The Flames that Bind Us
Power of the Bond
GABRIEL
“You did, WHAT?!”
Gabriel was walking through his palace halls, Aero on his heels. His second-in-command couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“I told you,” Gabriel said. “I listened to my sister, saved the girl’s life, and brought her back to the palace. End of story.”
“You skipped the part where you used your shadow magic to bind her!”
Aero, like Gabriel, had a lined mark on his wrist that allowed him to teleport and to know when his King was using wizard’s magic.
“What can I say?” Gabriel said with a shrug. “She was being stubborn.”
Aero shook his head ruefully. “Sometimes, Gabriel, I swear, if you weren’t the King…”
Gabriel laughed heartily at this, slapping Aero on the back. “What, Aero? You think you’re more of a gentleman than me, is that it?”
“I’m only saying this: this girl is supposed to be your future protector, Gabriel. Maybe a little civility could go a long way.”
“Oh. I’m still not claiming her. I only brought her here as a favor to Lucius.”
Aero looked like his head was about to explode. Gabriel winked.
“Relax, Aero. Anger doesn’t suit you.”
Then, Gabriel threw open the doors to his throne room and stepped inside alone. Waiting for him, staring at the silver phoenix carved into the throne, was Lucius.
***
“The gift of Azareth,” Gabriel said, nodding. “I’ve always enjoyed that tale.”
“You think it a myth, Your Highness?” Lucius asked, giving a strange look at the phoenix carved into the throne.
“The Gods haven’t interfered in mortal affairs for centuries—if they ever did at all. Why any God would give a King, my ancestor, a phoenix as a gift? It’s never made any sense.”
Lucius turned, eyeing the proud king carefully. “There, Your Highness, is where you are mistaken—if you permit me to be so blunt.”
Normally, any man who contradicted the King would be thrown into a dungeon and left to rot. But Lucius was no normal man, and Gabriel respected his counsel.
Even if he was an old drunk.
He stepped over to a cabinet and pulled out the most expensive elven rum he had, pouring them two glasses. He handed one over to the old wizard, who considered it with a sniff and sigh.
“A waste on me. I can’t tell the difference between the cheapest and the best.”
“And yet, you can tell me I’m mistaken about stories of the Gods.”
“Yes.” Lucius nodded, taking a sip. “You see…you assume the gods make sense. That their motives, their actions…can be understood by minds as limited as ours.”
“You’re saying I’m too small for the majesty of their plans?” Gabriel asked with a scowl.
“Not at all, Your Highness,” Lucius corrected. “If anything, the fact they have chosen you as the king of prophecy…the one destined to find the savior of our kingdom…that should tell you everything.”
Gabriel shook his head, still irritated by this idea that somehow Lydia was the savior. He’d seen what she was capable of—or, more accurately, what she was not.
She couldn’t even fend off a werewolf. How was she supposed to protect the kingdom of Imarnia?
“You doubt her power?” Lucius asked.
“A few fireballs don’t make her a savior, Lucius,” Gabriel responded. “I don’t mean to insult your training, but…”
“She has a way to go, it’s true. But have you considered another reason her full power remains untapped?”
Gabriel knew exactly what Lucius was referring to. The power of the bond. But he wasn’t about to change his mind now.
A wishy-washy king was worse than the most monstrous ruler. Because changing one’s mind exposed weakness. And weakness led to coups and chaos.
“I know what you refer to, Lucius. But it’s too late for that. We’ve met. And we’ve both agreed. We are unfit to be together.”
In response, Lucius downed the entire glass at once.
“You realize that was three thousand rupees you just guzzled?” Gabriel asked, exasperated.
“I was there, Gabriel,” Lucius said, ignoring the comment and looking once again at the Phoenix Throne. “When Azareth bestowed the Phoenix upon your ancestor, I was there.”
Gabriel’s eyes widened in disbelief. He knew Lucius was old. But that old?!
“And I was there when Decimus blessed the bird with the purest white fire. The kind only Gods and their children, their Slifers, can conjure…”
“What are you saying, old man?”
Gabriel was growing tired of the Wizard’s puzzles. Part of him suspected a revelation was coming that would change everything. The kind of terrible truth he didn’t want to hear.
“It was that fire that saved the kingdom, Gabriel. The sacrifice of that king. And the disappearance of that Phoenix…that allowed for this future.”
“You mean…it’s happening again?” Gabriel asked, his face dawning with comprehension.
“Something is coming, Your Highness. An enemy that could mean the end of the world as we know it. And unless you have that fire by your side…unless you fulfill the wish of the Gods and claim Lydia…we may all be doomed.”
This time, it was Gabriel who finished his drink in one gulp.
LYDIA
“Lydia! Wake up!”
Lydia blinked, rubbing her eyes to see Lux’s big yellow eyes staring at her. The cat was curled up on her chest.
“What’s going on?” she asked with a yawn. “Where…?”
Lydia sat up to see she was lying in a four-poster bed with blue velvet curtains and silver embroidery. The bedroom was the largest, most magnificent room she’d ever slept in.
