The Witch Born to Smoulder (Inferno Book 4)

by Tanya Milne

  Jet ran his hand through his hair and was about to fire some retort when Boy, who’d been watching out over the cove, bounded towards us, barking and growling.

  ‘What is it, Boy?’ said Jet, immediately grabbing his binoculars. Together we ran towards the cliffs, Boy in front of us.

  The waters had been free of the coastguard for days, and we’d stopped being as vigilant and no longer thought we were in immediate danger. We slid, side by side, into the rock crevice and peered out over the cove. The morning sun was streaking over the surface of the jewelled ocean, lighting up a dinghy that had landed on the shore.

  Jet swore as we both took in the familiar form of Ezra, who was hauling his boat onto the beach, towards the large rock we used for hiding our boats.

  ‘What does he want?’ Jet mumbled before crawling out from the rock crevice.

  I stayed where I was, attempting to bring my pounding heart under control.

  Down below, Ezra positioned his boat behind the rock and then gazed up at the cliffs. Heat surged through my body. Even from a distance, I knew from the heavy way he held himself that he too was suffering.

  Jet swore under his breath but took off towards the cliffs. I followed him but couldn’t keep up. By the time I’d made it onto the beach, Jet and Ezra were already arguing.

  ‘What the hell do you want?’ asked Jet, his fists clenched.

  Ezra blinked quickly as his gaze found me.

  ‘I…needed to talk to Eva,’ he said. ‘And make sure she was okay.’

  ‘By putting our lives in danger,’ said Jet, glaring at him.

  Ezra’s gaze flickered between Jet and me as he attempted to read the unspoken story.

  ‘No one followed me. They’re not even searching for you out here anymore,’ said Ezra.

  ‘They weren’t looking for us out here,’ Jet corrected. ‘But anywhere you go, your dad is sure to follow.’

  ‘I promise you, no one followed me,’ said Ezra.

  ‘Then they won’t follow you when you get back into your boat and go home,’ said Jet, narrowing his eyes.

  Ezra turned to me. ‘I need to talk to you.’

  ‘I have nothing to say,’ I said.

  ‘I have news…about your family. Please.’

  My stomach churned and my words wouldn’t form.

  ‘Well, out with it then,’ said Jet. ‘Say what you need to say, then go.’

  Ezra turned his full attention to me. ‘This only concerns Eva. Can you give us a minute?’

  ‘Whatever concerns Eva concerns me,’ said Jet, standing up to full height.

  Ezra’s face became a patchwork of red and white.

  ‘I can assure you, this doesn’t concern you,’ said Ezra, deep lines creasing his forehead. ‘Standing here, out in the open, is probably not the best idea, is it?’

  Jet glanced out to sea.

  ‘Fine then,’ said Jet, turning and making his way back towards the cliffs. ‘You can come back to our camp, but you can’t stay long.’

  In minutes, we were back at camp. Jet busied himself in the makeshift kitchen, and Ezra and I sat down in the camp chairs while Boy sidled up to Ezra for a pat. Ezra patted Boy, but his gaze was roaming over every inch of our camp.

  ‘Where do…you sleep?’ he asked quietly.

  Jet let out a short laugh, making Ezra’s face turn the colour of a plum.

  ‘You’re together?’ asked Ezra.

  All morning, heat and anger had been simmering under the surface of my skin, but Ezra’s words took a match to them.

  ‘If I recall, Ezra, you broke up with me. You could be living with us now, as my boyfriend – but you chose not to. Please don’t turn up here, thinking you have any right to ask me about my life.’

  ‘So you are, then?’ he said, all the colour draining from his face.

  ‘What do you want to tell me?’ I asked.

  ‘You’ve been here for less than two weeks – how could you?’

  I started to laugh, and even to me, I sounded unrecognisable.

  ‘What’s so funny and…what’s wrong with you? Are you still sick?’ he asked.

  ‘Where do I start? Oh, how about – my life is none of your goddamned business.’

  ‘Don’t say that. I didn’t want to break up with you,’ he whispered. ‘I thought it would be for the best. You know I love you.’

  Blood rushed to my face and heat to my hands. ‘You don’t get to say those things to me anymore. We are O-V-E-R! And while I understand you want to be there for your mum, you didn’t have to break up with me – but you did. So why don’t you tell me what you know about my family and Violet and then leave.’

