Page 70 of A Kiss of Embers
For just a moment, they stared back at each other before the man wrapped his arms around Seraphina. The tree roots released her, and he flew away with her limp form.
Two other Ember Fae flew toward him. Each wrapped an arm around him to support his weight, and they also lifted him away from the danger the lava posed below.
A cool breeze settled over his skin in their short flight toward land above, a small relief in comparison to being bathed by eternal heat.
The moment his feet touched the ground gave him little reprieve because the two Ember Fae grabbed his arm, and in a swift movement, they jolted his elbow and shoulder back into their sockets.
The cloth around his face muffled his scream of agony and swallowed his tears of pain. He collapsed to the ground in a heap while focusing on breathing in and out, in and out, instead of allowing the darkness to overtake him.
“Seraphina…” he murmured as his head shot up. “Where is Seraphina?”
But he didn’t get an answer before wood splintered far below, and the river gushed out of its restraints. He peered over the cliffside to find a trail of ferocious water overtaking the broken dam and swallowing the magma. The rapids buried it beneath its unforgiving tempest as it crashed against the sides of the ravine, trying to find its path downstream.
His mouth fell open as the water hissed and sizzled while steam wafted upward, quickly bathing the ravine in a watery fog and obscuring everything below.
“Is anyone down there?” Bastien shouted as he pushed the cloth over his mouth down, glancing around him at both white-haired and black-haired fae.
The same Ember male from before who had taken Seraphina shook his head. “The way is clear. Our people are away from harm, and your people are nowhere near the destruction other than at the dam.”
If they were at the dam, then they likely reached safety.
His gaze dropped to a group of Ember Fae huddled in a circle around a limp figure. Ignoring the pain in his arm, he rushed over, only for one of the Ember Fae to spin around and push him to the ground.
Bastien froze with his hand tenderly cradling his arm as he stared back at the people he had called his enemy throughout his entire life. With the snap of their fingers, they could simply light him on fire or poison him with a blade.
“Let him pass,” the man behind him ordered.
After several uncertain glances between the clan members, they parted for him. This time, he cautiously approached the circle until he spotted Seraphina lying on her back, eyes closed, with an elderly man kneeling at her side. The man placed blued crystals across Seraphina’s breastbone, and when they touched her skin, each lit up with a dim light.
“Ser,” he murmured, dropping beside her. No one stopped him as he cradled her face in his hands. She didn’t respond. “You are brave but incredibly stupid. You are no match for a volcano.”
A faint cough escaped her mouth, and although she didn’t open her eyes, her lips twitched with the faintest smile. “Then why am I the one who came out on top?” she asked weakly.
He closed his eyes as he fought off emotions of relief. To hide the moisture gathering at the corners of his eyes, he leaned over and pressed his forehead against hers. “Never do that again.”
“It saved your life, didn’t it?”
“I was managing fine on my own.”
“Says the man who had a noose around his neck.”
When the healer placed a rock against Seraphina’s throat, Bastien moved aside but kept a steady hand closed around hers. He didn’t plan on leaving her side for a single second if he could help it.
“Please tell me you won’t die from this,” Bastien murmured as he brushed a black strand of hair from her face. He was overly aware of a dozen pairs of Ember eyes following his every movement, but he cared more about Seraphina than he did about getting stabbed through the back.
She almost imperceptibly shook her head.
All while keeping a cautious eye on him, the healer explained, “Our queen has exhausted her magic. These stones will help her recharge her stores. She will gain back her strength then.”
“Chief,” a hesitant voice called out from behind the group of Ember Fae. They parted to reveal his patrol guard comrades huddled together, their expressions filled with discomfort as if they weren’t sure whether to attack the enemy or flee.
“Don’t you call me that,” Bastien scoffed. “All of you tried to hang me.”
“You didn’t really think Ashryn was the only one with the mind to fight back?” Tobie asked, casting a suspicious glance toward one of the Ember Fae. “The council is over and done with. The next in line is you.”
Slowly, Bastien stood and winced when his entire arm felt like it was engulfed by flames. “What happened to the council?”
“We rounded them up inside the jailhouse. We are waiting for you to tell us what to do next.”
