Page 38 of Heat of the Everflame

My body locked up as memories of the armory attack surfaced. I felt it all over again—a heat so thick I couldn’t breathe, flames so close they blistered my skin. I’d almost died there, among the smoke and the collapsing wreckage.

For a moment, I’dwantedto die there.

But, like a phoenix, the sigil of House Corbois, I had arisen from the ashes of that fire different than the woman who’d gone in.

We’re not reborn in the flames,Eleanor had told me.We’re revealed.

That night had opened my eyes to the true path of my life. I could not live with the Guardians’ brand of justice-through-bloodshed, but neither could I do nothing while my people withered under Descended rule. Though it took the gauntlet of the Challenging for me to finally accept it, the flames of that inferno had not changed my fate, they’dilluminatedit.

I stilled the quivering of my hand and removed the branch, a bright flame flickering at its tip. With a leisurely pace that bordered on excruciating, I strolled along the ring of stones.

As I passed behind Cordellia’s back, I couldn’t stop my face from turning to Luther. He’d always been a magnetic force I could never seem to resist.

When my eyes hit him, his gaze was already waiting for me. Though he showed no flicker of surprise or recognition, I’d long since learned to read the invisible signs of his heart. I knew the turmoil churning in his mind at knowing I was safe yet incredibly at risk. I felt the unbearable restraint it took him not to launch himself forward and shield my body with his own.

Instead, he did the next best thing.

Luther threw his head back and roared into the night. His shoulders arched behind him as he unleashed a long, crazed snarl at the moon. The crowd of mortals seized in fright, a number of them scrambling for their weapons as others stumbled into each other to back away. Even Cordellia flinched and shifted to a fighting stance.

It was a gift—a distraction to give me a chance to flee. I pursed my lips to hide my smile and scurried away, making a mental note to tease—and thank—him later.

Mercifully, the path to the corral was clear. The man I’d overheard earlier was still on watch, but like the others, he was entranced by Luther and his bizarre display. Just beyond the mortal, Taran’s delighted grin shone from the shadows.

I dipped my chin and hurried past. The man abruptly spun to face me. “You there—what are you doing?”

“Nothing,” I blurted. “I’m going to help with the search. It’s dark, so...” I wiggled the makeshift torch, hoping that was explanation enough.

“You can’t take an open flame this way—if the hay doesn’t catch fire, the bombs will. You’ll get us all killed.”

I took a step back. “Right. I’ll just... um...”

“Wait a minute...” The man walked closer, squinting down at my hip. “How did you get my sword?”

Shit.

He lunged forward. I darted just out of his reach, but the movement jostled my hood, revealing my face and stray wisps from my milk-white braid in the moonlight.

His eyes bulged, and he stumbled back a step. “I found her!” he shouted. “I found the Qu—”

Taran’s hand slammed down over his mouth as he came up from behind and dragged the man off his feet. “Go light the bomb,” he hissed. “Hurry!”

“Don’t hurt him,” I pleaded, provoking an incredulous look from Taran as he fought to keep the thrashing man contained. “They’remortals, Taran.”

He groaned in exasperation. “Fine.Go!”

I bolted toward the bombs, my heart stumbling each time the flame sputtered and threatened to die. Shouting rang out behind me, though I couldn’t tell whether it came from a friendly voice or a hostile one.

I skidded to a stop in front of the wooden cart and threw off the waxed canvas sheeting. There were containers of all sizes and shapes, some with thick liquids visible through clear glass bottles, others made of welded metal boxes that rattled when shook.

During my time in the Lumnos cell, I’d never been privy to the secrets of the Guardians’ homemade bombs. I only knew they were extremely powerful—and extremely deadly.

I grabbed two at random and tucked them under my arm, then sprinted back for the campfire. I couldn’t risk setting them off near the tents where the children might be sleeping, but I had to get close enough to send the mortals into chaos.

“Why do you have those?” a voice shouted as I bolted past. “You there, stop!”

“Old Gods, Lumnos, Kindred,” I mumbled as the sound of running boots thundered behind me, “I could really use a favor from one of you right now.”

I darted into the tree line at the edge of camp, then grabbed the larger of the vessels and held it up to the flame-tipped branch.

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