Chapter 3

The Harvest

The smoke apple harvest was larger than usual that year, thanks to the burn barrier that Brand and Edana had added to the orchard. Now that the Dalian vines couldn’t get to the trees on the edges of the orchard, all of them were producing more. For the first few days no one in the Wilde family had the time or energy to worry about the prophecy. It was all the four of them could do to get the ripe apples picked, checked, and then crated as carefully as Ivy’s glass for the journey. Some apples were saved for drying through the winter, others for preserves, still others went through Hayden’s press for cider. The fresh cider made a nice addition to their meals. Hayden even broke the seal of a barrel of hard cider from the previous autumn and deemed it worthy of sale too. Five barrels were added to the cart with the crates of apples.

Brand and Edana practiced their various fire talents, using the burn barrier as their arena. They tried to puzzle out a way to keep the barrier up, even after Edana would leave on her journey. They tried treating the edges with Hayden’s fire oil. That made it easier for Edana to burn the edges on her own, but the oil alone did not stop the creeping vines from trying to reach the apple trees. The family tried to reconcile what losing the orchard would mean when they all returned home. No one liked the idea.

One afternoon, Brand was moving the last of the sand barrels from the barn to his mother’s forge to make room for crates of apples. He gave the barrel a hard shove, trying to get the work done as quickly as possible. It rolled forward, up and over a large stone on the edge of the burn barrier. The barrel came down on the other side of the stone with a cracking sound. Fine white sand began to pour out of two large cracks in the sides. “Blaze it!” Brand cursed, he grabbed at the barrel and the falling sand angrily. He was muttering more curses as he realized that his efforts were having little effect on the leaks.

His curses grew louder. Stray sparks began to jump from his hands to the sand and the ground around him. Brand didn’t notice them as the expensive sand flowed away. The barrel was half empty before he could get it tilted in such a way that the sand couldn’t reach the cracks. He studied the cracks, looking for a way to mend them. “Brand, what in the Five Halls of Heaven are you doing?” Edana exclaimed.

Suddenly he felt her reach with her power past him. He turned to see several smoldering spots in the moss, and one smooth and glistening circle in the sand where it had melted and now lay flat. “I was trying to get this flaming sand to Mama’s forge,” he grumbled. Edana sighed and the smoldering moss cooled. Brand took a step back to look at the melted patch of sand, then reached to pick it up. The disc was smooth on the top where the pool had cooled rapidly, but rough on the underside. The normally clear glass that Ivy could coax from this fine white sand was dark and mixed with bits of moss and soil.

The fire mage studied it for a moment, then looked back at the orchard, and the blackened barrier around it. “What if we melted glass into the barrier?” Brand asked Edana. “Dalian vines like our soil and our trees, but they can’t grow in cold glass.”

Edana blinked at him, then looked at the glass disc. “Use the glass sand Father just brought back from Doreen to block the vines?”

“It could work,” Brand said. He tossed the disc towards the forest edge. It landed near the base of a tender green vine, not yet established enough to turn red with the season. Hungrily green shoots curled toward the glass, but veered away without touching it. The vine settled again, still and quiet.

“Did you spark it again as you threw?” Edana asked.

“You know that I didn’t,” Brand said, walking towards the disc and the vine. Edana came up beside him and they watched the vine for further movement.

“Maybe is just didn’t sense any food in it,” Edana suggested, “Or it felt residual heat.”

“Do you leave any heat when you calm the sparks?” Brand asked.

“Well, not usually,” Edana trailed off.

“It could work.” Brand said with conviction this time. He blasted the vine with a flame the size of a candle. Edana took the fire with her power and it shifted to a fire axe hacking at the vine and its roots. Then she let the fire fade to smoke. Brand picked up the glass disc once more. “Let’s show Papa,” he said. He headed for the barn.

“You get to explain what happened with the barrel,” Edana said. Her tone said she didn’t want to be him for that.

“Then it will be my idea that saves the orchard while we’re all gone.” Brand said with a crooked grin.

“I’ll still be here,” she said. “waiting.”

“But not forever,” Brand threw an arm around her shoulder. “Soon enough you’ll join me out beyond the forest somewhere.” He grinned wider. “Then we’ll save the world.” He nearly chuckled, but her expression stopped him.

“It’s not funny,” Edana said. “We may well have to… and we’ll be separated for months at least before then.”

“Oh don’t worry about that. You won’t be left out of the adventure for long,” he teased. “I’ll be sure to save some for you.”

“You think that’s what I’m worried about?” she asked, stopping to stare at him.

Brand stopped as well, looking back at her. His smile faded as he saw the concern on her face, but he cocked in head to one side in confusion. “What are you worried about?” he asked back. He had an idea, and he didn’t like it one bit.

