by Erin Johnson
"Imogen, now or never!" Iggy yelled.
Tar threw himself up over the lip, then moved in a wriggling, flopping way toward us.
I used every ounce of willpower I possessed to turn myself around, grip Iggy's lantern tight, and then pull magic from the energy of the lava. I lifted my foot and took a trembling step into thin air. I cast the speed spell and propelled myself nearly straight down the side of the volcano. Between steps my feet lost traction and for several moments I lifted off the mountain entirely in a stomach-churning free fall. But then my feet found purchase again and I ran on and on, my legs a blur. I plummeted through the clouds, my ears popped, I screamed myself hoarse, and just as suddenly as I'd started, I skidded to a stop, then fell hard on my hands and knees. I rocked back on my heels and turned to look over my shoulder. I dusted off my scuffed hands and righted Iggy's lantern. The ring of clouds had turned black and billowed outward. A glowing orange and black mass skittered down the slopes. Tar was on the move.
My camel had long since run away, but I took a deep breath and cast the speed spell again. I sprinted with everything I had toward Calloon. I had to beat the monster. I had to warn them about Tar.
18
The Armor of Damavash
I screamed the entire time. My feet flew across the desert, all the way past the camp to the outer walls of Calloon. I skidded to a stop just long enough to catch my breath, and then ran on at my own nonmagical pace out of fear that I'd slam face-first into a wall.
The main square before the palace buzzed with frantic energy. People huddled in little groups and muttered to each other while pointing at the dark smoke that ringed the top of Damavash. Others held their children or their wares and dashed away, their eyes wide with panic.
I dodged them all and burst past the bewildered guards at the main gate of the palace. I pushed between the fronds of two potted palms and stumbled into the middle of Hank and Shaday's wedding ceremony.
I stood at the back of the aisle, panting. The guests sitting closest to me muttered and scooted away. Row by row heads turned until word reached the front where Hank and Shaday stood, a man with a dark mustache and long red and gold robes standing between them. Hank looked so handsome in his formal uniform, with his shiny dark hair combed to the side and his white-gloved hands folded in front of him. Had they said their I do's?
He turned and stared wide-eyed at me. "Imogen."
The hundreds of guests who sat in rows along the aisle grew silent, looking between Hank and me. It was so quiet I could hear the birds chirping in the trees and the gentle trickle of the fountain Hank and Shaday stood before, a canopy covered in blooming white jasmine above them. Fire laced through the fountain—a nod to the combining of their two kingdoms.
"Told ya, pay up." My eyes found Annie standing the hallway off to the side. She held her palm up to Yann and he rolled his eyes and dug around in his tuxedo pocket. Wow. Annie had on lipstick and sequins. In fact, all the bakers stood beside her, other members of the staff watching from the sidelines as well. They all looked fancy and lovely—though Maple blinked at me and Wiley held her shoulders, as if she were about to faint. I gulped. And then it hit me. They thought I was interrupting the wedding to confess my love for Hank. I was going to be the one who spoke now, and did not forever hold my piece.
I spotted Amelia. Her hands balled into fists at her sides, and her mouth hung slack as she stared dumbstruck at me. The gumball-looking device she used to communicate with her team popped out of her ear and rolled across the floor. She didn't even notice.
I held up one hand and shook my head, as my chest heaved and I struggled to catch my breath. I blinked at my fingers—every line and crevice held bits of soot, even the edges of my fingernails. I sniffed and crinkled my nose. What was that smell? Oh, it was me. I still smelled like the clouds of sulfur I'd been in at the top of the volcano.
Hank strode down the aisle toward me, his eyes full of concern. "Imogen, are you all right?"
I shook my head to clear it. "Tar, he's loose." I struggled for breath. "He's coming for the city."
Hank froze and little cries and murmurs rose from the crowd.
"How do you know?" a man cried.
"Get this crazy woman out of here."
