Chapter One 

Prophecy of Sparks

The Emerald Forest was aflame with color. Autumn had arrived with its usual brightness, turning even this place famed for its many shades of green, to a flurry of red, orange and yellow. The road from New Malia was nearly overgrown by creeping Dalian vines along the ground and winding around the trees. The dangerous vines kept their deep green leaves, but they were tipped with ruby light. In the heart of the forest, a black line of charred earth made the silver trunks of the smoke apple trees shimmer. The dark red fruit, with its silver smoke flare on the peel near the stem hung heavy and ripe all over the trees. The scent of sweet apples was overlaid by the warmth of smoke on the air.

A young man’s laughter echoed through the silver trees startling the yellowstars into crying a harsh warning. “Brand would you stop sparking at me?” was a woman’s annoyed response.

“But it’s so much fun to see what you do with it when I surprise you,” the man said as he rounded a corner along that charred line. Brand’s deep red hair caught the sunlight on a few errant curls. His tunic and trousers were simple, dyed in the colors of the autumn forest around them. The wide grin on his face made his gold eyes startling. Just behind him came a woman with hair in every shade of red loose down her back. It was bound by a black cord adorned with a crystal piece above her left ear in the shape of a five petal flower. She wore a simple gown that matched the silver of the trunks of the apple trees. She was just a finger width shorter than he.

“We’ve got a job to do, keeping the vines out of the orchard,” she said with a huff.

“Bah!” Brand said. He flicked his fingers at his sister and sparks flew from them in her direction. With an impatient wave, she turned the sparks to petals of flame that fell on the outer edge of the charred line. The petals caught at the tender ends of the creeping vines that were trying for new territory. A wisp of smoke and the vines drew back to a safe distance.

“See? We can work and play at the same time,” Brand said with a grin. He picked up a blackened stone and focused on it in his palm. His eyes flared gold as he tossed it into the air. “What can you do with that?”

Edana gasped and looked up at the rock. “You lay a spark in that!”

“I did,” he said. “What are you going to do about it?”

She narrowed her gold, glowing eyes as the rock burst in a star of light against the gray autumn sky. Before splinters could fall on them, she turned them to soft ash. Then she glared at her brother.

“Oh well done!” he said smiling in the face of her anger. “That was even faster than usual.”

“That’s because I’m angry with you,” she said. “The sooner we get this finished, the sooner we can get back for Father’s gifts.”

“You know Mother only sent us out so she could get them ready,” Brand said. “The vines really ought to know better than to come this way by now.”

“Obviously not,” Edana said, pointing ahead. A length of Dalian vine the width of a hand had crossed into the blackened ground.

“We’d better do a full burn there in case it put out spores.” Brand said. He opened his palm and a flame appeared as if on the end of a candle. He tossed it at the vine, where it caught with a crackle. Edana focused and the candle flame grew to a white heat and spread across the ground in a widening circle. Only when the circle was fully the width of their path did it ebb and fade.

Brand bent to examine the place where the vine had been. “All gone,” he said. She nodded. “The other vines drew back from the heat as well.” He pointed at the edge of the path, that was no longer lined with the vines, but bare dark earth instead.

“You see? It’s not a useless errand,” Edana said.

“I didn’t mean that it wasn’t needed at all,” Brand said, “but we should use the time to practice anyway.”

After a few moments Edana nodded. Brand began to spark around them to catch her by surprise, but Edana caught and turned them about, or sent them towards the edge of the charred path. They had to keep the creeping vines away from the smoke apple trees or they’d lose the orchard in days.

Once they’d walked the full circuit around the orchard, their home came into view. A stone house built up against the side of the largest tree in this part of the forest. Its windows gleamed with panes of crystal, and the walls seemed to shimmer green from moss. Scattered over the moss was small orange flowers. Red clay shingles covered the roof of the second floor, and the large brick chimney streamed with light gray smoke. The bricks were coated with the springy moss and flowers.

Behind the house were two outbuildings; a stable that had two horses and a cow in the yard beside it, and a stone shed with a chimney that for now, held no smoke of its own. Brand sent more sparks around Edana and she laughed, turning them all to fire flowers that drifted on the breeze before wisping into smoke.

“Trying to set the forest alight?” called a man as he stepped out of the green front door. His red hair was streaked with silver now, and his face had a few lines from living life strewn about but his grin was as wide and warm as that of the younger man.

“Papa!” Edana exclaimed, running the last few steps to the doorway. “You’re back early.”

“You don’t fool me girl,” Hayden said, wrapping his arms around her. “I know your mother had you tending the orchard because she knew I was coming home today.”

“That’s not the only reason we tended it,” Brand said. “We had to do a burn for vines as well.” He smiled, letting his sister do the hugging for now. “Welcome home. How was the port city this time around?”