  ‘What’s wrong with you?’ said Ezra, peering closer, his eyes widening when he saw the flames in my hand. ‘Tell me what’s happened…’

  I looked away, my desire to burn something, to shut him up, growing inside me. ‘Tell me about my family.’

  Ezra stopped moving. He spoke just one word, a plea from his heart, which tugged at something inside me. ‘Eva…’

  My fire died out and the pain he’d caused me returned with full force.

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ he said, watching me closely. ‘I didn’t mean to hurt you. I care for you… I do love you.’

  Jet stopped what he was doing and returned to stand beside me. ‘The fact is you did hurt her and you’re still hurting her. Say what you want to say, and then you need to leave.’

  Ezra pressed his lips together, as though holding his words inside.

  ‘Once you tell me what you’ve done to her,’ said Ezra, turning to Jet.

  Jet’s lips parted and he glanced at me, his assured manner magically disappearing at Ezra’s question.

  ‘I knew it!’ said Ezra. ‘You’re changing her, aren’t you – with your dark magic.’

  ‘Jet has nothing to do with this,’ I said. ‘I’m doing exactly what I want to be doing.’

  Ezra took a deep breath. ‘And what exactly is that?’

  ‘I’m doing what I should have always done – I’m becoming a powerful witch – so people like your father can’t take my family and Violet…and kill them.’

  Ezra stared right into me, as though reading my deepest, darkest secrets. ‘You’re learning black magic.’

  Not a question.

  I turned from him and wiped the sweat from my forehead.

  ‘And it’s changing you. You’re becoming…the Fire Queen.’

  I opened my mouth to deny Ezra’s statement, but instead I asked, ‘What does it matter to you?’

  Ezra let out a groan before standing and shoving Jet hard. ‘How could you do this to her?’

  Jet didn’t even try to protect himself. He fell to the ground. Boy turned on Ezra, growling so menacingly that the hair on my skin stood tall.

  ‘Don’t touch him,’ I said, my voice strange. ‘Jet hasn’t done anything to me, apart from being my friend, apart from not letting me down.’

  Ezra, who was standing over Jet, stumbled away.

  My words were as sharp as a needle. ‘I’m learning what I need to so I can help my family and Violet. So unless you have news, you need to leave here and never come back.’

  ‘You…can’t mean that.’

  I raised an eyebrow.

  Ezra rubbed his face before he spoke, his voice cracking. ‘Violet and your family’s trial is this Saturday night, at 8 p.m., in the town square.’

  My heart thrummed in my chest. Four days!

  From his pocket Ezra produced a key. ‘Here’s a key to their cell.’

  I stared at the key, wanting to snatch it from him and head straight to my family.

  ‘They’re being heavily guarded,’ he said, as though reading my mind. ‘But at 6 p.m. on Saturday, there will be a meeting about the trial that will last fifteen minutes. At that time, there will be minimal security – that’s when we can get them out.’

  ‘We?’ I asked.

  ‘I know where they are and I know how we can help them escape,’ said Ezra.

&nbs
p; Jet got to his feet and sat down in the closest chair. ‘How?’

  Boy stopped growling and Ezra sat down beside him.

  ‘There’s a labyrinth of tunnels underneath the town hall,’ said Ezra, bringing out a map from his pocket and passing it to Jet. I sat next to Jet and studied the complicated tunnel network spreading out underneath the city.

  Ezra moved his finger across the map. ‘Once we have everyone, we can take this tunnel – it will bring us to the jetty. I’ll have my boat ready. If we’re quick and you…use some of that magic of yours, we should be able to get away – leave Melas.’

  ‘We?’ I asked.

  ‘I want to come too – with my mum – if you’ll let us.’

  WHAT! The colour from my world faded, and I was left in a silo of white.

  ‘Eva,’ said Jet, placing his arm on mine, pushing some heat back into me.

  When I could see properly again, there was no denying the accusation on Ezra’s face.

  Jet swore and shook his head. ‘You’re good – I’ll give you that. Why can’t you just stay away from her?’

  ‘You mean, why can’t I stand back and let you have her – destroy her,’ said Ezra, making Boy snarl at him.

