I sat down on a pillowed chair in Mattis’ tent, staring at my manacled hands, which rested in my lap. Several hours had passed since I had visited my friends, informing Clothis and Jakob of my plan so they could lead Will and Fynn to safety. Neither of them approved, but it was all that could be done. Knowing that they were safe would make my task much easier, and I knew we would all meet again. The night had grown deep and dark, the desert eerily quiet as the Huryl army slept. If Clothis and Jakob had done as I asked, they would be waiting in their tents for my signal, and then flee towards the mountains without looking back. It was dangerous, but it was the only way.
Mattis swept back the tent flap and entered, his eyes locking onto mine. He smiled at me and walked over to a small wooden cabinet, pouring two glasses of purple liquid into silver goblets. He moved the two paces from the cabinet to the chair and held out the goblet for me to take. I stared up at him without moving.
“Of course,” Mattis murmured, replacing the glasses on the cabinet. “How rude of me.”
He reached into the front of his tunic and drew out a delicate chain that he wore around his neck. It held two small items; a tiny locket, and a silver key. The smile never faltered from his face as he unclipped the key from the chain and bent to release my wrists. As the heavy irons fell to the ground, I rubbed my chafed skin and scowled at him. Mattis had already retrieved the goblets and was holding one out to me. I hesitated.
“I assure you, it’s not poisoned,” Mattis said with a flippant laugh. “I would hardly kill you now, after going through such great lengths to catch you. Take it.”
My hands folded around the smoothness of the goblet as I inhaled the sweet aroma of the wine. Mattis was watching me, so I took a small sip and let it trickle down my throat, smiling as I did so. The Huryl commander took a large gulp of his goblet and sat down across from me.
“I trust your friends are still alive?” he asked conversationally.
I nodded wordlessly, trying to calm the anger inside me. Mattis looked disappointed, and shrugged.
“Well, they’ll be off at sunrise, and by sunset, dear Leila, you will have given me my heart’s desire.”
I took another small sip of the liquid, trying not to laugh. How little this man knew, I thought. By sunrise, I would be with my friends in the mountains, not entertaining his deluded fantasies in the middle of the desert. Mattis finished off the rest of his wine and tossed the goblet absently between his hands.
“What is your heart’s desire?” I asked curiously. I wanted to keep him talking as long as possible, to give the others a chance to prepare and rest. Mattis’ grin sent a chill down my spine as his raised his eyes to meet mine.
“From the heavens will the warrior descend,” Mattis recited. “Earth in hand, water under foot, air in breath, fire in eyes. The warrior shall tear the world asunder, in the name of the Huryl, and bestow upon the mightiest the power of the world.”
He leaned closer to me, until our noses were nearly touching. I inhaled sharply and pushed myself back against my chair, but the furniture held me and I was unable to escape his penetrating gaze.
“I see the fire in your eyes, Leila. I was born to see it. It is my destiny for you to give me your power.”
He held my eyes a moment longer before returning to his chair. I breathed a sigh of relief as the distance between us grew. He continue to regard me curiously, as if expecting me to say something or do something amazing, but I sat unmoving in the chair, wishing for all the world that I was somewhere else and this man did not exist. Finally, Mattis rose to his feet and moved to the tent flap.
“Sleep well, Leila,” he told me. “At dawn, I will return.”
The flap fluttered noisily as he departed, and I relaxed slightly, sagging in my chair. My hands were free, and I was finally alone. It was time to act. I would signal my friends to escape under the cover of darkness, and then I would stop Mattis from pursuing us once and for all.
Without moving from the chair, I closed my eyes and concentrated. The mark on my palm began to burn as I summoned the sand spirits to me. I could hear the wind picking up, ripping at the tent and whistling through the sand. The guards outside exclaimed in annoyance at the sudden appearance of the sand storm, and I heard them running for cover. I held the storm for as long as I could, encouraging the sand spirits to do whatever mayhem they wished, but asking them to make sure my friends survived the squall. When I felt it was safe, and that my friends were long gone from the camp, I released the spirits and fell asleep in my chair with a contented smile on my face.
I awoke to a stinging slap across my face. Opening my eyes, I saw Mattis glaring at me in raw hatred, his hand raised to strike me again. Sunlight poured through the open tent flap, and I realized I had dozed off. The commander’s hand came down, and I tasted blood on my lips as my head whipped to one side.
“How dare you!” he yelled. “Your friends are gone, disappeared in that freak storm last night.”
“But I’m still here,” I reminded him. “Aren’t I the one you want?”
Mattis fought to regain control. I watched him stomp around the tent, his hands clenched into fists as he released his anger on various pieces of furniture. When he finally returned to face me, he was breathing hard but had calmed down.
“Very well,” he snarled. “You may have deprived me the pleasure of watching your friends die, but once your power is mine, there is nothing that will stop me from hunting them down!”
He clapped his hands and two large soldiers appeared, grabbing me by either arm and jerking me to my feet. Mattis turned on his heel and marched out of the tent, the guards dragging me behind him. I could see the damage my storm had caused on the camp. Many of the tents had fallen in on themselves, and the wagons carrying the supplies were largely buried. I couldn’t help but smile, which caused my throbbing cheek to hurt even more. Still, my friends were safe.
