Chapter 5 – Audio Book – Incendiary – Fire Elemental Series

Sometimes it’s just more fun to listen, so here’s the free audio book for Chapter 5 of Incendiary. If you want to follow along with the typed chapter go here.

Chapter 4 – Audio Book – Incendiary – Fire Elemental Series

Sometimes it’s just more fun to listen, so here’s the free audio book for Chapter 4 of Incendiary. If you want to follow along with the typed chapter go here.

Chapter 10 – Incendiary – Fire Elemental Series

As Amber fell, time seemed to stand still. All she could think about was the hole in her heart. She felt like Alexander had taken her very soul with him when he’d left. Her life didn’t flash before her eyes, because there was no life. She couldn’t remember anything before him. He was her only reason for being, and without him she just didn’t want to live.

She was wracked with guilt. She knew it was all her fault that he’d left her. “After all,” she thought “who could love a ginormous freak like me?” She decided he had even more reason to despise her since she had single-handedly managed to destroy their entire kingdom which had taken centuries to build. She couldn’t remember how high in this tree she was, but she was hoping that it was high enough that the fall would instantly kill her and put her out of her misery.

Suddenly, time resumed and her thoughts were interrupted as she landed roughly in a bramble bush. Sadly, the fall was enough to hurt a lot but not to kill her. She was too upset to notice the several scratches that now covered her body. As she continued to sob, she looked up to see that the giant who had done this to her was walking toward her. Now that her eyes had adjusted to being this size, she realized that he was actually a young boy, possibly seven years old.

He threw some clothes at her and turned around, as if trying to give her some privacy. It was then that she noticed that she’d burst out of her beautiful wedding dress when she had her freak growth spurt. There was nothing left of her tattered wedding dress but a few threads which meant she was totally naked. If she hadn’t been so overwhelmed by sorrow she would have been a little embarrassed, but she was at least grateful to be hidden behind a bramble bush.

As she fingered the garment in her hand something shifted in her mind. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she knew that there was something familiar about it. There was something plaguing her about this strange boy too, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. It was as if she knew him yet didn’t at the same time.

*****

They had been walking an unknown path for a while, and she had been venting her sorrow to the boy, who was the only audience. He hadn’t said a word, which was just fine because she wasn’t really expecting answers from him, just an audience.

“Why did he have to leave?”

“How could he do this to me?”

“Did he ever really love me?”

The boy said nothing. Once she thought that she saw him rolling his eyes but when she turned to face him he faced forward with no expression. And then, after they’d been traveling for hours, her emotions began to slowly shift from sorrow to anger.

“Who does he think he is, calling me a monster?”

“So what if I’m a giant? It’s not like he’s perfect either! I wasn’t exactly in love with those stupid wings on his back!”

“I was willing to overlook that and make the relationship work! If only he were here, I would give him a piece of my mind! Maybe I would squash him like the bug he is!”

Suddenly her rage was uncontrollable, and she began to feel heat in her hands. When she held up her hands, fire shot out. Amber screamed, but then she realized that her hands still didn’t hurt. Perplexed, she looked up at the boy, who for the first time actually seemed genuinely afraid. She was afraid too. First she’d found out that she was a giant, and now she can shoot fire out of her hands! Who was she, really?

The boy began to slowly back away from her, not paying attention to the tree behind him. Without warning, the branches of the tree grabbed onto his shoulder. He tried to pull away, but the branches just gripped him tighter, wrapping themselves around his body. Amber just stood there paralyzed. None of this made any sense. Her thoughts swirled through her mind as she tried to decide what to do next.

“A walking tree? I haven’t seen one of those since…”

And then it all started coming back to her. The tree elemental that she had encountered before. A rock elemental had broken it in half. Where had she seen this? She was on the way to see someone. Someone important. Someone who she knew had answers about this fire that was still coming out of her hands.

“C…Ca…Cal…Callie!”

Finally the boy, who was in the throes of desperation as he struggled against the tree beast that held him tight, blurted out the first word that Amber could remember him saying.

“Help!”

Amber snapped out of her trance. She knew what she needed to do. She looked at the tree elemental and she imagined that it was Alexander as she pointed her hands at it.

“Leave him alone!”

A large burst of fire shot from her hands and the bough of the tree elemental burst into flames. The boy’s hair was a bit singed as the burning tree dropped him on the ground and began frantically running around in circles. Suddenly, the whole forest seemed to come alive as tree elementals began coming out of the woodwork.