In all the hubbub, I somehow found Hank's father's eyes. He stared at me from where he stood in the front row, his eyes hard, and I imagined how Hank must have felt growing up, being looked at that way. Francis hovered nearby in his slim-cut tuxedo.
"I saw him." My chest heaved. Hank closed the gap between us and gripped my arms. "I saw him, slithering down the volcano. He can breathe fire and he's headed for the city."
A wooden chair clunked to the ground as a guest knocked it over in her rush into the palace. Guests stood, their eyes wild, various people shouting conflicting orders to stay put or rush inside for shelter. Hank searched my face and then pulled me against him in a tight hug.
"Thank goodness you're all right," he breathed into the top of my head. "How close were you?" He pulled back and held me at arm's length, looking me over. "Some of your hair has burned off."
My eyes widened. "Oh no." I patted my bun on top of my head and found it crunchy and sharp. "Oh no." I pointed at Hank's white wedding uniform and the Imogen-sized black smudge I'd left down his torso and on both sleeves. "I'm covered in soot." I pressed my hands to my mouth and shook my head. "I've ruined everything."
"Hey." Hank searched my face and used his thumb to wipe away the tear tracking down my cheek. "No you haven't. You've probably saved more lives than you know."
A deep, vibrating hum rang through the air, then another, then another. Men climbed to the roof and blew in curved ram's horns, sending up the alarm. Half a minute later, more horns answered the call, and then more as word spread across the city. Something in my chest relaxed a little. Maybe there would be time to prepare.
Guests rushed past us. Shaday, radiant in her red-and-gold wedding finery, joined us with Elke at her side. Her mother, father, and two younger brothers were close behind with a several other tribal leaders and royalty behind them, along with Francis. Guards flanked us on all sides and ushered us into the palace. I looked for Maple and the other bakers, but couldn't spot anyone I recognized. Hopefully they'd already gotten inside, and hopefully that afforded us some safety. The guards ushered us past the main hall, which was set with long tables for dinner, where they'd sent all the other guests, and into a smaller room, the royal family's quarters.
Once we were all inside, the guards closed and barred tall wooden doors studded with iron behind us. Shaday and Elke stood together, while the Fire queen Ranita grasped her husband's arm. Hank still held my hand, but I pulled away, since this was still his wedding day after all. He let out a quiet sigh when I took my hand back.
Hank's father strode up to our group with his broad chest puffed out and his shoulders squared. "What is the meaning of all this?" He found me as he looked around the circle and his thick silver brows lowered. "Well, if it isn't the swallow who ruined the Summer Solstice. Come to ruin the wedding now?"
I slid to Hank’s side, putting him between us. My heart raced in my chest.
Hank swallowed. "Imogen saved us at the Summer Solstice."
Shaday nodded. "We would have been poisoned."
The king's cold blue eyes never strayed from me. "She certainly likes to make a spectacle of herself."
My stomach turned with nerves. "I had to warn everyone." I swallowed, and found my anger. I had saved them. Just because my hair was singed and I smelled of farts didn't mean I deserved to be treated with contempt. "Sorry I didn't have time to freshen up."
Hank kept his expression carefully neutral, but his nostrils flared and his lips twitched, just a hint, toward a smile.
Shaday swept forward, her veils floating around her. She took her father's hands in her own. She stood nearly as tall as him and looked into his dark eyes. "Father, we have to save the city. We cannot just hide in here."
"I'm waiting fo
r word on where the worm is." The Fire King looked left and right, panic lacing his aged features.
She shook her head. "There is no time to wait, if what Imogen says is true." She glanced my way. "And I believe that it is. We need to start up evacuations, using all the airships we can find, and set up shelters in the basements around the city for those who cannot quickly leave. We should form systems at the fountains and pools to source water for putting out fires."
The king nodded. "Those are good ideas." He motioned to one of his councilors and conveyed a few orders to execute Shaday's plans.
"For once, I agree with your daughter."
We all turned, Shaday and her family, Hank and his, to find Ario Tuk lounging sideways in an expensive-looking winged back chair. I was surprised it hadn't collapsed under his considerable muscled weight.
