The Fire King Read online

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  About the Author

  Other Books by Amber Jaeger

  THE FIRE KING

  BY AMBER JAEGER

  The Fire King

  Copyright © 2013 by Amber Jaeger. All rights reserved.

  First Nook Edition: 2013

  Cover and Formatting: Streetlight Graphics

  For more information, contact Amber Jaeger at:

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/ajaegerbooks

  Email: [email protected]

  All rights reserved. This eBook is licensed for the personal enjoyment of the original purchaser only. This eBook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this eBook and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to BarnesAndNoble.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.

  Many thanks to Paul, Betsy, Jenn and Jason for all of their help and input

  Also, special thanks to Jason LaVelle for his literary contribution

  CHAPTER ONE

  “Is she coming today?” the young princess asked, bouncing in front of the wide, beveled glass window.

  “Like I have told you every day for the last month, I do not know when she will arrive,” Rosa said from her chair in the corner.

  Katiyana huffed and drew a star in the fog on the cold window.

  The weather was beginning to turn warm at last. Soon they would no longer need the fire in the marble fireplace her nurse maid sat next to, or the rugs covering the mahogany floor that the princess played on.

  “But soon?” Katiyana asked, her nose pressed to the glass.

  “I hope so,” Rosa muttered.

  The girl waited by the window for nearly an hour before turning away in disappointment. “Can I go see father?”

  “May you go see your father?” her maid stressed, not looking up from her mending. “No, you may not.” Then she sighed and threw the ruined stocking back into the basket.

  “When can I have new stockings?” Katiyana asked, hoping she could have ones without the infuriating seam that rubbed her little toes raw.

  “When your father has time to order you a new wardrobe,” Rosa told her. “He is very busy right now.”

  “He is not busy,” Katiyana said quietly. “He is sad.”

  “Perhaps you would like to play with your toys,” she suggested, praying the little girl would not continue her line of questioning.

  The princess crossed her arms and stamped her foot, her mind instantly off of her absent father. “Those are baby toys. I am nearly eleven years old, I cannot play with dolls. Besides, I want to go to school like the other girls.”

  The maid sighed and sat back in her chair. “You cannot go to school like the other girls, you are a princess. You will have lessons in dancing and painting and fine needlework and music.”

  “But when?” Katiyana demanded. “I am old enough to learn those things. I am tired of being stuck up in this nursery all day. I am not a baby.”

  Rosa forced a kind smile for the girl. “I know this frilly room is not to your liking, but soon enough your father will come around and your days will be filled with lessons. I think then you will become so busy learning everything a princess must know that you will wish for the quietness of your nursery.”

  “It is pink. I hate pink,” Katiyana said flatly. “When I am a grownup, I am going to have a green bedroom that looks out over the apple orchards.”

  “When you grow up, you will be queen to a king in another kingdom and I doubt they will have apple orchards there.”

  “Nu-uh,” Katiyana argued, flipping a dark wave over her shoulder. “I am going to be queen here.”

  “Well, if your father’s betrothed never does show up, then perhaps you will get your wish,” Rosa said a bit more sharply than she intended.

  The girl’s bottom lip rolled out and she turned back to the window with a huff. She was coming, she had to be. And she would make everything better again. Father would be happy and they would all be a family together. She would get her lessons and her new stepmother would teach her everything she needed to know about being a princess.

  By lunch she still had not arrived and Katiyana pouted through the small meal served in the nursery. When a knock sounded on the door an hour later, she leapt up in joy and rushed to open it, hoping it was her father.

  It was not.

  Her smile only diminished a little though, because it was the woods keeper who had come.

  “Can Katiyana come out and play?” he teased, knowing it would make Rosa blush.

  “A little walk would be fine,” she said, suddenly very interested in the hem she was mending. “Back before supper,” she added sternly, addressing the headstrong princess.

  Katiyana slammed the door shut and ran to catch up with Harmen. “What are we going to do today?” she asked, bouncing on her toes.

  The grizzled man rubbed the dark stubble on his chin. “I thought you wanted to go on a walk?” he asked, his amber eyes twinkling.

  Her pout was back and she put her little fists on her hips. “No! I have to go on boring walks with Rosa. I want to do something fun,” she insisted. “You know, secret stuff.”

  “Oh, secret stuff. Yes, well, perhaps I have one fun thing I can show you.”

  Her rosy cheeks glowed and she clapped her hands together. “What is it?”

  “You will see.”

  She followed him out of the castle by way of the servant’s passages. They were just as warm and bright with sun gleaming off the wood floors and creamy walls but much smaller. The halls in the main palace were enormous with high, arched ceilings. The woods keeper could have very well led the girl through them but she was more excited when their adventures were a ‘secret’.

