Set the Sky on Fire (Fire Trilogy Book 1)

by L K Walker

“Now's not a great time, mate. I just want to be left alone,” the man responded, with a definite edge to his voice.

  “Perhaps I can help you,” the seether pressed.

  “I doubt it, mate. I just want to be left alone.”

  “But wouldn't it be nice not to feel that pain anymore?” the seether persisted.

  The man closed his eyes tight, a tear squeezing its way out. His response was almost inaudible.

  “I deserve every last bit of this pain. It's my fault she’s in the ground.”

  The seether placed his hand on the man's shoulder, grasping it tightly, then leaned in and whispered in his ear. It only took a second but, from where she stood Ari could see the sadness in the man’s eyes leave to be taken over by anger. She felt the emotional move as well. It was sudden and unnatural.

  The seether turned and walked past, leaving Ari alone with the man.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “Why don't you piss off,” he gave her a stiff shove and stormed off back through the entry gate.

  “Hurry up, Ari,” the seether called.

  She ran to catch him.

  “Wow, that felt good," he said, shaking his arms and legs like an athlete unwinding after a sprint race.

  “What will he do now?” Ari had never felt that amount of rage bottled up inside one person before. At some stage, the pressure would have to be released.

  “Don't worry about him, he'll be fine. You should, however, be worried about whoever he meets up with next.” He was so pleased with himself.

  “How did you do that?”

  “Where you can sniff out a person’s feelings, I can push mine onto others. I’ll admit I don’t have the same range as you, and it only works on a specific group of people. But what I do sticks.”

  Satisfied with his day's work, the seether hustled Ari back to the road and hailed a taxi. On their way back, as they had for the past three days, they crossed the Princes Bridge over the Yarra River, the car slowing to a crawl in the heavy traffic. Ari gazed out the window. Through gaps in the bridge railings, she could see the river meandering below them, thick with sediment turning it cloudy brown. A stick hugged the river's surface, as it drifted through the city on its way out to the sea. She longed to be like the stick, drifting away from her troubles. Ari couldn’t stop thinking about the angry man and the potential targets of his rage.

  The taxi dropped them off outside their hotel. As they walked through the lobby, she did what she always did—more from habit than expectation—she dropped her guard and checked for Nate.

  He was there.

  Nate had found her.

  twenty-one

  Warmth invaded her body. The feeling felt foreign, yet it had only been a few days since she had last experienced it. A smile pricked the corners of her lips. He was so close.

  Nate had found her.

  For the first time in days, she felt hopeful. She glanced over at the seether, who had shortened his gait. His nostrils flared.

  “Damn it. It's lover boy isn't it? I can catch a faint trace of him. How'd he find us so quickly? I thought I might get at least a few more days’ peace before I had to deal with him.”

  The seether put a hand on Ari's back forcing her forward. He picked up his stride again and muttered to himself.

  “Damn it,” he repeated. “It doesn't matter now, I guess. Time for Plan B.”

  “What’s plan B?”

  They entered an empty elevator and rode it up to their floor.

  “He’ll be tired from tracking us. I imagine he’s not in a very good state right now. Not overly strong. That’ll give me the advantage. I’ll finish him off now. A little earlier than expected. I was hoping for a bit of help before he got here. Still, it’ll be satisfying to see the end of that nuisance.”

  Ari expected some master plan, not a straight out attack. She’d seen them fight before. It was viscous, but they both seemed evenly matched. What if Nate was too tired? What if the seether was faster? Stronger? The thought made her heart break. She couldn't lose Nate. There had to be another way.

  “If you kill him, you’ll be knocked unconscious. If that happens, I swear to God, I will end you.” Ari flashed fury.

  “I admire your resolve. But do you really think you’ll be given the option? I’m a little smarter than that.”

  “If you’re in close proximity when he dies, you’ll go down too. I’ll find a way. So you need another plan. What if I can get him to leave?” The thoughts coursing through her mind didn’t amount to much of a plan either, but she could ad-lib as she went. She hoped.

