03] ES) Firestorm

by Shannon Mayer

  He never lowered his eyes and I waited for the moment he would strike. “A thousand times over.”

  “Why?”

  Coal shook his head. “I will say no more.”

  Fiametta tipped her head and I thought for a brief moment I saw a quiver of sorrow flicker over her face. “Coal, drop your weapons.”

  He shook his head as he slowly stood, hobbling on one leg. “No. Kill me and be done with it.”

  Fiametta spared me a look. “Can you take him without killing him?”

  Here was a chance I would not have again to gain her good graces. “If that is what you wish.”

  “Do it.”

  I stepped in front of her again and slowly shifted my spear so I held the shaft near the blade and the blunt end was aimed at Coal.

  “I will force you to kill me.”

  I had no doubt he would do just that. “Fiametta, will you allow me to question him?”

  She snorted softly. “You think you can make him speak without torture?”

  “I know more than he realizes,” I said, the balls of my feet aching with the need to move. I reached for the part of me that was anything but Terraling. Spirit flowed through me and I focused on Coal. On loosening his tongue and making him spill his secrets. Coal eyed me up as he spoke.

  “We never met, you never even looked my way when we picked you and your friend out of the Rim.” His eyes bugged as he realized he spoke freely, doing exactly what he said he wouldn’t.

  “The first night you bedded the queen, you were searching for something in her room. What is it?” I asked.

  Behind me Fiametta sucked in a sharp breath and Coal’s eyes looked over my shoulder. Like the sound of a tornado being unleashed, the oxygen around me was sucked away in a gulping whoosh. A furred body hit me, slamming me to the ground. Peta in her full leopard form crouched over me as the wave of pure lava rolled through the air, and wrapped around Coal. The liquid fire shimmered and shifted in the air, a living coil of death rippling from the queen’s outstretched hands.

  Shifting my gaze back to Coal, I stared in horror as the lava wrapped around his middle. His head rolled back as a scream ripped from his mouth—a scream that turned into a gurgle—his body was burned in half, his innards gone in a burst of ash and nothing else. Shocked beyond words, I was unable to look away, unable to believe what I was seeing. What happened to Salamanders being immune to the heat of fire and lava?

  But more importantly, what was Fiametta hiding that would make her go against her own decree? Something she was willing to give up a traitor and his connections, a lover she’d held in her arms, to protect.

  Peta’s eyes met mine and I put a hand on her head. “Thanks.”

  “That’s four times now, Terraling.”

  I swallowed hard. “I think you’ll get at least a few more chances to pull my ass from the fire before we’re out of here.”

  She bobbed her head. “I believe you may be right.”

  CHAPTER 10

  eta stayed crouched over me, as the lava in the air receded like a wave pulled out to sea. “Be wary, Dirt Girl. The queen is most dangerous when she is scared. And I believe she is terrified.”

  I rolled to my back and found myself looking up at the queen. Her blue eyes stared down at me, but it was the two high spots on her cheeks that told me Peta was right. They were the only sign of emotion I’d seen on her.

  I started to get up but she held a hand over me, the palm shimmering with a red glow. “Do not move, Terraling. How did you know he was a traitor?”

  Worm shit and green sticks, there was no way I could tell her about my ability with Spirit. Not if Cactus was right about the way she used people. I swallowed hard.

  From Peta came a single word reverberating through me.

  Lie.

  But lies had a way of being outed so I went with the closest thing to the truth I could. “He bragged about it to someone else when I was supposed to be unconscious. That he was bedding you while he searched for ‘it.’”

  Her eyes narrowed. “And how did you know about his hand, and the scar? He rarely takes his gloves off.”

  Unless he was in bed with her were the unspoken words. Which of course would mean I’d spied on them during the act. Which I had, though it wasn’t my fault.

  Under my back, the smooth stone slowly heated, as if the lava below was picking up on the queen’s mood. Not a good sign.

  Cactus cleared his throat and the queen’s gaze swung to the left. “You have something to tell me, Cactus?”

