Page 43 of Flame and Sparrow

He took a step closer, and all the magic and warmth in the air seemed to step with him, folding around me, pressing tight to my body.

I was intensely aware of every move he made within the warm cocoon of power he’d wrapped me in. Of his magic pulsing in the space between us, the marks on his skin flaring brighter, visible even through the loose shirt he wore. Of his hand moving, lifting toward my face. I fought the urge to unleash my claws, to violently swipe that hand away.

He never touched me.

Only the heat of his magic caressed my skin as a ball of fire spun into existence beside my head.

“Follow the wisps,” he said, nodding to the ball, and then to a line of similar ones as they appeared and created a path leading into the distance. “They’ll take you to your dwelling, and I trust you’re smart enough to figure things out from there.”

Maybe I should have stayed to ask more questions, but I felt lightheaded—and a bit stupid—from his closeness. Plus, I knew better than to argue when a potential opportunity to explore awaited me.

I gave a quick, polite bow before starting to turn away.

He was in front of me suddenly, his stormy eyes meeting my gaze and holding it fiercely as he said, “Don’t stray from the trail the fire leads you on.”

A lump formed in my throat. Had he heard my thoughts? Guessed at my exploration plans, somehow?

“I…I won’t,” I promised. I don’t know if he heard me. Or believed me.

He was already striding off in the opposite direction, muttering to himself as though he’d forgotten I existed at all.

Chapter13

I walkedfor what seemed like an eternity with nothing but the floating orbs of fire for company.

I tried a few times to stray from their beckoning light, to press deeper into the blackness beyond them. Each time, I was met with a crushing pressure that grew more unbearable the deeper I tried to go.

The fires were bright enough to illuminate the wide path I walked upon, but little else, and I suspected there was much, much more lurking in the dark parts I couldn’t see.

How could I properly map out the bones of this place if I couldn’t see more than the gods wanted to show me?

I did the best I could. The space seemed specifically built to discourage any further curiosity, but I’d always been exceptionally curious, so I noted every slightly darker shadow and counted the steps between every flare of light, searching for patterns.

Still, after several minutes, it all began to look the same; it was just the same grey path over and over again, occasionally dotted by tall, curved marking posts that served some function I could only guess at. Even my usually curious mind eventually grew bored of cataloging the repetitive details, and all I could think about was getting to the end of things.

“One would think the gods could design a more efficient dwelling,” I said to the wisp of flame that had just swirled into life closest to me. “Must everything be so spread out?”

It wouldn’t have bothered me so much, except I also suspected the Fire God could have carried me instantly to the place he’d designated for me if he’d truly wanted to.

Why had he been so distracted, so indifferent to my presence when he’d specificallysentfor me?

Perhaps the other gods had been telling the truth, and Ididreek of the mortal realm—or something worse—and he just didn’t know how to politely tell me the truth.

After a furtive glance around to make sure I was alone, I did a quick smell check under my arms and everywhere else I could crane my nose toward.

“You’re a strange one, aren’t you?”

I spun so swiftly toward the voice I nearly tripped and fell over my own feet.

A squat woman with thick curls of dark red hair and patchy, raised eyebrows was staring at me with her hand on her hip.

I was certain she hadn’t been there before; it was as though she’d materialized from the air—an impossible idea made more plausible by the sudden appearance of a golden fence behind her, which I was sure hadalsojust materialized from nowhere.

“I was just…” I fumbled for words to make the situation less awkward. Finding none, I cleared my voice and promptly changed the subject. “I’m sorry if I disturbed you and this…where exactly is this?”

Her intelligent eyes—a warm shade of brown, bordering on red—narrowed on me. “You followed the fire here, didn’t you, girl?”

“I…Yes.” I peered at the fence behind her, my eyes following the lines of it for as far as possible; the golden railings seemed to curve at least a mile into the distance to both our right and left. “But I think I might be lost,” I said.

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