Page 56 of The Fifth Soul

Janelle stands there, lifting a flame three times her size with her bare hands. She holds it roughly a foot above her head. The flames seem wild and angry as they rush to escape the invisible containment. My eyes must be playing tricks on me because I swear I see animal faces in the flames. Without missing a beat of the drums, she raises it higher inch by inch. The ball rotates clockwise faster and faster until it resembles a tornado.

Janelle opens her arms wide, taking the shape of a cross. She doesn’t look away from the flames in the sky as she turns her body to the public. When the noise seems to reach its peak, it all dies at once.

As the beat drops, flames descend onto the stage as if gravity were switched back on. They sink swiftly, reminiscent of a lava waterfall. Every drop cascades over Janelle and drips over her skin like a goddess of fire.

“What the fuck?” I gasp.

I expect to hear a scream, perhaps some commotion. No one shows an ounce of emotion. I shake my head and glance back, not wanting to miss a single second of it.

Her skin doesn’t burn. It almost glows in the flames. Her dress dissolves under the heat, leaving behind a shiny silver bodysuit. She opens her arms wider and takes a deep breath. The flames dance around her. My eyes can’t believe what is happening. Not only do they not damage her, but it is almost as if they’re waiting for her. They surround her, vibrating with power, shielding her.

“No way,” Alejandra says.

I turn to look at her. Her stone-cold mask broke for a second. I stop myself from asking her what exactly she is so surprised by when I see it. The flames quickly take shape. The body of what could not be mistaken as anything but a snake. I didn’t see it earlier. The creature growls at the crowd angrily. It’s hot breath reaches even the high levels where we are. It moves, circulating Janelle as a giant defender, covering her on all sides.

My eyes meet Brandon's over his shoulder. His raised brow shows this also impressed him. A sour feeling takes root at the bottom of my stomach. It's more of a display of power than entertainment. The Duelo family is showing the King and Crown Prince what their biggest weapon can do.

The rest of the show includes more fireworks, amongst other abilities. Nothing close to the power Janelle showed the crowd. I’m not sure what the Duelo family is playing at, but my instincts tell me to be more on my guard than usual.

People pass food around the spectator seats while the royal families go to a private dining hall. There, we find the Duelo family among a few other companions.

Two men alongside Janelle stand as we approach the main table. Their black attire, from head to toe, resembles a uniform. They take a stand on the side of an older couple that can only be their parents. I can see the strong family resemblance from the shade of their red hair and freckles across their cheeks.

Janelle’s mother looks like no other royal woman I’ve seen before. Her skin is paper thin and fragile, borderline sickly. Her eyes remain downcast as her husband welcomes the King. The tight lines around her face look frozen.

I can’t help but compare her to her daughter. Did she once look like her?

Janelle stands straight with her head held high, radiating power and confidence. She has changed from her silver bodysuit to a similar black uniform to her brothers.

Soon after introductions, everyone splits into two tables to eat. I watch the Royal family and their three children take their place at a top table. Another unnamed man, who takes the seat at the edge, joins them. His eyes sneak peeks in our direction more than once through the meal.

Soon after, everyone says their goodbyes and exits the dining hall. We all spot Isabel walking down the hall alone on our way out. We wait for her to catch up with our group. Everyone traveling with King Oscuro leaves us in the empty hall. Jesse, Alejandra, Brandon, and I remain behind.

“Where is Lexi Blue?” I look behind Isabel, but she’s walking alone. It’s not normal for her to leave her sister anywhere untended.

“She is not done in the library.”

She gives everyone a polite smile, but her smile is tighter for Brandon. He must have asked Lexi to find something, and now her brain won’t let her rest until she finds it.

“I will go get her.” Brandon steps forward, but Isabel waves him off.

“No need. She actually found something.” Her eyes land on me momentarily before turning to Brandon. “If you wish to talk to check on her progress, you can go ahead. Two minds will think faster than one. I’m famished, so I’m going to get us food.”

We all watch her walk down the hall and disappear behind a door.

Brandon clears his throat, a glint of guilt in there. “I asked Lexi Blue how we could ask a demon general for a favor.” He scratches his head like he just now realized that was not the best idea.

“Why on earth would you need a demon general to grant you a favor?” I ask.

“You realized we must see what’s inside the cursed book after all?” Alejandra guesses.

They’ve been pondering the purpose of the cursed book for days. Very few written papers have given us a glimpse of what we find inside. The group has grown more frustrated as time passes, and they found nothing new.

Brandon’s eyes jump from me to her to his brother. “Yes, we also realized we can’t simply extract the souls from the book.”

This confession feels like a blow to my chest. An old wound bleeding again.

“We need five souls to open the book. There is no way around it.” Jesse’s words are careful of me.

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