Scorch Song

by Casey Hays

  “You have got to be kidding me.” Skepticism rolls off the end of Kane’s tongue. “A Renegade camp full of good Samaritans?” Rylin keeps silent, and Kane veers his eyes my way. “Are you really thinking about doing this?”

  “Yeah, I am.” I pull my shoulders upright, trying to sound confident even though I’m not feeling it so much. “I think this will be a good thing for Jarron.” I absentmindedly kick at the base of the pillar with the toe of my shoe. “And there’s a doctor there. A scientist, but also a doctor of psychology. She studies dreaming, Kane.”

  “Wait.” Kane lifts a hand, letting things sink in, but his words are full of ire. “Wait just a minute. You’re telling me that Firebloods at a renegade camp—who, by the way, don’t dream—are going to take your brother in and fix him all up?” He shakes his head, focusing on me. “Jude. Do you not see how that sounds?”

  “The doctor isn’t a Fireblood.” Rylin’s hazel eyes blaze. “She’s human.”

  Kane squints, suspicion growing stronger with every word Rylin utters. “So what? Jude and Jarron will be her sibling guinea pigs?”

  “It’s not like that, Kane.” I pick up where Rylin left off. “Jarron’s dreams are, well, kind of special.”

  “Special how?”

  “He…sees the future.” I stall with a shrug. “In his dreams.”

  It sounds so ridiculous to say it out loud. Like I’m describing a fantasy movie I just finished watching at the theater. Kane doesn’t say a word. Arms crossed, he just shakes his head with a disbelieving half-grin on his lips, and suddenly I’m frustrated. I get that he doesn’t dream, but I do. And in my mind, that’s all the more reason for him to believe that I might actually know what I’m talking about.

  “My brother had a dream about you.”

  Kane’s arms drop to his sides with a flash of his emerald eyes. “What are you doing, Jude?”

  I ignore him, flashing a quick look at Rylin before continuing.

  “He says the Contingent are going take your wings. They’re going to cut them right off.”

  Like stone, he doesn’t blink. He doesn’t take in another breath either. Even the breeze rustling his curls seems to pause. And I wait for him to believe me. To stop doubting everything I say just because Rylin happens to be involved. When the silence drags, I take it upon myself to drop down a step and reach for him. He backs away, warding me off with a lift of his hand.

  “What the hell is going on?” He points an accusing finger at Rylin. “Did he tell you to say this?”

  “No, Kane. Look, I know this sounds crazy, but—”

  “Yeah, it’s crazy.” His eyes dance all over my face, trying to find the exact right spot to land. “Nobody is taking my wings.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Rylin interjects.

  “You shut up.” Kane sends an angry jab into Rylin’s face. “Stop planting ideas in her head.”

  “Oh, come on, Kane. This isn’t about Jude, and you know it.” Rylin spits the words, and I swear, if his wings were exposed, they’d be ruffled up with a fury right now. “You’ve been struggling with yourself for days now. I’m sure you had a lot of time to think while we were gone, didn’t you? Whether what we’re telling you is true or not, you already know you shouldn’t be going to that hearing. Take my advice and start listenin’ to your own conscience.”

  “You don’t know me, Rylin. You have no idea what plagues me.” His eyes flick toward me briefly, and I cringe. I know exactly what plagues him. “If I don’t go to that hearing, they’ll just hunt me down and drag me in anyway.”

  “Not if we remove that tracker.”

  We both gawk at him in disbelief.

  “What?” I wheeze.

  “I know someone who can take it out.”

  My shock turns to a sharp pang of anger. “Why didn’t you tell us this?”

  “Would you have believed me?” He tilts his head, knowingly. “And for the record, it hurts like hell to get one of those things extracted. Plus, I wouldn’t have missed this trip for the world.”

  His wink at me only fuels Kane’s fury.

  “You son of a—”

  He lunges, but Rylin agilely ducks out of the way, giving me time to intervene.

  “Okay, that’s enough!” I skid down the steps to plant myself between them, my fists bunching up in Kane’s shirt. The golden flames consume all the green of his eyes. “Stop it, both of you. The last thing we need right now is another flare.”

