Page 39 of Heiress of Fire

“Yes, you may commence today,” Abigail stated before walking back into the corridors, leaving the new Island Protectors outside of the throne room with unanswered questions about their new mission.

Cara’s first day was today. Now, she was an Island Protector with no training and no knowledge of her powers. “Crazy first day, huh?”

“Crazy indeed,” Cara agreed.

“At least we’re in this together.” Davina smiled before hugging Cara, one which the Basalan in pink was quick to return. It was then that Davina realized how much Cara must’ve needed this hug.

Hopefully, being chosen to be an Island Protector would keep Cara’s mind away from the grief.

Castellum kept a record of all those who died or disappeared during any kind of accident or ambush. Davina had made sure to find out the name of Cara’s deceased brother by checking the updated List of the Fallen.

Leif Montero was the name of her older brother. He was young and had taken the role of leadership in his father’s carpentry business after Cara and Leif’s parents had died in another ambush.

“I have to head out to the office in Basalt, do I come in tomorrow afternoon?”

“Yes, training will start at four. I’ll be here.” Davina nodded.

“Okay, see you tomorrow,” Cara said quickly before walking toward the opposite end of where Abigail had gone.

Davina hadn’t noticed that the others had left, other than Ron, who wore a crooked grin and began to walk beside her.

“So,” he began.

“So,” she said.

“The King chose us to be Protectors, and you’re the Captain,” Ron said as he rubbed his neck.

“He did.” Partly, she didn’t feel the desire to speak to him yet, only because she felt rather embarrassed and remorseful for being so hot-tempered with him when he clearly wanted her well-being.

Although they shared a few moments in the training room, she felt a bit awkward after her meltdown at the Archives yesterday. But it was also because she wasn’t used to having someone care for her the way he did. And she was scared. What if he charged her for all his good deeds just like her parents? What if she learned to care for him and he betrayed her? Used her? Hurt her?

She couldn’t allow more pain into her life, but the look of his brown and gray-flecked eyes made her wish for him to become a constant in her life. Davina didn’t even know where all these thoughts were coming from.

She felt too afraid to admit that she was beginning to care for him, and she loved how much he cared for her.

He hadn’t mentioned any kind of romantic feelings for her, but his gestures, his looks, and his smile said enough.

“We have no excuses not to go to war now, do we?” she asked rather sharply.

Davina mentally kicked herself for having blurted that out.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Was all he said as they walked out of Castellum.

TWELVE

Her eyes remained on the pebbles that she’d been kicking with her boots as she neared the damp soil of Mistral. Beacon wanted to be the first to find his armor and he wished for the other Protectors to be present as he searched for it.

Davina couldn’t help but think about her new duty as Captain of the Protectors. She’d have to be strategic and learn tactics that would bring victory, she had to become the head of the operation. Did she really have the intelligence needed to be the leader of the war? As Captain, she had the greatest responsibility of them all.

She was grateful to have been chosen, but she couldn’t help but disagree with the King’s choice. She was just a seventeen-year-old girl, a girl who had barely started learning to master her powers five months ago.

Nonetheless, Davina was determined to keep the promise she made to the kids the day they were born. And as much as she held complicated feelings for Mae and Nico, she had to protect them too.

Davina knew that she loved her mother, but she felt no joyous feeling whenever she was near Mae, only pain. Whenever she looked at Nico, Davina was grateful that he married Mae and gave her mother some sort of happiness but she could never forget all the torture he put her through.

Whenever she was home, she would avoid her parents and would speak only to the kids, mostly because every word that left Mae and Nico’s mouths triggered her to snap at them. They were doing it on purpose, though. She knew what they were doing to her mind. She thought about leaving and even considered using her fire against them, but she couldn’t imagine a world without them.

As much as she tried to fathom a purpose as to why she was given the parents that she had, she didn’t understand. She wished she didn’t have the parents that she had, and she felt horrible for having such a wish. But her parents felt like strangers.

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