Page 33 of Winds of Destiny

Awaveof bright orange fire blasts out from the Dellians’ weapons, scorching the grass first white, then black as it passes through it, straight toward the running herd of aurochs. It’s mostly dissipated by the time it reaches them, but the animals clearly don’t like it. The charge falters, the lead animal snorting and tossing its head as every sense is disrupted.

“One more time,” Kai calls. “Weapons, set!” His men reset their arms, and a moment later, another wave of fire appears. This one is narrower, more targeted, tracking the lead auroch and holding it at bay as it rethinks its instinct to run and, instead, turns and trots up and over the side of the far berm. The other animals follow, some of them clearly flagging. They’ve been running for a while, it seems.

As soon as the wave has gone out, Turo lets go of Lulu and jogs out onto the scorched plain. “Don’t burn yourself!” I shout after him. Stupid, risk-taking—

“These grasses don’t hold heat for long,” Kai says as he heads over to me. “Too damp this close to the water. Watch, the fire is already mostly out.”

He’s right, but that’s not what I want to talk to him about. “You havefirepowers?” I exclaim. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Kai seems surprised. “You’ve seen us all heating up our tents for over a week now.”

“Creating enough hot air to inflate a tent is nothing like what you just did! You can projectfire!”

“Not all of us,” Kai says. “The firewave is a special ability taught to our warriors, and it only works if you’ve all got weapons with striking steel inlaid in them.” He hefts his shield and points out the thin line of gray in the center of the bronze. “But everyone in Huridell has control of flames to some extent: blacksmiths, bakers, evenhunters. They use their sparks to drive animals toward blinds without setting the whole damn forest on fire.”

“Not that Carnuatu lets that happen,” Jeric adds from behind. “Our god is very present in that way. The city might burn because it’sourhome to do with as we will, but the wilds belong to him first and foremost. Anything larger than a campfire gets snuffed almost immediately.”

Ah. That makes sense. Still, I’m stunned that this is the first time I’ve even heard of this ability. They must work hard to keep it a secret. No wonder my father wants an alliance with Prince Eleas—a few units of Dellians helping to protect Zephyth would be able to hold off an invading army.

Turo suddenly appears beside the wagon, just to the right of Lulu.

“Can’t you announce yourself when you actually get back to the rest of us instead of popping up out of the grass like a viper?” Rusen demands.

“Vipers don’t pop, they lunge. Some of those animals were bleeding,” Turo says to Kai. “Badly. They’re leaving heavy trails in the grass.”

“A dominance fight, perhaps?”

“A predator is more likely, to make them all run like that.”

“Must be one big predator,” Kai says. “We should—”

“Um.” Ferow holds up a pair of long knives. Their edges appear to have been fused together. “Can I get some help with this?”

“Carnuatu bless you, you idiot,” Morfan tells his lover as he heads over to him, shaking his head. “You let them merge?”

“I didn’t mean to!” Ferow insists. “I haven’t practiced the weave since training, and the heat got away from me a bit.”

“That’s how you burn thefuckout of yourself! Are you hurt? Let me see your hands.”

“What’s Zephyth magic like?” Jeric asks loudly enough to drown out the ensuing argument. “Is it based in water? Could you douse a fire like that?”

“It was wind-based, actually,” Turo says. “A wind controlled well enough could smother a fire, I’m sure.”

“But none of you people have it anymore, do you?” Rusen persists. “I wonder why. Less faith in your god, perhaps?”

“Closer proximity to Inarime, more likely,” Turo replies.

“And watch what you say about my god,” I add. “Ophiucas blesses us daily. We don’t need some flashy power to show how greatly we revere him.”

“Would be nice if you had one, though, wouldn’t it?”

As soon as it’s safe to reveal my power, I’m going to blow Rusen right off his wagon.

“Rusen.” One word from Kai and the other man is rolling his eyes but keeping his big mouth shut—for a while, at least.

“It makes you wonder,” Jeric says in a thoughtful tone of voice as he starts pulling one of the wagons straight. “Why was Zephyth’s power wind-based instead of water? Ophiucas is a sea serpent. You’d think water would be…I don’t know, more his thing.”

“Why isn’t Huridell’s power earth-based?” I ask.

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