Hayden let one arm drop from around Edana, but she clung to his side as he motioned them both indoors. “It was… interesting. I’ll tell you along with your mother.”

The door opened into the front room of the house. Wooden chairs and soft cushions set before a large hearth to one side that surrounded a circular fire grate and chimney. Glass sculptures were scattered about the room. A frozen waterfall glimmered as it appeared to flow through the open window to the floor. A bright green and gold apple tree crafted in crystal and complete with deep red apples grew in the far corner, spreading branches to the ceiling. On the mantel above the hearth rested a glass firebird perched on the edge of flight. The air was scented with baking apples and cinnabar spice.

Through the open grate, glimpses of the kitchen and their mother’s blue skirts could be seen. A fire was lit in the grate and as they entered, it leapt into the shape of a small dog, standing and looking at them, tongue lolling. It appeared to bark and the fire crackled. Hayden laughed. “You maintained the firedog the whole time I was gone?” he asked.

“She let it lapse a few times,” Brand said. “But his name is Zephyr, and his personality matches her temper.” Edana shot him a glare and proved his point when the firedog crackled a growl. Hayden and Brand both laughed. “That’s marvelous, Edana. Your control is growing.” He hugged her again as they rounded the chimney and entered the kitchen. Hayden glanced at Brand. “How’s yours?” he asked lightly, though his eyes grew intent.

“No dreams while you were gone Papa,” Brand said, “so there wasn’t even a need for the charms you gave me. I didn’t set fire to the house.” Brand grinned ruefully.

Hayden glanced at Edana, who looked at Brand critically for a moment. “You need to eat something,” she said. “You sparked too much out there.”

“I’m fine,” he said. “I’m hungry, but I’ll wait until dinner with the family.” Brand said. His tone grew irritated, and his eyes glimmered.

“Don’t you go sniping at your sister for checking your spark,” his mother’s cool voice sounded from across the room. “That’s what we’ve trained her to do, and you know as well as anyone it’s as instinctual now as sparking is for you.” Brand shook his head a bit then nodded. Ivy smiled at him, then looked at Hayden. “It’s good to have all of us together now.” As their loving eyes met, Ivy’s green gaze went vague and misty.

“Sparks journey to mountain high, evil there will burn and die.

Turning fruits of red to gold, his time and labor to be sold.

Autumn color fades to winter’s chill, surrounded by stone he will be still.

The Moon is lost in darkness deep, goblins for her soul do reap.

The darkness swirls heavy and hot, yet cold and damp he remains.

Dark and Light do battle above, strength fades, embers grow dim.

Moonlight finds him where none shines, a spark, light to give aid, but not to him. 

The fletching is kindling, easy to spark, even there, alone in the dark.

Water falls and rocks tumble, steam hisses and walls crumble

Light shines in caverns old, revealing wonders bright and bold

Fire burns where none should be, as one together they must flee

Through the Jaws of Kurzat they must climb, to reach the sun and sea in time.”

Ivy’s eyes slowly focused on the pale faces of her family once more. She took a deep breath and let it out on a long exhale. “Well that’s not how I wanted this evening to go at all.” She frowned slightly. “Edana, fetch my prophecy book and ink please. Brand I could use a cup of tea after that. Hayden, we need to move the festivities up a bit.” Then she sat down at the table with a sigh as the family scattered.

As Brand went about brewing tea, she watched him. He boiled the water simply by holding the teapot. His eyes glowed briefly, then he added the leaves and spice his mother required after an episode. As he brought a cup and the now steaming pot to the table, she caught his hand and held it in both of hers. His brow furrowed in concern and confusion. “I’m afraid for you,” she said, her voice trembling just a bit. “There is so much darkness ahead.”

“Only darkness?” he asked and started to smile. “I can handle that in a snap.” He tried to snap his fingers and bring forth a dancing flame, a trick that always made her smile, but she held his fingers still, and no flame appeared.

“This will not be as easy as that my son. There is pain, and darkness,” she looked into his eyes until his smile fell away and he caught her serious tone. Then she relaxed a little. “There is hope too of course. Always hope.”

“Where am I to go?” he asked after a moment.

At that Ivy smiled. Hayden returned with two parcels and Edana brought out a large leather-bound book with the inks and quill her mother used to fill it. “Let’s figure that out together.” She began to write down the prophecy from memory, sketching small images on the page when the prophecy called her to do so.

“Brand will be taking the crop to Minian himself this year,” Hayden said, reading over her shoulder.

“Hmm… yes.” Ivy said. “Don’t mind me just now. Tell us the news from the port of Doreen.” She flicked a glance at the fabric wrapped bundles he held.

