“You were told to exterminate the girls if they became a danger,” she hisses. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
Tsam’s expression remains calm but his feathers are quivering. “I tried. There was an incident in the mountains, with Ava. I tried to do it after that but she woke and I—”
Hitra rounds on him. “There are no excuses. Your failure could have cost us everything.”
Tsam swallows hard and tries to smile. “Perhaps it was for the best? Now we have Émi and Ava back safely. We can help Ava, we can—”
Hitra’s eyes are so full of anger they make me shudder. Slowly, she says, “We don’t know whether Mahg is alive or dead. If he’s alive, he is going to be very angry. And we have no idea the kind of hold he still has over Ava. How much of her blood merged with his. He could be on his way here as we speak. She could still be dangerous – volatile.”
Tsam clears his throat. “I’m sorry, Ma’am, but I don’t believe Mahg would come here. Now he knows we have both girls and he’s seen Émi’s power, he won’t attack us.”
Hitra sits down and fixes her steely gaze on him. “Perhaps not us. But he’s going to be more desperate than ever to take a share of the stone from one of the other cities. So you’d better pray we can stop him.”
Tsam hangs his head, as if the weight of his mistake is physically painful.
“And Tsam? From now on, you watch those girls. If you think for one second that they’re not on our side, you destroy them. Because it’s better they’re dead than fighting for Mahg. Do you understand?”
Tsam is almost at the door and doesn’t look back, just says, “Yes, Ma’am. I understand.”
My mind is whirring. I didn’t see it. At first, it was Kole I was wary of. Not Tsam. Not my Tsam. I don’t know who to talk to. Suddenly, I feel as though maybe they’re all in league together, just waiting for me to put a foot wrong, to become a little too powerful – a little too unpredictable.
I am still desperate to ask Hitra about my mother, but I can’t bear to be near her. I feel so nauseous I don’t even remember the walk from the Academy down to the lake but by the time I reach the water, the sun is setting and the air is cool. I’m shivering but I can’t bring myself to be around the others. I don’t want to go back to Rumah’s house. I don’t want to see Tsam. Because everything he ever said to me was a lie.
A hand on my shoulder jolts me back to reality – Alyssa.
“Émi,” she says, “are you alright?”
“I should be asking you that,” I tell her.
Alyssa sits down beside me, picks up a pebble and turns it over.
I hesitate. I don’t want to burden her with what I know, but I can’t keep it inside either.
“Ava wasn’t lying about Tsam,” I say, blurting it out quickly so it’s not quite as painful.
At first Alyssa hardens at the mention of Ava, but then she frowns. “What do you mean?”
“He tried to kill her after she caused the avalanche. I heard him with Hitra.”
Alyssa shakes her head, as if she can’t absorb what I’m saying.
“Apparently, Tsam was supposed to exterminate Ava and I if we became dangerous or – unpredictable.”
“He wouldn’t,” Alyssa says.
I pick at a pin-sized hole in my jodhpurs and look across the lake. I’m trying not to cry because my grief at losing Tsam is nothing compared to Alyssa’s grief. But the tears come anyway.
Alyssa takes my hand and squeezes it. “Have you talked to him about it?”
“I can’t. I can’t even be near him.”
“How about…” She pauses, bracing herself to utter the name of the person who caused her brother’s death. “Ava? Have you seen her?”
I shake my head and brush the tears from my cheek. “I don’t know what to say to her. To either of them. When I left Nhatu, I had to rebuild everything. Relearn who I was, who to trust. Tsam was my one constant. The one who had been there, in the before and the after. I thought he’d always be mine. My person. The one who I could fight with and disagree with and it wouldn’t matter.” I lower my voice. “I pushed Kole away because I felt guilty. Because I thought Tsam…”
“Oh,” says Alyssa. “I didn’t know.”
“And Ava? I believed her. I thought she was innocent, troubled…”
Alyssa gives a deep sigh, as though she’s been contemplating what she’s about to say for a long time. “Garrett would say she was innocent. That Mahg manipulated her, that the drugs made her someone she’s not. He’d say we should forgive her…” Alyssa’s voice falters and she takes back her hand. “I don’t think I can do that. But Ava’s your sister, Émi. You should try. Just talk to her. And to Tsam.”
Unexpectedly, she hugs me, then she stands and tells me she has to go. I don’t follow her. Instead, I stay by the lake, steeling myself for taking her advice.
Twenty-Seven
I sit until I’m blue with cold. I welcome the discomfort. When I return to Rumah’s, the house is in darkness and I’m able to sneak back to my room.
The next morning, as soon as the sun rises, I go to visit Ava. She is in Abilene’s hospital wing, a room carved into the rock next to the waterfall.
“They say the power of the stone helps people to heal,” the nurse says as she leads me to Ava’s room, blushing when she remembers who I am. “She’s not saying much, but I’m sure she will appreciate your visit.”