  Kane curses under his breath, breaking away from me. He glares at Rylin.

  “What else are you lying about?”

  “I never lie,” Rylin retorts. He straightens the collar of his short-sleeved Polo. “But occasionally, I do withhold unasked for information. There really is a difference, you know.”

  “I could kill you,” Kane growls.

  “Kane…” I throw up warning hands. “There will be no bloodshed on my grass.” I move in close, taking him by his shoulders and turning him away from Rylin. “Come on. Let’s go inside for a minute and talk.”

  We end up in my kitchen. Kane pulls open the refrigerator, grabs a bottled water, and downs the entire thing. He tosses the empty bottle into the sink with a crinkling crash and leans against the counter’s edge on the heels of his hands. I stall a few seconds longer, then go to him, placing a hand against his back.

  “Look at me.” I press my palm deeper. “Kane, look at me.” He gives me a half-turn of his body in response. I offer a soft smile. “Forget all of that stuff Rylin was saying for just a minute and listen to what I’m saying.” I lower my voice to a whisper, edging right up next to him so that he has to look me in the eyes. “If you had been there—if you’d seen my brother’s eyes when he told me what they’re planning—”

  “Don’t you get it yet, Jude?” The fire in his eyes blazes, but it’s the sound of his voice that sears right through me. “I could have been there. But Rylin is never honest. He deliberately leaves things out to get his way. Every truth is overshadowed with a lie. Why are you trusting him?”

  “Okay,” I nod furiously, wrapping my fingers around his biceps. “Okay, I get that. But Kane, what I’m trying to tell you did not come from Rylin. Please… don’t go to that hearing.”

  I’m begging now, pathetic and full of angst and certain that I haven’t convinced him.

  “What am I supposed to do?” His voice rises on the question. “Run like a coward?”

  “Not like a coward.” I pierce him “You could never be a coward, Kane.”

  The tears threaten, and he looks away, hoping I won’t see them. I slide my fingers down his arm and tangle them into his hand, ready to give it my all. Everything in my storehouse is required to convince him.

  “Do you remember the night you told me you’d compelled Jonas and Frankie?” Only then does he look at me. Confused, he nods. “I didn’t believe you, remember? There was no way anybody could do something like that. But since then, I’ve discovered that more than just compelling goes on in your world. I mean, you can fly, talk inside my head. I watched Rylin slip right through a glass window, and then pull me through it.”

  He shifts as surprise dashes over his face. I just keep on talking.

  “The point is, I’ve seen a lot of unbelievable things in the past couple of weeks. Things that defy the laws of nature. But I believe. And that’s what I’m asking you to do. Believe what I’m telling you.”

  “I would believe you.” He tenses under my touch. “But see there’s this little difference. You’ve known me my whole life. You’ve known your brother for a day.” He flicks his gaze toward the window, catching a glimpse of Rylin unloading the Explorer. “And can you honestly tell me that Rylin didn’t get to him the same way he’s gotten to you?”

  I falter under his words. Because I totally see where he’s coming from. But he doesn’t know what I experienced with my brother. And I can’t get the thought of Kane’s butchered body out of my head. It floods me with urgency. We’re running out of time.


  “Rylin didn’t get to anyone.” I finally manage. “I trust what my brother saw, Kane.” I swallow the ball of nerves that attempts to choke me. “He has a gift, and this is a warning. Why can’t you see it? Kane we should run. We should get as far away from the Contingent as we can and never look back.”

  “We’re seventeen years old,” he whispers, and I sense a new fight building in his blood. “How long are we supposed to run? What are we supposed to tell our parents? The Contingent will find us and fry us up for dinner for rebelling. And if they find out we’ve been conspiring with a renegade, I lose my wings anyway.” He faces me, and the expression on his face—full of terrified angst—it makes my heart drop. “We can’t.”

  “Kane—”

  “Jude, we can’t.” He takes hold of my wrist. Firm. I take a tearful breath. Because it kills me to know that this time… Kane and I will not fall on the same side.