  “Wow, you don't have much faith in Prince Charming now, do you? I do love the confidence you have in me, though. I could get used to that.”

  Ari sneered at his narcissism.

  “I don't judge your odds to be any higher than his, I just value his life a whole lot more. I'm willing to take the chance that he values my life too.”

  “How very admirable of you, pathetic, but admirable. What's the game plan?”

  “He's only going to fight you now, when he’s tired, because he thinks I’m in danger, because he wants me back, safe. I just need to get him to second guess my feelings for him. If he thinks I’m a lost cause, then he might leave.”

  “And how do you propose to do that?”

  “Pretend...” Ari gagged on her own thoughts. “Pretend that I’m into you.”

  “Wow, that's callous. That’ll not only break his heart, it's going to tear it from his chest and throw it under oncoming traffic. I must admit I love the idea.”

  “He'll get over it, and he'll still be alive at the end of it. Is it a deal?”

  “We have a deal.” The seether held out his hand. Ari shook it, quickly, as if he had a contagion.

  The seether took the new threat seriously, checking the hallway before entering their room, then chaining the door behind him. But Nate hadn’t followed them. Ari felt his every step, moving in the opposite direction.

  “He’s found us,” the seether told Michelle.

  “How? I thought you said he couldn't track us?” Michelle snarled.

  “I don't know. I guess I was wrong.”

  Ari smiled to hear those words spill from his lips. A satisfied grin plastered Nevaeh’s face too.

  The seether explained Ari's plan.

  “Yeah, I like that. Damns both of them at the same time,” Michelle said.

  “It also means we will have to ramp up the progress. And we’ll have to keep moving if they have some way of tracking us down.” The seether addressed Michelle as if Ari and Nevaeh weren't in the room.

  Ari sat on the edge of the bed, her head in her hand, her inner strength weakening and becoming dangerously worn. Until now, she had bided her time—kept moving forward, one foot in front of the other, with one goal in sight—to be ready to run when Nate showed up. Now, he was here, she would tell him to vanish. Was any of this worth the struggle? At that moment, timed to perfection, Nevaeh sat down beside her, leaned in, put a hand on one of her hunched shoulders, softly laid her head on the other, and whispered, “You okay?”

  And there it was, the one reason she had left to fight. She needed to keep Nevaeh safe.

  twenty-two

  Time passed, each minute, each second, drawing her closer to the moment she would have to face Nate. Her stomach churned. She didn’t want to see him, didn't want to talk to him. Once her lie was spoken, it couldn't be taken back. For Nate's sake, she’d play her part so well he’d have no option but to believe it. By the end of the day he would hate her. He would believe she didn't love him. It tore at the very filaments holding her heart together.

  The seether, evidently joyous at the events, made the necessary preparations. “Michelle can be your stylist,” he barked, more of an order than a question. Ari had to agree it wasn't a bad idea. Her only experience caking on makeup ended with her looking like a clown.

  “Right, enough pissing around, get in the bathroom and get dressed. We need to get this show
on the road.” The seether exuded enthusiasm for the coming event.

  Ari dressed, choosing items to reveal the most amount of skin—on Michelle's advice, of course.

  “You still look too much like a sissy little school girl. We need you to look older, harden you up a bit. If you look more ‘experienced’ he might actually buy it.”

  “Did you take drama at school?” The seether's sarcastic tone came from the chair in the corner of the room.

  “No,” Ari replied, without turning to face him.

  “That's a shame. You’re going to need acting skills. If he doesn't believe this little charade, I’m going to rip his head off. I've been dying to do that for years now.”

  “No pressure then.” Ari tried to hide her fear.

  Michelle rifled through her backpack and came out with a couple of items of clothing, which she threw at Ari's face. “Put these on.”

  Ari held them up in front of her, screwing up her nose in disgust. They were such small squares of fabric. “I wouldn't feel comfortable wearing these to a nightclub, let alone during broad daylight.” She went back to the bathroom and tugged on the black elasticated skirt and leopard print tank top, placing them over the areas of skin she most wanted concealed. She returned to the lounge pulling the skirt in both directions to get the maximum amount of coverage possible. Michelle stood in front of her, her expression intense, as she plastered on the makeup. When she’d finished, Ari’s eyelids felt double their natural weight. If she bumped into a panda, she couldn't fault it for thinking she was family.