  “Yes, my queen. Lark told me what she’d heard, and we were going to speak to Brand about it. Lark didn’t know who the scar belonged to.” Which didn’t answer how I’d seen it, but maybe the diversion would work.

  Peta, quiet through all the talk, slowly put herself between Fiametta and me, as the tension continued to rise. Fiametta was no fool, that much was clear.

  I swallowed hard, but otherwise didn’t move. Fiametta turned to me, the heat from her hand directly over my heart. “Who was he speaking to?”

  “I don’t know. I only heard him speak and saw him scratch at his scar before I blacked out again.”

  Her eyes narrowed to mere slits. “And you didn’t think you were dreaming?”

  “I know what I heard.” I took a chance, one that would either put her at ease or make her kill me right there. I sat up, which put her hand right in front of my face. “Fiametta, you’re friends with Cassava. You should know better than anyone that as part of the Rim, I can say I know the difference between dreams and reality with absolute clarity.”

  She lowered her hand, but continued to stare down at me, her face unreadable. “Yes, I suppose you would have to learn that if you want to survive in her family.”

  Her family. Like Cassava still ruled the Rim. I itched to put Fiametta to the question. To ask her all she knew about Cassava and the bitch’s plans. Almost as much as that, I wanted to know what was hidden in her room. Something she was willing to kill someone she cared about in order to keep hidden.

  The queen of the Pit took a step back. “You willingly stepped in front of me when I would have otherwise been attacked. For that I will give you credit.”

  “I saved your life,” I said. “Give me Ash’s, surely your life is worth that of a simple Ender who you have no care for.”

  Peta let out a barely audible hiss. “Too far.”

  I pushed to my feet and dusted my clothes off. Too far it might have been, but I had to ask. I had to push if I was to save Ash’s life.

  Fiametta laughed and I was surprised at the soft tones of it. A real laugh, one not hidden behind the mask of royalty. “You think so? I do not. As queen, my life is not worth more than those of my Enders, nor any of my people. I would lay down my life for any of them, Terraling.”

  Her words stopped me. Maybe she wasn’t as much like Cassava as I’d been thinking.

  “Then you won’t give him even a measure of mercy?”

  “No. Four lives were taken at his hands. Four. At best, I could credit him a single life, except I was still forced to take the life of yet another Ender, one who also filled a spot in my bed.” She lifted an eyebrow, her lips quirking upward at the edges. “Unless perhaps you’d like to take his place?”

  “As an Ender for the Pit?” I was confused and struggled to understand until she gave me a soft smile, her eyes sparkling with humor and desire.

  Oh shit. I’d thought the thing about her libido was exaggerated. Apparently not so much.

  I gave her a bow from the waist. “Thank you, but I do believe I will have to forgo your offer. I am only here for three days after all.”

  Her face closed off and she inclined her head. “You know more than you say, and I believe there is more to you than you let on—”

  “I am an Ender,” I said softly. “Nothing else. I will do what I must to protect those in my care. No matter who they are.”

  Her eyes went cold again, and I knew I’d struck a chord I hadn’t meant to.

/>   “You may visit your friend once. That is the gift I offer you for placing your life in front of mine.” She turned and strode toward the entrance Cactus had collapsed. He scrambled to get it open for her, lifting the rock and pushing it all to one side. The queen never looked back, and I realized just how scared I’d been facing her. My legs shook and I had to lock my knees to keep them from buckling.

  Peta shrunk to her housecat form and she trotted to my side. “Dirt Girl, what are you doing, turning the queen down? When she beckons you to her bed, you go!”

  I snorted. “Flattered as I was, I cannot fake desire.”

  “If you want to survive the Pit, perhaps you’d best learn how to ‘fake’ it, as you say,” she grumbled at me. I scooped her up and kissed her on the nose.

  “Peta, I love you.”

  “Gah, put me down, Terraling!”

  “You see?” I let her down. “I cannot fake it.”

  Brand took a few steps after the queen, then turned and looked at me. “Peta is right, no one turns down the queen.”

  I arched an eyebrow at him. “Not even you?”

