Girl of Fire and Lightning

GIRL OF FIRE AND LIGHTNING

Kaybree the Angel Killer, Book Three

Harrison Paul

Published by Clockwork Cross Press at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 Harrison Paul

Revised edition published 2014

This is a work of fiction. All persons or events portrayed herein are fictional or are used fictitiously.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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Table of Contents

Chapter One: Anointed

Chapter Two: With Friends Like That

Chapter Three: Gunnar and the Three Trees

Chapter Four: Book Burning Party

Chapter Five: Lunar Cycles

Chapter Six: Helpless

Chapter Seven: Lady Andreya's Inventions

Chapter Eight: Manipulator

Chapter Nine: If You Had a Choice

Chapter Ten: In the Name of Truth and Justice

Chapter Eleven: Just Like Everyone Else

Chapter Twelve: Passions

Chapter Thirteen: Revenge

Chapter Fourteen: City of Angels

Chapter Fifteen: Tomorrow's Hero

Chapter Sixteen: My Hero

Chapter Seventeen: Blazing the Path

Chapter Eighteen: Angel Killer

Chapter Nineteen: Creator and Destroyer

Chapter Twenty: Make Me Proud

About the Author

Connect with Harrison Paul

Links to Other Books by Harrison Paul

Preview: Steel Fox

Acknowledgments

For Wendy

CHAPTER ONE

Anointed

Galen's sword cracked down against my head. The blow knocked me to the ground, sending a colossal throb of pain through my skull. My vision swam as I held out a hand to steady myself. Still not quick enough, he said, kneeling down and extending his hand. I took his gloved hand and he pulled me to my feet. My head stung from where his wooden sword had landed.

I blinked the spots out of my eyes. This was why I hated training days. Okay, okay, I get it. I'm slow. You don't have to bash my brains out.

Galen frowned and returned to his ready stance, holding the sword out in front of him. I leaned back, eying the thing like it was a viper. The Angels don't use wooden swords, Kaybree.

I rubbed my head. That's why I don't leave home without one of these. I wagged my fingers at him, including the one that wore a bone-white ring. A relic, the objects I drew my power from.

He shook his head. His coppery hair rustled in the wind, and his sky blue eyes sparkled with determination. We're practicing sword technique, not fire hurling, he said. He swung at me again, and I ducked. He bashed my shoulder with his pommel, sending me stumbling back into a tree. My boots squished in the muddy ground, and a light rain fell from the thick black clouds above. The sun wasn't even out yet, but I was already sopping wet and my body ached everywhere.

I wiped rainwater from my face and pushed aside long, wet strands of hair. This isn't fair. You've been fighting for, like, twenty years. I just started.

"And the Angels have been doing it for twenty thousand years. That's what's really not fair. He fell into ready stance with his sword. Try an attack without transforming. I'll tell you how you do."

I scowled at him. He just smiled back, and I couldn't scowl anymore, not seeing his beautiful face smiling at me. He had the most perfect arch to his nose, a smooth, nicely shaped chin, and a lean but muscled figure. I shook my head to clear it. Right, training. Attack him. I got into ready stance, trying to keep my wooden sword steady. It trembled and wobbled everywhere. I wondered how I could compensate for my weak skills. He never said I couldn't use the relics, I thought. Just no transforming or fire hurling.

I drew a little pinch of power from the ring, making sure none of my skin turned the bluish white of my Witch form. I always wore a relic nowadays, after being caught without them so often during the last few Angel fights. In this city by the edge of the Angels' Forest, attacks from God's messengers were becoming commonplace—the same holy messengers who had turned against humanity fifteen years ago. The birth of a Witch had unleashed their fury, as they decided to get rid me before I could turn evil, but my mother's inventions in her tower were the true reason they feared us.

Having relics around was my way of staying prepared for the worst.

With the added strength of the relic, the sword didn't wobble anymore. I rushed forward, slashing left and then right. Galen's eyes flashed, and he reacted with lightning speed. I sometimes wondered if he used a relic himself. But that couldn't be true; no one but me could use the relics, unless they used that strange apparatus I'd seen on Galen in our fight with the Witch Hunters.

Galen frowned at me. How about no relics at all? he said. I can tell you're using something.

I grinned. How do you know I'm not just getting better?

Your hair.

I glanced over at my hair, which had turned a purplish-white sheen. I released my relic power and reluctantly turned back to him. Better?

Without responding, he fell into a series of cuts and thrusts. I parried, leapt aside, parried again, and then swung at him. The wooden sword flew by his arm, narrowly missing as he sidestepped. Not bad, Galen said, his eyes fixed on my sword. I swung again, cracking against his sword, but he put his defenses back up before I could hit again. Now concentrate on your footwork. Keep this up and you'll get your legs all tangled.

