Flower of Light – Bonus Chapter – Touched by Fire
Flower of Light: The Eternal Stones 1 by Allison Wade.
The full book is available in ebook and print on Amazon.
Bonus Chapter – Touched by Fire
Month IV, day 3
The small lizard demon darted briskly among the dock workers of Sen’chang, a village on the western coast of the Star Kingdom.
The men didn’t seem to pay attention to it, perhaps because it was so swift they could barely see it slip past, or perhaps because they knew.
The creature entered a small dwelling, where a brazier burned in the middle of the common room, and a dark figure was stirring a pot. The firelight barely revealed his scrawny figure, a pale face, and long, black hair that hung loose around him, falling nearly to his waist.
“My Lordsss,” hissed the lizard demon.
The man raised his head, setting his light-gray eyes on it. “Speak,” he ordered curtly.
“We have newsss of three ssstrangersss coming from the Imperial Isssland.”
“What about them?” The warlock stopped stirring.
“Two with blond hair, a man and a woman, and another Gebar man. The blond man carriesss the Waterfall cressst.”
His grey eyes widened. “The Wardens Lothar told me about.”
The lizard nodded.
“Where are they now? How many men do they have?”
“They took the mountain road to Ssshikin. It’sss only the three of them.”
“Can you track them?”
“Of coursssse, My Lordsss.”
The warlock left his pot and strode to the door. “Damn it. Lothar just left and I gave the only amulet to Hazael. Such bad timing,” he muttered, then poked his head outside. He made a gesture to catch the attention of one of the workers. The man looked around, then approached and entered the dwelling.
“Set up a squad, right now,” the warlock ordered in an irritated tone. “We have two Wardens on the move without an escort. There’s a chance we can get to them and make our job easier.” His gaze darkened. “Listen carefully. The blond girl with the fire must reach the capital to get her stone. Do not harm her. The Knight of the Waterfall has healing powers, we don’t need him. Find a way to kill him without getting too close. Capture the Gebar – we don’t know who he is, and he needs to be questioned. Let the girl believe she’s escaping. Do not follow her. We know where she’s going, and we already have men taking care of that.”
“How do we kill the knight if he can heal?” The mercenary scratched his head.
“Take him by surprise. Weaken him, and then chop his head off. Rest assured he won’t be able to heal that.”
“Right,” the man giggled. “Where do we find them?”
“The lizard will guide you.”
The mercenary bowed. “At your command, My Lord.”
* * *
They found a stream flowing down from the northern mountains toward what the locals called the Ko River.
Jonathan and Kyra mounted the same horse, while Kris rode alongside on the country road.
“This seems a good place to stop,” said the Gebar. “There’s fresh water. The animals are thirsty, and we can let them graze for a while.”
“Agreed,” Jonathan replied. “And I’m starving. Good thing we grabbed some food at the port. What do you say, Kyra?” He leaned forward, talking next to her ear.
She blushed slightly and was about to answer, but her stomach gave a loud growl that spoke for her. “Yes, I’m very hungry too,” she chuckled.
They ventured into a wooded area, following the path upstream until they found a clearing where they could set up camp and start a fire.
Kris secured the horses with long ropes so they could graze without wandering off, and then the three of them sat down to eat by the fire. The day was warm and sunny, and the trees provided just enough shade for a pleasant rest.
“I could use a bath,” Kyra said, glancing at the stream.
“We’ll see if we can find a bathhouse in the next town,” Jonathan replied, prodding the fire with some dry twigs.
“A bathhouse?” she repeated, slightly puzzled.
“You know, a place where they have big tubs of hot water… Have you never seen one?”
She shook her head. “It’s a warm day; the stream will do just fine.” She started rummaging through her bag. “I think I have a piece of soap somewhere…”
“You want to bathe right here?” Jonathan raised both brows.
“What’s the matter? We still have time.”
“That’s not… very ladylike, you know, someone might see you.”
Kyra looked around at the trees. “There’s no one here.”
Jonathan exchanged a glance with Kris, who gave him a faint smirk. “What about the two of us?”
