Facing the Fire by Carol Beth Anderson
Published by
Eliana Press
P.O. Box 2452
Cedar Park, TX 78630
www.carolbethanderson.com
Copyright © 2018 by Carol Beth Anderson
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permissions contact:
beth@carolbethanderson.com
Cover by Mariah Sinclair
Edited by Sonnet Fitzgerald
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-949384-02-4
First Edition
Contents
Be an Insider
Characters and Places
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
A Note from the Author
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Be an Insider
Insiders get updates on Carol Beth Anderson’s books, plus early cover and title reveals, notifications of sales, and more. Sign up at carolbethanderson.com.
To the alpha readers and beta readers who improved every book of this series in ways most readers will never know
Characters and Places
The Golds
Tavi (TAH-vee), short for Tavina Malin (Tuh-VEE-nuh MAY-lin), all-blessed
Narre (NARR-ee) Holmin, touch-blessed
Sall (SAHL) Almson, mind-blessed
Tullen (TUHL-lin), stride-blessed and hearing-blessed
Jenevy (JEH-neh-vee), ungifted
Reba Minnalen (MINN-uh-len), sight-blessed
Evitt (EV-it) Forning, mind-blessed
Ash, real name Jerash Sheaver (JARE-ash SHAY-ver), touch-blessed
Wrey (RAY), sight-blessed
The Grays:
Konner Burrell (Bew-RELL), ungifted
King Relin (RAY-lin), formerly known as Aldin, stride-blessed
Queen Camalyn (CAM-uh-lin), speech-blessed
Remina Birge (Reh-MY-nuh BERJ), hearing-blessed
Colonel Kav (KAHV) Stemming, ungifted
General Tela Talger (TAY-luh TALL-ger), speech-blessed and touch-blessed
Zakkur, royal guard, ungifted
Rond, touch-blessed
Osher (AH-sher) Vogan, Savala’s head safety officer, ungifted
Curvis Sanno (KER-viss SANN-oh), royal guard, sight-blessed
At the Meadow:
Shola (SHOW-luh), twelve-year-old girl
Urlo (URR-low), gate guard
Elders: Aba (AY-buh), Bellika (BELL-ih-kuh), Huvlid (HUVV-lid)
At the Monastery:
Tess Malin, Tavi’s sister
Bea (BEE), oldest monk
Ven, monk, touch-blessed
Deam Darrus (DEEM DAHR-us), a pilgrim
Other Characters
Duke Rogile (ro-JEEL) and Duchess Ora Gistler
Tavi’s Parents: Jevva (JEV-uh) and Mey (MAY)
Les Andisis (an-DIE-sis), safety officer in Oren, hearing-blessed
Benisa Kariana (Beh-NEE-suh kar-ee-AH-nuh), Karian midwife
Ellea Kariana (ell-LAY-uh kar-ee-AH-nuh), Karian midwife
Kogar (KOH-gar), a butcher
Rayel Shalsin (ray-EL SHAHL-sin), former tailor’s apprentice, touch-blessed
Jarles (JARLS), safety officer
Religious Names and Terms
Sava (SAH-vuh), the giver of life, magic, and all that is good
Kari (KARR-ee), the First Midwife who tamed magic when she gave her newborn son Savala a breath of life and blessing
Savala (SAH-vuh-luh), Kari’s son, touch-blessed, the First Shepherd and first recipient of tamed magic. The city of Savala is named after him.
Karite (KARR-ite), a sect of the Savani faith
Kovus (KO-vus), a place of punishment in the afterlife
Savani (suh-VAH-nee), the faith of those who worship Sava
Savanite (SAH-vuh-nite), one who worships Sava
Senniet (SENN-yet), a place of peace and joy in the afterlife
Places
Kingdom of Cormina (core-MY-nuh)
Kovus (KO-vus), a place of punishment in the afterlife
Oren (ORE-enn), a town in Cormina
Savala (SAH-vuh-luh), the capital city of Cormina, named after the First Shepherd
Senniet (SENN-yet), a place of peace and joy in the afterlife
Tinawe (TINN-uh-way), a large city in Cormina
The Meadow, a closed community thirty miles from Oren
Chapter One
Every life is a story crafted by Sava. We are each part of his massive, unfinished book. Its tales vary in length, and their plots are marvelously diverse. Yet each story shares an identical beginning and end. I am fortunate, for on most days, I participate in the beautiful beginning. Occasionally, I witness the tragic end.
Birth and death: Both have taught me tremendous truths about life.
-From Midwife Memoirs by Ellea Kariana
Dying. I’m dying.