  They went out into the forest behind the castle where the river passed under it and walked for several minutes. Finally Harmen found a stretch that was naturally lined by boulders and set his pack on one.

  “So?” she asked impatiently. “What is it, what are we doing?”

  “We, my dear,” he said, pulling a wad out of his pack with a flourish, “are fishing.”

  He showed her how to find a proper stick for the line and to dig up little worms for bait. She was a bit squeamish about piercing one on a hook but was determined to learn. Finally their lines were cast and they sat on the sun warmed rocks.

  The girl was unusually quiet and finally Harmen had to ask. “You do not like this adventure?”

  Katiyana looked to him in surprise, her little mouth forming an o. “I do. I was just thinking of other things.”

  He chuckled. “And what is our dear princess thinking about today?”

  “I was… I was wondering when I would get to see my father again.”

  Harmen ducked his head, wishing he had not asked. Her
shoulders were a little hunched, giving away her sadness. “When did you see him last?”

  “When he came to tell me I was going to have a stepmother. He had seemed to so happy, I thought maybe…”

  “You thought what?”

  The girl sighed and jerked her stick about, making the line dance in the water. “I thought I would get to see him more now, now that he is happy. I thought maybe he would remember I needed bigger clothes and lessons. I have been waiting but it has been weeks now. Does he think I am not smart enough to be a princess?”

  “That is not it,” Harmen said gruffly. “Your father has been busy.”

  “Yes, I know that is what everyone says. I just wish he was not too busy for me.”

  The woods keeper looked up at the sky through the thick trees, wishing he had some words of comfort for the girl. “It will get better. His new wife will come and surely he will make time for you both.”

  Katiyana smiled, still gazing out over the water. “I hope so.”

  When she finally caught a fish, Harmen led her back up to her room and she entered with a resigned sigh. She had her meal with Rosa and lingered in front of the fireplace, hoping her father would visit. Finally she was put to bed.

  The next morning she was wakened by the pattering of rain on the windows. She jumped from her bed to look out. The sky was a steely gray and lightning flashed occasionally. “Well, she will not be coming today,” she said sadly.

  Rosa said nothing.

  Stuck inside, confined to the nursery, she pestered her maid and harassed her toys. She was in a foul mood.

  When a knock at the door came, she answered it with less excitement than the day before.

  “Good day, my child,” her father said, beaming down at her.

  Her jaw dropped before she launched herself at his thick belly, wrapping her arms around him. He laughed and patted her back.

  “Father, it is has been so long, I thought you had forgotten about me,” she mumbled into his waist coat.

  “Forget you? How could I ever forget about my little princess?” he asked. His lips curved up in a smile but his eyes looked haunted.

  She squeezed him tighter before finally pulling back to grin up at him.

  “Well,” he said, pinching her nose. “Get dressed. Why are you wearing that?”

  Katiyana pulled at the too tight gown, trying to make the hem dip lower. “You were going to get me more, remember? And lessons too.”

  He cleared his throat and turned to the maid who stood next to her chair, eyes on the ground. “Rosa… Rosa, is it?”

  She nodded, clutching her sewing to her chest.

  “Why is my little princess wearing rags?” he asked, his rosy cheeks flaming.

  “I asked you to approve the funds for a new wardrobe months ago,” she murmured, her eyes on the ground. “I was awaiting your permission.”

  Katiyana looked from her maid to her father.

  “I am sure I approved it immediately when it was requested,” he said, rubbing at his jowl. “No matter, you are to begin immediately. We do not want your new mother to meet you as a ragamuffin, do we?” he asked his daughter, ruffling her hair.

  “Is she coming?” Katiyana cried. “Finally?”

  “Yes, finally,” her father laughed. “We shall discuss it, over dinner perhaps?”

  “You want me to eat with you?” she squeaked.

  “Of course, my little ragamuffin. Come, I had the cook make your favorite.”

  With a smile, she took his hand and let him lead her to the dining hall.

  Weeks later, the young princess bounced on her toes just inside the castle doors. “Today? Are you sure, Father?”

  He chuckled and ruffled her hair. She ducked away from his hand and scowled up at him as she pushed the dark waves back down. “Stop, I want to look pretty.”

  The king scooped her up and squeezed her tight. “You are always pretty, even when you have been out running through the woods with Harmen all day.”

  Her cheeks flamed as she tried to smooth out the skirts of her new dress. “You know about that?”

  “My dear daughter, I always know where you are and what you are doing.”

  “Even when you are busy?” she asked, hinting at the many months of his absence.

  “Even then. But I fear your days of adventures are at an end. With Sula here, she will see to it you grow into a proper young lady.”

  Katiyana turned back to the doors. “When will she be here?”

  “Soon enough.”