“You, idiot.” Edana said quietly. “What if you spark too much, or your secret gets out before we’re ready? What happens when your embers are dim and I’m not there to stoke them bright again? I’m worried about the dark and the cold that is in your future despite all our plans, when you are far from me and I cannot help you. We’re to be separated for the first time… for any real length of time. There’s no telling what that will do to either of us. Without me, can you do what must be done? Without you, can I?” She stopped on a sigh. “And do we have any choice at all?”

He studied her face. His sister was right about all of it, just as she always was. Her golden eyes were not glowing, but she wasn’t crying either. That alone showed him how much she had thought of these things. If they were new thoughts, there would have been tears or fire tinged fury. Before he could say anything Ashlyn bounded into view chasing a silver butterfly from the orchard. The kit broke the tension between them as they watched her play. Edana even smiled faintly. When she did, the kit looked straight at her and purred before tearing after the flittering butterfly again.

It was Brand’s turn to sigh. “The only answer I have for you is that no, we don’t have any choice.” He turned in a slow circle, arms outstretched to encompass the house, the orchard, the forge and the barn. “The day our parents met, our fate was sealed. This place and the two of us are what came of that so far. And it’s good. Who’s to say that what comes next won’t be as good, or better?”

Edana did not answer. She was looking in the direction Ashlyn had gone, as if she wished she could be as carefree.

Brand frowned, then began to recite the old prophecy. His voice took on a singsong quality, for they’d known this one since before they could speak.

“When the fate of men is dire; in the forest not to hire.

There a woman from her sire; gifted with the pow’r of fire.

From the forest she will come, with a man who’s feared by some.

Toward the beat of goblin drum, cross the Plains of Caridum.”

Edana’s voice joined his, shaking at first, but firmer as the verses continued.

“Dawn’s light shines to meet the sun, arrows fly and daggers run.

Men and maidens in light are spun, and goblin’s dark deeds undone.

Onto their bones the Ash Snows fall, deep into the earth go all.

In the darkness she will call, light will burst in crystal hall.

To the Fortress by the sea, to the tower they will flee;

Goblins far as eyes can see, our saving grace she will be.”

Their voices ended in unison, and the noises of the forest resumed around them. Silverlarks called, insects buzzed and faintly, the cranking of the cider press reached them as well. Once again, Brand put his arm around his sister’s shoulders. He hugged her close to his side. “You see?” he began. “No choice but to go when we must. Then a world of choices after that will take us closer to our fate.” The freedom of that was a heady thought for him.

Brand struggled to hide the excitement he felt about going from Edana, because she was still worried. The mage in him wondered what his fire would be like when he was beyond the control of her magic. Not that it was restrictive exactly, just ever-present. He hugged her again until she pulled away and began to walk towards the barn again.

“Let’s show the disc to Papa so we can get started on your idea,” she said. Her tone was lighter now and he smiled at her back.

It took only moments to convince Hayden and even less to assure Ivy that she’d have more sand. Before Brand even finished explaining his plan, his mother smiled and asked, “Why do you think I asked him to get so much this year?” She laughed at his expression and motioned him back out of her forge. “Get to it!” Ivy called after him. Then she murmured hopefully to the fire, “Perhaps there will be something left here when all is done.”

It took the rest of the day to spread the sand along the black barrier around the orchard. Then, as the sky darkened into night, Brand and Edana set it alight. He took a ball made of wax and applewood shavings and sparked it. As he tossed it along the front line of the barrier, Edana took hold of the fire and increased its intensity and heat until the ball was white light as it landed in the sand. Then the witch released it until the orchard was surrounded by fire. She sent the sparks to the sky and let the smoke drift into the dark.

It took more focus than she expected to keep the fire in the boundaries they’d set. The rest of the family watched in amazement as the fire blazed until the sand was melted, and then faded. Edana sent the heat into the earth and air around them, letting the molten sand cool into glass in the night air.

“Wow,” Brand said as the wind caused by the firestorm faded. “Have you ever held something that big?” he asked. He moved to look Edana in the face when she didn’t answer. Her eyes glowed bright, though most of the fire was gone. “Edana?”

Ashlyn mewled at Edana’s feet, then used her claws to climb Edana’s skirt until she could perch on the witch’s shoulder. The dannikit mewled again and Edana blinked twice. She focused her gaze on Brand and the glow faded from her eyes. “No, I haven’t,” she answered Brand, her voice caught between wonder and fear.

“We could have done it the usual way…” Brand started, though his heart was still hammering with excitement and his blood hummed with fire.

