Forged in Fire (The Forged Chronicles Book 3) Read online

  I held onto the window sill, fighting the urge to return to the bed. I was exhausted and my haze grew thicker. I needed fresh air. Maybe that was the real problem.

  I turned around and searched for my clothing. I didn’t see a piece of fabric anywhere. But they had to be here. Maybe I’d been in the room even longer than I thought. When James returned I’d have to ask him. Maybe he could give me a calendar or a clock so I could keep track of the passing time.

  I leaned back against the cold stone wall. The sheet did nothing to warm me up. The blankets on the bed would. And so would James. I eyed the closed door. Maybe my clothes were outside for some reason.

  My lids got heavy, and I blinked, trying to force them open. I struggled to stand up. The bed called to me. I made it two steps and fell down to the floor.

  Coldness crept over me. I shivered, wanting to wrap my arms over my chest to warm myself up, but I quickly realized I couldn’t move.

  “Open your eyes.” A voice demanded. I ignored it. I felt as though my eyelids were frozen shut. “Open your eyes,” the voice repeated.

  Was I back in another crazy dream? Like the one I had of Gregor? Either way I didn’t want it. I only wanted James to come back and make the cold go away.

  “Open your eyes, Ainsley.”

  This wasn’t Gregor. The voice was different. More mature. I tried once again to open my eyes, and this time it worked.

  I was nearly blinded by a bright light. It was the only thing I could see.

  “You need to leave. You cannot let him use you.”

  “Leave where?” I felt around. I was on the hard stone floor still. In a dream or not, I hadn’t moved.

  “The farther you run, the clearer things will become.”

  “I can’t run. I can barely move.” I wasn’t sure if I had spoken out loud or not. I closed my eyes again. The light was too bright.

  “Fight the urge to sleep, and run.”

  Run where? This time I knew it wasn’t said out loud.

  “To help.” The voice replied.

  “Where am I going to find that? I don’t even know where I am.”

  “You have no choice and little time.”

  “I can’t leave James. I can’t survive without him.”

  “You cannot survive with him either.”

  I tried to open my eyes again, but they were once again frozen shut. “What’s going on?”

  There was no response. I stopped trying to open my eyes and let myself drift back to sleep.

  3

  James

  The air was cold, but it did not bother me. The wind barely registered as it whipped across my skin. I looked out into the dark forest knowing full well what waited inside the thick line of trees.

  “Come out!” I called, knowing I could no longer wait to take the helm of the warriors my father had left specifically for this job.

  At my order two dozen young men filed out of the woods. Each was dressed exactly as I had found them several days before. They were shirtless and seemingly as unaffected by the cold as I was.

  They stopped in two lines in front of me. All eyes were on me, as they stood in formation. They all had one hand on the handle of their sheathed swords.

  “You have all been chosen for an important task.” I made eye contact with the man in the center of the first line.

  “Aye.” The men responded simultaneously.

  Their faces wore the same expressions, and I knew my father had programed them all. There was something eerie about them. They were chosen against their will, pulled into a job they did not sign up for. I knew what that was like. I had not chosen to become a Guardian.

  My head throbbed, and I felt like something was being pushed into my mind. A swirl of darkness engulfed me. It lasted several seconds before it cleared away. I blinked a few times and found myself inside the stone cathedral of Belgard. But I was not really there. Not in the physical sense. I knew my body was still near the tower, but I could not shake the image before my eyes.

  I observed a scene vaguely similar to one I had experienced myself, but this one was different.

  I saw my father, but it was a much younger version of him. He was standing in a line of men on the far side of a huge waterfall. He could not see me, I knew it, but I still shivered when he turned in my direction. He looked through me toward the entrance of the cathedral. I followed his gaze and watched as a young Emma walked tentatively across the stone path that led to the waterfall.

  My father, along with all the other men, fell to his knees and clutched his Guardian sword. He appeared impatient, and his eyes were locked on Emma’s face. They were different eyes from the ones I remembered. They were bright and full of excitement. He looked at Emma with such adoration. A jolt shot through me as I understood the expression on his face. It was love. He was looking at Emma as I looked at Ainsley.

  Emma dipped her hand in the water. Instantly the waterfalls intensified, the sound nearly deafening in the cavernous room. The walls and floor shook, but my father did not seem to notice. He was still watching Emma intently.

  Emma walked up to the man kneeling beside my father. She reached out a hand and touched his sword. The once green glowing blade turned bright blue.

  The man stood and took Emma’s hand in his. He pulled her close.

  My father’s face crumbled. He put a hand to his chest as if in physical pain, and I watched as tears streamed down his face. I could feel his hurt. His heartbreak felt as if it were my own.

  I watched with him as Emma and her Gerard left the cathedral hand in hand.

  My mind went black again, but I could still feel my father’s hurt and anguish as if they were my own emotions. Finally the blackness cleared away.

