Fantasy of Fire (The Tainted Accords #3)(4)

He might as well know the rest. I need to be completely transparent on this issue.

“There is no way I can think of to undo the damage. Even if the Bruma cannot find you now, they will attempt to mimic the Soar. Likely, some have already realized the Great Stairway is where you’ve remained unseen. Eventually they will find the Ire.”

Adox explodes upwards in a movement too powerful for his old frame. Fear helps him, I think. I’ve experienced the sensation often enough myself.

His limping pace halts after several minutes and I watch as he struggles to regain his calm.

“I think I could feel it,” he whispers. He places a trembling hand over his heart. “I blamed it on the Solati’s presence.” The wearied leader faces me, hands behind his back. “Jimmy has ruined us. I should have taken that Soar off him years ago.” The quiet words bounce off the cliff faces surrounding the fire pit. I hope Jimmy isn’t lingering nearby, listening. “This is my fault,” he whispers.

“Jimmy did so at my request,” I confess. “I asked him some time ago to tell me if he saw something unusual on the pathway. I didn’t anticipate he’d take my request to heart.” The words sound feeble; a weak excuse.

The growing morning light catches the tears in Adox’s eyes. His sadness is unbearable. There’s nothing worse than seeing an old man cry. “Do you realize what you have done?” he asks.

I blink several times to clear my own eyes. “Jimmy might have just saved hundreds of lives,” I remind him. They’re the wrong words to have uttered.

The leader’s face twists. “What do we care for the lives of Brumas and Solatis? What happens to us? There is nowhere left for us now. Everything my father worked for, thrown away with the foolish choice of a seven-year-old and the king’s conniving spy,” he says in a withering tone.

His defeat is heartbreaking. But I firm my resolve. The longer he has to dwell on my news, the more he will set against us. “Adox, I have a plan. One which will not expose the Ire to the Solati, but it will save many lives,” I say.

“I think the Ire has done enough for you,” he says. “If I’d known you were close to the king, I would’ve barred you from leaving.”

It’s lucky he doesn’t know I’m the Tatuma, then.

“You hold the fate of many in your grasp. Will you not listen to reason? So many will die. Don’t you care?” I ask, abandoning subtlety.

“When did Glacium or Osolis ever care about us?” he whispers furiously. I jump at the angry sound coming from the even-tempered man. “There has never been true peace! You’re too busy pretending to tolerate each other to help your own people. It was only a matter of time until one of you killed the other off.”

People are landing on Adox’s Island now, woken by the light and drawn to the argument. I have to remind myself that the army’s scouts will be unable to sight the Ire folk so high above the pathway they navigate, but sound travels far. The people know this and talk softly, frowns on their faces. There is no dancing and laughing. The Ire is far more subdued than I remember.

The leader’s reaction is much worse than I expected it to be. The news has crushed him and he won’t listen to reason. Or maybe he does hold a real grudge against the two worlds I’ve come from. I have to hope that’s not the case. That he can see past his own emotion.

“Adox, you have learned many things tonight. I know I’ve failed you and the Ire. But please don’t let this cloud your judgment. Glacium and Osolis haven’t treated you kindly in the past and I can’t change that. I didn’t even do that. Whether you accept it or not, the Bruma are now aware of the Ire’s existence. The Ire is hovering on the precipice of discovery. If you do not align with Glacium, Osolis will obliterate everything you’ve built. Maybe not today, maybe not next week, but one day you’ll wake to find soldiers outside your tent. Don’t burn this bridge,” I plead to him. “You can’t be certain when you’ll need it. And I can’t be certain if my king will offer you sanctuary again. Safety, Adox. For your people.”

I might as well have stayed silent. My words bounce off his anger.

“Are you threatening me?” he hisses. I take in the curious people crowding around us. They didn’t hear his words, but our body language gives us away. Several of the men are wondering if they should intervene.

I sigh in defeat. “No, Adox. Believe it or not, I’m trying to help you. I can see now is not the right time. I’m sorrier than you know for what has happened.” I dip my head and walk to my Soar.

“The answer will always be no,” he says.

I smile sadly over my shoulder. “Always is a very long time.”





Chapter Two


There’s no way I’m leaving. Adox will be furious to learn I haven’t. But he has to see reason! So many lives depend on it.

I won’t return to Glacium until he agrees to my plan, or until I’m forced to leave.

I fly to Isha’s rock. The welcoming hugs from Crystal’s parents, Isha and Cris, nearly bring me to tears after my sleepless night. They’ve yet to hear of my argument with their leader. As we prepare for breakfast, I warn them they might catch wind of the heated discussion from others during the day. I don’t give them any particulars because I don’t know how much Adox will tell the Ire. Out of respect, I leave it to him to decide what he wants to impart. I understand more about being the figurehead of a people than he’ll ever know.