“What… Oh.” She paused. “Right. I’m not supposed to be naked in front of men,” she mumbled, as if reminding herself. “Well, I’ll just keep my underwear on, then.” She shrugged and proceeded to undress without concern.
Kris immediately averted his eyes. “I’m married, so I’ll just stand watch over there.”
Jonathan’s astonishment turned into a chuckle. He stood up too and began removing his armor.
The Gebar man gazed at him from the corner of his eye. “Are you joining her?”
“No. That would be inappropriate. But if she gets swept away by the current and I have to jump in to save her, I’d rather not be wearing all this metal.”
Kris laughed and grabbed his war bow. “Just try to keep your hands respectful when you rescue her.” Then he disappeared among the trees for his patrol.
Jonathan shook his head and set his breastplate neatly beside the rest of his gear, with the Silverhart sword lying close by. He stroked the Waterfall carving on the hilt and, for a moment, his eyes darkened. But then the sound of splashing caught his attention.
Kyra had pinned her braid on her head to keep her hair dry and fearlessly jumped into the stream, wearing only her short shift with thin shoulder straps and sheer fabric. Extremely sheer now that it was getting wet and clinging to her body.
The knight had to force himself to look away. He cleared his throat. “So… how old are you again?”
“I’m turning nineteen by the end of the year,” she replied carelessly. “What about you?”
“I’ll be twenty-one this month.”
“Really? When?”
“The fifteenth,” he replied, sitting down on a rock and drawing lines in the dirt with a stick to keep himself busy.
“It’s close!” came her cheerful voice. “Do you celebrate birthdays in the Waterfall Kingdom?”
“Not really… I mean, I don’t care that much about those things.”
“Yaf always made me honey cake and…” She stopped mid-sentence.
Jonathan turned toward her, instinctively. “Who’s Yaf?”
She dove into the water and averted her gaze. “My mother,” she replied in a shaky voice.
“You call your mother by her name?”
“Of course not, that would be silly.” She gave a nervous laugh.
Jonathan didn’t buy it. “Is your mother a Fay, by chance?”
She wavered, then swam toward the shore and emerged from the water. The knight caught a full view of her slender, toned body, the wet fabric sticking to her skin and turning transparent enough to reveal more than it should. He immediately looked away, his heart leaping into his throat.
“She is,” Kyra said faintly.
“Is that why you look so…” he mumbled.
“So… what?”
Jonathan ran a hand through his hair. “Pretty.”
She blinked, clearly taken aback, and stumbled a little on her words. “I… we… all the Wardens are somehow related to the Fays. Only those with the blood of Light can be gifted our powers.”
“I don’t think there are any Fays in my family,” he chuckled, then saw she was sitting near the fire, still half-undressed. “Can you please put something on?”
“I have to let the fabric dry or I’ll get all my clothes wet. And since I’m not supposed to bare myself…”
“All right,” he cut her off. “I’ll just… go see if Kris needs help.” The Waterfall Knight stood up, turned around.
And then came the first arrow.
He felt a sharp blow to the chest. He looked down and saw the shaft sticking out of his stomach. Then came a new whistling sound, immediately followed by a third.
Jonathan was hit again, this time in the left shoulder and in the middle of the chest. He staggered backward, an astonished expression on his face.
He heard Kyra scream his name.
A moment later, heavy footsteps came running up behind him. The knight fell backward but was caught by a pair of strong arms. Then he heard the deep voice of Kris. “Let’s take cover!”
The Gebar man dragged him deeper into the woods and laid him near a tree, then sprinted forward with his war bow in hand, responding to the incoming arrows.
Jonathan tasted blood in his mouth and saw Kyra’s figure entering his field of vision, her brows furrowed, her face filled with fear.
“You have to heal yourself, Jonathan!” she shrieked, her voice trembling.
He felt a sharp pain in his chest as she tore out the first arrow. He tried to focus, to summon his star, to regain control of his mind.
It’s nothing. You can fix this.
“I can’t…” he mumbled. “I can’t fully heal with these in…” He grabbed the arrow in his chest and applied force. He let out a cry as he snapped it, causing more damage. He coughed up blood. “They’re stuck… You have to cut… cut them out of me…” he said to the girl.
