CROWN OF FIRE

Warwick Heroux

Two days. Two fucking days since Freya disappeared. Even the sound of another rip in the wall didn’t soothe the rage that consumed me through my bloodied fists. I somehow hadn’t been able to find her, to feel her, as if she had vanished from this world. And that feeling was the worst I had ever experienced in my entire life. She couldn’t be dead. Because if she was, I would go to the realms of Hades and take her away.

No one had an explanation as to why I couldn’t feel my own mate, why I couldn’t locate her.

All I could think of was that the mages of Oresea were behind this.

The private room where I carried out my work was ruined. The only thing still standing was the damn fireplace that Ceri had lit for some reason. What for? I asked her.

Her answer came in a trembling whisper when she said the breeze coming through the broken window had cooled the room.

My response was to kick her out. I didn’t want to see her fucking face. Not hers, not anyone’s. I just wanted to see Freya. I wanted to see that red hair like her Fire. By the power of Droca, only the gods knew how much I hated red hair. But not hers.

Not from when she walked through the door, all dirty and bruised, asking for my help. The gods led her to me, serving her to me on a platter, just for me.

I wanted her from the moment her eyes met mine.

There was no doubt in my mind that she was mine alone. And I had to make sure she would stay with me. Forever. If anything surprised me from that moment on, she had no idea I was her mate.

I was clueless at the time about how to make her know. That’s why I kept silent. Thinking that it was better for her to figure it out independently and not force the knowledge on her. But nothing seemed to make her know alone except once when my hopes rose. It was a short moment, almost non-existent, but it happened.

Meanwhile, Ceri searched for why my mate didn’t feel the bond. Mages were different. I knew that much. The bond between mages wasn’t that strong, so they didn’t need to respect it. They could have another partner without a problem. But if a mage was bonded to a beast, the bond would be as strong as the beast’s.

From the first time I saw Freya, when I looked at her hair, I knew she was not human; she bore the House of Oresea’s Fire mark and had no idea of it. So, I kept her by my side, but I had to distance myself until I could confirm her identity.

The curtains on the windows moved with the breeze whipping around me, warning that the night was getting colder than yesterday.

Two fucking days. And I had no answers. The House of Earth was in pieces. I made sure of it. Lord Maximilian wasn’t there. And the only way that rat would come out of hiding would be to take every member of that house hostage.

They were all being watched in the dungeons.

I didn’t care who the fuck was innocent. If Lord Maximilian wanted to save his people, he must come himself.

Someone knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Saer’s expression gave me hope for the first time.

“Lord Maximilian is here. We took him to the dungeon as you instructed. And the witch, we found her too.”

At last, I would have the answers I was looking for. I felt closer to finding her, my mate, my woman.

Saer followed me as I walked with urgency towards the dungeons deep inside this castle, this prison of kings made of unbreakable solid rocks.

I opened the door, and we entered the guards on duty break room.

The smell of her blood still wafted in the air and boiled mine with fury. One of my guards had committed a great crime, and for that, he died at my hands. No one touched what was mine, not even my people.

His death was his own fault. He chose to ignore Freya’s words, the mark that protected her, that said she was mine. My mate. The other soldiers with him all got what they deserved, except I let them live, banished to the farthest reaches of Droca, branded for life that they insulted their King and his woman. Their fucking queen.

I was aware of the hatred my people had for the mages of Fire. And I knew that I would have to deal with it at some point when Freya sat next to me on the throne. But that was a problem I would deal with after ensuring Freya chose me over her blood.

The dusty smell of the tunnels through the underground dungeons only reminded me that a few days ago, my teeth had sunk into the skin of my woman, marking her eternally.

At what point in my plan did I fail that all I got was Freya’s hatred? I saw it in her eyes. The pain. The betrayal. I would make her see reason. I would make her understand why I did what I did. Having her brother was the only way to ensure she didn’t leave my side back then. I should have handled it differently, but now was not the time to think about the what-ifs. The most important thing was to find her no matter what.

Saer opened one of the cells. And in the middle, seated in cold iron chains, was the immaculate face of Lord Maximilian.

The fear in his eyes pleased my fury.

It was impossible to escape from this place. He knew it. Droca’s dungeons were well known throughout the realms. Its cells, its doors, and the tools with which prisoners were tortured and restrained were bathed in ancient magic that dulled the power of any creature except, of course, their own damned King.

“You have me here. Release my people now.”