Ava sits by a window that looks out across the lake. She doesn’t turn around when she hears me enter, or when I sit down beside her. Her hands are in her lap, wrapped in white padded mittens. Her hair seems a little lighter and the black veins have faded to blueish grey, but her eyes are set deep in her face and her lips are thin.
“Ava?” I ask, resting my hand on her knee. “Can you hear me?”
She doesn’t move but, slowly, she whispers, “I’m sorry.”
After that, no matter what I say, she doesn’t respond. I tell her everyone is alright. I tell her no one is angry with her, that we’re going to help her get better. But she just blinks at the window, silently. Eventually, I stand up to leave and I’m almost at the door, when I change my mind. I stride back to her and kneel down, then I unhook Nor’s pendant from my throat and refasten it around Ava’s. I kiss her forehead, and whisper, “Everything will be alright. We have each other.”
Leaving the hospital, I return to Rumah’s house to change my clothes. She has leant me a white shirt and now she uses a small delicate brush to paint silver swirls at the corners of my eyes. Tsam is also wearing white, with silver markings on his hands and forearms. When he speaks to me, I answer politely, but I can’t look into his eyes. I don’t want to see the betrayal.
At the lake, Watchers, all dressed in white, stand on the cliffs. More have gathered on the bridge, but the beach is reserved for friends and family. Rumah, Tsam and I descend the steps and join a line of Watchers with silver decorations on their hands or faces. Alyssa and her parents are in the centre of the line. Alyssa is holding hands with a young Fledgling who can’t be more than twelve years old. I ask Rumah who it is, and when she tells me it is Alyssa and Garrett’s younger sister, sorrow knots my insides.
From behind the Academy, the Elders fly into view. They are carrying a wooden stretcher. Upon it, Garrett’s body is covered with a long white cloth. The Elders rest the stretcher on the surface of the lake, then fly back to the eastern tower where they stand with their arms outstretched in prayer.
Everyone copies them, humming gently, then Alyssa’s parents hold hands and wade out towards their son’s body. They place their hands on top of him, the way Tsam and Alyssa did in the woods, and the Watchers beside the lake dip their heads in respect.
When I look up, Alyssa has dropped her little sister’s hand and is calling me to her. “Émi,” she says, “are you ready?” I nod and slide off my sandals. “Are you sure? You don’t have to.”
“I want to. For Garrett.”
I walk out into the water. I let the r
ipples lap gently at my thighs, and keep striding out until they reach my chest. I have to paddle to stay afloat. Garrett’s father and mother kiss me on the cheek, then swim back to the shore. When they are back on the beach, standing beside their daughters, I raise my hands up into the air and press them together. Whispers pass quietly through the crowd. I open my palms, revealing a tiny ball of flames. Tears are falling from my eyes and I’m struggling to see.
“You are safe,” I whisper to Garrett, “and you are loved.” Then, I lower the flames and allow the fabric to catch light. Gently, I push him towards the spot where I know the Fire Stone glows.
All around the lake, the Watchers of Abilene spread out their wings and lift their hands to the sky. “You are safe,” they call, “and you are loved.”
The chant is repeated in soft, poetic whispers until the flames die down and Garrett is no more. Then everyone gathers on the beach to solemnly and quietly celebrate Garrett – his kindness, his humour, his strength. I speak with Alyssa and her family for a while, then slip away to check on Ava. She’ll have been watching the funeral from her room and I daren’t think about how she is feeling.
I am crossing the entrance hall of the Academy, towards the stairs that lead to the hospital wing, when Tsam catches up with me.
“Émi, wait.” I keep walking and if his strides weren’t so big he would have to trot to catch up with me. “Are you alright? You’ve barely spoken to me…”
I bite my lip. If I speak, the words will tumble out and I won’t be able to stop them until they’re all dried up. I keep walking, staring at the ground.
“Émi, what’s wrong?” he asks.
I wonder whether he knows, deep down. Whether he’s been waiting for the moment when I would discover the truth.
Slowly, I force out the words. “I heard you with Hitra.”
Tsam’s face tightens. “You…” His wings droop and he sweeps a hand over his forehead.
“If you’re about to tell me it isn’t how it sounded,” I spit, “don’t bother. There is nothing you can say.”
“Please,” he says. That’s all, just please.
“You were my friend,” I say, tears biting at the back of my throat.
Tsam softens his voice so that it’s barely a whisper. “I’m still your friend, Émi…”
“How can you say that?” I am shouting now, my voice bouncing off the Academy walls and taunting me. “Everything that ever happened between us – every conversation, every look. You had an ulterior motive. You were watching me.” My voice cracks. “You were waiting for me to slip up, to become a threat. And then what? You would have smothered me in my sleep? A dagger? An arrow? Poison? What? How would you have killed me, Tsam? The same way you tried to kill Ava? In the dead of night when I couldn’t protect myself?”