Kyra looked at him with a horrified expression. “I… I can’t…”
“Kyra,” Kris’s voice startled her. “They’re getting closer. You need to keep them away with the fire. I’ll take care of Jonathan.”
She nodded with a hint of relief and swiftly moved toward the trees, trying to figure out how to block the enemy’s path. She summoned the red star to set the bushes along the shore ablaze.
Kris knelt beside the knight. “Stay still,” he told him, unsheathing the knife at his side.
“I’m not going anywhere…” Jonathan tried to joke, his voice choked.
The Gebar handed him a twig. “You might want to bite on this.” Then he drove the blade into the knight’s flesh, carving out the arrow tips.
Jonathan’s body tensed, filled with intense pain. He bit hard on the wood, stifling a scream. A moment later, the white star shone on its own, and the healing Light spread through his body, easing the pain and closing his wounds.
He heaved deep breaths, sitting on the ground, his heart pounding in his chest. Then he looked up at his friend. “Thanks.”
Kris held out his hand and helped him back to his feet.
Kyra came running toward them. “Jon, you’re all right! Thank Heavens!” she cried and flung herself into his arms, catching him off guard and making him blush slightly, since she was still in her undergarments.
Meanwhile, Kris had moved forward to check the situation. “Kyra’s fire has slowed them down along the shore, but they’ll circle around and reach us soon. I can’t aim through the smoke.”
Jonathan hurried back to the camp and grabbed his sword and armor, then returned to hide among the trees. “Help me put this on,” he said to Kyra.
“What do you want to do? We should run away while we have the advantage,” she replied, but still helped him secure the straps of his breastplate.
“There’s no point in running. They will follow us and catch us when we’re out in the open. We have to face them. You stay here.” He sprinted through the trees toward the approaching enemies. “If you come any closer, she’ll burn the whole damn forest to the ground!” he yelled.
The running footsteps didn’t stop. “You’re outnumbered,” a male voice replied, with a Western accent. “Come out and we’ll let the girl go.”
Jonathan didn’t answer. He turned to Kris, who was following him closely. “Cover me,” he mouthed.
When the footsteps grew close, he leapt out and faced the enemies.
He spotted three right away, though more were likely hiding among the trees.
A whistling arrow with green and yellow fletching flew through the air and struck beneath one of the men’s shoulder straps – enough to keep him at bay and give Jonathan the time to engage the other two. He’d thank Kris later for that.
One of the men had a polearm – it looked like a spear with a curved blade at the end. The other carried a Western-style bastard sword.
The spear had a greater reach, so Jonathan moved toward the swordsman’s side, placing him between them.
The enemy took it as an invitation to attack and wasted no time slashing at the knight.
Jonathan dodged again, moving further away from the spear’s reach, and parried with his sword, pushing the enemy’s blade outward.
They stalled for a moment. Jonathan heard footsteps behind him. He couldn’t risk turning, so he just ducked and twisted his sword for an upward strike.
Another whistle and an arrow struck the man coming up behind him. At the same time, his opponent was taken by surprise, and the Waterfall knight slashed into his thigh, drawing blood.
But the spearman had already circled to his other side. He swung for Jonathan’s head, and a few strands of blond hair flew into the air. How sharp was that damn thing?
The knight rose, following the missed swing to find an opening, then blocked the shaft with his sword. He pushed it down into the dirt and planted a foot on the blade to hold it in place.
The enemy was now within reach. Jonathan didn’t hesitate and swung backward, slashing straight for the spearman’s neck.
The man’s dark eyes widened, then blood splattered from his open mouth. He dropped the spear, and Jonathan gave him a final shove to knock him down.
Then a vertical slash came from his right side – the swordsman with the wounded thigh.
Jonathan barely saw it coming. He jerked his head back, but the metal bit into his flesh, leaving a gash in his cheek. That’s what you get for not wearing a helmet, he thought as he stepped backward.
The enemy’s whole face was concealed by a hood, but Jonathan could see his pale eyes. Definitely not a Mejnin. “Why don’t you bleed out already?” he shouted, parrying another blow.