“If you’re going to push yourself to get stronger, then so am I.” Edana said, her gaze still focused on the afterglow of flames on the far side of the orchard.

“Do you feel stronger?” Hayden asked.

“Not so much stronger,” Edana mused. “Just more aware of my abilities. I didn’t know I could reach that much at once.”

“That’s brilliant!” Brand said,” bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Can we do it again? This time with me tossing more fire?” Sparks were leaping off him from his hands and his hair in the darkness and his eyes flashed golden intermittently. Reflexively Edana focused her attention on him and settled the sparks midair, before they could set anything alight. Brand narrowed his eyes at her and his eyes glowed brighter. “Stop doing that!” he snapped, his voice carrying a crackle of flame in it.

“But you are,” Edana started. Her tone was admonishing, and her expression a mixture of condescension and worry.

“Actually, I’m not.” Brand declared. “There’s nothing but light in them. No heat.” He stopped bouncing, and stood rigidly staring at her. “You’d know that if you would let them go. You knew it as soon as you touched the first.” No firelight remained from the orchard barrier, and for a moment, all sparks from Brand were gone. The only glow came from his eyes, bright with power and temper.

“I was worried…” Edana began again. She started to step towards him.

“Worried that I would set the forest afire after all your hard work? Feeling strong after your exercise with the glass and worried that I could match it? Worried that I couldn’t?” Brand ranted. “Afraid I’ll finally break the bonds you’ve set on me?!” He whirled away from her and punched his arms upward, palms open. Fire bloomed skyward with a roar and a crackle, bright as day and hot as summer. The flames hissed and roiled, continuous and strong. Brand’s body was a silhouette of black against them. His hair turned briefly to flames and even in the firelight his eyes were beacons of gold.

The rest of the family stood in stunned silence. Edana dared not try to calm or control the flame, but she touched it lightly with her power, testing. Brand roared in fury, and the fire answered in kind. She pulled back, looking with her eyes and heart only. The clearing around them was bright. Though their animals were well accustomed to the scent and feel of fire and smoke around the farm, they shifted nervously in the barn. The horses kicked at the walls and whinnied. Still Brand burned. Ashlyn shifted on Edana’s shoulder to look up at the fire, green eyes reflecting the light.

Gradually the fire lessened, shrinking in size and intensity until Brand held only candle flames in his palms. He brought his arms down and stared at those flickering lights before closing his palms and turning back to his family. It was dark now in the clearing, and a breeze swept through, carrying away the heat and replacing it with only the warm apple scent from the orchard. “I am strong enough,” he said, his voice low and smoke roughened, “to call forth the flame when I need it, and put it only where I need it to go.”

Brand flung a spark at the lantern that hung outside the front door of the house. It caught, and cast a warm and welcoming glow in direct contrast to the firestorm of moments before. Ivy went to her son. She met his proud, still glowing gaze with her calm green Seer’s eyes. She touched his face with cool fingers. After a moment she nodded minutely. Some of Brand’s tension eased out of his shoulders. “You are ready to go,” Ivy said. “To delay longer would make things worse for everyone.”

She hugged him to her suddenly then steered him to the front door as only a mother could. “There is a jar of candle pepper apple jam and toast in the kitchen with your name on it,” she murmured for his ears only. “Eat, and then to bed with you.” Brand’s gait stiffened but she went on, “I’m going to miss you. Let me treat you as my favorite son tonight.” He relaxed again. They walked inside together.

Edana and Hayden stood together in the quiet. “That was…” Edana’s voice failed.

“Powerful,” her father finished. “More powerful than he’s ever shown before.” He looked into the now velvety night sky that sparkled only with starlight.

“He is stronger than I’ve ever let him be,” Edana murmured. “I didn’t realize he knew that I kept my touch on his fire as often as I draw breath.”

“You did it for his safety,” Hayden tried to justify her actions for her.

“But he is right Papa,” Edana said. “I bound him, as surely as I do Zephyr.”

“He’ll be beyond your reach soon enough,” Hayden said. “Too soon,” he sighed, “and yet perhaps not soon enough.” He put an arm around his daughter’s shoulders, avoiding the dannikit perched on the other side. “What you did tonight, what you both did, was impressive.” He smiled down at her. “I have perfect faith that both of you will do what you need to do when the occasion calls for it.”

“Starting tomorrow?” Edana asked.

“Starting tomorrow,” Hayden agreed. They started the walk to the front door. “Can you imagine that display in a show though? A firebird leaping from his hands and into the sky…”

Edana smiled. “We’re not traveling fire artists this time,” she said as he pushed open the door.

“Oh but what a performance!” Hayden exclaimed with a laugh.