  “You look like a slag, Ari,” Nevaeh said.

  “I know,” Ari replied, tugging at the bottom of her skirt. “That's why it'll probably work,” she sighed.

  “Is your mind made up on this?” Nevaeh looked worried. She knew Nate was the get-out-of-jail card they’d been waiting for.

  “Yep. It's got to be done.”

  “There has to be another way,” Nevaeh pleaded.

  “If Nate comes after us now, he'll be tired, which means the seether...”

  “Stop calling him that, his name is Dominic,” Michelle chimed in from the background.

  Ari ignored her and carried on.

  “...the seether will have the advantage. I won’t lead Nate into a fight he has a real chance of losing.”

  Nevaeh nodded sadly, leaning in closer, “Run to him, Ari. Run away with him.”

  “Shut your face, Nevaeh.” The seether lunged at them to stop the conversation.

  Ari rounded on the seether. “You know as well as I do, I won't leave her here to be hurt.”

  “You’re smarter than your friend then.” The seether seemed satisfied.

  “Love you,” Nevaeh said sadly.

  *****

  Together, Ari and the seether headed out of the hotel. Ari tried to suppress the feelings that radiated from the seether, but they didn't want to go. It took her a while to realize they were her own feelings of sadness and grief. She couldn't repress those so easily.

  Ari led the seether through the lobby and into the street. As if called, Nate’s presence moved nearer towards them.

  “He’s coming,” Ari said.

  “Time to play.” The seether smiled.

  They stood and waited. Ari wrapped her arm around the seether's waist and slipped her hand into the back pocket of his jeans. She leaned in closer, her head nearly touching his chest. She recalled the face of the boy in the cemetery, who had gone from despondent to angry in the blink of an eye, and tried to imitate his facial expression as best she could.

  Her grimace became even more realistic when the seether whispered, “If you get any more handsy, I might have to throw you up against this wall and screw you till you squeal. That would achieve the same result, and it would be so much more fun for me.”

  “Just shut it, alright? I'm pretty sure he would rip your head off for less than that.”

  Nate's face appeared, bobbing behind a couple walking hand in hand along the street. At the sight of him, Ari's heart skipped a beat. She desperately wanted to run and launch herself into his safe embrace.

  Nate was now only a few metres away from them. His face distorted by confusion.

  “What are you doing here, Nate?”

  Even Ari couldn't believe how scathing her voice sounded.

  “Ari, what's going on? What are you doing?” Nate's eyes slid between her face and the seether’s.

  “I'm just havin' a bit of fun. Thought I deserved it after so many years of being the good girl. You wouldn't believe how boring that can be.” The lies spilled like acid from her mouth.

  Seductively, she ran her hand down the seether's chest. The wheels in her head ground to a halt. She’d nearly called him the seether—not exactly a pet name. Damn it, what was his name? The only ones that sprang to mind were obscenities. Ari doubted Nate would believe she had fallen for his rival if she used any of them as an endearment. Luckily, the seether’s name flitted into her head.

  “Dominic has been showing me what it's like to have real fun.”

  The seether leaned his head towards hers and, before Ari guessed his intentions, he locked her into a kiss. She had to fight every impulse not to push away, or to bite down on the tongue that entered her mouth. Making it appear as if she was enjoying it was a step too far, there was only so much fake she could pull off. Thankfully, her face was covered. It was a huge relief when he finally released her. To add to her humiliation, the seether dragged his teeth over his bottom lip, as if soaking up every last lick of pleasure.

  She turned her attention back to Nate. It wasn’t necessary for her to seek his emotions, his broken heart was evident. His pained emerald green eyes held shock and disbelief.

  “No, this isn't you Ari,” Nate pleaded. He looked only at her. He didn't seem to be able to look away. His pain squeezed her heart. She couldn’t leave him like this.

