Page 107 of The King's Weapon

Her gift had gotten stronger from the continuous practice Esmeray had put Kallie through the past couple of weeks. It stirred in her body, a continuous flow underneath her skin, not having weakened in the slightest from its earlier uses. And it set her blood ablaze.

Using her gift stirred up an intoxicating feeling inside of her. With a deep breath, she stifled the feeling that was beginning to slither its way into her mind. She needed a clear head so she could leave the castle and find those who had started the fire.

Only she could stop this. Only she could prevent people from getting hurt.

Because as much as she hated to admit it, she had begun to care for these people—her brothers, Dani, her mother, and even Graeson despite the confusing thoughts about him.

Slinking her way down the hall to avoid any unwanted attention in case the staff still wandered the halls, Kallie made her way to Esmeray's study.

Reaching the door, she cracked it open. Darkness greeted her on the other side. She slithered her way through, shutting the door behind her quietly, the latch clicking into place.

The room was dark, but Kallie had spent plenty of time here so she knew the layout of the room well. She maneuvered around the sitting area where she had sat with everyone as her mother had told her the truth behind the divided kingdoms, where she had spent weeks training nonstop. She headed toward the desk where her mother had brought her down to her knees shaking as she showed her the truth behind that fire that haunted her dreams. Behind the queen's desk, the curtains were drawn closed, shielding the room from the moon’s light.

Kallie drew back the golden velvet curtains and light spilled into the room, casting a spotlight on the bookshelves lining the wall. Following it, she spotted a small painting on top of a stack of books. She needed to keep moving, yet she found herself walking toward the painting nevertheless.

Encased in a golden frame, the painting was no bigger than the size of her palm. Five figures had been painted in an ovular shape atop a white background. A simple family portrait. Nothing extraordinary, yet none covered the palace walls in Ardentol.

She instantly recognized Esmeray's feminine face and signature pulled-back hair. But the smile the queen wore was different from the one Kallie was now familiar with. This one was light, hopeful. Beyond doubt, her mother was beautiful. And remained so.

Kallie’s gaze then darted to the man who stood beside Esmeray. He towered over the queen. And Kallie knew by the dark chestnut hair that fell gently around his face that this was the face of her birth father. His jawline was firm and chiseled. His nose was Kallie's nose; his almond-shaped eyes, her eyes.

And in his arms, smushed together, were two identical twin boys. Terin hadn't adopted his short hair yet, and Kallie could barely tell him apart from Fynn. But Fynn's goofy smile that lit his face and Terin's soft, gentle gaze distinguished the two well enough for her.

At last, she turned to the final figure in the painting: a small baby bundled up in a blanket, a head full of dark hair popping out, who slept in Esmeray's arms. Kallie's lip twitched and she shook the painting from the frame, folding in the corners of the thick parchment carefully to not crack the paint. Then she slid it down the front of her tight corset. Setting the empty frame back on the stack of books, she returned to the window.

Her fingers ran along the edges of the window. Finding the latch at the bottom of the window, Kallie unlocked it. With a quick push, she thrust it open and flicked the cloak behind her as she stepped out with one foot, then the other. She threw the curtains closed before she shut the window behind her. Then she bounded down the hillside of the property where smoke continued to fill the sky.

As she approached the edge of the property, she squeezed her way through the gate and looked out toward the pier.

The fire had started due north of the pier. But between the time she had spotted it on the rooftop of the Cavern of Catius to now, the flames had crept toward the nearby houses. On the roof, she had barely been able to make out the houses. However, now she could see the clusters of houses that were illuminated by the flames, the fire having already overtaken the closest ones.

Her hands began to shake as the memory of that night seventeen years ago rose to the surface of her mind. She only hoped that no child below would have to experience the same nightmare.

Quickly clearing the thoughts from her head, she scanned the area. She recalled Dani mentioning that her units, along with a good portion of the military, were housed in the quarters south of the pier. At least they were not too far away to help those in need then. However, Kallie was too far to see if help had arrived in time. She didn't know where the villagers would run to seek refuge. And she could only pray to the gods that the people inside had plenty of time to spot the fire and evacuate.

She headed down the steep hill as she planned her next steps. She had one chance, one chance before more people unnecessarily suffered because of her actions. She didn't know where she should go or where the attackers would be stationed. But she had to keep going.

The muscles in her shins strained as she made the decline down the hill. She thought back to her training lessons with the king. To all of the times she had sat in the far corner of the king's meeting room while he and his advisors discussed safety procedures and possible ways to attack if the time arose. If the purpose of the attack was to rescue her, they would have assumed she would not be by the fire. For why would someone who was supposedly kidnapped run offtowarda fire?

An explosion shook the ground beneath her.

Her head swung back toward the palace as she pivoted, and Kallie lost her footing in the process. The ground beneath her became loose. Then her heel slipped, skidding over the dirt, and her knees hit the ground. Her palms followed, smacking down. She hissed as her skin rubbed against the grass and dirt. Her palms were sure to be red now.

Kallie lay there for a moment, then pushed herself up, using the strength in her legs to her advantage. A sharp pain surged in her ankle, and she hissed out a curse. She closed her eyes, scrunched her face, then took a deep breath.

The fire had been a distraction. After all of the strategy meetings she had sat on, she should have known. However, she must have zoned out during those conversations, distracted by her upcoming assignments. She should have listened to the men around the table more closely, she should not have gotten in her head. And now she was paying the price with a sprained ankle.

She grunted from the pain. And knowing that the incline would be nearly impossible to climb with it, Kallie began to crawl. The grass scratched her right knee, the fall ripping a hole in her trousers. She dug her nails into the dirt as she clawed her way up the hill. Dirt clogged beneath her nails, and the grass burned her knee. She hadn't realized how far she had descended the hill. She yelled at herself internally for being so foolish, for not having thought this through before she had ventured down the hill.

She should have known the attackers would have been heading for the castle.

Smacking her hand against the ground, she wanted to scream.

She should have been smarter, quicker. She should have beenbetter.

Never again would she let this happen.

Feeling the hill beginning to flatten, she pushed herself up, placing her weight on her left leg. She clenched her teeth together as she took her first step forward.

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