I don’t hesitate. I climb through the fold in the fabric, and tiptoe up to Ava. In her ear, I whisper, “Ava, it’s Émi. Shhhhh.”
When I place my hand on her shoulder, a tiny spark jolts into the air but she doesn’t flinch. I kneel down in front of her and she raises her head, looking at me through half-focused eyes.
“Am I dreaming you?” she asks, her voice barely above a whisper.
“No, I’m here. We’re here to bring you home.”
Ava throws her arms around my neck and squeezes me tight. “I did a bad thing, Émi.”
“I know,” I tell her. “I saw.”
“He said…”
“It doesn’t matter, not now. We need to get you out of here. Then we’ll talk. Alright?”
Ava nods and I help her to her feet.
“He’ll find us,” she whispers.
“Not if we move quickly,” I say, waving towards the spot in the tent’s lining where I know Kole is waiting.
Ava moves slowly, like she has lead in her toes. I push her through the gap first, then follow. Kole examines her closely.
“That was a little too easy,” he whispers to me but I don’t have time to think about whether he’s right.
Kole leads the way, then me, then Ava, hanging on to the back of my shirt like a toddler who doesn’t want to lose her mother. We are almost at the edge of the camp when I feel her grip loosen. I turn. She has stopped. Kole and I are concealed in the shadow of a tent in the second to last ring. But Ava stands frozen to the spot, out in the open, staring down at her hands. Kole meets my eyes and his expression is close to panic.
“Ava,” I whisper, as loudly as I dare. “Ava, come on.”
Ava is scratching at her neck. She lets out a gasp and begins to rock back and forth. She looks over at me and I hear her voice even though she isn’t saying anything.
I need it, she begs.
I have no choice. I step out of the shadow and grab her arm. “We don’t have time. We have to move.”
Ava digs her heels in and refuses to shift. “I can’t!” she wails. “He’s the only one. The only one who has it.” She waves her hands at me and I realise she’s talking about the liquid he gave her. Time is running out.
“We’ll get you some,” I promise. “But we have to go. Now!”
Ava’s eyes light up. For a second, she believes me. Then her face crumples. “You’re lying,” she says. “I can see in your heart and you’re lying.”
I look back at Kole and finally he gives in and charges forwards. He grabs Ava and throws her over his shoulder. He plants his hand firmly over her mouth but she bites it.
And then, Ava screams.
Kole wrestles her to the ground and pins her to the floor. She is bucking against him, kicking and struggling. Torches spring up around the edge of the camp. Soldiers are shouting.
“What was that?”
“Who is that?”
“Intruders! Where are they?”
Ava stops kicking. I lean down and plead with her. “Ava, we have to run. They’re going to find us.”
Gingerly, Kole removes his hand from her mouth.
“It’s too late,” Ava whispers.
The back of my head throbs, like someone inside my brain is cracking a hammer against my skull. My eyelids are heavy. I force them open. I tug at my hands but they are tied behind my back. My feet are bound too, and I am strapped to a post. I realise I’m outside, high up. Sharp talons of wind slice my bare arms and feet. My boots are gone. So is my jacket. Beside me, Ava cowers, her body rolled in a ball. I can’t see Kole.
From behind me, Mahg’s voice drawls. “You’re much prettier than your sister.”
Then he steps into view. Up close, his wings send shivers through me. They are far broader than Tsam’s, with coal-coloured feathers that taper like daggers.
“I’m glad you made it, Émi. I was worried you wouldn’t be on time.”
My mouth isn’t gagged, but I don’t speak.
“Now,” he says, “I suppose the most sensible place to start would be to offer you a choice. I like offering people choices.”
I think of the burned villagers. They had a choice, join him or…
He laughs a little. “In a perfect world, I would like you and your sister to fight alongside me. We could be great, the three of us. We really could…” He tails off, wistfully. Then suddenly, he snaps round and pinches my face between the fingers and thumb of his left hand. His nails dig into my skin. His breath is acrid and sour.
“Never,” I spit.
Mahg sighs and releases his grip, as if he didn’t expect anything different. Above, a crack of thunder ripples through the night sky. A drop of rain falls on my cheek.