They exchanged quick strikes. “You’re the one who’s going to bleed out,” the man retorted.
Jonathan felt his own blood running down his chin from the slash on his face, but there was no time to focus and summon his star again. He had to push through.
More footsteps approached, out of his field of view. He also heard Kris shooting his arrows. There was a moment of hesitation, then the footsteps came closer.
The man in front of Jonathan didn’t falter, constantly circling and parrying his attacks. But he was tiring, while Jonathan remained fresh from healing himself earlier.
“Behind you!” shouted Kris, dropping his bow and sprinting toward him with his short sword drawn. He’d missed one.
Jonathan had only a few instants to decide what to do: turn around and lose sight of his opponent, or risk getting hit in the back. He still wore his chest piece, but the attacker would target his exposed limbs. A cut behind the knee would hurt like hell, and he cringed at the thought. Still, he could heal himself later, as long as he kept his head attached to his body.
His head, he realized. They would go for his head.
He dropped to one knee and swept his sword at ankle height. The man in front of him was caught off guard, lost his balance, and fell.
Jonathan spun around to see what was happening behind him. The new enemy was swinging a hatchet downward, clearly aiming to split his skull. The knight brought his sword up horizontally to block, bracing it with his other hand for strength. He felt the steel bite into his palm and saw the hatchet’s blade hovering just inches from his eyes. A drop of cold sweat ran down his temple.
A moment later, Kris barreled in with his full weight and tackled the enemy to the ground.
Jonathan scanned his surroundings, spotting the first man struggling to get back up – until Kyra’s voice suddenly rang out through the trees.
“Geyrah!” she shrieked, and the man burst into flames.
Jonathan stared at the burning enemy with an astonished expression, then moved his gaze to see the girl standing there, panting and terrified by her own power.
He sprang up and hurried over, pulling her away from the melee. But by now, only one man remained, and Kris was dealing with him.
The snap of a broken neck was barely audible. Then the warrior from Geb rose, scanning the area worriedly as he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.
“We have to get out of here,” Jonathan called to his attention. “Let’s fetch the horses.”
“This way,” Kris said, retrieving his weapons while the other two gathered the rest of their belongings.
“Jonathan, you’re bleeding,” Kyra murmured, her brows furrowed.
“I’ll take care of it in a moment. Don’t worry,” he replied with a faint smile. “Are you all right?”
She just nodded.
The white star glowed on the knight’s cheek, and his wound closed, leaving only a trace of dried blood on his face.
Then they found the horses and galloped away from there.
* * *
They kept riding swiftly, steering away from the main roads until they spotted a few scattered dwellings that signaled human presence.
They stopped in the shade of a grove, checking the surroundings to be sure they weren’t being followed. All seemed quiet.
Jonathan helped Kyra down from the horse. “You’re shivering. Maybe you should put your clothes back on… did you manage to get them?”
She nodded, her body still shaken, and quietly started dressing, while Jonathan turned his back and Kris kept scouting the area.
“You’re not hurt, right?” the knight asked.
“I’m fine,” she answered, though her voice cracked slightly. “You can turn around.”
When Jonathan looked back, she had slipped into her familiar hunting clothes. Her braid had fallen forward over her shoulder, and her hair was tousled. A smudge of soot stained her left cheek.
He stepped closer. “You’ve got something… here.” He reached out and wiped her face with his thumb, showing her the dark streak.
“Oh. Thanks.” She looked down and fell silent.
“You know we had to do that, right? Our lives were at stake.”
“I know. I… I had to kill lizards before, but this…”
“This was a person,” Jonathan finished for her. He placed both hands on her shoulders. “Kyra, look at me.”
She met his gaze.
“It was a person who wanted to harm us. You did the right thing. Your power helped us get away from a bad situation.” He smiled. “Now take a deep breath and don’t think about it. We need to focus on our mission. The Golden City is close.”
Footsteps announced Kris’s return. “It seems like nobody has followed us here. We should head to the village and report what happened to the local guard. Hopefully, they will take care of the rest.”
Jonathan nodded, then turned to Kyra. “Let’s go. Our journey’s not over yet.”