  ‘Stop it,’ I said. ‘Both of you! I don’t belong to either of you. And if I’ve changed, that’s been my choice, not Jet’s.’

  Ezra and Jet glared at each other but remained silent. Boy came to stand next to me. I leaned forward and studied the map. I placed my finger on the entrance to the tunnel that was closest to the woods. ‘We’ll meet you here at 5 p.m.’

  Ezra nodded. ‘That will give us plenty of time to get them out.’

  ‘How are they?’ I whispered.

  Ezra’s mask slipped for a moment before he assured me they were okay.

  ‘Tell me the truth,’ I demanded.

  ‘It’s not been easy for them, but they will recover.’

  A cry escaped from somewhere deep in my soul, and both boys placed their hand on my arm. I glanced between them before standing, their arms slipping from me.

  Ezra stood, stepped towards me, reached for me. I stepped backwards.

  ‘Just go,’ I said, turning away.

  Ezra groaned. ‘Don’t turn away from me, please.’

  I stayed where I was, my heart racing.

  Why does he want to come with us – and bring his mother?

  ‘You heard her. Take a hike,’ said Jet.

  Ezra sighed. ‘I’m going, okay – but I need to know – can we come with you?’

  ‘Why now?’ I said, wiping the tears that sprang to my eyes.

  ‘It’s…unbearable at home…without you. My dad…he’s completely out of control and my mum…she can’t face it anymore.’

  I thought then of Ezra’s mum, Gretel – the tight way she held herself, as though she might be struck at any minute.

  ‘Fine,’ I said quietly. ‘But once we’ve escaped and are well away from here…we’ll go our separate ways.’

  Hurt flashed on Ezra’s face before he could compose himself. ‘Eva…’

  Jet stood and whistled to Boy, who returned to his side.

  ‘Eva has made her decision, and consider yourself lucky you get to travel with us. Come on, I’ll help you with your boat.’

  If looks could kill, the one that Ezra gave Jet would have done the job.

  ‘I don’t need your help and I don’t need you to tell me what to do. I need you to stop teaching Eva your dark magic…before it’s…too late.’

  Jet glanced at me. ‘I don’t want to. Eva–’

  Ezra’s face turned to stone. ‘Don’t then. Simple as that. If something happens to Eva, I’m holding you personally responsible.’

  ‘You are going to do no such thing,’ I said. ‘You stopped having a role in my life when you chose not to be with me. So what I do with my life is not Jet’s responsibility and it’s not yours either. It’s mine!’

  Ezra opened his mouth, then clamped it shut. Narrowing his eyes at Jet, Ezra stormed from the campsite. He took one last brooding glance back at me before disappearing from view, leaving the remains of a storm cell that neither Jet nor I seemed to know how to deal with.

  Chapter Twelve

  ‘No!’ said Jet, for what felt like the hundredth time. ‘I’m not teaching you any more dark magic. It’s already…changed you. I won’t be responsible for turning you into the Fire Queen.’

  I held back the words that I wanted to let fly, that I had been letting fly for the last two days since Ezra visited, prompting Jet to change his mind about teaching me more black magic. Every day I was changing, getting stronger and more powerful, but my heart was hardening and my temper was growing shorter. And the thing was, at first it had terrified me – but now I couldn’t care less.

  I sat back in my chair and gazed up at the galaxy of stars above us, brilliant against the dark night. Tomorrow the moon would be at its smallest. It was the day my family were being put on trial – the day Orpheus planned to execute them – the day we would try to help them escape. This time tomorrow, we would either be sailing our way out of Melas forever, or…

  The possibilities of what could go wrong pecked at my thoughts. Heat flushed through my body, but rather than making me feel weak, as it did when I was sick, it made me feel stronger – ready for what the day would bring.

  I placed my hand on Jet’s arm. He turned to me, his body cloaked in darkness but his eyes shining.

  ‘You’re right,’ I said.

  Jet let out a long sigh. ‘Finally you understand.’

  ‘You’re right – you are not responsible for changing me, and you wouldn’t be responsible if I were to become the Fire Queen. That would be because of decisions and actions that I alone had taken. That would be my decision.’

  Jet swore under his breath. ‘You’re not going to leave this alone, are you?’