The fucker stared, ordering like the arrogant lord that he was.

His head snapped sharply to the left as my fist made contact with his face. He winced and then another and another as I kept punching him in the face.

“Now that we’ve clarified who’s calling the shots around here, let me ask you. And you better not waste my time. You see. Killing a lord of Oresea means nothing to me. Not when I killed one of my own men for laying hands on my mate. Think well before you answer. Where is Freya?”

His eyes looked at Saer and then at me. “In Oresea.”

“I don’t think you understood what I just said about not wasting my time.” I punched him again, leaving him momentarily stunned, trying to reach his senses.

“In the House of Fire. They have her.” He replied with another wince.

“You betrayed her.” It wasn’t a question. It was a statement. “Your own blood.” I sneered.

“It was the only way. I made a promise to my mother that I would rescue her sister. Freya’s mother has been in that House for years, held captive. The only one who can rescue her is Freya herself. No one may enter that House except those who contain the blood of Fire.”

“You are a fool. Your father must be rolling over in his grave at your stupidity.”

“Just because I betrayed my cousin doesn’t mean I don’t love and care for her.” Now, the jerk looked insulted. “I did it for her own good. She should be close to her mother.”

“What do you mean?” I narrowed my eyes.

But the asshole decided to shut up again.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. ” Are we quiet right now? Do you need me to give you an incentive to talk?”

With his eyes on the floor, he still remained silent.

“Go to the cell where the old maid is and kill her. Bring me her head.” I ordered Saer.

Without hesitation, Saer moved to leave the cell when Maximilian raised his voice in protest.

“No! Wait. You can’t do that. She’s a woman! An old woman!”

But when he saw that Saer was on his way to close the heavy door, the fucker pleaded like a goddamn rat. “Wait. I’ll tell you everything.”

I gestured for Saer to come back.

“Speak.”

“You trust him?” Maximilian looked at Saer.

“Speak!” I ordered him.

“I was the one who took Freya to the other side of the veil, to the mortals, on the orders of my aunt, her mother. Freya’s father was interested in finding them. Lord Tassarion.”

“Is she the illegitimate daughter he was looking for all this time?” Saer asked.

She was right under my nose. My men searched for information on who that son of a bitch’s illegitimate child might be. But no one seemed to know. And to think it was that bastard who tainted his lineage with another House.

“Why did Freya’s mother send her to the mortal realm?” I stared at him.

“The ancient texts of Oresea mention how the four houses were formed and their four founders. The House of Fire, in its beginning, was fair but dangerous. Over the centuries, each successor became more greedy, confident of its power over the rest of the Houses. After all, Fire is the most impulsive and powerful element. It is the fastest in its ability to transform and destroy. Yet if there is one thing one of the founders managed to do, it was to lock away a single page that could change the fate of Oresea forever. In those times, the houses could mix with each other. The first descendant of the House of Air was a woman who could manipulate air and earth. But what surprised many was the third gift she received from the gods. Or so it was believed at the time.”

“What was it?” I asked.

“Time.” He closed his eyes as if he had betrayed a secret. “When it became known that this woman could manipulate time as she pleased, traveling into the past and future and teleporting into the present, the greed of many made that woman a living hell. Three of the four founders had died, and the remaining one did not want to leave this world without being able to help this woman, who was betrothed to the lord of the House of Fire. Everything that happened was recorded by the remaining founder, who kept those pages alone and gave them to the only House that would always remain neutral. The House of Earth.”

“What happened to that woman?” Saer asked.

“She died young. We don’t know what killed her. It’s not recorded. But she was not the only one of her kind. A hundred years later, another woman appeared, born of the House of Fire and the House of Water. That’s when the first war between the houses broke out, with the House of Fire being the victor. They wanted more power, more dominance, and more space. Much of Oresea belongs to them. That woman died young, too. And I know because the servant who helped her give birth wrote it down in a diary and gave it to the lord of the House of Earth.”

“You guys are like a fucking Archive now?” I asked irritably.

“Of the secrets of the Houses, yes. We never got into a war. And our discretion is known among the Houses. And now I’ve just broken the oath every successor of my House takes.”

“And you think I care?” I said, crossing my arms.

“You should because your mate is the third mage who possesses the gift of time.”

His statement left me speechless. My mind was trying to process what he had just told me.

