Bring Forth a Fire (Book 1)

Two - A Trial By Fire

Somerset, July 1887

Two more years passed without my seeing another soul belonging to the Elemental race besides Daddy. I was still diligent with my lessons, but after claiming London unsafe, Daddy had moved us to his large country manor home, just outside the village of Dorchester. The maids deemed me too old for lessons, saying that a proper lady my age would already be on the lookout for a husband, or packed off to finishing school. I retorted with the argument that no man of the Natural race would ever dream of even courting someone like me, and that an education was more important.

However, as I soon found, they had a point. I was sixteen now, hardly a little girl anymore. Daddy had mentioned before that by the time he was my age he was already setting things on fire. Yet he had not addressed the subject any further, especially where I was concerned. I began to think he was going to keep me hidden away from the world forever.

This assumption was soon shattered. One day, after Daddy had gotten over his anger yet again because he had caught me out wandering the garden, he called me into his study.

"Ems, I think it's time you knew the real story behind what happened to your mother." I saw his mouth tighten and his shoulders hunch, drawing into himself.

"Why suddenly, Daddy?" I balled my skirt in my fist as I sat down, looking at him with scepticism.

"You are sixteen now. I think that is a good age for you to know a little about who you are."

Then why have you kept the Elemental world away from me? I wanted to ask, but I knew that was a tough subject. He closed down whenever I said anything like that.

"Your mother was a very good Earth-Elemental. Exceptional, in fact. Even after her finishing-school education, she continued to put her powers to use, experimenting wherever she went. When I met her she was already quite skilled. But soon after we married, our lives were put into great peril, something that made us retreat into hiding. She gave birth to you in secret, and we agreed that to keep you safe, I would take you to live somewhere else, and she would stay behind, with my mother, your grandmother."

"What was it, Daddy? That put you in danger?" This was the most he'd said about Mum or the past in years.

"It would put you in danger, Em, if I told you. All I can say is that unfortunately, this plan failed anyway and your mother was killed by this danger. It was terrible when I heard about it, because I was unable to help her. Mother has not quite gotten over it. She tells me she still has flashbacks. But it made me swear to myself that I would never let anything happen to you. That's why I've kept things secret from you, and why we keep moving around. We live in a dangerous world, one that will eat you up and spit out your bones."

"But Daddy...I'm not a little girl anymore. You said so yourself," I protested, trying to make a point. "Can't you at least tell me why Mummy was killed?"

Daddy's face darkened, and his eyes turned incredibly sad. He ran a hand through his hair, and then clasped his hands tightly in front of him on the desk. The sigh that came out of him was heavy and troubled.

"The truth is, Ems, is that she died protecting Mother and by extension, you. This threat knew where you were. Mother says it was a knife, straight through her heart. She didn't even stand a chance."

"Daddy..." I put my hand over his tightly clasped ones, so small and pale against his. "I didn't mean to..."

"It's all right, Ems. You have a right to know at least that much, that your mother died protecting you." His expression was sincere, but sad.

I nodded, but at his words, I felt a faint spark inside. I would avenge my mother's death, even if it meant taking this unnamed threat all by myself.

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