Time-smoothed stone pressed against Tavi Malin’s back, the thick cotton of her clothing failing to shield her from the rock’s cold touch. It leached the warmth out of her skin, leaving gooseflesh behind.
She lay across the seat of a stone bench, one foot on the ground. Her other leg leaned against the back of the bench, boot-clad foot in the air. Gravity had tugged the cuff of her pant leg all the way to her knee, and the cool wind tickled the exposed skin of her calf.
One of her hands hung off the edge of the bench, and the other rested on the fabric of her shirt, over her heart. Thick, viscous fluid trickled from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes were closed. An insect landed on her cheek, and she didn’t flinch or bat it away. Her slack lips parted just enough to release a low moan.
Footsteps approached. Two pairs, if Tavi’s ears served her correctly. She moaned again, her wordless cry begging the pedestrians to notice her.
The footsteps grew louder, then halted. From above Tavi, a man spoke. “She doesn’t look like she’s dying at all.”
Tavi moaned again, even louder. She gripped the fabric of her shirt, her fingers rigid as claws.
Another voice, this one female: “Not even a bit. I’ve seen plenty of dying people, and not one of them has managed to pass into Senniet with a foot spearing the air.”
“The blood on her mouth is too bright.” The man sighed deeply as if this fact, above all others, offended him.
“Ah, well,” the woman said, “what can we expect from an Outsider?”
The footsteps resumed, gradually quieting. Tavi huffed, swung he
r top leg down, and sat up, nearly tumbling off the bench before she regained her equilibrium. She grabbed a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped the thickened berry juice from her mouth. Looking at it, she had to agree with the man. It was far too red.
“Judges came by already?”
Tavi turned to her left to see Tullen approaching. She scowled. “Yes, and they weren’t very nice.”
He sat next to her and gave her a serious look. “I agree; I’ve always found them to be terribly judgmental judges.” Tavi laughed, and Tullen grinned. “It’s your first year; most of the entrants have been doing this since they started school,” he said. “They’re experts.”
“You really let five-year-olds pretend they’re dying?”
“Meadow children start school at age four.”
Tavi shook her head. “This is the strangest custom I’ve ever heard of. Why can’t you use your autumn festival to celebrate magic, like the rest of Cormina?”
“Because we are not like the rest of Cormina.”
Tavi recited the last phrase in unison with Tullen: not like the rest of Cormina. This was a common response to her questions. And it was true. In fact, she doubted whether the Meadow was like any other place in the world.
Tullen’s hand came up to her hair, and she turned her face toward it. But before she could rest her cheek on his warm palm, he pulled his hand back, a brown leaf pinched between his thumb and forefinger. “This must have blown into your hair when you were doing your dreadful imitation of a dying contortionist.” He smashed the leaf in his fist and dropped the crumbling pieces on Tavi’s lap. “Autumn is when plants die, to be reborn in spring.”
“True. But the Meadow could celebrate the beautiful autumn leaves, or the apple harvest, or any number of other things besides death.”
“Well, yes. I suppose. But we only honor death as part of the cycle of life.” Tullen stood. “Care to take a stroll? You can see the master death imitators in action. Or rather, not in action.”
In response, Tavi stood, and they began to walk. Sure enough, on this short street alone, at least a dozen people were simulating death or dying. Several lay on the ground, and Tavi noticed they all looked a lot more natural than she’d felt. The counterfeit blood she saw was a darker red, too. “Do you know how they get their blood to look so real?” Tavi asked as they passed a young girl lying in the grass with a frighteningly realistic fake wound on her forehead.
“I have no idea; I never used the stuff.”
“We’ll have to ask someone,” Tavi said. “For next year.”
Tullen’s head swiveled, and his eyes met hers. “Next year?”
Tavi shrugged and looked to her right. Stopping, she asked, “Is that boy attached to the tree with an arrow?”
Together, they approached. Sure enough, what appeared to be a real arrow poked out of an adolescent boy’s chest. He stood straight, his back against a tree, and called to them in a hoarse voice, “I think they got me! The archers, I think they got me!”
In the presence of such a performance, Tavi felt the need to whisper, like they were in a theater. She stood on her tiptoes and aimed her soft words at Tullen’s ear. “Will he win?”
Tullen responded just as quietly. “I heard he got second place last year, so I’m sure he’s hoping to.”
They moved on. After a few minutes, Tullen asked, “Do you really think we’ll still be here next year?”
