Brother Elijah cleared his throat. He bowed to the princess. “If you’ll excuse me, Your Highness.” He nodded as he went by me. “Wizard Hellsfire.” He closed the door, leaving me and Krystal alone.
“You’re alive,” she said in an astonished voice.
We closed the small distance between us. Tears hung in her violet eyes. I opened my mouth to say something, but only air came out. We reached out at the same time and embraced each other. Fresh tears fell from both of us as we clung to each other. I inhaled her scent. She smelled of horse, dirt, and grass. The necklace I had given her shone, illuminating the room with its green light.
We didn’t loosen our hold for several long minutes. We were so close to each other, yet so far. We made sure not to touch each other’s skin, but it comforted both of us just to stand there and experience the warmth from each other’s bodies.
When our tears ran dry, Krystal broke the hold and said, “Thank the gods you came back to me.”
“Only because of you. Krystal, how did you do that?”
She gave me a quizzical look. “Do what?”
I returned her look. “
You
stopped the fire. Didn’t you see anything? A bright light emanated from you that flew into me!”
She shook her head. “It did?”
“Yes. Did the council or other wizards say anything to you?”
“No, but I got the feeling they were hiding something.” She shrugged. “There could be a great many things they would hide.” She stared into my eyes. “I don’t doubt what you said, but what do you think it means?”
“I don’t know who else to ask. Renak said that your ancestor, Alexander, was special in the ways of magic, but he didn’t understand how or why. I think you may have inherited it.” I wrapped my arm around her waist, reeling her in and grinning. “But I already knew that you were special.”
She smiled back. Krystal wiped my tear-soaked face, then did the same to hers. She started to take off my robes. “You’ll need your robes, if you’re going to go in front of the council. We have to look presentable.”
I raised an eyebrow. “We?”
“Yes. I’m going with you.”
I didn’t argue. “All right.”
I put my wizard’s robes on and inhaled the sweet aroma that lingered on them. “Smells as if a beautiful woman wore them and kept them safe.”
She touched my black robes. “I’m going to miss wearing them. It felt as if a part of you were there, holding me.” Krystal stepped closer, and I wrapped my arms around her and spun her outwards. I ached to kiss the back of her neck like I used to. “But I don’t need them any longer.” She broke the embrace and asked, “Are you ready to see the council?”
“Shouldn’t we wait and get you a clean and extravagant dress?”
“Hellsfire, you’re stalling.”
“I’m just...nervous. I’ve been in a room with three of them, and the power they radiate is intense. Plus, I decimated their army, Krystal. What if they want revenge?”
“If they wanted you dead, they would have already killed you.”
I ran my fingers through my hair and shrugged. “You’re right, of course. But these people have long memories, and they will want something. I still can’t forgive them for what they did to you and Ardimus.”
“Neither can I, but you must push aside those feelings and work with them for the greater good. Or would you rather the war continue?”
“I’ll try.”
“You’ll do fine, and whatever you decide, I’ll be right beside you,” Krystal said.
“I thank the gods for that every day.”
She bestowed that special smile that was reserved only for me. “As well you should.”
----
We ended up in the same stark chambers. The only difference was now there were six chairs instead of three. It also lacked Ashton’s mana symbols in the background. The Elemental Council looked comfortable as they chatted with each other, but they probably didn’t realize it.
“We summoned you, Hellsfire, not the princess,” Helios said and gave a slight nod to Krystal.
Before I could open my mouth to reply, Krystal said, “His fate concerns me.”
“Very well.”
“You killed thousands of our troops,” Bellona said, her already black eyes darkening. “And you attempted to kill us.”
I almost said, “And you tortured the princess and threatened to bring war to my homeland,” but thought silence would be best. I nodded, glanced away from their eyes, and clenched my fists.
“This is not the time for that,” Ardonis said, his calming magic dampening our emotions. “We’re past that. It’s time we discuss the future.”
Nairi crossed her arms. “Yes, yes. So we’ve been told.”
“How did you cast that fire?” Dorissa said. “We’ve learned you’ve only recently become a wizard.”
“Hellsfire, indeed,” Helios said with a youthful smile.
“I don’t understand, council,” I said.
“Humph,” Zephyrus said. “You don’t even comprehend the extremely dangerous spell you performed. Youth today.”
“Your name,” Helios said, his red eyes flashing, “is perfect for you. The fire you created is called ‘hellsfire.’ It’s when you master both black and red mana and combine them into one. I have trouble with it myself, but Bellona and I could easily perform it together.”
“Oh. Thank you,” I said. I paused. Stradus was right. He had chosen the perfect name for me. I stepped forward. “Does something else happen when you create this hellsfire?”
“What do you mean?” Ardonis asked, with an intent look on his face.
