The departure from the capital turned into a huge spectacle, with thousands of onlookers gathering in the castle courtyard to watch as four figures dressed in colourful silken finery and gleaming royal regalia stepped into a large, lavishly decorated carriage clad in plates of steel and pulled by four huge black horses. They ‘ooh’ed and ‘aah’ed as a large contingent of soldiers and guards, ranging from knights in full armour to crossbowmen clad in leather and chain, mounted up and took position around the carriage. Even the Starlit Goddess herself had come to see them off, watching the procession from one of the castle balconies. Her midnight black skin and moonlight pale hair was easily apparent even from the courtyard below, and the more devout among the gathered crowd fell to their knees in prayer. A mighty cheer rose as the procession slowly moved out, the hoofbeats of two dozen horses filling the air. The central road was lined with a swell of onlookers, and the cheers followed the carriage all the way to the city gates. The carriage and its guard attracted some attention as it travelled down the paved road leading away from the capital. Farm workers and travellers stopped to give them a respectful bow as they passed, and some even ran home to get their families so they could all pay their respects, though the carriage had often passed almost out of sight by the time they returned. The warm spring sun shone brightly down on them as they made their way through the countryside, the steel-plated carriage gleaming like a beacon as it passed. There was something of a stir as the group stopped at the guard station in the hamlet of Glenwick for a change of guard and a chance to feed and water the horses. Many of the locals came to pay their respects, although the royal carriage remained resolutely shut to protect those sitting within it. After half an hour or so, the group set out once again to continue on their way north. No-one paid any attention whatsoever as four of the crossbowmen who had left the group at Glenwick made their way to a military storehouse and exchanged their heavy chain and leather armour for sturdy but lightweight travelling gear and filled their packs with the equipment and provisions needed for a long journey through the wild. Donning hooded cloaks that were honestly a bit too warm for this weather, the four travellers set out towards the east, leaving the small hamlet behind without anyone being the wiser. Once she felt they’d travelled far enough into the woods Lily pulled down her hood with a sigh, her hair damp with sweat and her face itchy from road dust. She groaned softly as she stretched out her aching muscles. “I haven’t ridden a horse for years. I forgot just how draining it can be. And don’t even get me started on wearing chain.” “I found it rather refreshing myself.” Sven replied cheerfully. “Almost nostalgic, really.” Adam looked over at Amber with a worried glance, noticing that the girl was wavering a little as she walked. “Are you all right, Amber? You seem tired.” The girl looked over at him with determination burning in her eyes, but Adam could tell she was breathing heavily and sweat was pouring down her fragile frame. “I’m fine, Adam. I won’t slow us down.” Adam sighed deeply before signalling for the group to halt. “We’ll take a short rest here. We should be far enough away from the hamlet that no-one will find us, and there’s no point in exhausting ourselves.” The moment he finished his sentence Amber sank to the forest floor and sprawled herself out on the ground, staring blankly up at the sky as she waited for her breathing to calm down and her strength to return. Lily rushed up to her and offered her a waterskin, which she accepted gratefully. “I’m sorry, Amber.” Lily said. “I should have realized all this travelling would be hard on you.” “I’ll be fine, Lily. My body is weak, but I won’t let that stop me. As long as there is magic left in me, I can make my body move.” “Is that what you’ve been doing? Forcing yourself to move with magic? How does that even work?” Amber shrugged weakly. “Fire is heat. Heat is motion. And I can’t burn, even when I fill myself with fire. Not now. Not here, where the magic is.” “Well, don’t do that any more, OK? Not unless you absolutely have to. It can’t be good for you. If you’re tired, just tell us you need to rest.” Amber looked like she was about to argue, but Adam interrupted her before she could begin to speak. “Lily’s right. You’re too important to risk letting you hurt yourself. Do as she says, Amber.” “Of course, Adam.” The agreement was practically automatic, the scar-covered girl responding almost instinctively to the note of authority in Adam’s voice. “Let’s get something to eat and drink.” Sven suggested. “We’ll all feel better with a full stomach.” The group took a moment to eat some of their trail rations and drink from their waterskins. The skins were actually filled with watered down wine, but the alcohol content was negligible, only just enough to make sure the water wasn’t tainted. Once the group had eaten and Amber had managed to sit up with her back against a tree, Sven started to speak once more. “So, I guess we’re headed for Stone’s Cradle?” “Not much else we can do.” Adam replied. “The only way we know to stop this war is to imprison the force that rules the other kingdom, and to do that we need to gather crystals from the four cradles and make a cage. We can’t let this conflict escalate to open war, and as long as we’re out looking for the crystals the enemy will spread their forces thin searching for us.” “You can’t know that for sure. Just