Page 40 of Heiress of Fire

Surely, her parents were gifted to her for a reason, right?

Her thoughts were interrupted when she noticed the dirt beneath her boots became glittery and shiny. They’d arrived at the Forest of Mistral, where Beacon said he felt a calling to search for his armor.

Abigail believed it would be best for the team to learn how to fight in the middle of the strong winds of the Forest while Beacon began his quest. She claimed that they had to be prepared for everything and anything, that Raven could attack them in the winds of Mistral, the snowstorms of Neptulus, the deserts of Auris, or the calm valleys of Basalt.

Standing near the entrance, by a glittery line of ash, they watched the pine trees and bushes bend with force. From the outside, where the Island Protectors stood, no strong winds reached them. Currents swirled in a gray hue as the leaves danced at their will.

Passing the borderline of the woods, inside the windy Forest, the daylight was suffocated by the heavy clouds above the pine trees, leaving the Forest with a gloomy ambiance.

“Go.”

“Now?” Caleb stuttered.

“Yes,” Abigail answered.

“But the winds. They’re so strong. How will—”

“If you can’t train despite some harsh winds, how will you ever overcome Raven?” Abigail raised her voice.

Caleb had widened eyes. Davina patted Caleb’s shoulder with a small smile.

“We’ll survive, Caleb.” Davina couldn’t help but chuckle.

“It’s not funny.” He rolled his eyes before pushing her hand off his shoulder.

“You are embarrassing the Dunbar name, stop it,” Leilani muttered.

“What if I’m deaf by the end of the day? Are you going to heal my shattered eardrums, Lani?” Caleb questioned sharply.

“Me, Ron, and Bane used to come play in this very Forest when we were children and our ears are perfectly fine, Caleb,” Beacon exclaimed.

“You Mistrans have superhuman genes,” Caleb argued.

“We all have superhuman genes, Caleb, now stop yapping and stand in line,” Snow snapped.

Caleb huffed before stomping into place beside Leilani and Cara.

“Go in, Soldiers,” Master Abigail ordered.

As soon as they stepped past the dirt line that made a division between them and the Forest, they were pushed to the leafy ground against their will. Everyone except Ron and Beacon, they remained upright as if the currents were a fresh breeze passing between them.

Davina had fallen into the mixture of dark foliage beneath her, branches scraping her forearms and ripping her sleeves. The wind clouded her ears completely, fogging up any audible ability she had before. Her ears were so clogged that she hadn’t realized Beacon walked past her.

Davina turned to the others, observing the way they fought to push themselves to their feet. Ron was swift to rush to her side, reaching for her hands to help lift her up.

“Thanks,” she said through the loud currents that swirled between them. He curt a nod before glancing behind her.

The look on his face let her know how much he wished to not be there like he didn’t want to participate in anything that had to do with the war.

She turned to find Beacon standing still by the edge of a cliff. Nothing but darkness lay below the precipice where Beacon stood. His stillness startled her core. He took one step and he disappeared into the abyss of the earth.

“Beacon!” Ron yelled. She had never heard him yell so violently before.

“No!” Davina screeched as she freed herself from Ron’s grasp but fell immediately into the mixture of leaves and branches again.

Ron jumped over her and ran to the edge of the cliff. She stood up and stumbled against the air, hair strands flying everywhere as she pushed forward.

Her muscles strained while she took each step with much effort. Davina reached for Ron’s shoulder as he stared at the darkness below.

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