  ‘Who knows what we’ll face tomorrow, Jet. We both know it’s not going to be easy to get my family out. We both know that Orpheus will do anything to kill my family…Violet…you.’

  Jet slumped back in his seat. I sat up taller.

  ‘I don’t intend on using the killing curse. I don’t want to change any more, and I don’t want to become the Fire Queen. I simply want to become as powerful as I can be – and that means learning as much magic as I can.’

  ‘I’ve taught you nearly everything I know,’ said Jet, staring off into the distance.

  My mind returned to the magic that Jet had been teaching me in the last week since I’d been well enough to learn.

  ‘And I’m incredibly grateful,’ I said, rubbing his arm. ‘But please, I’m begging you, please teach me the curse.’

  Jet’s body tensed under my hand.

  ‘You promised me, Jet,’ I said, pulling out my trump card; my last hope.

  The wind picked up and rattled the leaves in the trees nearby.

  Eventually Jet turned to me, met my gaze.

  ‘So long as you keep your promise to me, no matter how bad things get.’

  I let my hand drop. ‘Yeah, sure, follow my heart – got it.’

  Jet jumped from his seat and began pacing in front of me. ‘You’re…infuriating!’

  ‘What have I done now?’ I asked, heat flushing through me again.

  ‘You want me to teach you something that could take you away from me, forever, but you won’t take what I say seriously.’

  I tipped my head back. ‘I’m sorry… I’m not myself.’

  Jet strode over, crouched down in front of me and took my hands. ‘I know, and that’s what terrifies me. The moment you took control of the dead…you changed, and even the potion is only keeping your symptoms at bay. It’s not…bringing you back.’

  I knew he was right, but the truth was, I didn’t care. My moral compass had shifted and I couldn’t even feel guilty. Not for the first time in the last few days, my gaze greedily raked over Jet.

  I ran my fingers down the side of Jet’s face, making him startle.

  ‘Ma
ybe you need to come to the dark side. Imagine the magic we could create together. Imagine who we could be together.’

  ‘You can’t mean that,’ said Jet, moving back from me.

  ‘If my memory serves me correctly, you haven’t always been such a goody-goody.’

  ‘That was…before, before you and your family saved me and gave me a second chance.’

  I moved closer.

  ‘What are you doing?’ he asked.

  ‘What I should have done a long time ago,’ I said, then gave in to my desire and kissed Jet softly on the lips. He groaned and pushed me away, but I put my hands around his head, pulled his lips to mine, kissed him with a passion I’d never felt before.

  I broke away. ‘Be mine.’

  ‘No, not like this,’ said Jet, standing and striding away, into the bushes. ‘I’m going for a walk – I suggest you…cool off…get some sleep.’

  I watched Jet and then Boy disappear into the bushes, leaving me alone, with nothing but an unkept promise and an unfulfilled passion. Anger stirred inside me and I stood and threw my chair onto the ground. I contemplated running after Jet, begging him to forgive me, pretending that I was the person I used to be. But he would see through me; he always saw through me.

  Pearl strode out from the tent, and even she looked startled by the sight of me.

  ‘You too?’ I said so sharply Pearl turned on her heels and disappeared back inside the tent.

  I gazed around at our half-packed campsite. For the last week, we’d spent hours talking through our plans and our contingencies. Now the time for talking was over. The time for learning was clearly bloody over. The time for being alone with Jet was over.

  I picked up my discarded chair and placed it back on the ground as a rare feeling of sadness washed over me. Jet had literally saved my life, not once, but twice. He’d been the only one there for me when I’d lost everything. And now I’d treated him as if he were some sort of sex object and sent him running into the bushes to get away from me. If I kept it up, the moment we left Melas, he’d leave me in search of a better life.

  I found a pen and paper, then wrote him a note while the old me was still there.

  ‘I’m sorry, Jet – for everything. You’ve done so much for me. I shouldn’t have kissed you and I shouldn’t be forcing you to teach me dark magic. I know I’ve changed, but I’m still in here, somewhere. Please don’t be too angry. I promise never to force myself on you again, and I promise never to scare you away. No matter what happens tomorrow, know how grateful I am for everything you’ve done and continue to do for me. I don’t know what I would do without you, without your friendship. I hope I never have to learn to live without you, too. Eva xx’