Page 41 of Heat of the Everflame

A fourth man came tearing through the crowd with a long, glittering black blade raised above his head. His scowl fixed on Luther as he brought the sword plummeting down.

Without thinking, I lunged.

I hurled my body into the attacking Guardian. With a violent collision, we tumbled across the soil, Luther and Alixe shouting my name, until the mortal collapsed on top of me.

I froze stone-still, waiting to feel the consequences of his godstone blade. There was no pain, only the slowly growing warmth of hot liquid oozing across my belly.

The man and I gaped at each other. Our expressions were a mirror image of shock—and regret.

I didn’t understand at first. Then he coughed, and a trickle of red leaked from the corner of his lips.

Luther roared and grabbed the man by his back. As his body lifted away, my broadsword slid from his gut with a sickening slurp. His blade fell from his limp hand, its edge bloodless and pristine.

“Are you wounded?” Luther barked.

I couldn’t answer.

Luther and Alixe shifted to fight off the encroaching mob while I lay paralyzed by my horror.

I had killed a mortal—to save a Descended.

It didn’t matter that the mortal was a stranger who wanted us dead, or that the Descended was becoming so dear to me, a blade through his heart would have cut as deeply as a blade through my own.

I had spilled the blood of my people.

Forthem.

“Diem,are you hurt?” Luther demanded again, his voice strained. The terror in it pulled me back to my senses.

“No,” I croaked, blinking rapidly. “I... I’m...”

“Hey mortals!” a booming voice cried out over the cacophony. “Incoming!”

Three large vessels sailed overhead, instantly recognizable by the unlit fuses trailing behind them.

Clever Taran, I thought briefly.A ruse to help us get away.

And then my eyes moved to the end of their trajectory—straight into the blazing campfire.

A chorus of screams erupted. Luther grabbed Alixe and shoved her to the ground at my side, then fell on top of us just as the campsite exploded into a ball of flame.

Chunks of firewood became burning arrows that sliced through the air, piercing through bodies and tents and foliage as a rainstorm of embers fluttered and swirled. The patter of falling debris mixed with the moans of the injured, the whinnies of startled horses, and the cries of frightened children.

My heart crumbled. This wasn’t what I wanted. All this violence and destruction was because of me, tosaveme.

Luther’s eyes connected with mine, and I knew he saw me breaking. His hand brushed against my arm and lingered, a simple gesture that offered so much.

He wrapped an arm around Alixe’s waist and another on mine, dragging us to our feet at his side, and together, we ran for the edge of camp.

Taran waved us over, barely visible through the smoky fog. He had the reins of one horse in his hand, the others nowhere to be found.

“The explosion spooked the rest away,” he grumbled. “One of you can take Diem, I’ll follow with the other on foot.”

“You take her,” Luther ordered. “Stay near the coast. Alixe and I will find you at dawn.”

“We’re not splitting up,” I protested, my voice still hoarse from the shock of my kill.

Luther gave me a hard look. “This is the best way to keep you safe. If they catch you—”

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