“After the second woman with the power to manipulate time died, the Houses stopped mingling, especially the House of Fire. They wanted their power stronger and thought they could bring into the world another mage who possessed such power and was pureblooded. It was a greedy dream for every lord of that House. Lord Tassarion was no exception. But it took eight centuries for another woman of such power to be born. And that is Freya of the House of Fire and Earth. Your mate.”

“Who else knows about this?” I asked.

“Freya’s mother, me, and the witch with the false name, Gloria. Don’t look at me like that. That witch had to take the oath with her real name to protect Freya’s secret. Now you two know about her.”

“But if Freya lived all her years with humans, how come-” Saer’s question made me look at Maximilian, who didn’t let him finish speaking.

“Freya manifested the power of time at a very early age. The first time it happened, she took her mother to a past that she didn’t know about but that, for some reason, belonged to her mother. Such accidents happened more frequently until one day when Freya was fifteen, her mother brought her to Droca secretly. By the look on your face, my aunt succeeded in hiding well from your people. She knew you were trapped in the mortal world.”

“Why did she bring her here?”

“She wanted Freya to see the ocean. As you know, our land is nothing but desert, mountains, and rivers that do not flow into the sea but deep into the mountains.”

“What happened when they came here?”

“According to my aunt, they were on the beach and strolled through the city of Droca. Everything was fine until Freya saw someone drawing your face. Freya asked her mother to buy that drawing, and reluctantly, my aunt did so. But the man, grateful for the purchase, gave her a piece of one of your swords, thinking it would cheer up a young girl infatuated with the face of the King of Droca. As they walked away, Freya touched the metal and disappeared. It changed my aunt completely. Her fear increased even more, and she devised a plan to take Freya out of our world and into the mortal one.”

“Where did Freya go that time?”

“She said she appeared at the top of a cliff, where there was a cabin. And there, sitting in a chair, cleaning his sword, was the most beautiful man she had ever seen.”

A cabin on top of a cliff? It was my place. No one was allowed to be there.

“What puzzled my aunt was not just that. It was the fact that Freya thought that man was her mate. The man with the same face as the portrait she had bought.”

She knew since then?

“Why did her mother hide her? She had no right-” My anger threatened my logic. Deep down, I knew it, but the thought that there was a chance I’d never found my mate made me want to rip this fucker’s head off.

Maximilian snorted, and the urge to wipe that smile off his face with another punch was not missed.

“My aunt had every right. Everyone knows the King of Droca hates mages, especially the House of Fire. And she wasn’t about to let anyone take her daughter and use the one power that can win any war. She was sure that you would reject her if you ever found her. Eventually, someone from the House of Fire found her with Freya while walking through my city. My aunt noticed, and that very night, when Freya was barely seventeen, I had to take her to the mortal realm myself. I took her to one of the packs. I don’t know how my aunt got in touch with the witch of the false name Gloria, but I was to go to her.” He let out a sigh, lowering his gaze to the ground. “Freya cried, heartbroken that night. But Gloria soon calmed her down.”

“How?” Saer asked.

“By erasing her memories and creating new ones.”

“Why didn’t Freya recognize that I was her mate?” I said with fury seeping into my words. It did not matter if her memory was erased. The bond with me must have awakened as soon as her eyes saw me.

“At my aunt’s request, the witch inserted the jade stone known only to mages so as not to feel the bond. That stone can only be found in the Houses of Oresea.”

Not only did they hide it, but they took away her right to recognize me. Another wave of rage seized me, and I clenched my fingers to control the urge to smash and kill all around me.

“But in the end...” he continued speaking. “Freya found you.”

Yes, she did. But the possibility that it might never have happened was there, like a shadow in my mind.

“Does Tassarion know that his daughter can manipulate time?”

“Not that I know of. If he is looking for her, it will be for another reason. I’ve told you everything. Now release my people.”

With half his face swollen and bleeding, I looked at him and walked out, ignoring the asshole’s loud cries.

I turned to Saer, who remained silent. “If what that idiot said about my mate ever comes to light -”

“My loyalty is to my King and Queen. I will protect Freya with my life.”

Saer was one of my best men. As I looked at him now, the idea of making him my second in command began taking shape. Madog was more potent than him. But Madog had been given the position of second-in-command because his brother died. Tynan, after me, was the strongest of all. He was the only person I could call a brother. He would protect Freya if he were alive without my asking him to. But Tynan, he was long dead, and his killer had now taken my mate from me.

I opened the next cell, and like a frightened bird about to have its neck snapped, the witch, with the false name Gloria, was trembling.

“Speak,” I ordered her.