  He allowed her to pace the wide entrance hall while they waited. There was an excited hush in the castle and servants moved quickly, wiping the already spotless fixtures and decorations. The sun rose high into the sky, far above the surrounding forest, and the room was lit with its warm glow.

  Finally a carriage could be heard rattling into the courtyard. The king was summoned and the guards in their fancy uniforms opened the doors. King Kenan waited with his daughter just inside, his hand heavy on her shoulder to keep her from bouncing.

  The ice blue carriage pulled to a stop on the rust colored brick drive and several dark clad men swarmed to open the door and help the future queen down.

  Katiyana watched with bated breath, waiting for her first glimpse of her new mother. Finally the servants cleared so she could see her. Her head was down, causing her inky black hair to curtain her face. Her hair was much shorter than most women wore theirs and was cut abruptly right at her collar bones. Katiyana ran a hand over her own hair, wishing her waves would smooth to the icy sheen of her new stepmothers hair.

  From her bared arms, she could see they shared the same creamy white skin. Even encased in the generous folds of her pale, pastel gown, Katiyana could see how thin she was and how she held her back ramrod straight even with her head bent. The woman did not walk but glided to the door and up the stairs.

  She stopped only a few steps from the king and his daughter and gave a graceful curtsey. “My king,” she said, her voice cold and perfectly smooth.

  “Please, please,” the king said, stepping from behind his daughter. “I am Kenan to you and you are most welcome in your new home.”

  Finally she raised her head and pierced the king with her coal dark eyes. “And I am yours.”

  Katiyana looked from Sula to her father and noticed how his face paled a bit.

  He cleared his throat. “Everything I have is yours. Including,” he said, pulling Katiyana forward, “my dear daughter.”

  Sula glanced at the child. “Why is she so dirty?”

  “I… I took a bath,” Katiyana said meekly.

  “You have grime under your fingernails. Your nurse maid should be fired.” With that, she turned back to her soon to be husband. “Where may I retire?”

  “Retire? Surely you must be hungry, it has been a long journey for you, yes?” he asked, twisting his hands together. “Where are your hand maidens?”

  “I came alone,” she said, a new brittleness in her voice. “No one wished to come with me.”

  “I see,” he said, looking about. “You there, girl.”

  “Father, that is Rosa,” Katiyana whispered.

  “Rosa, you will assist the future queen with anything she needs.”

  “My lord,” she said, dipping a curtsey. “I care for your daughter—”

  “She no longer needs a maid. Her future stepmother will care for her.”

  Sula’s mouth barely turned down but her eyes narrowed, taking in the girl again. “As you command, my king.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  The wedding came several days later and in that time, Katiyana felt lost again. She was put back up in her nursery but had no one to attend her. When she ventured out into the halls she was reprimanded and sent back to bathe and dress and eat on her own. Her father did not visit, Sula did not visit and Harmen did not visit.

  She spent the time trying to emulate her soon to be step mother. She made many trips around her nursery, clumsily impersonating the woman’s way of glidin
g instead of walking. She practiced curtsies and speaking properly but with no one to watch or correct her, there was no way of knowing if she was doing it right.

  Finally the day of the wedding was upon them all. Katiyana bathed and washed her hair as best she could, rinsing twice to get all the soap from it. In the small mirror, she fixed her hair and put on the pale rose gown that had been placed in her room.

  Then she sat. And waited. For hours.

  Finally Rosa burst into the room. “My word,” she gasped, pulling the girl off the chair by her hand, “we nearly forgot about you.”

  Hurt and confused, Katiyana stumbled after her former maid to the grand hall and let herself be ushered in to stand next to her father. There were so many people in the chairs filling the opulent room that she had to look down at her feet to keep from crying.

  Her father barely noticed her and did not even bother to ruffle her hair. She clutched the flowers that had been thrust into her hands and waited with everyone else.

  Finally Sula emerged from the open doors, draped in yards of ivory silk. Like before, her head was bowed, her black hair curtaining her face, as she glided up the aisle to them both.

  The ceremony was short and the only inclusion for Katiyana was when she had to hold Sula’s flowers as she made and accepted her vows. She ripped them back when she was done and the wedding ended with a chaste kiss. Everyone applauded as the king stood with his new bride and Katiyana was left alone as they swept down the aisle together.

  Hurt and bewildered, the girl stood before the altar in despair until a gentle voice interrupted her confused thoughts.

  “You did wonderfully,” a gentle voice said.

  Katiyana turned to take in the young woman kneeling down next to her. Unlike Sula, she was plush with light hair and a wide, friendly smile.

  “I am to be married soon as well,” the strange woman continued. “I would love to have such a nice young woman hold my flowers for me.”

  The girl looked around in confusion and the woman laughed.