  “I love you, Kane, but I’m not going with you to that hearing.” I’m numb as I say it, but it has to be said. “I have to think about Jarron now, and… I can’t watch them hurt you. ”

  “I see.” He pierces me. “Rylin wanted you to believe the Contingent is a monster. And now you do. And you’re going to defy them, even if it gets you killed.”

  The pain that crosses Kane’s face crushes me, and I read his thoughts in the expression. I’m a traitor, siding with the enemy. But what completely kills me is his sudden physical rejection. He drops my wrist, pulls away, and without another word, he skirts around me to the exit.

  “Kane.”

  I grab for him, he shoves me away.

  “I need to go. I—I need to think.”

  “Kane!”

  He ignores me; I follow him out to the porch. Rylin drops the last of my things at the foot of the steps and straightens, tossing his eyes from Kane’s frown to my worried face.

  “So?” he begins. “Are we good?”

  “Yeah,” Kane retorts. “It’s all clear now. And I’m going home.”

  “That’s a no, then?” Rylin sighs, hands on hips. “You know, you’ve always been so compliant, haven’t you? The good boy doing whatever mam tells you to do. This time, it could get you killed.”

  Kane simply laughs, soft and sad with a shake of his head. “I never should have asked for your help.”

  “You really believe that?”

  Kane’s anger seethes. “I’m warning you, one more word—”

  “Guys. Stop it!”

  My whole heart wrenches. I study these two Firebloods facing off in front of me, one easily becoming the love of my life; the other, slowly becoming an unexpected friend that I find myself admiring more every day. Kane looks at Rylin and sees a rebel. A reckless outlaw. Competition. I know exactly why. But you see, I’ve seen Rylin up close and personal. I’ve spent time getting to know him. Maybe he isn’t always forthcoming. Maybe he doesn’t play by the rules, and maybe in a lot of ways, he’s corrupt. But he’s also dependable. Not once in this entire trip did he let me down. So I can’t help it: I trust him. I never thought I’d stand against Kane—ever. But I’m going to today. I will betray him a thousand times over if it means saving his life. I just need Kane to see this.

  Avoiding the bottom step altogether, Kane shoves Rylin hard in the shoulder as he heads for his bike. Rylin merely slips his hands deep into his pockets, a smug smile plastered on his lips. Does he always have to be so pompous? I could slap him on my way past him. For now, I refrain.

  “Kane, wait.” I follow him across the grass, a sudden fear mounting that he’s leaving with all of this unfinished business dangling before us. “Don’t be like this.”

  “Why? The two of you got everything figured out on your little road trip.” He swings a leg over his bike and sits. “You don’t need me.”

  He fastens his helmet strap, sending a hard-to-ignore message of how much he feels betrayed.

  “What is the matter with you? You’re being so unreason—”

  My words are cut short by the roar of his engine. Balancing, he leans the bike into a wide curve and jets out of my drive. The sound of his motorcycle fades off down the street, but it’s quickly replaced by the beginnings of a pounding headache. I climb the steps, feeling Rylin’s eyes on me, and my anger at him stews.

  “You should have told us about removing the tracker,” I quip.

  “Well, that would have spoiled all my fun.”

  “What is with you, Rylin?” I glare at him. “None of this is funny.”

  “None of it?”

  I throw darts at him before plopping into the swing. He chuckles, and I’m furious. Everything in me wants to stomp into the house and slam the door shut in his face. But… damn it, I need him.

  I push the swing into motion with an angry shove of my toe. He climbs the steps and leans against the farthest pillar. Yeah, he’d better stay back.

  “I’m not worried about Kane.” Rylin’s voice teems with confidence, so much so that I jeer my head his way and wait for him to finish that thought. “He’ll come around once he lets himself think about life without his wings.”

  “In one day? That’s all we’ve got left, you know? One day for him to come around.”

  He cocks his head, honing in. I don’t like the look in his eye. I’m about to get a speech.

  “I’m going to let you in on a little secret.”

