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Ch. 9 Alive, not Dead
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Fire's Determination Ch. 10 Constant
"So, what's this meeting about?" A familiar voice asked and I turned to see Gil walking into the Council room. Apprehension rushed through me. How was he feeling about Wulfrud? How was I going to tell him about the alliance? How would he take it? He froze as he saw me, "You're up already? You used so much energy, Lyra. Are you sure you're ok to be here?" He asked, concern dripping from his voice. My mother had pushed the meeting back by a few hours while I slept, but after my father and I had found her, she had made sure to let me know exactly how displeased she was with how reckless I had been. How happy she was that I wasn't dead. And then, once again how angry she was that I wasn't still resting and recuperating after my ordeal. Once she was done ranting, we had come to the council room to wait for everyone else to arrive. I had avoided telling her or anyone else exactly how I had recovered so quickly. I didn't need my people looking at me like I was a monster. The Queen mage and
Fire's Determination Ch. 11 No Secrets
I could feel my mother preparing to jump in when finally, Triguni spoke up. "We've been waiting a long time for your birth. You'll accomplish much in your lifetime. As you've already shown, you understand the importance of calculated action rather than just relying on magic. Aeon would be proud of the woman you've become, Princess." She leaned back in her chair and resumed her silence. I swallowed back the lump that Triguni's words caused to form in my throat, my eyes once again flicking over to Aeon's empty seat. No one else said anything for a moment until Perrin, a little tentatively spoke up, "Yes, I see the appeal," the potioneer mused. "With those added supplies, we wouldn't have to keep stretching Kiell, Liza, Terra and Enid to their breaking points. The workload those four have been having to take on the last few months is beyond that which I thought they could even handle at first. But I do believe they're a little too willing to sacrifice some things for our future." "What
Fire's Determination Ch. 12 Broken Lines
The healer set her shoulders as if she were steeling herself to say whatever it was that was on her mind and sighed loudly. "Humans? My lady, they don't care for their people. They OWN them. They shouldn't be our answer to our plight." She paused to guage my reaction to her claim and when I just nodded, allowing her to continue, she went on. Bolstered by the looks of everyone else around the table, except for Gil who was looking pointedly at me still. I, in turn, was still avoiding his gaze as I stared at Amnati. "By doing this, you're not only selling yourself into the ownership of the King, you're selling all of us. We'll lose our way of life, our independence, our beliefs and culture. The humans will drive everything that makes us who we are away and force us to replace it with their own ideals, thoughts and beliefs. And why should we trust these people? They've butchered us, enslaved us and tortured our kind for sheer amusement in the past. They make sports out of grotesque acts.
Fire's Determination Ch. 13 Captain of the Guard
I stayed standing as the stranger halted just short of the table, keeping a respectable distance and bowed from the waist. "Queen Mage," he began but I held up my hand to stop him and he fell silent. I truly meant to show this man that he wasn't as important to us as his King had probably made him out to be. If I could unnerve him, all the better for me in what I hoped would be a negotiation. "Thank you, Malorie, for delivering our guest to us. Council, we shall end here for today. Everyone out besides our guest, please." There was scraping of chairs and the soft patter of footfalls as everyone walked towards the door. My father winked at me, clearly knowing what game I was playing, "I'll be setting some little Nature mage's in their place, but all you need do is scream, and I'll turn him to ash for you," he whispered in my ear and I gave him a genuine smile, his use of his pet name for me always seemed to calm me. My mother on the other hand looked furious as Regnald grabbed her
Fire's Determination Ch. 14 Only So Far
"Your Majesty-" "And stop calling me that." I waved a hand in his direction. "That's a made-up human title meant to bolster and feed the ego of the bearers of your also unecessary crowns. Real leaders don't need inflated egos or fancy accessories to prove their worth to their people. So for me to be called as such, is insulting," I finished coolly. Tross just stared at me, wide-eyed for a moment before he seemed to shake himself back to the present and cleared his throat. "Yes, Queen Mage. I apologize for any offense. But if I may, what do you mean, you don't want to be ruled by the King?" "I mean just that. We'll ally with him, we'll help when needed, when we can. We'll fulfill our part of the contract. But at the end of it all, mages will still be there own people, their own rulers. This alliance, between," I paused, almost saying "myself and the throne," but corrected it to hold up the ruse, "The Princess and the throne, will, as your King put in his letter, be a symbolic mar
Fire's Determination Ch. 15 Courtesy
"No..." He said, pausing and giving me another look up and down, as if he were verifying something in his head. "In the event that she is still too young to marry and carry out wifely responsibilities, she'd be promised to the Prince until she was old enough to carry out said duties. Obviously, we'd still take her with us and let her finish her childhood in the Kingdom, as per the letter we sent. But the sooner we can show our people this unity between us, the better." He offered, looking like he'd rather be discussing anything but my 'daughters' "wifely responsibilities" with me. I avoided biting my lip in frustration, apparently there had been more in that letter than my mother let on. "Hmmm," I said, leaning back. "So, how old is she. If you don't mind my saying, Queen Mage, you look awfully young to have an heir that's old enough to be married off." He noted. "The Princess is plenty old enough to be married. She goes into this willingly. Fiery, a little tempermental maybe, but w
Fire's Determination Ch. 16 I am Your Right Hand
"Malorie," I called softly once I was out of the Council Chamber doors, knowing the potioneer had stayed nearby in case she was needed. The other mage came rushing out from around the corner and gave me a quick bow. "Malorie, could you please show the esteemed Captain to the guest Chambers, where he can stay for the night, please. And if he would like to get out and stretch his legs at all throughout the day, make sure someone is there to escort him, please," I said, knowing full-well Tross was listening through the open door but I didn't turn to look at him. "It will be done, Princess," The potioneer gave another bow and I sighed, giving her a small shake of my head. "Seriously, stop with the bowing, Mal," I whispered and she nodded. I turned to walk away but paused and looked back over my shoulder at her. "If you run into my mother, and she seems in a pissy mood, tell her I'll be in the gardens, would you?" With that, I headed out the side door that led into the gardens. The co
Fire's Determination Ch. 17 Too Warm
Gil covered my hand with his, "That's the future. Don't worry about it right now, live in the present. Right here. With me. In the garden you love so much," he said softly and I looked up, meeting his golden, brown eyes. The ones that looked so much like Ignatius'. "No, don't go there. Don't go to that dark place in your mind. Stay here, with me. In this garden, with this beautiful Morning Glory vine that Enid absolutely hates because it's a waste of space and kills everything it touches," He crooned. He always seemed to know what I needed. Even before I did. My thoughts which had been little more than a jumbled mess in my head a few minutes ago had begun to dissipate, pushed back enough to give me time to breathe and relax a little. He knew I fought with the ability to prioritize my thoughts sometimes and always did what he could to give me a break from the constant noise of ideas and emotions in my head. "Don't think about earlier. Don't think about tomorrow. Just think about righ
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