Excerpt from Beauty from Embers

Sunlight sparkled along the turquoise sea, reminding Kaya of a gemstone. The little white sailboat she and Ellio sat in rocked gently on the waves. Kaya held up a hand to shield her eyes from the glare and admired the rugged cliffs along the shoreline. Even she had to admit Avathys was a beautiful country, with miles of pristine coastline and orchards sprawling stadion after stadion in the lush inland soil. What a difference from Kifu, the neighboring country, where even the hardiest crops struggled to grow. Normally she wasn’t one to notice scenery, but she always enjoyed people-watching.

Kaya shifted her gaze from the coastline to the blue-haired young man beside her. Watching Ellio never bored her. Her handsome Kifan mechanic was currently leaning over the side of their boat, causing it to list to one side. Warmth pooled in her belly. He was too cute. Kaya mentally shook her head. She used to think attachments made people weak, but Ellio had taught her the value of friendship.

Kaya and Ellio were an unlikely pair. He’d grown up in the Downs, the worst district in the sprawling metropolis of Beulah. Kaya was a nomad, raised by her grandfather, Dragul, to follow in his footsteps as a spirit warrior of Eiren. After a falling out with Dragul, Kaya had found herself alone and angry in Beulah—never a good combination. A series of bad choices landed her in the clutches of the city’s notorious guild boss. It was there, at one of the lowest points in her life, that she’d met Ellio. His kindness broke down the walls around her heart, and they formed a strong friendship that soon blossomed into love. Working together, they’d been able to free Kaya from the guild boss and escape the city.

“Kaya!” Ellio turned back to her, a wide smile on his suntanned face. Her heart careened against her ribs. “The water is so clear; you can see all the way to the bottom,” he said. “It must be at least eighty fathoms! Come look!”

Kaya snorted but resisted the urge to point out they’d been enjoying the crystal waters for almost a year. They had found Dragul, her grandfather, ten months ago and had been living with him on the Avathysian coast ever since.

The ocean had done wonders for Ellio. He’d lost his pale complexion and the dark circles under his eyes, earned by years of surviving in the Downs. Kaya barely recognized the young man before her now, with sun-kissed skin and dark-brown eyes that always crinkled at the corners when he was excited. Sparks skittered through her stomach as he focused those eyes on her and patted the space beside him. Kaya covered her embarrassment with a grunt but joined him. She bumped her shoulder against his and peered into the water.

Up close, the ocean was so clear, it was almost a mirror, and she could indeed see the sandy ocean floor below, dotted with a network of nubby coral. The reef was her target, where the rare bluebell oyster liked to hide amid the fluorescent sea flora.

“You ready?” Ellio asked.

Kaya donned her flippers then tucked her dark bangs into her diving hood and pulled down her mask. She slid onto the ledge of the deck, her back to the water, and gave him a two-fingered salute. Ellio grinned and returned it, his blue hair shining beneath the morning sun. Kaya flipped backward off the edge of the boat before he could notice her blush. Kicking her fins up over her head, she somersaulted into the water. Even in the summer months, diving to the depth of the reef would have felt chilly if not for her wetsuit.

Kaya scissor-kicked, pushing herself deeper. A speckled sea turtle darted out of her path as she made her way toward hazy white sand below. A trio of silver fish flitted by, and she pumped her legs, bringing her closer to the bottom. She circled a bed of blue-and-yellow speckled coral, searching for the telltale shape of a bluebell oyster.

There!

Her fingers brushed over the ribbed shell. Kaya slipped her diving knife into her hand and pried the oyster loose, dropping it into a pouch on her belt. She swam further around the coral bed, eyes scanning.

Another one!

Kaya would have smiled if her mouth wasn’t molded around the rebreather. Bluebell oysters fetched a good price at market. While fishing was part of their cover story, she’d found she truly enjoyed being out on the water.

Her grandfather was currently on an undercover assignment posing as a fisherman in Avathys. It was amazing how much information he was able to gather hanging around other crusty sailors at the docks. Of course, he needed fish and crustaceans to sell whenever he went to the local market. Too bad he didn’t actually enjoy fishing. So, although he wasn’t thrilled when his granddaughter showed up for training with a handsome Beulan man in tow, he allowed Ellio to stay, provided they took over the fishing.

Dragul let them keep any profits he made from selling their wares. Kaya figured his Eirenian stipend must be very generous, and she didn’t need much. She was content to train and have a safe place for Ellio to stay. The market sales were an unexpected perk. She was helping Ellio save up for a new maglev coupler for his jetbike. He’d promised it would take them higher and faster than ever before.

Her fingers tugged on the second bluebell oyster. Its shell was stuck tight to the coral. She chipped away at its base then slipped her knife underneath and pried it loose. She reached to drop it into her pocket when a shadow fell across her eyes. Something large was swimming overhead.