Tsam opens his mouth but no sound comes out.
“You made me feel so guilty for liking Kole. And all the time you were manipulating me. Like Mahg manipulated Ava.”
“Émi, no, that’s not—” He puts his hand on my shoulder. His touch burns. I can’t bear it. I push him away. A spark flies from my palm and sizzles as it meets his chest. He doesn’t flinch.
I’m exhausted. The fight inside me has gone. “I will never be able to trust you again.”
Tsam jolts back as though I have slapped him in the face. “I wouldn’t hurt you.”
“That’s not what you told Hitra. I heard you, Tsam. I heard you promise to do it properly next time.”
“If I’d said no she would have asked someone else. But I’d never do it, Émi. I couldn’t.”
I hold up my hand. The tears have stopped. “I. Don’t. Believe. You.”
We are staring at one another, silence hanging between us like a dagger, when the door at the end of the corridor bursts open. It flies back on its hinges and clatters against the wall.
My knees tremble. I grin so wide it hurts my cheeks. “Amin?”
I fling myself forwards and throw my arms around his neck. He embraces me, then gently pushes me away. His hair is wild and his skin is dirty. My grin collapses.
“Émi,” he croaks, “You must come back to Nhatu. The Council… They’re going to execute your mother.”
Thank you so much for joining Émi at the start of her journey. There is so much more to come and I can’t wait to share the second and third instalments with you.
If you loved Fire Lines, I would really appreciate a short review wherever you bought the book from. Your help in spreading the word is invaluable and means the world to me.
You can also sign up for the Fire Lines mailing list and be the first to read exclusive excerpts from book two. Just visit:
WWW.FIRELINES.CO.UK
Cara x
Acknowledgements
Writing a book is all-consuming, terrifying, exhilarating and hard. And this book, my very first novel, would never have happened if it wasn't for the support and belief of some very important people.
Firstly, I must thank my editor Karen Ball. Her advice was invaluable and helped my manuscript to shine.
I'd also like to thank the brilliant and wonderful Helen Crawford-White, who designed a cover beyond my wildest dreams, along with all those who proofread, beta-read and generally enthused about Fire Lines in the run up to publication day.
To my friends – I am so grateful that you stuck around while I spent eighteen months living like a hermit and declining far too many social invitations in favour of sitting in front of my laptop. You know who you are and you're the best.
To my husband, who believed in me and encouraged me from the beginning – in so many ways, I would not have achieved my dream without you. I love you.
To my dog, Molly, who provided cuddles, laughter, a calm presence when I felt like I was going mad and the excuse to get out into the fresh air when I was in danger of moulding into my chair – if only you could understand how instrumental you are to my existence. Toast and Dentastix will be your rewards.
To Mum and Dad – I don't even know where to start. From the word 'look' you made me believe I could do anything I set my mind to. And, as always, you were right. You fed my imagination and gave me a house full of books. We coloured-in, listened to books on tape, read stories at bedtime, went to the theatre and explored the world. You showed me that running a business is hard but entirely within reach if you work for it. You are my heroes.
To my sister, Petra, who was the first person I trusted with so-early-they're-embarrassing-to-even-remember drafts – your ideas and input helped to shape Émi's story. Without your help, my characters would have all had names like Bob or John, and there would still be passages of text labelled things like 'think of word for plant'. One day we will co-write and it will be amazing.
To my grandparents, whose spirits will be with me for as long as I am breathing – I miss you. I wish you could have seen this book, held it in your hands and run around telling everyone you met that your granddaughter became an author. Perhaps, up in the clouds somewhere, you're doing just that. I hope so.
To Uncle Eric, who is still trying to train the business side of my brain to cope with accounting – thank you for your time and patience, I’ll get there eventually!
And finally, to all those who have bought a copy of Fire Lines, read it and got to this little page at the back – there simply aren't enough words to explain how grateful I am. I hope you enjoyed the story and I hope book two will be even better.
About the Author
Cara Thurlbourn writes children’s and young adult fiction. Fire Lines is her first novel and it’s a story she’s been planning since she was fifteen years old.
Cara has a degree in English from the University of Nottingham and an MA in Publishing from Oxford Brookes University.
She lives in a tiny village in Suffolk and has worked in academic and educational publishing for nearly ten years. Cara blogs about her author journey and in November 2016 she crowdfunded her first children’s book. 10% of its profits are donated to animal reho
ming charities.
Cara plans to write at least two more books in the Fire Lines series, as well as a young adult mystery series, and has lots more children’s stories waiting in the wings.
You can sign up for Cara’s newsletter, for giveaways, updates and latest releases, here: www.carathurlbourn.com/contact
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