  “Not even me.” There was sadness and regret in his eyes. I thought about Smoke, about her having to share him with their beautiful, but-oh-so-deadly, queen.

  “Perhaps if more people stood up to her, she wouldn’t be such a power hungry bitch.” Yet even as I said the words, I realized that wasn’t the case. She’d shown that she placed her life on par with all her people’s lives. Though it did not help Ash any, I could give her credit that she at least didn’t set her life above theirs.

  And then I realized I’d lost my one bargaining chip. The traitor was dead, and I was no further ahead in getting Ash out of the Pit. Damn it to the seven hells and back.

  I made my decision quickly. “She said I could see Ash.”

  “No, not yet,” Brand said. I bent and picked up my spear, twisting it in half and hanging it from my belt in two pieces.

  “Two questions, Brand.” I crossed my arms and lifted an eyebrow at him. “Why can I not see him now, and where the hell did you get my spear?”

  “Your spear was sent by your father. And you can’t see Ash because he is healing.”

  My father . . . my brain struggled to comprehend. “My father sent my spear. And you let me have it?”

  And then the second half of what Brand said hit home, and I stepped toward him, hands dropping into fists. “What do you mean he is healing?”

  Brand shrugged. “Ash started a fight with one of the other prisoners. So he’s a bit bruised up. As to your father, here, he sent a note with the spear. It got here just a few moments before I saw you on the ledge up here. You can have it only because I am vouching for you. Again. Use it on anyone and I will be in the dungeons with you.”

  “Why would you do that?”

  “You just pulled a traitor down and you’ve been here for less than a day. You tell me why I’m trusting you.” He pulled a sealed envelope from inside his black leather top and handed it to me. The seal was green wax with a perfect blooming tree imprint. I ran a thumb over it, fear filling me. Without opening it, I tucked it into my vest. “Thank you. For this and for trusting me.”

  Brand nodded. “Lark, you have done as I asked and ousted the traitor. Now I must hold to my end of the bargain. Ash wanted to get you out of here. You’ve seen just how dangerous the Pit is. And now you have sparked the interest of the queen. Please, reconsider—”

  “No, I’m staying until either I get Ash out or . . .” my guts tightened as I realized I might not be able to save him. I might be staying to watch him die and be a final witness to his sacrifice for me. My throat burned and filled with a thick lump. I had to swallow several times to force it down. “Or the three days is up,” I finally managed. Then there was the issue of the firewyrms. They were being killed off and I had to do something; I felt it in the core of my bones that I couldn’t leave them to Fiametta’s culling.

  Brand’s eyes softened and lifted his hand as if to pat me on the shoulder. My jaw twitched and he must have seen something in my eyes because he withdrew his hand. “The sleep bell will ring soon. Go.” He turned and went down the stairs closest to us without another word.

  “Cactus—”

  My friend took my hand and led me away, and I let him. “He’s right, Lark. We need to get back to my place before we pass out in the halls.”

  The thought of sleeping and unable to wake in one of the myriad of labyrinthine hallways gave me a chill I did not like. Still, I pulled my hand from his.

  “And I suppose you’re going to tell me we need to leave without Ash too?”

  Cactus laughed. “No, if you still have the heart of the girl I grew up with, I know we aren’t leaving without Ash. One way or another. But with the traitor dead, what other option do you have? Do you have another way to save Ash?”

  In that moment I loved him more than a little. He didn’t try to sway me from my chosen course of action, but backed me.

  That didn’t mean I had any sort of idea what I was going to do. Climbing up the stairs that had taken us to the edge of the Pit, it didn’t take long for my legs to feel the strain. It reminded me of my Ender training, which, while it seemed a lifetime ago, had been less than six months past.

  My teacher had been Granite, a man I’d trusted, respected and thought was my friend. It turned out that not only was he not my friend, he was actively trying to wipe out my family alongside Cassava. Still, a part of me wished I could ask him what to do. He’d been an Ender long before I’d been born, and even though he’d been a traitor to my father, he was known for his brilliant tactics. So far I’d managed to survive both Cassava’s treachery and the dark secrets within the Deep, but both times had been based on strength and fighting ability more than anything else.