Kaya jerked her head up. A large, sinuous shape twined above her. A spiny eel! The creature’s mottled body blended into the sunlight filtering through the water. If not for its shadow, she would have missed it. The eel circled above, watching her with its six yellow eyes. The jagged spines running along its back rippled through the water. Kaya gritted her teeth. Of course it had to be a male eel and a large one, too. It was at least three times as long as she was.

<Ellio?> Kaya sent a spir-com up to him. Ellio wasn’t naturally gifted with spirit abilities, but he’d learned enough to send and receive spir-coms when she was nearby. It had come in handy on multiple occasions.

<I see it. Can you get clear so I can use the harpoon gun?> Ellio’s voice was strained.

<An eel that big could capsize the boat. Then we’d both be in the water.>

<Not if I hit the soft spot in its skull.>

Kaya rolled her eyes, not that Ellio could appreciate it. <No offense, Ellio, but that shot is one in a million.>

She clenched her fists. That stupid eel had to show up and ruin her day. This was the best spot near their home to collect bluebell oysters. But if a spiny eel staked out a territorial claim, she and Ellio would have to find new fishing grounds. The eels were notoriously violent. They killed even when they weren’t hungry, often destroying entire reef ecosystems before moving on to terrorize a new area. Annoyance blossomed into full-blown anger in her chest. That wasn’t happening today, not if she could help it.

<I can handle it.> Her spir-com thrummed with determination.

<Dragul warned us to leave them alone. Don’t they hunt in packs? Where are the rest of them?> Ellio’s spir-com was laced with purple streaks. He was worried.

Kaya scanned the waters around her in a slow circle so as not to attract attention. <There’s only one. Must be a rogue.>

<At least let me try to harpoon it,> Ellio pleaded.

<I said, I’ve got this.> Kaya severed the spir-com abruptly. She cinched her oyster pouch shut and changed her grip on her dagger. Spiny eels were a menace to the ecosystem, and she’d grown attached to this reef. There was no way she was going to let one stupid eel desecrate it. She took a deep breath through her rebreather and called on her spirit. Blue flames trickled down her arms, unaffected by the water. She gave the eel a disdainful glare. With her spirit abilities, that pest didn’t stand a chance.

Kaya directed a burst of power in her legs and shot upward. Then, gathering her spirit in her left hand, she forced the flames to dance along the edge of the blade. The spiny eel broke from its circle pattern to face her head on. It thrashed its tail and opened a maw with hundreds of jagged teeth. Then, the eel charged.

Icy fingers of fear clamped around Kaya’s throat. She forced herself to focus. Her timing needed to be precise; there was no room for error. The eel unhinged its mouth, jaw stretching wide enough to swallow her whole. As the creature streaked toward her, she took a slow breath. Its eyes narrowed in gleeful anticipation.

At the last second, Kaya twisted to the right. The eel snapped its jaws, missing her by a hair’s breadth. As it charged past, Kaya slammed her knife through its largest eye.

The spiny eel jerked away. Blue ichor gushed from the wound and streamed behind it in the water. The eel gnashed its teeth, swimming erratically for a moment, then it found its center and swung back toward her. Its movements were unsteady, swerving back and forth. Kaya wouldn’t be able to evade it a second time. She gripped her knife and breathed deeply, channeling her spirit once more. The eel sped toward her.

She flung the knife, infusing it with the blue flames of her spirit. It shot forward like a javelin, straight into the spiny eel’s gaping mouth and embedding itself deep into the brainstem at the back of its throat. The eel shuddered. Blood streamed from the wound in a dark-blue ribbon. It opened and closed its mouth once, twice, still swimming toward Kaya. Five yellow eyes dimmed, and it bumped past her, no longer seeing as it sank to the sandy floor.

Kaya patted her sheath, mourning the loss of her diving knife. But at least she was still in one piece. <Told you,> she sent to Ellio. Smugness coated her words a light green.

<Uh, Kaya?> Panic reverberated through Ellio’s spir-com. <Get back to the ship! Now!>

Kaya looked over her shoulder. Terror froze her heart and stole her breath. A herd of spiny eels were hurtling toward her. Their fins sliced through the water, spines angled to attack. She did a quick mental count, heart racing. There were at least twenty.

Her stomach clenched. With blood in the water, spiny eels became deranged. One frenzied eel with bloodlust was difficult to kill, but twenty would be impossible, especially for one diver, and she had lost her knife.

<Kaya! Come up! Now!> Ellio fired a harpoon into the water. One eel spasmed and started sinking, but the rest surged forward, a seething, chomping mass of rage. Their mouths snapped open and closed, eager to rip her to bloody shreds.

Dragul’s presence rippled nearby, and Kaya took a shaky breath. <Shields, Kaya,> her grandfather’s spirit urged.