  Dominic wrapped his hand around her waist and slid it up under the bottom of her tank top. His hand was on her flesh. Her skin crawled. He moved it further up, so the bottom of the top bunched to show even more skin. It was an intimate touch, his fingers gently tracing circles. Ari wanted to scream at him to stop, to get his filthy hands off.

  “You can't blame her really. Who would want to be that pitiful girl, trailing along behind you like a brainwashed slave? She intends to make the most of her short life. Don't you?”

  He squeezed her to him. She stared up at the seether, grinning mischievously. Her facial muscles hurt from the strain. She clenched her jaw, holding the appearance as best she could. “I don't want to be just a wallflower anymore. Dominic says I can do anything I want, with his help. I want to be a star, so everyone will look up at me. No, not a star. They’re too small. They just flicker a little and fade in the daylight. I want to be more.”

  She looked Nate directly into the sad green eyes she adored.

  “I want to set the sky on fire.”

  Had Nate recognised the line? Ari thought she caught a flash of comprehension in his eyes.

  “Very poetic, baby. Now, I think it’s time to go.”

  With his hand still on her midriff, the seether turned her around.

  “See ya, Nathaniel,” she called out, tossing a wave over her shoulder, but not looking back. She couldn't let the seether see any weakness in her story.

  twenty-three

  When Ari got back to the room, she lay down on the bed and sobbed. Nevaeh did her best to comfort her.

  “So he believed it, then?” Nevaeh asked.

  “Yeah, I'm pretty sure he did,” Ari said, noticing the black stains from her wet eyes on the pillow.

  “I wish you’d run off with him, Ari.”

  “I would never leave you here alone.”

  “You should have gone.” Nevaeh’s expression was pained.

  “You should have seen Nate’s face,” Ari said.

  “He must have been devastated,” Nevaeh replied.

  “Even when we left, he didn’t try to stop us. He just stood t
here, paralysed.”

  The seether slithered onto the opposite bed.

  “I probably missed telling you something,” he sneered, his arrogance on show. He swivelled around on the bed, throwing his feet over the side, so he was face to face with them.

  “You should be dead. He should have killed you for changing sides. You weren’t wrong when you said he has a soft spot for you. If there was even an inch of dislike, there is no way you would still be walking and talking.”

  “You're lying. He can't kill people. You’re just saying that to freak Ari out,” Nevaeh shouted, provoked by his words.

  “Don't be naïve. Of course he can kill. We both can. Only, it leaves us somewhat incapacitated for a short time afterwards, a bit like an emotional overload. Saying it’s extremely inconvenient might be a bit of an understatement. But if he'd killed Ari, we would have both gone down. Who do you think the public would have gone after? If he was still there when I woke—well, he wouldn’t be bothering me ever again. It really was a win-win situation for me. As it was, I didn’t get to finish him off personally, but I did get to see the exact moment his heart broke. It looked excruciating. It would have been kinder to use a blunt trowel to dig it out, throw it on the ground and then jump on it over and over again. I almost felt sorry for the prat. Almost.”

  “He's still here, though. I can feel him. He’s only about three blocks that way.” Ari pointed west. “And I would say one or two floors higher than us.”

  The seether stared at her, looking stunned. “You can find him that far away? Wow, your practice is really paying off if you can pinpoint him with that sort of precision. If only you were that good with your own lot.”

  She might have impressed the seether, but she knew she’d also revealed to him her proficiency. Ari hadn’t said it for his benefit. Nevaeh’s face had been ashen since they’d returned, and so she’d said it to reassure her.

  “It's good that he's still around.” The seether got off the bed and started to pace. “He's obviously very uncertain about what to do next. His pain may buy us a bit more time. I imagine he's wondering whether he should go and find some more Serrathan invaders. It must be quite the dilemma—I doubt any of the others will be quite as loved-up. They won't have the same problem with disposing of you. He’d be signing your death warrant,” he said matter-of-factly. “As I said, big choice for him. How about you let me know if you sense any more of them? I think that would be in both our best interests.”