Page 12 of War Of Fire and Fortune
"Get up," he commanded, and I shoved the covers aside.
"Father?" I blinked rapidly, trying to chase away the remnants of the dream that clouded my vision. "What are you doing?"
His silhouette loomed over me. He’d always been a figure of authority, his stature demanding obedience without question, but this early intrusion was unusual, even for him. He’d never been interested in me or Rhet until I’d had the meeting with the soothsayer yesterday. Ever since then, he had been around me constantly.
"Up, now," was all he offered by way of explanation, his voice a low growl that left no space for arguing.
I obeyed.
"Okay," I murmured, pulling on the tunic he had thrown at me, its fabric rough against my skin. I hurriedly dressed.
"Your training is not a matter to be questioned, Kade," he finally said.
"Training for what?" I asked as I trudged behind him as we left my room. I shuffled through the dim corridors of the palace, my feet dragging against the floor. My father's towering figure walked beside me. I had a bad feeling, and I’d learned, even at the young age of nine, that my bad feelings when it came to my father were always right.
"Your mastery of fire is beyond your years," he began, his voice echoing off the halls, as everyone else was still asleep. "But, we must wake up the rest of your abilities, sooner rather than later."
"Father, I don’t understand. You took the crown and you have Ember. What is the rush?" I murmured. I kept my eyes fixed on the floor, avoiding the intensity that I knew burned in his. We reached the end of the hallway, stepping out into the open courtyard, where the sky was just beginning to hint at dawn's approach.
"Kade," he said sharply, turning to face me. "Your role as the Peacebringer is crucial. Do not underestimate the importance of your presence by my side. Once your powers have awoken, we will not only have Ember. We will take the world."
I nodded slowly, a response of obedience rather than agreement. There was no use arguing. My father's plans were immovable once he had his mind fixed on something.
"We will be unstoppable," he declared. His words slithered through me. Even at my young age, I didn’t want any part in this. I'd seen the things my father had done to my mother over the years. And then what he’d done to our family—my grandfather, grandmother, my uncle. He’d taken Ember for himself mere months ago by killing them. What more could he possibly gain by taking the rest of the world too?
"Father, to what end?" I dared to ask, my voice steady despite the growing knot of apprehension in my chest.
"Power is everything, Kade. And who better to share it with than my son?" He forced a smile, but I knew it was a lie.My father shared nothing. I would be his weapon and nothing more. I nodded again, and then his arms lit with flames and he attacked me. My training had begun, and I wasn’t sure I’d survive it.
Eight years later
I felt the heat before I saw the flame, a rush of blistering air slicing across my cheekbone as I jerked my head to the side. I tasted blood, but at least it meant I was still awake. My knees buckled as I crashed against the stones. I pressed my palms to the floor, desperately trying to find the will to shove myself up.
This was for her, to keep her safe.
I reminded myself of my purpose every time I felt my resolve weakening.
My father watched from the far end of the practice ring, arms folded over his chest with a look of disappointment painted over his features. I hated the way his shadow cut across the torches. If I was being honest with myself, I hated everything about this man. Smoke curled from his fingertips as his arms loosened at his sides. “Get up. Again.”
I stood. My calves screamed, muscles twitching, but I didn’t hesitate. I’d endure. I gathered the last scraps of breath left in my lungs, counted to three, and raised my fists, my flames lighting across my knuckles.
He advanced. Step, pause, step—every movement deliberate. He preferred precision: knuckles into collarbone, heel into ribcage, palm splayed against the side of my skull to rattle the vision from my eyes. He circled, predatory. I tried to follow with my own feet, but exhaustion tangled them.
“Pathetic.” His eyes were the only warm thing about him, the only thing I shared with him. The rest of him had been carved from something colder than hate. “You were supposed to be the chosen one. Instead, I get a boy who can’t even block his father’s punch.”
He feinted, and I caught the blur of movement too late. His fist connected with my sternum. Fire exploded inside my chest. I staggered back, winded, clutching my breastbone.
I heard the words before I saw the next attack. “Years. Years, Kade, and you haven’t shown a single sign of being more than ordinary. Maybe I’ve been too easy on you.” He spat the words like they were poison.
He lifted his hand and the room filled with light. For one breathless second, a sun burned in his palm. It grew, wild and red, folding in on itself with a deep, hungry whine. The torches dimmed by comparison. Sweat ran down my spine; my shirt was already soaked through, clinging to my blistered skin.
He hurled the orb, and there was no dodging it.
I screamed as the reek of burnt hair and flesh rose in oily waves around my face. Biting down on my tongue, I fought through the pain.
I braced for the next attack, but the sound that split the quiet wasn’t what I was expecting. It was my mother’s voice, shrill and shaking with something past rage.
“Valos! Enough!” She swept into the room. Shoved past my father—no one shoved past my father, especially not my mother, but she did—she came straight to me. He glared at her, eyes sparking, but she didn’t flinch. Her hands were already on mycheeks, forcing my head up, scanning the damage on my chest and down my arm. Her fingers trembled, but the pain was too much. I wanted to tell her I would be okay, but everything was hurting so badly. I fell to the ground, unable to hold my weight any longer.