Amber grabbed the boy and started running. His legs were dragging the ground as he struggled to keep up with her. She was trying to go somewhere, anywhere, to get away from the tree elementals that were hot on her heels. They didn’t even have to run because of their enormous strides. The ground rumbled with each step as they obliterated everything in their path. They would soon be on top of them, and then what would happen? Certainly they wouldn’t take kindly to her toasting one of their own, and she didn’t know if she had enough power to take them all on. Over the hill, she saw a village with strange markings on the walls. She knew if they could just get there they would be safe. If they could just get past the warded walls…

Chapter 9 – Incendiary – Fire Elemental Series

The fairy king was old with long white eyebrows and a beard to match. What was left of his hair was also white and he wore a long pointy golden crown to top it off. He was dressed in long flowing blue robes covered richly with embroidery. The queen didn’t appear to be quite as old, but then all of her hair was wrapped up under a lacey veil so it was hard to discern its exact color.

Both the king and queen leaned forward in anticipation and Alexander seemed to be pausing on purpose for dramatic effect. Amber wondered what she’d do if they didn’t approve of her. She knew she’d just die if she couldn’t be with Alexander. Just when she thought she couldn’t take it another second he spoke.

“I’d like you to meet Amber. We’d like to get married immediately.”

“So soon?” the queen replied. “I mean I’m thrilled, darling, absolutely thrilled, but there’s just so much to do!” The queen jumped down from her throne, her wings fluttering gracefully, until she stopped just in front of Amber. “May I?” she asked and then wrapped her arms around Amber in a giant hug without waiting for an answer.

“I’m sure you two have a million things to do,” Alexander said as he gave his mom and Amber a gentle nudge towards the door.

Amber looked back longingly at Alexander as the queen began discussing different fabric and flower options but he’d already turned his back on her. She decided to make the most of it and before long she was caught up in the raptures of planning her wedding.

“Son, are you sure?” the king asked after the women had left the room. “What could you possibly have done to make her fall for you so quickly?”
Alexander pulled the small glass vile from out of his pocket and showed his father. His father chuckled and leaned back in his seat with a knowing smile.

“And you said you’d never use it!”

“That was before I believed anyone could resist my charms.”

“You have a wonderful marriage ahead of you.”

“Thank you, father. Isn’t she beautiful?”

“She’s magnificent. Do you remember the warning I gave you?”

“Of course, but that’s not going to be a problem.”

“Just remember never to be away from her for longer than a day or the results will be disastrous.”

***

It had been the hardest and the most wonderful two days of her life. The ceremony was being held in the courtyard and it had been totally transformed. Amber smoothed down the white silk of her wedding dress and looked down the long aisle to the altar. A shimmery veil dropped down in front of her eyes and on top of her hair where it continued down her back to where it met up with the long train of her dress.

Flower petals had been strewn along the aisle by adorable little fairies in pink tulle dresses and the matching wooden pews were festooned with ribbons and even more flowers. The music started and Amber took the King’s outstretched arm and began walking with her eyes fixed eagerly on Alexander. In a few moments he’d be hers forever.

They’d reached the altar and the king lifted the veil from her face and placed a quick kiss on her cheek before placing her hand in Alexander’s and taking a seat next to the queen. The priest began to speak but the words of the ceremony were lost on Amber. All of her attention was focused on Alexander’s hand on top of her own, on his lips so close to hers that they were begging to be kissed.

When the fairies began screaming it took Amber a few minutes to realize what was going on. A giant had climbed the tree and he was reaching his arm into the courtyard. Anyone who didn’t get out of his way fast enough was knocked down. Alexander picked Amber up and started to fly but Amber’s lack of wings was slowing him down too much.

Alexander dropped Amber and she fell with a thud when the giant tried to grab him, and he stabbed him in the finger with his sword. It didn’t do much damage to the giant, only eliciting a tiny pin prick of blood, but it did cause the giant to pull back momentarily. Amber screamed as the giant’s arm lunged toward her and then she was drowning in a deluge of warm liquid. She gasped, sputtering as it filled her mouth and nose.

Her skin began to twitch and she felt as if her bones were turning to jelly. The royal family hovered at a safe distance, wings shimmering as they started in open mouthed horror as Amber’s limbs began to stretch. Her growth was so rapid that the seams stretched and tore on her brand new wedding dress, and all too quickly her head punched through the overhanging branches of the tree.

The palace floor began to creak and groan, unable to support her weight as the centuries old foundation began to crumble beneath her. She wrapped her arms around the trunk of the tree just in time as the courtyard disappeared before her eyes. There were rumbling sounds coming from the palace itself now and tears came to Amber’s eyes as she saw the fairy folk flying out of the palace from all directions. They were clutching small children and hastily gathered belongings to their chests.

“Alexander!” she wailed reaching out to wrap her hands around him when she saw him start to fly off with the rest.

“Let me go, monster!” he screamed as he stabbed wildly at her with his sword.

“Please tell me you still love me,” she begged desperately. “I’m sure we can fix this.”

“How could I love someone as hideous as you?” he spat.

Amber felt as if her heart were breaking in two and she let her hand go lax, releasing the fairy prince. He immediately joined his subjects flying quickly away. Amber felt as if she were going numb as her hands lost their purchase on the tree, clawing clumsily at the bark. As her hands lost their hold she began to plummet down to the ground.