Her Cinder Throne (Completed)

Chapter 84

Cole must have fallen asleep at some point, for she was pulled out of vague dreams filled with mist and the flicker of lightning by the sound of voices. She rolled over, noticing that she was now laying on the ground next to her mother, curled up close to the dying embers of the fire. Dawn was approaching, bringing with it the pastel colors of morning in Avallen. She looked down the length of her body to see Tanwyn approaching and dropping to a kneel by her side. He placed a hand gently on her side before noticing that she was already awake.

"It's starting," he whispered, his face grim and creased with sleep. He offered his hand to her and helped her to her feet, before shifting his attention to her mother and rousing her while Cole looked across the glowing embers of the fire at a small man dressed in blood-red velvet. Though he was well equipped with weapons, and his matching red wings reminded her that he would could easily access magic as well, he seemed almost to shrink in on himself. He hands rubbed anxiously down the sides of his tunic and he shifted his weight back and forth. When he saw her watching, his eyes grew wide and he froze like a mouse caught out in the middle of the kitchen by a cat.

"Ah, uh," he stuttered, eyes suddenly flicking everywhere but onto Cole's face. "My... Lady? Uh, Lady Caspia... I..." He painfully dipped his head into a bow that looked as confused as Cole was feeling with his clear uncertainty on how to address a woman who might have been queen should events have been different.

"What is it?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest, which had the combined benefits of showing disinterest in his uncomfort, as well as highlighting the ridges of her hardened biceps. She wanted him to know she was not a weak prisoner in Thijs dungeons, nor was she an ethereal Eldritch lady. She was a warrior, ready to raise the pickax against those who thought they could try and take what was hers away from her.

The man clenched and unclenched his fists, his face shifting through many emotions before finally settling on one of scared defiance. It seemed he'd finally chosen a side to land on, even if he was smart enough to fear the side he was currently facing. "Our Lady, Queen Gethwine the Wise and Beautiful, orders you to report to her in the audience chamber of her castle by the time the noon bell is struck. She requires the presence of the traitor, Tanwyn o Gorwaedt, the Liar Prince, as well."

Tanwyn snorted behind her. "That's quite a few titles you're piling on me there, Gerrin." He said the man's name as if it was a punch to an opponent's face. "Traitor? Tanwyn of the Lies? Liar Prince?" He clicked his tongue. "At this rate, I think I'll be more decorated than you, Princess Caspia."

Cole ignored Tanwyn and focused on the messenger. "Tell Gethwine that we'll meet her, but remind her that any surprise attacks or attempts on our lives will be foolish plans of action." She then reached into her pocket and pulled out the Sparkstone, letting its constant luminance fill the air around them. Even she still found herself awed by the glowing innards of the stone, so different from the ones she had mined to light the castle in Soma. Just looking at its pulsing light was enough to convince anyone of its power.

The messenger shifted in spot, his eyes averting from the stone. "Put it away," he muttered. "It's unnatural to be in a human's hands."

"Eldritch, you mean," Tanwyn snapped. "Her blood is more pure than yours."

"Tainted by human blood? Mired down to less than half our lifespan and devoid of magic?" Gerrin snorted, but still only as if he was ready to take it back should she push him on it. "She's more human than Eldritch. Anyone can see that."

Cole tightened her fist around the Sparkstone, a heat building in her chest. Though it was the messenger talking, in her head she saw Helene and Drew snatching her coins from her hands and calling her dirty and worthless. She saw the overseers at the mines, always taunting her that she was not as big or strong as the others. She saw the particularly mean miners slapping the back of her head, and matched that sting with the bite of words about how stupid she was or how she almost got them killed. She even saw Bastian and Tanwyn, moving her around like a piece on a chess board, hoping to get her to complete some plan they had never seen fit to explain to her.

The stone burned in her hand, burning hotter than coals, though Cole didn't feel the urge to drop it. Instead, she welcomed the burn, letting it sink deep into her arm and travel through her whole body. She thought she could see flames dancing, though she knew it must be her imagination. She was burning up and she wanted to take the messenger, who now cowered almost on his knees, with her. He thought she was worth less than his queen just because of her father's blood in her veins? Well, he'd soon learn that her love for her father would be his downfall. She'd take them all down if they dared look upon her with the disgust and arrogance of the people who had once thought they could own her.

"Caspia." It was Tanwyn's voice, calm and cool. His fingers brushed against her elbow. "Cole."

She turned to him, and he nodded slightly. Her anger ebbed a little bit, like the start of raindrops on a campfire. His fingers dropped from her arm as he turned to look at the messenger. "Leave and tell Gethwine that we're coming. And tell her that Lady Caspia will not tolerate any backstabbing."

The messenger squeaked out an affirmative, and scrambled to his feet. He dipped into a bow, a proper one this time, before spinning on his heel and racing back the way he had come.

As soon as he was gone, Tanwyn turned and stood in front of Cole, grabbing her hands.

"All right, calm down," he said, his voice edged with urgency. "You'll set the whole field afire if you don't get it under control soon."

Cole didn't know what he was talking about, but she could already feel the burn in her chest seeping away. The retreating back of the messenger, and Tanwyn's gentle touch, had eased the old memories back into their places on the shelves of her mind. A moment later, and her mother appeared at her side, worry etched in her face.

"Darling," her mother said. "Let me have the Stone." She held out her hand, and Cole reached out to drop the Sparkstone into her palm. But as her fingers released the Stone, Cole saw that her skin was lapped with orange flames, as if her skin was coated in burning oil. She yelped, leaping backward and swatting at her skin. However, she saw that her other arm was just as on fire as the first, and as she looked down at her torso and legs, she realized that it was her entire body that was aflame.

Almost immediately, the flames flickered out on her body, like they had run out of fuel. No smoke or heat was left behind, though Cole's heart still hammered as if there had been. She gasped for breath, staring at Tanwyn and her mother as if they had been the ones to set her alight.

Her mother pocketed the Sparkstone and looked up at Cole with tight lips. "You need to make sure that you're always aware of your emotions when you're holding the Sparkstone," she said. "You can't afford to lose control when you haven't learned much about casting magic."

Cole glanced at Tanwyn. He had been the one to teach her to use the magic, but he'd never said anything about casting magic without even knowing it.

"You let your anger take over," Tanwyn said. "If you had let it keep going, the flames would have grown dangerous. Thankfully, they hadn't gotten to the burning stage yet."

"But how could I cast something without knowing it? I have to concentrate my whole will on casting magic back in Soma," she stuttered out, wiping her sweating palms on her sides.

"You've started to accept your Eldritch blood," Tanwyn replied. "You may not have the wings, but there should be ancient magic still hidden deep inside you. The Sparkstone is allowing you to access it after it lay dormant for so long."

Cole frowned. "Do I need to be afraid about this?" she asked.

Tanwyn shook his head. "No, because you won't let it get out of control."