  I shook off the remnants of the memory and pulled myself together. I had a job to do. The promise I made to my father was impossible to break. The darkness was part of me now. I addressed my soldiers. “Do you know the task you have been called for?”

  They nodded simultaneously again. “Aye!”

  “The gate is nearly ready. Once it is complete you will all go through and build my army. You have the power buried within you, and I will awaken it.”

  “Aye!” The men shouted.

  I nodded. “Good. Now leave my sight until I call you.”

  The men all marched back into the woods.

  I turned toward the tower. Ainsley may have woken up already. I needed to return to her.

  There was so much I wanted to tell her. There was so much I wanted her to see. But she had to rest first.

  I heard the sound of boots crunching in the dirt behind me, and I knew it was not the soldiers. I turned and came face to face with a dark haired man around my own age. He wore a smirk that matched the amusement in his eyes.

  “Hello, James.” He spoke to me with a familiarity, but I had never met him before. Still I knew him somehow, as I had known that the soldiers were bound to me. This was another man dedicated to my father’s cause. “Do you know who I am?”

  All at once it came to me. Images pressed into my mind against my will. A baby, a young boy, a full grown man. Then an image of the man luring Ainsley toward a lake. “I know you. And I hate you.”

  Gregor’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “I hate you too if that helps, but hate is a fine emotion for us to have.”

  “I know why my father chose you for this task, and that is the only reason I will not kill you on the spot.” I hated him. No matter how merged I was with my father, my protective feelings for Ainsley were stronger. Gregor had put her in danger.

  “You cannot keep her locked up forever.” He strolled closer to me.

  “You have no right to speak of anything pertaining to her.”

  “Sure I do.” Gregor cocked his head to the side. “Considering you may have destroyed our greatest weapon.”

  I ignored his last statement and instead responded to his first insinuation. She is not locked up.”

  “Maybe not literally.” He pulled his sword out of the she
ath and looked at the gleaming metal blade. It was not a Guardian sword like the one I wielded, but it was strong and made of a metal infused with the dark magic of my father.

  “What is it to you?” I did not like the man, nor the way he spoke of Ainsley. I would do everything in my power to keep him away from her.

  “She is central to all of this. She cannot be kept out of it forever.” He replaced his sword in its sheath on his belt.

  “She is fine where she is. She needs rest.” And she needed to stay away from the army. She was too good and pure to go near the darkness we were working with.

  “She only needs it because you pulled her out of the ice too soon. She did not get all the strength she needs.”

  “She needs no additional strength. She has all she needs from me.” I would protect her at all cost. She was my everything.

  “And what if something happens to you?” His eyes brightened as if enjoying the thought.

  “Nothing can happen to me. I am stronger than anyone.” I was invincible now thanks to my father.

  “Because of the Cipher. None of it is your own strength.” He scowled.

  “We are one and the same now.” For once I was not denying the connection. Gregor needed to remember who he was addressing.

  “I will repeat myself one more time. She cannot stay locked up forever. We need her.”

  “We do not.” I struggled to stay calm. “There is another way.”

  “The Cipher made it clear when he communicated with me.” Gregor straightened, but even when he stretched to his full height he still did not come close to mine.

  “I am the Cipher now.” I felt a surge of energy run through me. “We can keep her out of this.”

  “Then why have her here? Why waste our time?” He glanced up at the tower where Ainsley was waiting.

  “Because she is mine.”

  “You can lay with her when this is all over.” He smirked.

  “She stays with me. Always.” She needed me, and I needed her.

  “Then we use her. Just as the Cipher planned.”

  “She is in no shape for anything. She needs to rest.”

  “She needs to train. If she is truly who the Cipher believes she is, the potential is unfathomable.” Gregor’s eyes widened with excitement.

  “Why do you care what I do with my girl? It does not concern you.”

  “She is not just a girl. We both know that.”

  “You are right.” I fixed a steely gaze on him. “She is not just a girl. She is my girl.”

  “Or mine,” he spoke under his breath.

  I punched him. My fist made contact with his face and knocked him clean onto his back. Normally I could control my anger, but I had my father’s anger egging me on. I could not hear his voice, but I could feel each and every one of his emotions.

  I leaned over where Gregor lay on the floor. His eyes were wide and full of surprise and fear. He had doubted my strength. That was a mistake he would not make again.

  “She was never meant to be anyone else’s. She was born to be mine.”

  “You need to let go of her. She is distracting you from the goal.” He struggled to move to his feet.

  “I will never let her go.”

  “Turn her over to me until the war is over. You know the end goal is more important.”

  “Nothing is more important than my Ainsley.” I seethed. “And you will never lay a hand on her.”

  “But I can train her without letting feelings dissuade me from following through on our plans.”

  “You will not go near her.” I would not waver on that decision.

  “The Cipher inside you knows that I am right. If she clouds your judgment, I will take her off your hands.”

  “Take her off my hands?” My blood boiled. “Why not say what you really want to say?”

