Page 1 of Steeling Light
Chapter 1
The Great Houses are necessary to protect the Thrones and the Conduits. The Lesser Houses are no less important, for they will protect the hearts and souls of the inhabitants of Nyth.
~Sidon the Strong, A History of Magic and Dragons
Ainslee
I was not born to be a warrior. That would have made me part of the House of Steel, and everything would have been simpler. I was not born to lead. I’d have gone back to my own House rather than follow Cole Cyrus. I don’t know what I was born for. Maybe I was simply a mistake. My twin brother, Darian, and I were supposed to expand a Steel bloodline with the powers of Light.
Instead, our souls were drawn to my mother’s House, and that makes us worthless. We cannot wield the power of Steel as effectively as we should. We will never be as fast, strong, or capable on a battlefield as my father wanted us to become.
Instead, we became a burden to my mother. While we were pulled toward my mother’s powers, we both have struggled with Light. Or maybe it’s that we’ve struggled to care about that set of powers. What purpose does an illusion or enchanted puppet show have compared to the ability to become a gryphon or to wield a blade with more strength? No amount of power in our bloodlines can compensate for our lack of care for our House’s powers.
My mother did the best she could for us, and in the process, introduced us to the path of our future. When we were only six years old, she brought us to the House of Flames and introduced us to Cole Cyrus.
Sometimes I wonder if life would have been simpler if I’d never met Cole. I’d have grown up in the House of Light rather than as an eternal guest of the House of Flames. I might have been happier if I’d been pushed harder to learn to use my powers to entertain nobles like so many from the House of Light.
I could have lived my entire life away from Draenyth, away from Gethin and Casimir. My life would have been free of the pain and complications of the Thrones. No torture. No wars. No fear. Just beautiful dresses, dancing, and the occasional sharp whisper in hidden corners.
A chuckle slips from my lips as I think about it. But what would be the point of it all? Sure, things would be easier, but Darian and I would have led such boring lives. Parties and gossip and balls aren’t nearly as interesting as saving the world from tyranny.
I certainly wouldn’t be packing my clothes and preparing to hunt forA History of Magic and Dragonsand the sylph who holds it. Choosing what to eat for lunch would be the most important decision I’d make. Dresses and hairstyles would be my topics of conversation. I’d be vying for position and stabbing women in the back with words rather than blades.
I think I prefer the excitement and impact on the world over the safety of living a smaller life in Selithar, the minor Immortal city that holds the Keep of Light. The City of Moonlight may have been where I was born, but it was never where I felt at home. Draenyth and the Keep of Flames was where I was raised, where I became a woman, and where I found true friendship. It’s where I found my life and path.
Going back to Draenyth now, even with the looming threat of Gethin, brings a smile to my face. I have no idea how long I’ll be there or what I’ll be doing, but I’m excited nonetheless. It’s home, and after all this time away, it’s going to be wonderful just seeing familiar sights rather than Stormhaven.
I sling the rucksack over my shoulder and attach the straps that hold it tight across my waist, a necessity when flying with a pack. I walk out of my room, up the stairs to the closest balcony overlooking the city, and I embrace the power of Steel that runs in my blood.
My father may be the man I hate most in the world, even more than Gethin, but it’s his powers that I’ve become so well-acquainted with. While I’m not a part of the House of Steel, I’m far more skilled with its powers than Light. Darian and I have found so many more uses for it. Light couldn’t have saved all those people in Aerwyn.
It would… tell a story? Be ignored? Make pretty dresses prettier? Useless powers.
Pride fills me. I’m being sent on a mission by the Queen of Nyth. Me. All alone. Maeve trusts me to find her tutor and the most valuable book ever written. The familiar feeling ofpossibilitiesrolls through me, and I see myself with massive wings made for gliding high above the world.
Power ripples through me, and wings grow through the slits in the knee-length tunic specifically made for people with Steel powers. The sound of wings forming from flesh, blood, bone, and feathers is surprisingly soft compared to the sight of it. It’s a familiar sound, and I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost my Steel powers.
I grin as the wings spread outward from my back in both directions, far longer than my arms. The wind from three hundred feet above the city whips at me, calling me to it like a friend. I pause for a moment, though.
Something’s missing. No, not something.Someone. Darian.
It hits me like a boulder to my chest, pressing all the air from my lungs. I’m leaving, and I have no idea how long I’m going to be gone. In all the hurry to do as Maeve commanded, I’d somehow kept thoughts of our separation from my mind. Now it’s all hitting me at once.
We’re going to be parted for the first time. Over nine hundred years have passed, and not even a single time have we been away from each other for more than a day or two. Darian is my twin, and I don’t truly understand how to live my life without him.
He’s always been there for me, and I for him. My heart already aches thinking about the distance, about the fact that I won’t hear his voice or his laugh for weeks or maybe even months. The world is going to be so damned quiet without him beside me.
I turn to look at the door, expecting him to have convinced Maeve and Cole to let him come with me. He’s had time to process my orders, and it’s going to be just as hard on him as it is on me. Seconds pass, and he doesn’t walk through the door. The seconds turn into minutes, and I have to accept that he’s not coming. I’m going alone. For the first time in my life, I’m going to be all alone.
“I’ll be back,” I whisper. “Don’t get into any trouble. Do you hear me?”
As if the wind answers for him, I hear his voice in my mind.You’re the one who’s leaving. Stay safe, sister.
I nod to the nonexistent voice. And I leap.
Chapter 2
The strength of steel is not in its hardness, its ability to hold an edge, nor in its ability to draw power. Its true strength lies in its flexibility, in its ability to be forged into anything the heart desires. And that is the true strength of my House. We can become anything that is needed.