I leapt back and forth, looking for an opening. I jumped a little too far, though, and slipped in the mud. Galen swept forward to strike, but I got up my sword just in time, punching his blade away. It flew from his grasp, colliding with a tree with a thud. He looked back at me, and I couldn't stop a little smile from twitching on the edge of my lips. I'd never beaten Galen before.

This round to Kaybree, then, I said.

Not yet. Without warning, he rushed forward, tackling me and knocking my sword away. We tumbled to the ground, splashing into the mud. He brought his face up to mine. Don't underestimate a disarmed opponent.

Sure. I realized that his face was right up against mine, and mud dripped from the side of his cheek. My heart beat faster. I could feel the warmth of his breath against my face. The firmness of his muscles pressing against my arms made me blush. I wouldn't have minded staying there for a moment to catch my breath, but I wasn't sure that I trusted myself to just catch my breath.

We should probably get up, I said, glancing away. This mud is going to give us the flensu.

You're right, he whispered. He made no move to get off. But promise me you'll be more careful in a real combat situation.

I took a quick breath so my voice wouldn't crack. I will.

Okay. He pushed himself up, dripping cold mud water onto me. Sorry.

No, it's no problem. I slid up, my shirt and breeches soaked through with mud. It was a good thing I wore old clothes to training; wouldn't want to ruin a perfectly good dress getting tackled in the rain.

As if he'd read my mind, Galen frowned and said, Maybe you should practice in a dress sometime. When the next Angel attacks, you might not be attired for sword practice. We'll do it on a day when it's not raining.

I gave him a weak smile. Whatever you say, O my teacher.

He held out his hand, and hauled me to my feet. I slipped in the mud, and fell against his chest. You all right, Kaybree?

Fine. Being pressed against him made my heart beat just as fast when we were standing as when we were lying in the mud. What's next?

The sound of glass shattering drew my attention above. We both turned toward the sagekeep that towered over us. Its majestic spires disappeared into the clouds, and its stained-glass windows reflected the rising sunlight. On the far end, where my mother's Vormund tower was located, a huge shape swooped down from the sky, clawing at the windows. Glass shards fell from the tower to the ground.

What is that? I asked. The creature had leathery bat wings, and was at least as big as a man, with a long snout and claws.

Galen let go of me and his eyes narrowed. Another Angel?

Vormund soldiers in black uniforms with the red Angel Eye crest emblazoned on their breast emerged from the tower onto the roof. They leveled crossbows at the beast, but the bat creature knocked them aside. It grabbed a soldier, sinking its claws into his arm, and tossed him across the roof. Galen looked at me, and I nodded back. Angel or not, this was my fight, not the soldiers'. I glanced around to make sure no one was watching and slipped under the cover of some tree branches to transform. I wasn't sure how long this would keep my identity secret, but it had worked so far.

I focused on the ring on my finger. It pulsed with inner energy, like it had a soul of its own. I poured my thoughts into the relic and it came to life, causing a blue flame to spread across my body. I looked down at my arms, legs, my whole body: it was all engulfed in azure fire. It didn't burn me; it was me. My fiery skin and hair pulsed and crackled. My shirt and breeches would probably burn away from the heat, though they might survive, as soaked as they were. The blazing fire made quite a fashion statement on its own.

I ran forward, jumping up to catch one of the sagekeep ledges. I swung up onto a catwalk and leapt to the next ledge, climbing toward the roof. As a ball of flame, I had much better reflexes than an ordinary Kaybree, and I didn't even slip on the rainwater that dripped across the stones. The bat creature slashed at the soldiers, throwing them to the roof tiles with a pair of thumps. I jumped the final tier onto the roof and faced the creature. Looking for me?

The monster snarled, showing a row of knife-like teeth. DIE! it screamed in a harsh, guttural voice. Okay, maybe it wasn't an Angel; they at least had the tact to give a civilized response. As a Witch, I could understand animals' and monsters' speech too, but that didn't mean they had much to say.

I realized I still held the wooden practice sword, and brandished it in front of me. My fiery hands had lit it aflame, and it smoldered with heat. Rain pattered against the rooftop below my feet. I swung the sword at the creature, but it dodged aside. It growled and slashed at me, leaping over my head and hovering for a moment as it came down behind me. I ducked, but it kicked out and hit me in the nose. I flew back, skidding across the roof until I grabbed onto the spire. It still had my fingernail marks in it from my battle with my history teacher up here. Jans had been an Angel too.

The soldiers gaped at me. I waved my wooden sword at them. It looked more like a reverse torch now—the blade was wooden, but the hilt where I gripped it was on fire. Get out of here! I'll handle this. They picked up their crossbows, edging back toward the broken window. They might not know I was Kaybree, but they did know the Witch who defended Kant Vakt when they saw her.