Hayden paused, then lay them on the table. “I bought these, not knowing they’d be needed quite so soon…” he muttered and sighed briefly. “Rumors are flying through Doreen. The great grain silos still sit half-empty. There is drought, and plagues, great rumblings in the Garmen mountains. Whole villages are said to be gone or abandoned.”

“Why?” Edana asked.

At the same time, Brand asked, “How?”

“No one could say for sure. One thing I did find was that the bushel of apples I took was even more rare than usual, and what I thought was a fair price was far below what people had been paying the peddlers we sent.” He frowned briefly. “We were cheated greatly, and so were all those people who bought our apples from them.”

“I brought back the sands for your glass as well Ivy, and placed it in the shed.” Hayden added. She nodded, then gestured with the glass quill towards the bundles. Hayden pushed one towards each of his children.

Hesitantly at first, then with growing enthusiasm, they opened the bundles. Fine traveling cloaks and packs revealed themselves. Edana draped her green cloak about her shoulders and was admiring the small embroidery around the hood when her pack shifted slightly on the table. She touched the pack again and a soft rumbling sound came from within it. She opened the pack and looked inside.

“Oh!” she exclaimed. Then, “Aww….”

“What is it?” Brand asked. He tried to look as well, but Edana wouldn’t move.

“I don’t know but it’s adorable,” she whispered.

“I was picking up the sands at the dock for your mother when that little fur ball tumbled over the side of the ship down into my arms.” Hayden said. “She’s an Agoradan. Well, a dannikit actually because she’s very young.”

“I heard of them at the last festival,” Brand said. “I thought they stayed on the ships.”

“They do normally, but they choose their companion, and they go with them for life.” Hayden said. “The sailor who was minding this one and her siblings got bawled out by the entire crew of the ship for letting her get away from him. They thanked me profusely for catching her before she was injured. When my business was done and I tried to leave her, she wouldn’t let me. Climbed my trouser leg until I picked her up again.”

“She chose you?” Edana asked in an awed tone, still staring into the pack.

“No,” Hayden said. “That’s where it got very strange. Her mother leapt off the ship as if someone had called for her. Standing, she was as tall as my waist. Her fur was every shade of brown and gold you’ve ever seen.” He paused remembering. “She was like one of the Caridum cats on the plains, but more. She looked me in the eye, and hers were as yellow and bright as yours are when you’re flaming Brand. Then as sure as I’m talking to you know I heard a voice in my head say, ‘You will take her home to your flower.’”

“The Agoradan spoke to you?” Brand asked, incredulous. “They can talk?”

“Not talk so much as… share a thought.” Hayden said. “That was it. The captain looked at the mother, then at the kit, then back at me. He called for one of the crew to get the guidebook, then gave me a lecture on how to care for her.”

“Where’s the book?” Edana asked.

“She’s sleeping on it,” Hayden said. “Or she was.”

“Does she have a name?” Brand asked.

“She does, but I don’t know it,” Hayden said. “She’s too young yet for the thought sharing. Besides, she’s not mine. She’s Edana’s.”

A soft mewling came from inside the pack. Edana reached in, “Oh she’s so soft!” and gently lifted out a kitten. She was gray and tan and palest cream blended together in stripes and spots, with seven toes on each paw and a tail as long as her body. She blinked sleepy green eyes at Edana and the low rumbling purr started again. Green eyes met gold.

“She looks like she was made from ashes,” Brand said. “Soft and warm and the ways the colors mix together.”

“Her name is Ashlyn,” Edana said. “She loves me already.” Her tone was soft with awe.

Brand glanced at Hayden. “I don’t suppose you brought me a lifelong companion as well? After all it appears I’m leaving home with the harvest.”

“I didn’t,” Hayden said. “Sorry. Talk to your mother the Seer about that.” He put a hand on his son’s shoulder. “I think you may meet a friend or two along the way though.”

Brand looked at Ivy, who was still writing and drawing in her book. “Oh. Yes.” She muttered. “Lots of people. Some good. Some bad. That’s before you even get to Minian to sell the apples.” She glanced at Edana, whose focus was Ashlyn. “Your sister needs the kit for the days to come. You’re going to Minian and beyond. Your father and I have to go back to Doreen.”

“Both of you?” Edana asked, looking up.

“Yes.” Ivy said. “We all have a lot of work to do before that.”

“No big deal though,” Brand said, “Harvest the apples, pack them for the journey, decipher that prophecy, make a plan for the caretaking of the farm, set up post relays in New Malia, and figure out if I’m going to die when the embers go dim.” He looked at his family.
“It should be fine.” He smiled, but his eyes did not light.

Next Chapter: Fires of Fate