Page 30 of King of Fire and Flames

“Yes. And did you hear me say it’s called the hidden blood orchid? I have no idea how to find the damn thing because it’s not meant to be found.”

“Has anyone in Taln seen it before?”

She sighed. “If I tell you everything that I know about it, will you promise to stop nagging me?”

“Yes, of course.”

“There’s an old story about a herb gatherer who stumbled on the creature who protects the orchid, a fire demon who takes the form of a snake. Apparently, the kitchen hand smelled decaying flesh just before it appeared.”

“What did the plant look like?”

“The fae didn’t hang around long enough to find out. He ran back to the palace like ten hell hounds were biting at his heels. But he did say the encounter happened in the darkest part of the forest, near wet, boggy ground, so perhaps the plant prefers those conditions. This morning, the kitchen was abuzz with tales of past quests to locate the orchid. The head cook, Lorana, swore her grandfather died on one such ill-fated mission.”

“How did he die?”

“The serpent fae appeared and tricked him into a bargain with fatal consequences. If you can outsmart the creature, Leaf, you stand a chance of returning with the plant.”

“Okay, but how do you know this happened if the cook’s grandfather died?”

“Good point. His brother went along for the adventure but ran off as soon as the bargain with the serpent fae was lost, leaving him to face a gruesome death alone.”

“What a coward,” I said, then heaved a sigh. “So in the forest, I should head away from the sun and listen out for water?”

Behind me, Esen adjusted her hold on the reins. “Sounds like a plan.”

“And a shit plan is better than none,” I said.

A deep layer of pine needles muffled our progress through the undergrowth, which was hindered by thick ferns and branches that scratched our limbs as we passed.

“Leaf, watch how Sable chooses her steps carefully. The terrain is dangerous, and she knows it.”

Smart horse.

I drew a breath to admonish her for calling me the annoying, prick-given name for possibly the third time this morning, but Esen shushed me with a hiss. “Listen! Can you hear that?”

Tuning in to my surroundings, the relative stillness told me there were no birds in this forest, only creatures of mud and earth, every one of them quiet. Underneath the thud of Sable’s steps and the whisper of warm air through leaves, I finally caught it—a soft crackle and pop in front of us and a little to the left.

“There it is,” I said, pointing toward the sound. “A fire hole.”

“That’s right. Whatever happens, don’t forget to listen out for that sound. I’m starting to hate Azarn more than I dislike you and Arrow. And maybe… maybe I’m beginning to wonder if I chose the wrong side.”

“You did. But, please, don’t include me in the Storm King’s camp, the lying asshole. I’m on my own side. The side of the oppressed and downtrodden. The girls’ team. And thank you for preferring me over Azarn.”

She laughed. “Try not to be too thankful. If you hadn’t notice, we fae tend to take advantage of gratitude.”

That was true. They always did.

A twisted tunnel of gnarled ironwood trees widened into a large clearing, and in its center, scrolled gates leading to a stone-walled amphitheater loomed. Through the gates, the entire Fire Court was gathered on the crumbling stone steps that formed tiered seating around the arena’s edges. Magical flames from large braziers and eerie light from luminescent mushrooms cast a green hue over the fae’s sharp features.

It was roughly an hour past midday, and as Esen had warned, it looked like twilight.

Sable’s steps echoed on stone as we rode into the arena, and the courtiers fell silent for a moment before resuming their raucous chatter.

Fireflies flitted through the crowd, tangling in the fae’s hair and clothing, but they were too busy drinking and gossiping to notice. The king and his family sat in the rear center of the arena dressed in black clothes with silver embellishments that flashed like tiny diamonds.

I scanned the crowd once, then twice more, but Arrowyn Ramiel was nowhere to be seen, which proved he was a coward. What was the point of handing me over to the Sun Realm if he didn’t watch them destroy me?

Unless his aim wasn’t to hurt me, after all.

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