He kicked his feet. "Not about the evacuations and blah blah blah. About not hiding. This monster must be met head-on." He examined his nails. "If only there were someone brave enough to challenge it to combat." He looked up, revealing the cut on his cheek, and his dark eyes flashed.
One of Shaday's brothers growled, while the other rolled his eyes.
Iggy piped up from the lantern. "Please tell me he's volunteering." He cackled. "I'd like him cooked well-done, please."
Shaday looked bored. "What are you getting at, Ario?"
He pushed himself out of the chair and stomped up to the princess. He stood towering over her, despite her height, and glared down at her. "What I'm getting at is that you need me."
One of Shaday's brothers scoffed.
Ario's lip curled. "Don't talk to your savior that way."
Elke pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Could he be more dramatic?" Iggy moaned.
Ario gripped his white tuxedo shirt in both hands and ripped it apart. Black buttons flew in all directions.
Iggy burst into hysterics. "Oh my goddess, he can get more dramatic."
I stifled a chuckle, but the room sobered up as we viewed what lay underneath his shirt. Instead of the thick pelt of chest hair I'd expected him to reveal—well, more like on top of it—black polished leather armor gleamed on his chest. Thick scales, like plates, covered it, just like the monster's skin. I marveled at it. It looked heavy and massive, anyone smaller than Ario would probably have just collapsed under the weight of it.
Queen Ranita gasped. "Damavash's armor."
"Thief!" One of Shaday's younger brothers, in his early twenties, jabbed a finger at Ario. "You stole the armor from the museum!" He rounded on his father. "Have him arrested."
Ario glared with his small dark eyes. "Stole it?" He barked out a humorless laugh. "How could I have? I'm not a shifter and everyone knows a lion took it."
Shaday put a hand on her fuming brother's arm.
Ario lifted his chiseled chin. "It was the decree of the gods that I should have it, just as they gave it to Damavash originally. I am the new hero who shall deliver you all from the wrath of Tar."
Shaday folded her arms.
Ario smirked. "For a price."
"There it is," Elke grumbled.
"What's the import of this armor?" Hank's mother asked no one in particular. She clung to her husband's side.
Queen Ranita answered, her expression solemn. "It allows the wearer an unlimited resistance to huge amounts of fire and heat without being hurt or burned. Or so the legend goes. It's been on display in the museum for ages, no one's tested it."
Ario smirked. "You won't shake my confidence." Several of his men, nearly as beefy as himself, closed rank around Ario, glaring at us all.
Hank's father narrowed his cold blue eyes. They stood out against his tanned skin and silver, close-cropped beard. "And what price are you asking?"
Ario puffed up his broad chest and glared at all the assembled royalty. "I was chosen to receive the armor, just like Damavash, and when I drive the monster back, I should be made king of the Fire Kingdom, just like Damavash."
Shaday's brother lunged forward as if to strike Ario, but Shaday and her other brother held his arms and kept him back. The king's face clouded. He exchanged a grim look with his wife, Queen Ranita.
Francis drifted forward, the toes of his shiny black oxfords dangling a couple of inches above the tiled floor. He cocked his head and looked at Ario with his jet-black eyes. "I could simply take the armor from him." He flashed his fangs.
Ario paled somewhat but jutted his chin out. "If he tries, you'll have a tribal war on your hands."
Shaday gripped her father's shoulder as he slumped under the weight of all the stress.
A knock came at the massive, bolted doors and the guards ushered in a messenger who panted, red-faced and out of breath.
"What news?" Shaday rushed to him.
"The fire snake—" The servant huffed and wiped his forehead. "He's nearly at the wall to the city and coming fast."
"You saw him?" Shaday asked.
The servant dipped his head. "Yes, Princess. He is orange and black with fire and char, screaming flames and tearing up the hard-packed earth with his sharp claws."