  My eye roll is aimed right at him. That’s all I need. Another secret to keep. The setting sun reflecting off his head brings a fiery orange color to the surface. One side of his face hides in a shadow, the other side displays a thin line of whiskers along his jawline. He joins me on the swing, stretching his long legs out in front of us. I take a minute to notice how extremely big his feet are. I guess I never paid attention. Size fourteen at least. Then again, he is six-foot-five. I shouldn’t be surprised. And why in the hell am I measuring Rylin’s feet? I shake it off and concentrate on his face instead.

  “It’s easy being a Fireblood disguised as a human—especially when you’ve been trained from childhood to do it. It’s safe, much safer than letting yourself go, giving into your natural form, and that’s what we’re asking Kane to do. He’s believed in the good of the Contingent all of his life, and it’s hard to turn from something like that.”

  I study him, so moved by the compassion in his voice for someone who hates him. It’s a little surprising.

  “For Kane, camouflaging is like breathin’. He’s good at it. So good at it that he has the strength to camouflage you at the same time. All the time.” He looks at me sidelong. “That is quite amazing. It’s not somethin’ every Fireblood could do. Took a lot of concentration on my part to keep you hidden for just three days. I don’t know that I could do it full time. And you’re not even that big.”

  He gives me a twinkling wink; I don’t respond to the joke. The rest of his words are too sweet for me to respond with a laugh, so I soak them up. I knew Kane had a gift with his camouflaging ability. It was evident from the first. But to hear Rylin praise him for it? That’s big.

  “Kane is the strongest Fireblood I’ve ever met because he’s also the strongest human. He’s a perfect balance of both sides of himself.” He pauses. “The downside? He thinks this alone can help him win a pardon from the Contingent. It won’t. But I admire his courage.”

  “Wow.” My surprise seeps out in my voice. “Why don’t you just tell him this?”

  “Because that’s a terrible idea.” Rylin crinkles his lightly freckled nose in mock disgust. “I don’t want him to know I’m jealous of him.”

  “Jealous?”

  “Well, yeah. Look at him compared to me. He’s dashing and handsome. He’s branded dimples as a weapon.” The flabbergasted tone he uses finally makes me laugh. Okay, he’s not wrong about that one. “He’s cool and slick and everyone likes him. I’m just a redheaded Irish boy who makes people feel uncomfortable.”

  “Well…” He’s not wrong about that either.

  “Right.” He tosses me a cunning glance. “If a ro
ad trip to Portland didn’t teach you this, we might need to get your head checked.”

  I laugh, and he’s redeemed. Because he somehow has a way of getting that redemption out of me over and over again. He pushes the suddenly still swing into motion.

  “So was your little secret somewhere inside that speech?” I press.

  “No.” He rubs at his face a moment as if he’s trying to figure out the best way to pass it on.

  “Then what?”

  He smiles. “Our mantras are our strength, you know.”

  I squint. “That’s not a secret.”

  “You’re not listening very well,” he scolds. “Kane has one weakness. You. You’re mantra, to be exact.”

  I let what he’s implying roll around between us for a minute. I hate to burst his bubble, but this isn’t a secret either. I know the effect I have on Kane, and I know how much stronger it’s become since I fully decamouflaged. I eye Rylin suspiciously.

  “You think I should use my mantra to manipulate him,” I finally say. “The way you tried to use yours to manipulate me.”

  “Well, that’s insulting. It was never meant to manipulate you.” He watches the yard, his cheek muscle flexing slightly. “But… yeah.”

  The smile that tips up one side of his mouth disappears quickly. I toy with my necklace a minute.

  “I doubt he’ll even talk to me right now,” I whisper.

  “And I doubt he’ll be able to stay away from you once the music begins.” When I hand him all my skepticism with one look. He shrugs. “Or you could always use a dream. Let him in.”

  I laugh softly with a shake of my head. “I think you’re forgetting that we already had this conversation. I don’t know how to make something like that happen.”

  “You will soon enough,” he nods. “And then you’ll be wonderin’ why in the hell you thought it was so difficult in the first place.”

  I study him, focusing on that flexing cheekbone.

  “You know, you said a lot of nice things about Kane just now… a little late, I might add.” He chuckles, running a hand along his jawline. “I agree with everything you said. But just so you know, you’re pretty spectacular yourself.”