Kaya flinched and brought her hands in front of her, but nothing happened. The eels were almost upon her. She tried to imagine the spirit shield forming around her, but all she could see were hordes of gleaming yellow eyes. Her spirit would not respond to fear. Kaya froze, heart hammering in her chest. The eels were so close now, she could see bits of flesh caught between their teeth. One eel pushed ahead of the pack. It unhinged its jaw and leaned forward.

Kaya flinched.

Blam!

The eel slammed into something three hands in front of her and ricocheted backward. It careened into the charging pack and the tight formation broke. One lashed out at its companion, tearing off a tail fin. Blue blood spiraled in the water. Three of the eels wrenched around and tore into the wounded fish, but the rest of the pack refocused on Kaya. They circled back together, like a flock of birds, and charged, only to be rebuffed at the last second by an invisible force.

Kaya hovered in the water, uncertainty gnawing at her. She swam forward, held up a hand, and bumped against something invisible but rock hard. She blinked and activated her spirit vision. A giant golden wall coalesced between her and the eels, extending from the water’s surface to the sea floor.

Wonder and envy spiraled through her. It was Dragul. It had to be. Her grandfather had activated a spirit shield of this size and strength from the shore, reminding her once again that he had earned his title as a master of the Eirenian warrior class. His skill both annoyed and awed her. He didn’t even need to have her in his line of sight; his spirit was so strong, he could project it to where she was.

<Home. Now,> Dragul commanded.

Shame spiraled through Kaya. She’d been unable to form her spirit shield when she needed it most, and she’d disobeyed Dragul’s order about not attacking the spiny eel to begin with. Her shoulders drooped. She was going to get an earful. Crestfallen, she kicked her way back up to the ship, and Ellio helped haul her aboard.

She yanked off her mask and rebreather and gulped in the fresh air.

“Kaya!” Ellio’s hands traced down her arms, checking for injuries.

She managed one disgruntled snort before he crushed her against him. His fingers trembled as he threaded them through her short, wet hair.

“I’m fine.” She hated how her voice came out shaky.

“Don’t ever scare me like that again.” His breath tickled her ear. “It took years off my life. Next time put up a shield in the first place.”

Kaya went rigid. “It wasn’t me,” she mumbled into his shoulder. “I tried to shield, but I couldn’t. Dragul put it up.”

Ellio’s head dropped to her shoulder, and he let out a shaky breath. “Dragul?” He jerked his head up and fixed her with a blazing glare. Resolution settled over his face. “I’m never letting you take a risk like that again. When I saw those spiny eels charging, my heart stopped.” His voice was hoarse.

Kaya huffed, and he shook her shoulders. “I mean it, Kaya. You need to start listening to him.”

She brushed his hand away. “Stop mothering me, Ellio.”

Hurt flashed in his eyes, but he swallowed and firmed his jaw. “I’m not going to apologize for worrying about your safety. You take too many risks.”

“No one said you have to come with me.”

Ellio threw up his hands. “That’d be even worse. What if no one had known you were out here?”

Kaya looked away. “I’d have figured something out.”

He groaned and ran his fingers through his blue hair. “You’re maddening sometimes. You know that, right?”

She punched him on the arm. “One of the many reasons you love me.”

Ellio rolled his eyes and slung an arm over her shoulders. “You’re freezing!” He let go to pull out a rumpled emergency blanket and tucked it around her shoulders. “Let’s head back. You need to get out of those wet clothes.”

“And hear another lecture from the old man?” Kaya crossed her arms over her chest. “Not interested.”

“C’mon, Kaya. Dragul’s your family. Do you know what I’d give for one more day with my pops?”

Guilt swelled in Kaya’s throat. All of Ellio’s family were dead. If not for her, he’d be completely alone. At least she had found her grandfather—even if he was a shriveled old prune with the personality of a dried moj fish. She grunted and laid her head on Ellio’s shoulder. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

“All I’m saying is try to lighten up around Dragul.” Ellio rubbed her back in a soothing circle, and Kaya knew he’d chosen to let her thoughtlessness slide. “You said it yourself; he’s a master. There’s a lot you can learn from him. Especially that shielding technique. It could save your life one day.”

Kaya snorted. “I’m an offensive fighter. I don’t hide behind some giant glowing wall.”

“Well, maybe it’ll help save someone else. You never know.” Ellio grinned at her, and Kaya felt her anger melt away. He was so cute when he was hopelessly optimistic.

She tweaked his nose.

Ellio laughed and pressed his forehead against hers. Then he leaned back and fixed her with a serious look. “Were you scared?”

Kaya stiffened, but then let out a breath. Her hand wandered from the blanket to clutch the fabric of Ellio’s shirt. “A little.”

He kissed the top of her head. “I was terrified.”