Shaday paled and the room grew quiet. She thanked the servant and he bowed before exiting. Her father, King Benam, turned to Ario. "I—I will not bargain with you when it is our kingdom and our people's lives that lie in the balance." He nodded. "I accept your offer. You, or whoever, drives the fire monster back, shall become ruler of the kingdom, and my wife and I will step down from the throne." He patted his wife's hand.
Ario beamed.
Hank's father, King Roch, stepped forward. "The Water Kingdom bears witness to this contract." He stared at the Fire King. "If Ario defeats the snake and becomes ruler, our contract is void and the wedding is off. I won't have my son marrying a commoner."
I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding. So Hank and Shaday hadn't said their vows. They weren't married, yet.
The fire king's throat bobbed, but he nodded his agreement. "Come then, Ario, to the wall. There's no time to waste.”
19
The Battle
Within minutes we arrived at the wall to the city. Hank had begged me to stay behind, safe, but I wouldn't have it. I'd been right next to the monster on top of the volcano, though he didn't know that yet. I'd be all right behind the walls of the city. Besides, I didn't want to leave his side.
We stood three stories up on the sand-colored brick walls that surrounded the city. Hank and I linked arms, while Iggy hung in the lantern on my other side. A breeze whipped through the tendrils of my hair that had fallen loose of the bun. All of the royalty and their guards stood in a line beside us, watching as Ario Tuk strode forward from the wall to meet the fire snake.
Though the entrance to the city had once held an iron portcullis, it hadn't been necessary in decades and had fallen into disrepair. Ario was all that stood between the monster and entrance to the city. I glanced behind me.
Down below, people flooded the streets of Calloon. Most followed the shouted orders of the royal guards, who ushered them to the airship landing to be evacuated. Others moved to underground shelters. I sighed. Part of me wished Maple was here with me, selfishly, but another part of me felt grateful that she was in the palace, safe, or being led out of the city. She and my other friends would be all right. I turned back to face the desert, Damavash Volcano in the distance. A plume of dust and black smoke billowed up from where the clawed reptilian monster tore across the sand toward us.
"It's fast," I muttered.
"You were faster." Hank squeezed my arm. "What were you doing out at the camp, though?"
My stomach twisted. He assumed I'd been out where we'd had the feast and spotted the monster from there, not that I was up on the top of the volcano with the man who'd set the monster on the city in the first place.
"Never mind." Hank gave me a tight-lipped smile. "We'll talk later." He looked toward the desert. "When this is all over."
I gulped. If we survived it. But Ario had the magical armor and Damavash h
ad used it in the legends to defeat Tar. Surely Ario would do the same… right?
My breath caught as the monster came clearly into view. It scrambled forward, moving in a strange flopping, dragging, slithering motion. Dust and smoke followed it. Down below, Ario threw his head back and bellowed, thumping his chest with the spear he held in his hand.
"Do we really have to watch this?" Iggy grumbled from the lantern in my hand.
The fire monster answered with a scream that sent chills up my spine. The creature roared like a jet engine, the sound morphing into a guttural noise as though it were about to vomit. I pressed a hand to my stomach.
"Actually, this might be worth watching." Iggy shifted forward to peer out his lantern. "Go, lizard, go! Bite his head!"
I shot him a look.
Beside Hank, Elke and Shaday conferred, their heads close together. I noticed that they'd made a quick detour in the palace before we left and I spotted one of Elke's patented fire resistant gloves poking out of the bag she wore slung across her chest. So, we had a plan B, apparently.
I squeezed Hank's arm tighter as the monster scrabbled up to Ario. It closed in on him and Ario stepped forward in slow, stomping steps. Hank pressed a fist to his mouth and I held my breath as the two collided. Both figures disappeared from view in the clouds of sand and black smoke that rose around them. Screams from the monster and bellows from Ario rose up. At least he was still alive. Cheers rose up from all around us and I looked about. All along the wall, citizens stood cheering for their hero, and people had even pushed past the guards and stood outside the walls to get a better look. My stomach twisted. They should be evacuating or hiding. Then again, I was right here with them.