“Probably.” Tavi put her hands in the pockets of her trousers and grinned at Tullen. “After all, if I leave, people might tell me to wear dresses again.” When they’d arrived in the Meadow, it hadn’t taken Tavi long to realize the people there weren’t uptight about things like clothing choices. She hadn’t seen any Meadow women wearing pants, but she’d decided to take the risk. The first time she wore trousers and a shirt belonging to Jenevy’s younger brother, she’d gotten a few surprised looks, but no one had commented. Ever since, Tavi had worn that very outfit at least twice a week. She’d recently hired a seamstress to make her a shirt and pants of her own. Something that would fit just right.
“I don’t think you’ll ever stop wearing pants, no matter what people say.” Tullen gave her a smile. “And there are a few other things to consider besides the comfort of your wardrobe.”
Tavi released a small sigh. Tullen wouldn’t let her escape this conversation. “I can’t imagine having the plans and resources we need in less than a year,” she said. “Several years, more likely. I don’t like it any more than you do.”
“If we’re waiting to have everything in place, we’ll be waiting forever. Konner’s monarchy will keep getting more powerful.”
Tavi glanced Tullen’s way and found that his eyes were already on her. “You have no way of knowing that. Maybe the longer we wait, the more they’ll sabotage themselves. Anyway, we’re making good use of our time here. I think our meeting last week was particularly helpful.”
Tullen didn’t respond. They’d had variations of this conversation countless times in the five months since they’d arrived at the Meadow with the other Golds. Tavi wanted to defeat Konner and the other Grays as much as her friends did. But they needed a better plan than they’d had on Liberation Day.
They’d been so naïve, thinking they could defeat the Grays with little more than felt masks and optimism. Instead, Konner had murdered most of the Cormina Council and named a king, all in the space of a couple of hours. Eventually they’d fight the Grays again, but Tavi was determined that this time they wouldn’t move until they were prepared.
So the Golds met as often as they could, analyzing whatever news came their way. Having Ash there was enormously helpful; he frequently remembered facts about the Grays that might help in the fight against the new monarchy. His willingness to help had convinced the Golds to trust the former Gray.
The Golds also gathered for frequent training sessions to hone their magical and combative skills. Tavi knew they were all doing everything they could to prepare for whatever was ahead.
“Want to go to the amphitheater and get a seat?” Tullen asked.
“Sure.” They turned onto a wide gravel road and continued walking. To their left, the wooden fence of the Meadow towered above the trees. “It’s easy to forget there are enemies out there when we’re safe behind the fence,” Tavi said.
“That’s exactly why I was hesitant to come here,” Tullen said. “The Meadow insulates us. And when the world out there is falling apart, it’s not fair or safe for us to be insulated.”
A cry interrupted their conversation. “Help me!”
It came from the side of the road, and when Tavi looked that direction, she couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s Shola!” she said.
Shola was twelve years old, and Tavi had been tutoring her in reading each week. She was a sweet girl, feisty and funny. Tavi adored her, and Shola called Tavi her “new big sister.”
At the moment, Shola was flat on her back. One of her legs stuck out from her short dress, but she’d folded the other leg beneath her. A vast amount of real-looking blood was on her bent knee and all over the ground under her. Nearby lay half a leg, complete with a long sock and a shoe. Tavi didn’t know how the girl had made a fake leg, but she wished she’d thought of it first.
Tavi walked right up to her and whispered, “I’ve never seen a deader dead person, Shola.” The girl tried to repress the smile that tugged at her mouth in response. Tavi laughed and returned to Tullen.
“She won last year,” Tullen said once they’d passed. Then he looked at Tavi. “We were talking about how insulated the Meadow is.”
“No, you were talking about that.” Tavi gave him a bright grin. “I just made a comment about the wall, and then I was going to stop talking about politics and spend an afternoon enjoying these festivities.”
Tullen raised an eyebrow. “You know we’ll discuss this later.”
“I’m sure we will.”
But Tavi couldn’t stop thinking about the world outside the walls. And about the utt
er absurdity of living in this community that had always been a mystery to her. Finally, she gave in to her whirring thoughts. “We didn’t have a choice,” she told Tullen. “We had to come here.”
He sighed. “I know.”
“And we’re lucky we made it out of Savala at all.” She blew out a loud breath, shaking her head.
“Memories?”
When Tavi nodded, Tullen put his arm around her shoulders, giving her a brief squeeze.
Tavi still had nightmares of the terrifying evening when three safety officers bearing hand cannons had pounded on the door of the midwife house where the Golds were staying. It was just two days after Liberation Day, when Aldin had been introduced as King Relin. The officers were searching for Tavi and her friends and also for Ash and Wrey. Tavi had heard the armed men scream at Benisa Kariana, the head midwife, demanding to come in and look through the house.
Despite the frightening parts of the memory, Tavi grinned. She looked at Tullen and saw the same expression on his face. “Narre was amazing, wasn’t she?” she asked.