There was a large balcony looking out over a manicured garden, and birds could be heard chirping in the trees. To her left was the most decadent vanity she’d ever seen.
And then there was the beige dressing gown she was wearing. She’d never worn a gown in her life. How did this get here? Who put this on?
And then it all came rushing back. The thief. The werewolf. The King.
He’d taken her back to his palace and, exhausted, she had fallen asleep in his arms. His servants must have done the rest, Lydia assumed.
The idea he might have seen her naked while she was being changed…it made her blush and swell with inner heat.
Not right now, she told herself. You need to catch your bearings.
Lydia sat up slowly, petting Lux behind the ear. “Do you…remember everything?”
Lux nodded. “Most of it. We were really lucky the King showed up when he did.”
Lydia looked away, grumbling, “Whatever.”
But Lux wouldn’t let her escape that easy. “You know, I saw that…moment…between you two.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lydia answered too quickly.
Lux smiled. “Cats are more intuitive than you might think. Take it from an animal. You can only ignore your instincts so long.”
“What are you suggesting…?”
The cat licked its paw mischievously before sauntering off the bed. Lydia rolled her eyes. “Sometimes, I wish you didn’t talk so much, Lux.”
Just then, there was a knock at the door, and a sweet voice called, “Are you awake?”
Lydia called that she was, and then a beautiful young woman opened the door and stepped inside. She didn’t walk. She glided with a grace Lydia didn’t even know was possible.
She was tall, with skin the color of ivory, wide brown eyes, and short chestnut hair. She wore a long, sparkly platinum dress, which reflected the light cast through the windowpane.
Even though she was a lovely sight to behold, Lydia took an instinctive self-protective step back. The girl smiled.
“There’s no reason to be afraid, Lydia. I’m Lis. The King’s sister. I’m the one who healed your wounds.”
Lydia looked over at Lux, who was in the middle of bathing himself. He stopped to nod affirmatively. This wasn’t just some girl. This was the Princess of Imarnia.
Lydia bowed. “I…I owe you my gratitude, Your Highness. Thank you.”
“Anything I could do to help.” She placed a hand on Lydia’s shoulder, and something about the way she smiled made her feel like she was someone the princess had been searching for.
Lydia didn’t know how to respond, so she said nothing.
Just then, another voice interrupted their meeting. And it was much less sweet.
“Sister…”
King Gabriel entered the room, his stormy gray eyes set on his sister as she turned around to meet him.
“Brother, what are you doing here?”
He sighed, then turned to consider Lydia.
“Slifer, may I have a word with you in my study?”
Lydia didn’t want to go, but she knew, behind the request, was a thinly veiled command. Because of Lis’ kindness, she wouldn’t argue with him.
This time.
Smiling thin, she nodded. “Of course, Your Majesty.”
***
Lydia faced the King in a finely decorated study. Everywhere, there were books, portraits, and tapestries. A fireplace roared with sparkling light. The flames were a comfort to Lydia now.
Before Lydia could ask what they were doing here, he began.
“I summoned you here to offer you a deal, Slifer.”
This wasn’t what she expected. But she tried to remain impassive.
“What kind of deal?”
“You wish to be stronger, I understand.”
The King was right. She’d only been training every day for the past eighteen years to be an immortal wizard. But what was he getting at?
“I do not know how much Lucius told you,” the King continued, “but I am sure you are well aware that your body is supposed to belong to me?”
Lydia’s cheeks heated, but she nodded nevertheless.
“Well, you would know that in order for your magic to develop, I will have to bond with you—physically and mentally. When this is done, your true magic will be unleashed. And you will be the Slifer you always imagined yourself as.”
So, that was the reason her powers were so diminished… It was beginning to make sense. But Lydia wasn’t about to agree that easily.
“But I still don’t understand what you’re offering,” Lydia said. “I thought you didn’t want me?”
He leaned toward Lydia now, his piercing gray eyes locking with hers. She could feel her heart quickening and her face becoming hotter at the sudden closeness. He seemed to enjoy the way her body stiffened.
“Let me set one thing straight,” he said quietly. “I have no interest in you whatsoever. If you don’t want this, suit yourself; I do not care. You can stay a girl who throws fireballs around for the rest of your immortal life.”
His insults were starting to rattle Lydia. But she sensed he wasn’t done just yet.
“But if you agree… you will be following the command of the Gods and ensuring the safety of my kingdom. For that, I am willing to put my own interests aside. Understand?”
Lydia was speechless. There was a lump in her throat. Was this really the only way?
“You will be mine. To sleep with and throw aside as I see fit. Is that clear?”
It was the last thing in the world Lydia wanted. Even if her body begged to differ. But if it meant she would become her most powerful self, the Slifer she was destined to become, Lydia knew she had no choice.
She leaned close to him now, so they were only a hair’s breadth away. And then Lydia sealed her fate.
“…Deal.”
Continue to the next chapter of The Flames that Bind Us