The bat creature flew at me. I smacked it in the face with my sword. It responded with a slash across my shoulder. I twisted around from the blow and came back to crack the thing on the back. But it wasn't there. Where had it gone? I glanced around and looked up—right as it landed on me. My sword went flying, and my hopes sank. How was I going to fight this thing without a weapon? It kicked me in the head, and I slid across the roof again.

I came up, glancing around for my sword. Great. Probably fell off the roof. Could I get the soldiers to grab a weapon for me? I could usually do something with my transformation, but I didn't think rainy weather would be too conducive to throwing fireballs.

The bat creature growled. Message from Zeik, it said, its voice reedy but throaty.

Zeik? I asked. That was the name I'd given to the giant white wolf that followed me around. He was a servant of the Angels, and usually heralded another few weeks of Angel fighting for me. What, is he bored of the forest already?

He's coming, it said, its lips curling into a snarl. To take your heart, Witch.

He might have some trouble with that, I said, glancing around for a weapon and not finding one. Slobbering wolves aren't really my type.

The creature stared blankly back. Not all forest creatures understood human humor like Zeik did. I wondered about this creature's purpose here. Why would Zeik send someone to attack the tower just to taunt me?

The bat creature made a sudden rush to the side, opening its leathery wings. A scout, I thought. He's reporting something back to his master. I kicked against the spire atop the roof and threw myself at the creature, grabbing onto one of its legs as it leapt upward. The creature thrashed about, slashing at me, and I threw it back onto the roof. With a snarl, it unfurled its wings again.

An idea sparked in my mind. You want to fly, do you? I burst forward, tackling it to the roof and sending us nearly over the edge. I grabbed its sinewy arms and leapt from the sagekeep, taking the creature with me.

The wind rushed around me, whipping at my ears. The bat creature tried to flap its wings, but my added weight was too much, slight though it was, and my fiery hands burned at its flesh. Flying was difficult for anyone, and this creature was lighter than I'd expected. Which confirmed to me that this thing was more of a scout than a fighter. We fell from the roof, and I muscled it beneath me right as we hit the ground. The impact knocked the breath from my lungs, and I was flung to the side, rolling against the cobblestones until I came to a stop. My head spun, and my eyes had trouble focusing.

Kaybree! Galen called out. I looked up and saw a blurry sword soaring toward me. Galen had thrown a sword? I grabbed it out of the air by the hilt and turned around.

The bat creature lumbered forward, wings broken and hanging limply. You're out of time, Witch, it rasped. We know your weakness. Death is coming to this city. And you cannot stop it. It clawed at me with a primal scream, and I stabbed it through the chest. It groaned once and fell, its greenish blood pooling about it. I stepped back, letting the sword fall from my hands with the creature's body. Its hilt clanged against the cobblestones.

My transformation ended, reverting me back to myself. The cuts in my arms stung, but I was alive.

Galen ran over and put his arm around me. Are you hurt?

I'm okay, I said. Thanks for the sword.

I figured I might as well do something. You handled that pretty well.

I smiled back. Well, it wasn't really an Angel. Just one of Zeik's friends from the forest.

Zeik?

Right. He didn't know that I talked to animals. Um, that wolf that always attacks me. You know us girls, giving cute names to everything. Mira names her quill pens. And I once had a pet rock named Sparky. So I decided to call the wolf Zeik.

Whatever you say, Kaybree, he said. The perplexed look didn't leave his face.

I sighed and shot him an incredulous look. You really didn't know that Witches can talk to animals? I thought that would be in one of your books.

Galen chuckled. No, I must have missed it. But now a lot of things are starting to make sense. Like how you knew my rangir's name. He frowned. Did this creature say what it was doing here?

I laid my head against his shoulder, still exhausted from the fight. This one was just a scout, I said. But it said that they're coming. That they know my weakness. What does that mean?

I don't know, Galen said. But we'll figure it out. We always do. He didn't pull away, which I figured was a good sign. While Galen was betrothed to someone else—a horrible girl with gold-plated nails named Danelle—he was really in love with me. As far as I could tell. The Angels know how strong you are. They're being more cautious with their resources. He squeezed my shoulder. Nice work on the unarmed tackle. You learn pretty quickly.

Getting slammed into the mud can do that.

He smiled back and held me for a moment. We couldn't stay long, though, because the soldiers and apprentice sages from the sagekeep had to come clean up the monster's body. Several of Galen's friends from the Vormund Order met up with us, nodding to him and lifting the corpse into a burlap sack before hauling it away.