because that’s what they did last time doesn’t mean the same will happen now.” “I know, but it’s the only chance we’ve got. I’ve told the Steward to reinstate the disbanded regiments and start getting the army ready for a fight, but even then we won’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell if the enemy kingdom attacks in force. With their advanced weaponry, any large-scale battle would turn into a massacre.” “Maybe this isn’t the best time to discuss this…” Lily said and threw a nervous glance at Amber, but the other girl just shrugged absently. “Don’t worry about me. I don’t care about that kind of thing.” A shocked silence descended over the camp. “You don’t care? What do you mean you don’t care?” “I mean just what I said. I don’t care about the war. I never cared about the war. All I care about is my friends.” “Amber, hundreds of thousands of people might die!” Amber’s eyes seemed to shine like burning embers, and when she spoke her words carried a sense of harsh, smoky heat. “And I would gladly burn a million people to ash to protect you. You are my friends. I fought in the last war because you wanted to fight it, and I will fight again if that is what you want. You are my friends, and whatever you want me to do, I will do with all my heart and without hesitation. I’m fire, through and through, and I will kill if you tell me to.” The others grew silent as old, buried memories rose to the surface. Screams, crackling flames, the hiss of boiling fat and the stench of burning flesh. They were all princes and princesses of their element, and they all fought as the perfect embodiment of their virtue. Adam, the prince of purity, who never wavered, never hesitated. Sven, the Prince of courage, first to charge and last to fall back. Lily, the princess of truth, who could see through any ploy, deception or feint with ease. But Amber… Amber was the princess of passion, and when she fought, she fought with passion. It hadn’t seemed strange to them then. They were the good guys, fighting an evil enemy by drawing on the virtues they embodied. It had seemed like the most natural thing in the world. But now… “Amber…” Lily began a bit hesitatingly. “What… What do you want to do?” “I want to be with my friends. That’s all I ever wanted, even before I had any friends to be with.” Adam coughed a little awkwardly. “Let’s keep moving. I want to be well away from Glenwick before nightfall.” The group got to their feet and set out through the woods with Adam leading the way. But every so often, Lily and Sven would shoot Amber a worried glance, shivering a little as they remembered the merciless determination they’d seen burning in her eyes… The group was still silent as night fell and they set up camp, finding a small clearing to raise their tents in. Sven built a small campfire in the middle of the camp and lit it, more for light than for warmth in the mild spring evening. Amber wasted no time in sitting down right in front of the merrily crackling flames, laughing happily to herself as she made the flames spark and dance with her magic. The laughter sounded so young and carefree that Lily could almost forget about the darkness lurking deep inside her friend. Almost, but not quite, because every so often she’d catch a glimpse of the burned girl’s eyes, and she’d see the deadly fire lurking inside them. After a moment of internal debate, Lily decided to take a seat next to Amber and take one of the girl’s small hands in her own, wincing ever so slightly at the feel of the scar tissue covering the entire hand. “It’s going to be all right, Amber. Everything is going to be fine.” Amber sighed happily and leaned against her side. “I’m so glad I’m back, Lily. I missed you so much. I never wanted to leave. But you all went back to the other world, and I thought maybe I could find you there. But I couldn’t find you, and my magic wouldn’t work, and the flames just burned me and burned me no matter how much I tried…” “Shhh. It’s OK, Amber. That’s all over now.” Amber made a happy humming noise and sort of nuzzled into Lily’s side for a moment before sitting up straight. “Do you want to sing with me, Lily?” “I’d love to.” With a cheerful grin, Amber withdrew Brilliant Hearth from her pack. The golden frame of the small harp gleamed in the firelight, and the rubies studding it seemed to glitter and flash as they reflected the dancing flames. With a steady hand she played the first note, the beautiful sound ringing out across the silent forest. As her fingers gradually got reaccustomed to the task of playing the harp, a sweet, gentle melody took form. Lily could feel Amber’s emotions through the music. Her joy at meeting her friends again. Her determination to protect them. The years of loneliness and pain she had gone through since they parted. It all blended together into something that was both hopeful and melancholy, a magical melody of old despair and newfound joy. Before long, Amber started to sing along with the music. It was a wordless song, but it was still heavy with meaning and emotion. It took Lily a while to fully grasp the melody, but once she had she joined her old friend in her song. Adam watched as Lily and Amber sat and sang together. It was a nostalgic sight, and the comforting sound of magical music wrapped around him like a warm, reassuring embrace. He knew he was fighting a war he probably couldn’t win. He knew things would get far, far worse before they got better. But for just one brief moment, as the magical duet flowed and sparked around him like embers on the wind, he allowed himself to believe that everything would be all right.