“Ahhh,” says Mahg. “It is almost time.”
Turning his back to me, he steps forwards. We’re on a ledge, sticking out from the side of the canyon. A cacophony of growls, whoops and cheers bursts up from below in an explosion of sound. “Soldiers,” he calls, spreading out his wings. “The night has finally come!”
They cheer again. “It has been seventeen years since the Watchers of Abilene stopped us from taking what we deserved!”
Boos, this time.
“And at midnight tonight, it will be seventeen years since the Fire Stone was divided, buried and hidden from us.”
Midnight, seventeen years… tomorrow is mine and Ava’s birthday.
“But I have a surprise for you all.” Mahg turns around and grabs Ava, pulling her to her feet and shoving her to the rim of the ledge. He leaves her there, swaying. Then he returns for me. As he lines me up beside her, his fingers grip my arm so tightly that his talons leave grooves in my skin. A whip of lightning flashes across the sky and illuminates the basin below.
There are hundreds of them. Soldiers, looking up at us. When they see Ava and I, they bay and bark as if they want to drain our blood. Their hatred simmers like a volcano, waiting for its chance to erupt and destroy.
“We have the fire girls! We have them!” Mahg shouts, his voice echoing, getting louder, bouncing off the rocks. “And tonight, at midnight, at the place where the fire lines meet, we will harness their power.” He draws a knife, holds up Ava’s arm, and slices her palm. She cries and tries to hold her hand to her chest to stop the blood. It’s no use; it drips down her arm, off the point of her elbow and onto the ground.
I try to move back but with my ankles tied I stumble. Mahg grabs my hands, unties them, and stabs my right palm. The pain is sharp and I watch as my blood converges with Ava’s in the dirt.
“Their blood will mix with mine!” Mahg shouts, lifting up his own hand, raising the blade to meet it. I look down. An icy shiver grips my spine, forcing me to hold my breath. At the front of the crowd, a pair of salivating soldiers are holding Kole’s limp figure between them; he is unconscious, his hair hanging down over his face. They throw him to the ground and one of them spits on him. Beside me, Ava lets out a cry of anguish. I try to meet her eyes but she is shaking her head and rocking back and forth.
Mahg slices his hand open and grabs Ava to him, pressing her wound against his and squeezing it. He sighs, his eyes rolling back as if he can feel her energy seeping into him.
“Their blood will create the most savage army The Four Cities has ever seen! You will have wings – you will fly, fight and destroy all who try to stop us!”
The basin shudders with the weight of the cheers. Then Mahg comes for me. The thunder groans, the lightning cracks and the rain gathers speed. My blade is gone. My feet are tied. I have nothing to fight him with. I can conjure a ball of sparks, but what will they do? They won’t be strong enough, they won’t be big enough, and Ava can’t help me. My mind is racing. There must be something. Suddenly, I remember Falk. I remember spreading my fingers. Poof! An explosion. Too much fluid in the lantern.
I look at Ava; I need a moment to think. There’s something, it’s there, I can feel it but I need time and he is almost on me. Ava’s eyes meet mine. Please, I beg, silently. Pleas
e hear me, Ava. Please help me.
A wave of realisation washes across her face. Mahg is still glowering at me, so he doesn’t see it. But I do. She knows. Finally, she sees that he has manipulated her. She looks down at her hands and it is as though she is seeing herself for the first time. She exhales quickly, like someone is punching the air from her lungs.
Mahg’s wings flex in and out, and his black eyes glint viciously. He grabs my wrist but I fix onto Ava’s eyes and don’t let go. As I stare at her, I feel the sparks ignite in my belly. The potion. Rhea’s potion. Burns like acid. It’s still there, buried against my skin on the inside of my shirt.
In an instant, before I know what she’s doing, Ava conjures a fireball into her hand and launches it at Mahg. It misses him, perhaps on purpose, and collides with the side of the canyon. Rocks explode out. The crowd below roars. Mahg whirls around and grabs Ava’s arm, dragging her towards him.
“How dare you?” he screams.