Don't worry, Galen whispered to me, tickling my neck with his breath. They don't know who you are. As far as they know, Lightning Girl just disappears after she attacks. And we spend enough time together, helping you catch up on your 'studies', that they won't think twice about seeing us close to the monster.

That's good. Lightning Girl meant me. Even though I loved the city of Kant Vakt and its people that I protected, I hated the nickname they'd given me. It made me sound like some stupid heroine out of a child's dream tale—one of those where the good guys know who the bad guys are, and where they marry their sweetheart and live happily ever after. But life in Kant Vakt—life as a Witch—wasn't like that at all. To some, I was the supreme evil who needed to be destroyed to preserve humanity. To others, I was just an ordinary girl. I looked up into Galen's bright eyes. Not him. He thought of me as humanity's savior. Which was, in some ways, even worse.

We should get you cleaned up, he said, taking my hand. I'll walk you back to the tower. We headed back through the massive front doors of the sagekeep and into the cavernous entrance chamber. I held tight to his hand, though I hoped nobody saw us. Saving the world from the Angels had brought us together, but the world we saved wanted to split us apart. I wondered how long this would last, where I could spend half the day with Galen and not have anyone say anything. Who would he end up marrying, me or Danelle?

We walked up the stairs, and I took them one at a time to spend more time holding onto Galen's hand. He had such soft, elegant hands. I heard footsteps behind us and started to pull away, but he didn't let go of my hand. I glanced up at him. Aren't you afraid someone will see?

He smiled. Why should I mind if people see us together? There's nothing shameful about escorting a pretty girl to Vormund tower.

I couldn't stop the blush this time. Not that. I mean, you sure are risking a lot by getting so close to me. Your reputation, your parents' wrath. And in public too.

He stopped on the stairs and brushed my cheek with his hand. You're special, Kaybree. Being around you is worth the risk.

I stared into his eyes, trying to read the emotion within them. Even if I'm the Anointed Evil One meant to destroy the world?

He laughed. Maybe so. But you're still my Kaybree.

I smiled back, a warm feeling filling me at hearing him laugh. Danelle would kill you for saying that.

He shot a glance out the window, where the apprentice sages were cleaning green-tinted blood from the cobblestones. Right now, I'd say we have a lot worse to worry about than Danelle.

CHAPTER TWO

With Friends Like That

I changed out of my sopping, singed training clothes and looked through my wardrobe. I put on a maroon dress and smoothed it in front of the mirror, enjoying the feeling of the fabric against my skin. I shivered, and looked over at the coat rack for a coat.

My eyes fell on the forest green cloak Mikael had given me. Mikael, the only Angel who wasn't trying to kill me. I glanced out the window for some sign of him, but as usual, he was nowhere to be seen. As a Vision Bringer, he had Angelic vision, and could see people from far away and send divine messages if need be. He was helping me fight the Angels who attacked the city, trying to get me to use my powers for good instead of evil.

I was also trying to figure out if I was falling in love with him.

The cloak fit snugly over a thick fur lining I stuffed inside, and I fastened it against the cold with a broach that my mother had left for me, the steel fox of Staalvoss. At the door I donned my fluffy white boots, thinking about the black boots I'd lost in the last Angel fight. I'd really liked those boots. I'd have to buy new ones. I slid my purse onto my arm and checked it for relics. Four should be plenty.

Before I walked out the door, I checked the mirror again. My face looked reasonably intact, with only a fading scar from my last Angel fight next to my eyebrow. I'd broken a nail when I tackled the bat creature too, which totally ruined the maroon nails that matched my dress. I put gloves on my hands and left it at that. Sometimes fashion had to be sacrificed for the greater good.

I passed the Vormund guards on my way out of the tower and started down the steps, passing the spot where Galen and I had been a few minutes earlier. I yawned. These early morning training sessions were the only time both of us had available to practice without prying eyes, but I would have woken up at two o'clock every morning and walked across the sagekeep roof barefoot if it meant seeing Galen. Even in spite of his busy schedule, he still made time for me.

As I glimpsed the stables across the courtyard, I remembered that Galen was taking me riding later this afternoon. I wasn't sure if my mother had arranged it to train me in rangir riding or if she simply wanted me occupied while she worked. I'd told Will that I'd be out by the forest so he wouldn't worry about me.

Then again, after another attack on the sagekeep, Will had the right to be worried anyway.

I reached the mead hall, where the students in the sagekeep ate their meals, and got in line. I took a tray and peered down the line. Where were Will and Mira? I glanced around at the table we usually sat at, the cracked one that wobbled in the corner. Nobody was there. That was strange. Had I come too early?

I grabbed my food—some hot porridge and scrambled eggs, with a slice of grainy black bread—and took it out into the hall. I headed to Ragnar's classroom to see if they were there.

Bookshelves stuffed with leather-bound