  “That is what I want to say. I can separate my lust from our needs.”

  “What I feel for her is not lust.” It was all encompassing love and desire.

  “If you were true to the Cipher that would be the only thing you could feel for the girl.”

  “I am true to the Cipher in order to have the girl.” I glanced back at the tower. I wanted to join her. I needed to lay my eyes—and body—on her again. Gregor was right about one thing. She distracted me, but I could handle that. I could handle my task and keep her safe and with me.

  “And how will she feel when she discovers what you have kept from her?” Gregor stepped back as if afraid of my response to his question. “When she discovers what she really is?”

  “She will accept it. She will understand I am doing what I have to in order to keep us together.”

  “Tell yourself whatever you must.” Gregor frowned. “But make sure you are both ready.”

  “We will be.” We had no other choice.

  4

  Ainsley

  I awoke suddenly. The haze was still there, but I could see through it enough to sit up. I sat there for a few moments thinking over the strange dream I’d had. The voice. And the words this unknown man shared with me.

  Something was wrong with me. There was absolutely no question about that, but then again I was in a different world and relying on sex with my boyfriend, or whatever I wanted to call him, not to die. At least that’s how it seemed. On the surface his claim seemed preposterous. It almost seemed humorous, like something a teen boy would tell his girlfriend to get more action, but this wasn’t a joke. I’d felt so weak when James and I were apart, and it was only after sex that I felt better. All of that would have been one thing, but now I felt hazy and exhausted all the time unless I was actively having sex with him, and as enjoyable as the sex was, it was impossible to engage in it all the time.

  I thought about the claims of the voice in my dream. The haze would lift the further I got from James. This haze was different from the weakness I’d felt before. This was more a clouded mind than anything else. I fought against my exhaustion and moved to my feet. I steadied myself for a moment before starting my search for my clothes again. I circled the room, not bothering with the sheet. It only made it harder to walk around.

  I heard the door open from behind me and jumped. James walked in and closed the door behind him.

  “It is wonderful to see you out of bed, especially dressed as you are.” His eyes raked over my body.

  “Do you know where my clothes are?” I was relieved to see him, but I wouldn’t let him distract me from my goal. I was going to get outside before I fell asleep again.

  “Yes.” He walked to the far side of the room and pulled a pile of neatly folded clothes from the floor. “They are dry now.”

  “Thank you.” I walked toward him, eager to get dressed.

  “But you do not need to get dressed yet.” He grinned.

  “I’ve been naked for days. At least I think we’ve been here days.”

  “And what is wrong with you being naked?” He put his hands on my hips. “I happen to enjoy it.”

  I closed my eyes and savored the feeling of his fingers on my skin. After a moment I forced my eyes open. “Yes, but you get to be dressed.”

  “I can get naked too if it makes you feel better.” He grinned.

  “No sex, James. Not now.” I fought against the urge to undress him. The desire was too much.

  “Your words do not match your expression.”

  “I want to go for a walk first.” I stepped into my underwear before I could get too distracted. I followed that up with my bra.

  “It is cold outside. At least I think it is.” He wrinkled his brow.

  “How can you not know if it’s cold?” I pulled on my shirt and pants. I was glad I’d chosen those instead of a dress when we left Belgard.

  “Because my temperature gauge is wrong.” He looked away, and I knew he was lying.

  “Why can’t you tell?” I repeated my question, hoping he’d tell me the truth this time.

  “It does not matter.”

  “Yes it does.”

  �
�Did you still want to go for that walk?” He pointed to the door.

  “Yes, but I want to know why you can’t tell if it’s cold out.”

  “Maybe I am sick. You are tired all the time, maybe this is my malady.”

  I accepted the attempt at an excuse if it meant it would get me outside. Now that the thought of leaving the room had crossed my mind, I refused to let go of it. It was suddenly the most important thing in the world. “I’m ready for the walk.”

  “You must promise to stay with me at all times if we go outside.”

  “Why?” I stepped toward him.

  “Because I need to keep you safe.” He put his hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes. “It is my job.”

  I shook my head. “Your job isn’t to protect me.”

  “Yes it is.”

  “Your job is to figure out what’s going on with all those zombie things and make sure your dead father doesn’t destroy the world.” It still sounded crazy when I spoke it out loud. Everything about my life since meeting James was crazy.

  “Do not worry about my father. Everything is taken care of.”

  I let his words sink in. Did he really believe that? “How is everything suddenly ok?”

  “I am taking care of everything so we can be together the way we need to be.”

  “You’re acting funny.” I shrugged off his hands and stepped back. “Maybe your whole sick theory is right.”

  “Then it is even more important we go for the walk.” He reached out and cupped my chin. “Everything is fine. I just want you to be careful.” He brushed his lips against mine. I closed my eyes and soaked in the sensation. I would never get tired of his lips on mine.

  “Ok.” I nodded, I felt exhaustion setting in, and if we didn’t walk outside quickly I was likely to change my mind.