As Mahg takes hold of Ava, I summon the sparks into my hands. I stare at them and keep them hovering in front of me, a swirling hot ball of energy. Then I reach for Rhea’s vial. With my thumb, I flick the lid to the ground. I pour the liquid into the flames that I’m holding. The fireball doubles in size, then trebles, swirling with the green of the liquid and the bright hot white of the flames, spinning round and round.
The crackling heat causes Mahg to turn. He releases Ava, smashing the back of his hand across her face so that she tumbles to the floor. He reaches for me, miniature black lightning bolts pulsating in his hands. Magick like mine, yet not like mine.
I pull my hand back over my shoulder, then hurl the acid fire towards him. With every muscle, every fibre, I will it forwards. He raises his hand and releases a bolt of his own but my fire rips through it, straight for him.
The instant it touches his flesh, the fireball explodes. The skin on the side of Mahg’s face starts to slide off his cheekbone, melting. The flames engulf him. He screams. The soldiers roar.
I can’t get to Ava, she’s on the ground. Mahg’s arms and wings are flailing; he’s close to the edge of the canyon. I cast another ball, and another, each one sending him closer to the edge.
I try to step forwards, to hit him again and send him over. But I forget that my feet are still tied and I fall to the ground. From the floor, I manage to release one last bolt of flames that hits Mahg square in the chest. And he is gone. Still screaming as he plummets into the canyon.
I scramble towards Ava and reach for her. My fingers brush against hers. Her eyes widen. They are dark, and then something flickers. A reflection. Orange. Flames.
I turn around, too late. Mahg is back, his face contorted, fire lashing his skin. He’s grabbing my ankles and pulls me over the edge with him.
We are falling.
Below, his army screams his name.
I wait for them to swallow me up.
Twenty-Six
Above me, green leaves rustle against a powder blue sky. Occasionally, sunlight drips in through the window beside the bed. My eyelids sting. I reach for the bedside table and find a glass of water. When I drink, my throat burns.
Slowly, I sit up and swing my legs out of the bed and onto the wooden floor. On a stool at the foot of the bed, a fresh set of clothes has been neatly folded. I pull them on and, instinctively, reach up to pin my hair. Raising my right arm causes a sharp flash of pain to travel down through my elbow and into my fingertips. I push back the strap of my vest and peer into the mirror; my shoulder is bandaged. The side of my face is grazed and a few strands of hair behind my ear are singed. I try to remember what happened but the only image I see is Mahg being engulfed by flames, reflected in Ava’s eyes…
I recognise where I am – Rumah’s house. It’s quiet. As I pad down the hall towards the living area, I can’t tell whether anyone is home. I push the door open and my heart sinks. Rumah is sitting at the kitchen table with her head in her hands. Her wings droop down towards the floor. There is no sign of Tsam.
“Rumah?” My voice splinters.
She looks up and quickly wipes the tears from her face. “Émi, you’re awake!” Gently, she ushers me into a chair and brings me a cup of tea with brown leaves floating on the surface. “How are you feeling?” she asks, her eyes moving from my cheek to my shoulder.
“Rumah, what happened? How did I get here? Where’s Tsam? Ava?”
Her face falls. “You don’t remember?”
“Tsam wasn’t there when… he and Alyssa were…” I hang my head and rub my forehead. “I don’t know.”
Rumah rests her hand on mine. “He’s alright. They both are.” Then she shivers. “They have gone to fetch Garrett’s body.”
I sigh and close my eyes. That’s why Rumah was crying. “I’m sorry,” I tell her, although the words are nowhere near enough. “What about the others?” I can’t say their names. The knot in my stomach is telling me Kole and Ava are dead too.
Rumah kneels in front of me. “It’s alright, Émi. Breathe. Kole and Ava are going to be alright.”
Tears spring to my eyes. “Really?” I whisper.
“Ava is in the hospital. Physically she’s fine but emotionally she’s in a bad way.”
“The drugs?”
Rumah nods. “She’s fragile but she’s in the best place.”
“And Kole?”
“Battered and bruised, but he’s alright. He’ll be here soon.” Rumah glances at the clock. “He’s been here every day.”
I frown and pain shoots through my temples. “How many days?”
“Three,” says Rumah solemnly.
