand gripped Ry's neck, fingernails digging into his skin. Kira opened her mouth to shout at him, but she still remained breathless and her shout came out as squeaks. Her eyes moved to the sound of Sabina running down the stairs, Kira's sword in hand. She'd forgotten she left it in the master bedroom; she hadn't needed it since arriving to New Calandria.
"Put him down before I gut you," Sabina shouted. The tip of the blade pressed into Addricks back when she reached him. "I may have been raised a Princess, but you can bet I know how to use this."
Addricks upper lip quivered, a snarl rising in his throat. The sound was a cross between a human growl and a leopard roar. His eyes turned to their leopard yellow when his body whipped around to grab the sword with his free hand. Sabina shrieked when he pulled the sword from her hands and tossed it across the room. Blood spilled from the wound created by the sharp blade. It dripped against the floor, pooling in a puddle at his feet. The bloody hand reached for Sabina.
"Enough!" Myra's voice boomed through the room, stopping Addrick from grabbing the startled Princess. "I wiped yer bottom when ye were a babe, don't think I won't smack it now, Addrick. Put that lad down right now and calm yerself."
Addricks hand released from Ry's neck. He crumpled to the floor, gasping for air. Kira pushed herself to a stand and rushed to Ry's side. His body was heavy as she pulled him into her lap and turned her head to look at the elder Wilder. The women's grey hair hung around her shoulders in a rumpled mess. Strands glinted in the dancing fire light, shadows hugged wrinkles which seemed as though they'd deepened since Kira last saw her.
"What in the Gods name is going on in here? I could feel the magic all the way down at the seers circle!"
"Ry was telling Addrick about what he saw when a seer—"
"Used blood magic to create a lie," Addrick said with a snarl, interrupting Kira. "Rylanne is a fool for believing it so easily."
"Who is a bigger fool? The one who believes a lie, or one who assumes it to be a lie before the facts are known?" Myra asked.
"It's—"
"Enough, lad! Let Kira speak. I want to know the facts first before I pass judgment and since it appears ye have nearly crushed Rylannes throat, he can't speak for himself."
"Ry thinks Sabina is Addricks sister Alyssa," Kira said.
"What?" Sabina gasped, a hand rising to her mouth. Myra shuffled to her. Her wrinkled hands touched the Princess' face. She tilted Sabina's head to either side, squishing her cheeks. Kira couldn't tell what she was searching for. She nudged Ry off her lap to better see what Myra was doing. Sabina's eyes were locked on Myra. Myra released her grip and turned to the others.
"There's one way to settle this. Wilders are given a magic mark from their parents. It's a symbol of their family lineage and ability. Kira is the only one that I've met who doesn't have one and I suspect that is because she was given away at such a young age."
"How do you know I don't have one?"
"Because it would have shown with the marks Rodyn put on ye," Myra said. "In the case of Alyssa, her mark is a seven pointed sun with the silhouette of a bird at its center. It was placed when she was two months old on her right pelvis, right above where the thigh begins."
"I can save you the trouble, I have no such mark."
"Nay, ye can't say for certain. The mark is invisible unless called upon by magic. When a Wilder reaches age thirteen they are given the option of removing the mark and branding themselves with a new one. Many have it removed and choose to add a tattoo that better represents themselves."
Kira glanced at Addrick. "Your claw on your chest?" He nodded, his eyes never leaving the older seer.
"Aye. The sun is my family heritage and it remains on my thigh. Where Alyssa had a bird, I have a prowling leopard silhouette. Me sister could shift to a sparrow. When I came of age to choose, I felt the silhouette was hardly a representation of me beast."
Kira sighed. She wanted to stand and comfort him, but she was still angry for what he'd done to Ry. Instead she moved closer to her friend's side as Ry continued to hold his wounded neck. Red specks dotted where Addricks nails had cut. Flesh reddened and had bubbled, spreading down under the remnants of his burned tunic. Kira fisted her hands, biting on her tongue to keep from lunging at Addrick.
"Tell me, Kira," Myra said, "have ye ever used a spell to make objects appear and disappear?"
"I used to hide Ry's things all the time." She looked down at Ry. He leaned on all fours, coughing, still unable to catch his breath. Her fists pounded against her legs as she continued to resist her anger. Magic swirled through her veins. The vibration brimming at the surface. Her attention turned to Addrick, the dragon tattoo on his back seemed to mock her. If they'd been alone, she might have let her magic free, but she suspected Myra wouldn't allow it. In that moment, she regretted falling for Addrick, yet her heart didn't want to hurt him anymore than he'd already been broken by the death of his sister. His reaction to Ry's theory made no sense to her. Kira feared what he'd have done had Myra not walked in.
