Page 58 of He Who Ignites The Flame
A shrill cry pierced the air as a creature launched at us from the dark ceiling above the bars, the monstrous, cat-like beast stretching out clawed paws for us.
I crashed into Lucia, knocking her out of its path, and it collided with another warrior. They both fell to the stone before it bit down on his throat, tearing and shredding at flesh and bone as the other warriors drew their weapons. Shouts erupted around us as Lucia and I jumped to our feet, drawing our own weapons.
“Lucia!” Marcus called.
“Stay your ground!” she shouted, and he and Alec halted.
The dark creature lifted its bloody maw from the fallen warrior’s throat, its feather-tipped ears pinned back as it growled at us. It was cloaked in fur and feathers, its tail tipped with long plumage that reflected the light of the torches in hues of green and blue.
“This the creature you spoke of?” I asked, flames snaking from my hand down the blade of my short sword.
She widened her stance. "It is.”
The few warriors stepped in, shouting, trying to get a hit on the creature, just for it to twist and swat their weapons away. I steeled myself and launched forward. It twisted around, yellow eyes latched onto me before it shrank from the flames I wielded.
It leaped away, plowing through the few warriors and barreling for the stairwell where Marcus and Alec steadied themselves. Marcus drew his sword, and Alec bristled before shadows consumed him and fell away to reveal a bear.
The warriors followed it, but as the creature reached the entrance, it seemed to hit something, as if an invisible door barred its exit. It clawed at the air—tore and ripped in desperation to get free, and something like unease pooled in my gut as carved text around the entrance began to glow.I blinked, my brows furrowing as what appeared to be a collar of light glimmered faintly beneath its fur in response.
My pulse roared in my ears as I stepped closer to Lucia. “Lucia…”
She gasped as the creature started to break through, the text glowing brighter, and a sense of dread wound around my stomach. “It’s warded! Get ba?—”
Light erupted, and the stone beneath our feet shuddered as a strange energy tore through the air, the magic knocking us back. I groaned as I pushed myself up, and cracks crawled and wound through the stone above us, debris and dust falling on us before it began to collapse in massive chunks at the entrance.
“Lucia!” Marcus shouted before rocks blocked the entrance, cutting off his voice and separating us from them.
Pain splintered across my head, and I twisted around to Lucia as she stepped back.
“Get down!” I shouted and shoved her under me as the ceiling collapsed, casting everything in darkness.
21
THALIA
“It’s going to be all right,” I said, keeping my voice low and calm as I held my hand out toward a fae child curled up beneath a table. “We won’t hurt you.”
Her violet eyes darted between me and my outstretched hand and, finally, she reached out a trembling one. Her porcelain skin was dusted in shades of green and blue, and her teal hair was matted, cloaking her feather-dusted shoulders.
“You’re one of the feather folk, right?” I said with a gentle smile as I took her hand, helping her to her feet. It was difficult to mask the fury I felt seeing a child in this wretched place again. I’d hoped we wouldn’t find any, but after an hour or two of searching, we found her, and I knew it was only the beginning. We would find more, and I only prayed they were alive and unharmed.
Feather-tipped ears rose from beneath her hair, twitching at what I assumed was the first acknowledgment of her kind in gods knew how long, and she nodded before sniffling.
“Do you have a name?” I asked, dreading the thought that someone might be binding these poor children again. “Did they take it from you?”
She shook her head. “My name’s Aesos.”
A sense of relief washed over me; perhaps whoever was responsible for all this wasn’t using Arden’s same cruel methods or at least weren’t skilled enough to. It would make getting them all out far easier.
“Aesos, this is Damien and Micah,” I said, gesturing to them as they stood nearby, watching quietly so as not to startle her any further. “We’re all here to help get you out. Are there others?”
She looked from me to Damien, Micah, and the few warriors at the entrance before turning back to me and nodding hesitantly.
“Do you know how many?” I asked.
She shook her head.
Unease coiled in the pit of my stomach, but I continued to smile. “That’s all right. Can you take us to them?”
