Page 86 of King of Fire and Flames

At the cave’s entrance, I took a deep breath then marched straight through the wall of fire and the first torch-lit chamber. I moved quickly into the concealed passage toward the back, then followed the rocky tunnel, gasping as I came out into the larger cavern where my friends stood around the pyre of green flames.

Tied to the unbreakable triangle of Xanthanian-metal poles, Orion was unconscious. Green light from the flames flickered over him, the magical bars of the prison sadly still intact.

Arrow held a sleeping Bakhur in his arms, and Ruhh of course, hovered directly above his shoulder. Esen and Ari whispered intently together in the middle of the limestone floor, and fire symbols pulsed along the walls as if in response to the intruders.

Distracted by the strange scene, I collided with a protruding slab of rock and stumbled, my boots scuffling loudly as I regained my balance.

“What was that?” asked Arrow, his glyphs igniting as he looked around the cave.

“It’s only Zali,” said Ruhh.

Three heads swiveled in my direction, their brows raised and eyes wide.

“The fuck,” growled Arrow. “Where?”

“She’s used the petals again,” continued Ruhh, “and is invisible to your eyes, but not mine. Because of my… deceased state, most forms of magic don’t work on me.”

“And I can see you all clearly,” I said. “Why aren’t you under Ari’s cloak?”

“I’m conserving my energy while we’re in the cave,” she replied, squinting in my general direction. “Where are you, Leaf?”

I stepped forward and gently grasped Ari’s hand. “I’m here. I’ll stay on your left side.”

Arrow came up beside us, and like a blind man, used his free hand to pat my face, my shoulders, then squeeze me roughly. “You should be asleep. Why won’t you let me keep you safe?”

I tucked a chunk of gold hair behind his ear. “I’m invisible. If anyone turns up, I can run fast. I’ll be fine. But thank you for caring. Now, what’s the plan?”

Orion moaned and lifted his head, his single orange eye staring at my friends through a haze of floating embers. My gut churned at the sight of him. He looked terrible, his body soaked with sweat, mangled tusks faded to chalky white, and his dark hair and beard stringy and bleached of color. It was hard to believe he was still alive.

I moved closer to the pyre, the stench of suffering and magic strong. “Get him down. Please, someone… Ruhh?”

Arrow propped Bakhur on his feet, holding him against his side. “Ruhh, what should we do next?”

“To break the Sentura spell, Bakhur’s saliva must be added to the flames,” she said.

Arrow held the prince face-first over the pit, and Ari gripped his chin, keeping his jaw open.

“Try massaging his cheeks,” I suggested.

Ari squeezed and rubbed, Bakhur’s lips forming comical shapes, but no spit dripped out.

“Fuck this.” Arrow crouched down and shoved Bakhur’s face even closer to the flames, shaking him until his tongue lolled out. Finally, half-choking, Bakhur spluttered, and a long string of drool sizzled down onto the pyre.

Lifting Bakhur into his arms, Arrow leaped backward. We stood with our hearts in our mouths, waiting for something to happen.

“It didn’t work,” said Esen after a few minutes.

Then Orion moaned, and the belly of the mountain seemed to rumble and groan, the ground shaking beneath our feet. Outside, thunder cracked across the sky, and I glanced at Arrow. His hands flexed with the need to connect to its power, and he threw his arms up, fingers spread wide. But the storm refused to answer his call.

Rocks and crystals cracked off the cave’s roof, debris shattering around us. The runes on the walls flashed bright green, then turned a dull shade of ocher, like the branches of a dead swamp tree.

With a loud whoosh, the pyre’s flames twirled upward, transforming into billowing gray smoke that hit the top of the cave then disappeared with an ear-popping sucking sound.

Emitting a broken whimper, Orion slumped forward, his body straining against his bonds.

“It’s all right,” I said, stepping into the empty pit and hugging his knees carefully. “We’ll get you out of here.”

Esen used fire magic to sever the dragon-hide ropes binding his wrists and ankles to the poles, and then lifted him from the frame. “He weighs nothing,” she said, laying him on the ground with great care.

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