Page 133 of Heat of the Everflame

“It’s unwise to carry your purchases so openly. It will attract attention to us both.” He began to walk toward me. “Here, let me take—”

His hand closed around my wrist, and I froze.

And so did the flames.

Allof them.

Every row, every jar, every hue of blazing fire—completely,impossiblystill.

“Don’t touch her,” Taran growled, his hand moving to the hilt of his blade as he stepped forward.

The man’s jaw hung agape. “How... how did you...?”

The flames abruptly grew, both in brightness and heat. Within seconds, our entire half of the market was illuminated with their rainbow glow.

“Make it stop,” the man hissed, releasing my arm. “Now, before the Centenaries come investigating.”

I backed away, shaking my head. “I didn’t... I don’t even know how—”

The jars began to vibrate. Glass clinked as they rattled against their shelves. In my arms, the purple flames thrashed against the walls of the vessel, almost as if it was trying to get to me—toprotectme.

“Stop,” I pleaded under my breath.

The rattling immediately fell silent.

“Calm down,” I whispered. “I’m safe.”

Slowly, the flames faded back to their original state, and the brilliant light receded to a muted, flickering burn.

“How did you do that?” the man demanded.

Zalaric didn’t wait for me to answer—not that I would have had any answer to give. He threw an uneasy glance at a pair of red-caped men in thick body armor sauntering toward us, then pushed me in front of him. “Let’s go.”

I tucked the jar under my arm as we hurried away. Zalaric gave a languid roll of his wrist, and shadows crept in thick at our backs to shield us from sight.

“I—I think I’ve seen enough of Umbros,” I stammered, my mind reeling.

Alixe nodded. “Let’s go back to the inn.”

Zalaric looked disappointed. “Are you sure? I thought you might like to see the iron markets.” He glanced at Alixe. “There’s a vendor there who can help with the project you asked me about earlier.”

“You should go,” I told her. “That’s important. You too, Taran—I don’t need a chaperone. And Luther’s at the inn, so...” Taran grinned as I trailed off, his eyebrows wiggling, and my cheeks turned hot.

“We’ll at least walk you back,” Alixe said. The hard edge in her tone said it was a declaration, not an offer.

I relented, and we walked together through the maze of tunnels leading to the inn. The deafening buzz in my head eased, though it didn’t go silent until I waved goodbye and slipped into our suite.

I slumped against the door and leaned my head back, forcing my still-racing heart to calm. The room was dark and silent except for the crackle of the fireplace. I walked over to stoke it and noticed Luther stretched out on a divan, propped at an awkward angle with a newspaper open in his lap. His head had lolled to the side, his eyes closed.

Even in sleep, his face looked troubled. His skin was unusually pale, making his scar less prominent but his dark features even harsher.

On the table in front of him sat a stack of fresh gauze and a large bundle of herbs. They were the same kind I’d used to make my poultice, but these had been harvested differently and tied with twine.

I set down the jar of flame, then eased beside him, gingerly lifting his head and laying it in my lap.

For a long time, I sat in silence and watched him sleep, wrestling with my need to know whatever secret he was still hiding. It had become more than simple curiosity. It had taken on a sense of urgency, a foreboding warning not to let it go. It was the same feeling that had pushed me to buy the lavender fire—and the same feeling still nagging me to speak to the Umbros Queen.

But being Queen meant making compromises. I’d pushed Luther far enough. I would respect his wishes—even though I feared what might come of it.

---