Myra faced Kira. "Take the Princess into another room and search for the mark. Press three fingers to her pelvis and call upon the magic you use when you want to make an invisible object re-appear. Draw three circles, counter clockwise, and wait ten seconds. Repeat five more times if the mark doesn't appear immediately. If at the end of the fifth set of three it has not appeared, it was never there to begin with."
"But Ry—"
"Will be unharmed. Addrick is a fool but he wouldn't dare defy me and the Princess will know if the lad is being harmed, won't ye, Sabina?"
She nodded. "Ever since that spell I've know his feelings and if something was wrong."
"I told ye! Blood magic!"
"Silence, Addrick. Ye're not allowed to speak until I say, don't make me use a silencing spell on ye." He snorted but remained silent. "It must be ye, Kira. If what Ry says is true, then Addrick must hear it from someone he trusts. There's no one in this room, aside from meself, whom Addrick trusts more. I have to keep him from harming yer friend, so ye must check for the mark. Go, lassie. It'll be all right. Addrick will heal him in the meantime."
Kira sighed. She grabbed the Princess' hand and dragged her up the stairs. The door to Addricks sister's room squeaked as she pushed it open, she assumed it hadn't been opened in years. Judging by the thick layers of dust covering the furniture, her assumption was confirmed. Spider webs curled from the wood awnings, drifting in the wind created by the opening door. To her, it seemed almost fitting to find out the truth in what was once Alyssa's room.
"This is ridiculous! I can't be his sister."
"Anymore ridiculous than you being a Wilder kidnapped by a mad queen?"
A wooden doll with wool for hair sat against a dust covered pillow on the bed. Kira picked it up and held it between both hands. She pictured Alyssa curled up in bed with the toy tucked to her chest. The paint had been worn with time, leaving behind chipped strips of color buried under dust. Kira sighed and turned back to Sabina.
"Let's get this over with. Drop the pants."
Sabina's mouth hung open.
"Trust me, I know how you feel. Nothing says how do you do like dropping your pants in front of a stranger."
"You and Ry have been friends a long time, haven't you?" Sabina's hands fumbled with the leather belt around her waist. The pants were too big even for her moderately plump frame. Kira wondered if she was supposed to look like a boy with the short hair and the clothes three sizes too big.
"Why do you ask that?"
"Because he asked me to strip in front of him before I got to know him too."
Kira laughed. "That has nothing to do with us knowing each other so long. Ry is . . ." Kira stopped to think about how to best explain Ry. She loved him, but he'd drop his pants at the blink of an eye if a girl was ready to bed him.
"Promiscuous?"
"Yes, that sounds about right." Kira knelt in front of Sabina. Her shirt hung around her waist, keeping most of her private area concealed. "Can you hold the shirt above the right thigh while I do this?"
The Princess sighed, but did as Kira requested. Kira swallowed and closed her eyes. Often she hid things in Ry's room to cause him irritation, but those were stationary objects. She'd never had a problem calling spells for them. But using her magic to bring out a mark, hidden itself by magic, was something different. Her thumb and pinky curled in toward her palm, leaving her three larger fingers together. They glided over Sabina's skin as Myra had instructed. All three fingers tingled from the magic flowing through them. It wasn't a spell she could see. There was no glow to her hand, or fire curling over flesh, to a naked eye she was simply a woman pressing her fingers to another.
After her fifth pass she stood up. Her breath slowed as she counted the seconds in her head. Sabina had closed her eyes, biting on her lower lip. Kira had felt her shaking, fighting off laughter, as if the touch was tickling her. She took a deep breath and tapped Alyssa's shoulder. One eye opened to look at her.
"Well?"
"Pull up your pants," Kira said. She exited the room and leaned over the railing. Ry stood behind Myra, one hand holding Kira's sword as he watched Addrick. Addrick had shifted his leopard form and paced in front. Sabina stepped beside Kira, gripping the rail.
Ry looked up. Kira couldn't be certain, but she thought his hand trembled at the same time as Sabina's did. Her eyes moved to Addrick. Yellow eyes looked up at her, teeth barred as his leopard roared. The sound was near deafening the way it carried through the open room. Kira took a deep breath.
"She has the mark," she said, her voice cracking. "Sabina has the same mark as Alyssa."