The two guards lashed me to a tall wooden stake, covering me in heavy iron chains until I thought I could no longer stand. The rest of the army surrounded me, aiming arrows at my body, ready to fire in case I moved. Mattis and Ellena walked up to me, the commander smiling in the morning sunlight and the sorceress looking very restrained.
“Now, Warrior of the Huryl,” Mattis addressed me, “you will give me the power I desire.”
“The plan’s changed,” I called. “If you kill me, the power dies with me.”
Mattis laughed. “There are other ways. I told you I could take the power by force, and you’re leaving me no option. Farewell, Leila Sinclair. It has been … entertaining.”
He stepped aside and Lady Ellena came forward. She looked apologetically at me, and raised her hands to cast a spell. I had to act quickly, before whatever magic she was doing would reach me. I used all my energy to summon the sand spirits again, causing the ground beneath the soldier’s feet to shift and slide. They fell like dominos onto the sand, and some were swallowed by the strange tides. Ellena remained unmoved, but I saw Mattis tumble with a curse. The sorceress hesitated, lowering her hands and looking at me curiously. I smiled, and released the fire spirits.
I had not been a straight-A student in chemistry, but I knew enough to remember that fire and sand were the key components in making glass. I allowed the fire spirits to do as they wished, igniting the remaining tents and burning the sand. The soldiers screamed in pain as they burned, and the desert began to take on a glassy appearance in several spots. Ellena still remained unmoved as the fire spirits melted my iron chains and freed me.
I stepped away from the wooden stake, walking across the molten sand as if it were perfectly normal. I could hear the screaming Huryl, but I ignored it as I advanced on my target. The mark on my palm glowed with an intense red light, casting strange shadows around me as I moved. Mattis was staring at me in amusement, the area in which he stood was completely devoid of spirits as they sensed the wishes of my heart. I would be the one to strike this mortal down, and they respected my decision.
“I will serve no master,” I told him. “I will not be commanded.”
My mind was full of the gleeful laughter of the sand and fire spirits, as they soared around the devastated campsite. Ellena was still watching me, and I could sense her observing my every movement. I could feel the warmth of the fire spirits as they wrapped around my heart, and the singing glory of the sand spirits coursing through my blood. Another presence lingered deep down, but it was not as easily summoned and remained out of my reach. I raised my marked palm to face Mattis, a long tongue of flamed igniting on my hand and curling up my arm like a snake. I met his gaze and held it for a moment.
“No!” Ellena cried.
I felt a blast of magic strike me, knocking me down. The fragrance of lilacs disoriented me for a moment as I struggled to my feet, fighting the magic that engulfed me. Ellena had put herself in front of Mattis, preventing me from reaching him, and my eyes narrowed dangerously.
“Step aside,” I told her. “My quarrel is not with you.”
“I cannot,” Ellena said.
“Leila!”
I turned my head and saw Fynn and Jakob standing at the edge of the carnage. Jakob had a worried expression on his face, but Fynn stared at me defiantly, his long hair blowing in the storm I had created. I was briefly annoyed that they had disobeyed me and returned, but that emotion was quickly shoved aside.
“I will end this now,” I promised them, turning back to Mattis.
“Leila, you don’t want to kill him,” Fynn shouted. “Not like this. Not like Cireno.”
I paused, my eyes widening in remembrance. I had killed him in cold blood, delighting in the sight and sensation of watching him burn. He had reached out to me, pleading, and I had only increased the intensity of the flame. I turned slowly, looked for the first time at the lives I had taken. The innocent Huryl soldiers lay dead or dying around me, all of them like Jakob, simple farmers or merchants who had been forced to join the war. None of them had wanted to die. Not like this.
I closed my marked hand, the flame vanishing as I did so, and squeezed my eyes shut. A tear slid down my hot cheek, evaporating before it had a chance to drop, and I bit my lip to keep from crying. I was not a murderer. I looked up to Ellena, and she smiled at me.
“Thank you, Leila. I hope we meet again.”
Both she and Mattis vanished from sight, and I was left standing alone in the chaos I had created. With great effort, I recalled the sand and fire spirits, wanting nothing more than to be struck blind so I would not have to face the carnage. The spirits came unwillingly, but eventually they obeyed and I walked slowly to where Jakob and Fynn waited.
“Fynn, I had to. I couldn’t stop myself,” I whispered.
He put his arms around me and held me tightly. “I know.”
Jakob cleared his throat uncomfortably and whistled once. From the other side of the sand dune came Clothis and Will. The Dyrel gasped when she saw what had happened to the camp, and I hid my face deeper in Fynn’s shoulder, despising myself.
“It’ll take a while before this area is passable again,” Jakob commented, glancing at the molten sand. “That eliminates the straight line approach.”
“We have to return to Oponoe,” Clothis said. “The Prince must be made aware of this.”
“As far as I can tell, we’re in the middle of the desert,” Jakob said, glancing up at the sky. “The mountains to the north, or the sea to the south. Both ways will get us to the Wood, and from there, Oponoe. Which path should we take?”