“Is there a...feeling or a presence there?” I wanted to tell them more, but couldn’t trust them. I wasn’t about to tell them how the flames whispered to me or that they caused me to take delight in things I wouldn’t normally.
At that second, a visual of how my dark flames incinerated a wizard flashed into my mind. His defenses burned like his flesh. A small smile crossed my lips.
“It’s because you’re young,” Bellona said, pulling me away from my sinister thoughts. “You cast a spell far too advanced for you.”
“There’s nothing more dangerous than a wizard who cannot control his powers,” Nairi said in her deep voice. “Even Renak’s creatures learned control.”
The others nodded in agreement, but that wasn’t it. There was something else behind the magic. Something more sinister and powerful.
“Thank the gods, you were able to get yourself under control,” Dorissa said, smiling. “Or we might not be here now.”
I stared at the Elemental Council, then glanced back at Krystal. Did they not see what had happened?
She
was why I’d stopped. There was no other reason—or were they omitting that fact on purpose?
“These are new times for us—for everyone,” Zephyrus said.
“Indeed they are,” Bellona said. “But before we get to that, we must know if you’ll accept our sentencing. Will you abide by our ruling for you and your friends for your actions earlier?” The light in the chambers darkened as the Elemental Council peered down at me.
“No,” I said. “I will accept whatever you have in store from me, but you will let the princess and the others go. They had nothing to do with the ritual I performed.”
Helios turned his head and stared at the princess. “That’s not true. They guarded you, and they are here because of you.”
Before I could open my mouth, Krystal said, “We’ll accept your judgment, council. We stand together.”
I wanted to argue with her, but now wasn’t the time. I also wanted to wrap my arms around her and kiss her for standing by me.
“Good,” Dorissa said. “After much discussion, we have decided to let you go, Hellsfire.”
I was surprised to hear that, but glad to be free. Dorissa had a kind smile on her face as if she genuinely meant what she said, but Bellona and Nairi did not look happy about that outcome.
“This also includes the princess, along with the elves, the dwarf, and even the troublesome Fortune,” Dorissa continued. “We would like to send more diplomatic forays into Northern Shala. Perhaps we can trade and share information.”
“Yes,” Krystal said. “I would very much like that. There is much to be learned from one another.”
“Don’t forget Prastian and Jastillian,” Zephyrus said. “We’ll have to discuss things with them as well.”
“There is one thing we would like to ask of you, Hellsfire,” Helios said. “We would prefer it if you stayed down here to—”
“To atone for what you’ve done,” Nairi said, staring down at me.
“Help us,” Helios said.
“You’ve crossed into the Dead Zone,” Dorissa said in her calming voice. “That is one of the more extreme examples, but there are a lot of other things that need to be fixed, such as our old capital of Fairhaven.”
I understood the implications. If I left, there would be repercussions. It might even give them an excuse to attack Northern Shala and the country that harbored me. They most certainly had other reasons for letting me live, but whatever the reasons, I had to atone for all the deaths I had caused. This would also be a great chance for me to learn more about my magic and even find a cure for Krystal, if I had access to even half of their resources and knowledge. And there was still the looming threat Renak had warned me about. I had to identify and stop it.
I glanced at the princess. What would she think about me staying in Southern Shala? Would it matter to her? It’s not like I could ever return to Alexandria.
I bowed my head. “As you wish.”
“We would also like your expertise and guidance in Northern Shala as a fellow wizard.” Helios glanced to the others. “So that other incidents may be avoided. You understand better than us what it’s like up there.”
“We also want what you learned in Masep,” Bellona said, her black eyes intent.
I looked at Krystal. She gave a subtle nod.
“Very well,” I said.
“Great,” Ardonis said, clapping his hands together. “We look forward to getting to know you.”
Krystal bowed, and I did the same. She turned and walked away. I stopped and realized this was as good a time as any to ask for a favor.
“Council, if I may,” I said. “I have a request.”
Nairi leaned forward and gripped her staff tighter. “You’ve already done enough, Hellsfire. We owe you nothing. You should thank the gods we let you live. Not all of us were in favor of that.”
“Let’s be reasonable and at least hear his request,” Ardonis said, putting a hand up. “There’s no harm in that.” He smiled. “Go ahead.”
“Can you help me break Renak’s curse on the princess? Ask your price and I’ll pay it.”
“Hellsfire, what are you doing?” Krystal asked.
“What I must,” I said.
Ardonis peered over at Krystal. “So that’s what I see in her. How and why did Renak curse you?”
“It was Premier’s doing. He twisted and altered the spell used in the Great Barrier to kill her if I succeeded in bringing it down.” I stared at the council from Ashton. “He’s tricky and not to be trusted.”
The council’s colorful eyes all rested on Krystal as they sized her up.
“Humph,” Zephyrus said. “It would require a very delicate touch for a wizard to twist Renak’s spell, and he must have known you were coming.”