  There was nothing here for me to physically fight; I needed to outsmart these Salamanders within their own home. And I wasn’t sure I could do it.

  Peta trotted at my side and I glanced down at her. The sight of her white tipped tail made me smile despite the hard situation at hand. I realized I had the perfect helper if she would open to me. Living in the Pit as a familiar, surely she would have an idea as to how to save Ash? I just didn’t know if she would trust me enough to help me. Her antagonism was not exactly subtle even though she was softening toward me.

  The three of us remained silent as we emerged from the downward tunnel into the main living quarters cavern. Cactus walked me back to Smoke and Brand’s home. He stopped in front of the open door, leaning against the edge of it. “I’d take you with me, but people might talk.” He gave me a slow wink.

  I snorted, opened my mouth to respond when his eyes widened as he looked over my shoulder. Damn these Salamanders and their penchant for creeping around in complete silence. I arched an eyebrow at Cactus and he gave a slight shake of his head. So whoever was behind me was no one I wanted to talk to apparently. Keeping my back to whomever, I spoke to them. “Sneaking up on people? Isn’t that below you?”

  A sharp intake of breath and then a fist jammed between my shoulder blades, throwing me forward. I spun as I fell, catching a glimpse of bright red curls.

  Maggie glared down at me. “I’m here to make sure you do as told. The queen thinks Brand is going soft.”

  “Or maybe you asked for this duty? A reason to push me around?” I stood and didn’t bother to hide my anger. With that emotion running through me I could truly tap into the earth’s power and feel as though I could hold my own against any other elemental. I let the anger burn bright, feeding it with the fact Maggie had been the first to stand against me and Ash when we’d come for help.

  “If you’d helped us when we asked, instead of fighting us, we could have been in and out of the Pit without anyone even knowing, Maggie. None of this would have happened. No one would have died.”

  Maggie glared at me. “If you had taken our advice and left, no one would have died.”

  “My whole family would have!” I shouted at h
er, unable to contain the words in any sort of moderation.

  She snorted. “And the world would have been a better place for that.”

  Several gasps around us told me I was not the only one who thought she’d gone too far.

  Maggie’s hands glowed a soft red as she called on her element and I watched closely as a tiny flame burst into life over the top of her hand. She rolled it over her knuckles, the fire dancing across her skin. “You’re going to die here, Larkspur. It won’t matter that your father is the king of the Rim, or that you’re an Ender. It won’t matter that you saved the queen.”

  Cactus stepped around me and the colors that swirled up his arms blended green and red twinning about one another as the tiny rocks at our feet slowly rose in the air. “Do not threaten her, Maggie.”

  Maggie laughed and put her hands on her hips, the fire dancing from her hands to race around the edge of her body. “Being a tad over dramatic, aren’t we? I’m not killing her. Yet.”

  I lifted a hand to Cactus, ignoring her. “Thanks for showing me around.”

  I turned my back on Maggie. She snarled and I dodged to the right as she crashed toward me, the flash of black leathers my only warning. She clipped my shoulder, spinning me into the house and against a long pair of legs. I looked up into Smoke’s eyes.

  “Lark, what is going on?”

  “Maggie’s lost it,” I spit out.

  Maggie grabbed my ankles and dragged me out of the house before I could say anything else.

  “Maggie, stop this!” Smoke cried out.

  Maggie tightened her grip on me and picked up speed. “No, I lost rank because of her and I’m about to fix that.”

  I had no idea what she was talking about, but I suspected that “fixing” things would mean a beating for me, or worse.

  She had me out of the house, and was running backward as she dragged me along the open ground. The rough footing tore at my vest and pants, tearing at the few spots where my skin hit. And then I realized where she was dragging me.

  The river of lava.

  Oh, that was not happening. I jerked both legs at the same time, snapping my knees against my chest, which pulled Maggie toward me, her orange eyes wide with surprise.