Page 68 of A Kiss of Embers
Her eyes unexpectedly smarted. Bastien had decided where his loyalties lay. And it was with her.
And even more unexpectedly, other members of the patrol guard dropped beside the two and helped them fight. A few of them even turned on the council members.
She officially had no idea what was going on anymore…
She reached farther inside herself until the Ember Queen’s magic lay in wait for her command. To mold it. To shape it. To—
A resoundingboomshook the air, and moments later, a fierce wind tugged at her and threatened to drag her away. All at once, her surroundings fell silent as the wind died down, and each turned to watch the volcano above the Glades erupt in a shower of molten sparks.
Weapons lowered. Mouths fell open. Her fire died as if doused with water.
“The Glades!” those around her shouted, followed by, “The villagers!”
What did you do?she shouted through her gem.
We did nothing! It was Zephyr’s doing.
Swearing under her breath, she abandoned her fight and sprinted toward the erupting mountain. Behind her, the Attleglade soldiers shouted orders to evacuate the women and children, Bastien among them.
“Seraphina, no!” Bastien shouted and grabbed onto her arm. “Surely, even you can’t survive a volcano.”
“Everyone will die if I don’t hold it back.” She gripped his arm and tried to smile reassuringly. “I can handle this.”
“Ser…” But as if realizing she might be their only chance, their hands slowly slid out of each other’s.
“Go! The heat will be too much for you to bear.”
And without another backward glance, she sprinted toward the heat and the flames and the molten lava, spread her wings, and leaped into the sky. Her clan quickly joined her, no longer keeping themselves hidden by the cliffs.
She shouted orders to her people, and they were quick to obey. “We need to redirect the lava away from Attleglade!” Those who were capable of magic flitted toward the spouting lava. To those not capable of magic, she said, “Protect the villagers. Protect the land—”
She hissed as pain seared her arm, and she glanced toward the edge of the cliffs to find Zephyr staring her down while loading another bolt, not with the intention of capturing her this time, but with the intention to kill.
He stood with several of his guards, and her heart shot to her throat when he pointed his loaded bolt at her once again and aimed.
She braced herself for pain. For a swift death followed by an unforgiving fall. But then a Forest Fae arrow lodged into the man’s neck. Her eyes widened as the man choked on his own blood and stumbled over the edge of the cliff. He swiftly fell the great distance and smacked hard into the lava below.
Across the ravine, she met Bastien’s hard eyes as he lowered his bow. She nodded her thanks to him, her relief. He nodded back before rushing off once more while her clan met the rest of the enemy Ember Fae in battle.
Once again, she called upon the ancient magic running through her veins, gritting her teeth as she latched onto it. Energy drained from her body, but she didn’t dare release her hold on the lava as its trajectory obeyed her.
But without a clear path down the mountainside, it was spilling. Everywhere.
The heat from the volcano washed over her as if trying to bake her in an oven. Usually, her skin enjoyed the extreme heat. But today? It was nearly too much for even her to handle.
Lava moved closer and closer to the Glades, and she realized she had no choice but to maneuver the lava directly.
She braced herself for severe heat as she flitted toward the roaming, crackling magma that sounded like breaking glass as it moved. Landing on warm grass far enough from the Glades, she planted her feet, raised her arms, and gasped as she created a wall of magic to keep the lava at bay. Her arms shook with the effort. Her feet slid across the ground as if from an unseen force.
I can’t do this. I can’t do this.
“Bastien!” she screeched as she turned her head, searching frantically for a white-haired man across the bridge on the other side of the cliffs. Unfortunately, there were many white-haired men. But only one of them glanced in her direction.
Remembering Emeric’s tunnels made of tree roots, she called out, “Gather your magic wielders! We need to create a path for the lava.”
As if he understood her intent, he nodded and rushed off in the other direction.
Ember Fae joined her side, each taking turns directing the flow of lava when the heat proved too much even for them. But not once did Seraphina yield to the crackling and explosions and powerful force of the volcano, even as her skin glistened with perspiration and her head threatened to explode from using far too much magic than she thought she was capable of.