“What about Mahg? I don’t remember—”
A knock on the door makes me jump and sit bolt upright in my chair. But when it opens and I see Kole, I feel as though I’m going to cry again. His eyes widen to see me out of bed but he doesn’t hurry over. He walks slowly and with a slight limp. Noticing my alarm, he wiggles his leg at me. “It’s nearly healed,” he says. “I’m fine.”
Rumah pulls out a chair so that Kole can sit down. “Now that you’re here,” she says, “I’ll go and tell the Elders Émi’s awake.”
After Rumah leaves, neither of us speaks. Kole’s hair is tied back, as usual, but the side of his face sports an angry graze and his arms are covered in bruises.
“How did you…?” I don’t know how to ask all the questions that fill my head. “I saw you, with the soldiers, I thought…”
“When you attacked Mahg, there was chaos. I stayed on the ground, got trampled on a fair bit.” He winces. “Tsam and Alyssa saw everything. Mahg tried to drag you down with him but he couldn’t keep hold of you. Tsam fought him off and then caught you as you fell. Alyssa rescued Ava and, when you were both safely out of the camp, Tsam came back for me. He flew me to the riverbed then told me to run. He couldn’t carry both of us…”
Kole starts to reach for my hand, then changes his mind and just rests his palm on the table between us. “He flew you back here, then went straight to Hitra. She sent Watchers to raid the camp, but it was all gone by the time they got there. No sign of Mahg or the soldiers.”
“What about you?”
“I didn’t make it far. The Watchers found me.”
I shake my head and lean back in my chair. “And Mahg?”
“I saw you burn him, but he flew. He’s hurt, but we don’t think he’s dead, Émi.”
My heart flutters with panic. “But if he’s not dead… our blood. He tried to…”
Kole moves closer, touches the side of my face, tells me shhh. I lean into him. I feel his lips brush my forehead and I want to stay like this forever. But then I hear myself whispering, “Kole, I can’t.”
Instantly, he pulls away. His muscles tense. “I see.”
I search his face, but the softness has gone. “It’s just – not now.”
He looks away. “I understand.”
“Kole, please…”
We are interrupted by footsteps on the boardwalk. Tsam appears without Alyssa. His
feathers are charred and his complexion is grey but when he sees me his face brightens. He hurries over to wrap his arms around me. He squeezes and squeezes and I’m not sure he’s going to let go.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers, “I was angry and childish. I should never have behaved the way I did.”
He glances at Kole and I shake my head quickly. “None of that matters now.”
“We need to go to the Elders,” Kole says, pushing his chair back and moving towards the door.
Tsam nods. “Émi, are you up to it?”
Tsam insists on flying me to the Academy.
When we reach the Elders’ chambers, Alyssa is waiting for us. I hug her and, at first, she stiffens, but then she relaxes into it and hugs me back.
“You’re alright?” she asks. I tell her I am, although I’m not sure I know what alright means anymore.
Inside, Hitra is alone. Brock, Roan and Sayah are nowhere to be seen. When everyone is seated, Hitra sighs and gazes wistfully at the empty chair where Garrett should be sitting.
“I am so sorry to be meeting under these circumstances,” she says, looking at Alyssa. “Garrett was…” She doesn’t finish her sentence. Instead, she asks each of us in turn to tell her our version of events. Everything tallies with what Kole told me and the way Hitra reacts suggests she has heard all of it already.
“Well, despite our horrible loss, I must say well done to all of you.” She pauses to glance at Alyssa. “You brought Ava back to us, and more – Mahg is significantly injured. This buys us time to gather the remaining pieces of the stone and should stall the growth of his army. This is more than we could have hoped for. Now, go home and rest. We will talk more tomorrow.”
We stand to leave and we’re almost at the door when she says, “Tsam, may I speak with you for a moment?”
Out in the corridor, I tell the others to go ahead. I need to talk to Hitra, too. Before anything else happens, I need to know that my mother is alright. I need Hitra to keep to our agreement. I push open the door, just a little, and then stop. Hitra is spreading out her wings, strutting towards Tsam like a bird circling its prey.
Fire Lines Page 25