Page 76 of Born of Starlight
She nodded.
“You knew? How?”
Tears slid down my friend’s cheeks. “I received a letter from the North King that Firose was, in fact, pushing for the North Corridor to seize control over the West. The Kruthins were right.”
She’d let innocent people die. “How could you not have stopped her?” My mouth hung open in quiet disbelief.
Ten...nine…eight…
I breathed deeply, trying to let the edge of my violent rage simmer into a low boil instead of fiery depths. My irises were likely lit from within, with iridescent inky swirling.
“Firose is a Lynx in sheepskin—the people love her because she’s never the one who wrongs them. But she’s grown bolder these past months. It was the catalyst the realm needed for its rulers to begin pulling away from the Order. After the last meeting, Wyeth and Cassidee finally approached me, wishing to break ties with Firose…the Sisterhood is crumbling, Asterie. And the Corridors are vulnerable—she ensured that.
“She plays her cards well. Firose will always make sure she has something that you want. She always ensures the stakes of the game she is playing are high. It was the only way to make them see it…”
Seven…six…five…
A pit grew in my stomach. Amara was willing to let blood spill toprove a point. I only hoped it wouldn’t be in vain. It was easy to imagine the Wastelands rising against us. It was harder to comprehend that the threat might come from within. It had already begun, and it began with us.
Four…three…two...
Amara allowed me time to restore my composure and said nothing more. Then, after a few deep breaths, I looked at her across the side table between our chairs.
“Why is she like this?” I was still grasping for an explanation.No person could be so evil—no person could exist just to hurt others.
I needed to understand how the person who shaped my view of the world could be so cruel, needed to believe my foundations hadn’t all been a lie.
If there was some good somewhere in Firose even long ago, it might help me hold onto the belief that there were pieces of myself that were good too.
“Has she ever told you anything about her upbringing?”
I shook my head.
Amara continued to explain, “It was six centuries ago. She was born into a poor Brennac family, barely above beggars. As soon as Firose was old enough, she was pushed to sell the one thing men would pay top dollar for from her.
“Before the Great Wars, the kingdoms had warred once before, the Midpoint Battles—Brennax and Phynx fought for the midway lands between their kingdoms. The Hussa mountains and the lower North Corridor were once in that midway. In the early raids, Firose and other women from her brothel were captured by Phynnic soldiers—passed around like cigars. When Brennac soldiers attacked the Phynnic camps, theyleftthe women there. Not worthy of saving even by her own kingdom’s forces.”
My heart ached, and I nodded. “So, how did Firose survive it?”
Amara sighed. I braced for what she might tell me. “She made it to the shores of the northern countryside—on foot, on her own. When she reached the north shores, her rage had grown so fierce she accidentally set acres ablaze—created a brush fire for miles. She became the ‘girl aflame.’ She leaned into the world from that point flames first. Overtaking, manipulating, charming.”
Amara’s eyes were glassy and contemplative as though remembering something fondly.
“She became a maid to a noble house in western Brennax. Somehow, she rose to be the lord of the estate’s advisor. She had him wrapped around her finger and owned half his estate before he even realized he’d signed over everything to her.”
“How did you come to work together?”
“I was an advisor to the lord of a neighboring estate. When I met her, she was a scared girl with a sharp mind. I got her the job as a maid. It intrigued me when she rose to be a formidable ally. We were young, beautiful and able to make powerful connections in the courts. It took centuries, but we grew to influence political structure more and more.”
“Until the fall of Phynx, when movement toward the Order began.”
She nodded. “It was well meaning. I didn’t agree with some of the Order—the conception bans, the exile of magic-wielders. But it cascaded out of my control, and Firose’s silver tongue made it impossible for me to reverse the course we had set.”
It felt like I’d become one with the leather chair cushion.Firose wasn’t trustworthy.She was owed empathy, but no amount of personal suffering should lead one to make others suffer.
“I don’t suppose you’re able to come with me to Luz?” I asked.
Amara reached over to squeeze my arm with a sad smile.
