Firebird (The Elemental Wars Book 2)

by K. Gorman

  “What, don’t think I’m good in a firefight?” she said to his back, turning her tone up at the end.

  She’d meant the question to be light, but his laughter cut through the air with an edge that stiffened her back. He turned at the next intersection, all shadow and smiles, and tipped his wide-brimmed hat to her.

  “Of that, Meese, I have no doubt.” His tone had turned darker, richer, like he relished the thought. “You have a formidable reputation. I look forward to testing it one day.”

  And with that, he disappeared around a corner.

  She shivered. By some unspoken pact, both she and Robin stopped. The crutch wedged into her armpit, digging into her shoulder muscle, a straight-backed stick of support. Tiny pieces of broken glass glittered on the ground, almost like the frost had on the aboveground sidewalks. A deep stain wicked its way through the concrete by her feet, its cause long since gone.

  “He’s got a way about him, doesn’t he?” Robin said.

  “Yep.” She shifted her crutch, trying and failing to move it away from the growing bruise on her shoulder. The alley’s light hummed above them.

  Robin pulled out her phone and checked its screen.

  “Your mom call yet?” she asked.

  “No. Still too early.” Robin pocketed it. “Are we going to follow him?”

  Mieshka eyed the end of the alley. Shadow lined the spot Roger had vanished to, giving it an inhospitable, neglected look.

  “Yes.” She didn’t move.

  Concern crept across Robin’s face. She straightened and gave Mieshka a quick onceover. “Something wrong?”

  Mieshka stuck out her bottom lip. “I don’t really want to move anymore. Remind me again why I decided to come?”

  “Oh.” Robin’s face relaxed. Her arms crossed over her chest as she took a step back, glancing up the alley, arms crossing over her chest. “Fire Elemental. Robbery. Cute guy.”

  “Righ—wait, cute?”

  “I saw you looking,” Robin said.

  Mieshka’s jaw dropped. She sputtered, fumbling the crutch. “I—no. No. No, no, no. I wasn’t looking at him that way. No way.”

  “Looked pretty that way to me.”

  “He’s another Fire Elemental,” she protested. “Of course I was looking at him. He surprised me, that’s all. It’s not like that.”

  Robin shrugged. “Just sayin’. We going?”

  Mieshka readjusted her crutch and hobbled forward. Her face burned, a flush of heat in her skin that had nothing to do with her Element. When she reached the alley, she was glad to find Roger long gone.

  That had been a conversation she’d never live down with him.

  The second alley opened onto a street that, although wider, looked nearly identical in terms of neglect. It was barely big enough for two traffic lanes, the concrete so broken and fissured that the lane markings had dissolved into occasional chips of white and yellow. Buildings crowded the curb like prefabricated giants, differentiated only by their graffiti and the number of boarded-up windows that faced their front. The Underground’s rafters hung low overhead, cutting into her field of vision.

  A single industrial bulb burned far up the block, its scant light as insignificant as the aboveground sun through the winter clouds.

  One building stood out from the rest. Its face was made from granite, not brick, and it had a grand stone archway with a sweeping staircase that added a sense of grandeur to its outdated veneer. A bundle of wire snuck in through a side window, where the plywood had been knocked loose just enough to catch the light burning inside. Cigarette butts collected at the base of the stairs like bird droppings.

  Roger stood in front of it, head cocked up to that strip of light like a hound on blood.

  They made their way over, Mieshka’s crutch slipping over the broken road.

  “Here?” she asked.

  He nodded, his eyes dark. They had the same black shade as water from a deep pond.

  “I’ll look,” he said. “You stay.”

  Robin grinned. “What, don’t think us girls can help you?”

  Roger had started toward the building, but paused at Robin’s voice. He glanced back, smiled at Mieshka, and said one word. “Stairs.”

  He took the front steps three at a time, streaking up like a night bird. The door creaked briefly as he entered. They didn’t hear him on the inside.

  Beside her, Robin huffed. Her eyes wandered around the streets, taking in the derelict look of the buildings, the litter beside the street where someone had deposited a ripped-up newspaper, and the moldering takeout boxes tilted against the curb. She glanced again at the crack of light at the edge of the window. Then, she turned to the light up the street and the lights they could see in the distance behind it. “You think I could live down here? If my mom kicked me out?”

  Mieshka’s throat hardened. Was she regretting her decision?

  “Look, Robin, I’m sure your mom—”

  She didn’t get to finish. A new voice spoke out of the darkness, making them both jump.

  “Meese?”

  By the edge of the building, coming out of a dark alley that she hadn’t noticed before, stood the Fire Elemental.

  She stiffened. Beside her, Robin had shrugged her pack loose from her shoulders.

  “Are you Meese?” he asked.

  In the dim light, his eyes looked even darker than before. He wore a hood over his head that put a cover of shadow on his face. As he stepped closer, she saw where parts of his hoodie were falling apart, the loose threads catching the light like lost spider webs.

  She didn’t move.

  “Who are you?” she asked.

  “My name’s Ketan. You are Meese, aren’t you?”

  “My name’s Mieshka.”

  He stopped, and she had the unmistakable feeling that she was being sized up. She stiffened and held her back straighter, ignoring the pain in her abused muscles as she returned his stare in kind.

  After a moment, he spoke. “You dyed your hair.”

  Her shoulders dropped. Was everything going to be about that now?

  “You said that before.”

  “Everyone said you were a redhead.”

  “How’d you know it was me, then?”

  His eyes dropped to her crutch. “They said you were an injured redhead.”

  Behind her, Robin cut in. “Are you really a Fire Elemental?”

  Her friend had drawn level with her, eyes fierce. They faced Ketan together.

  His gaze darted from one to the other. He took a step back.

  “Yes.”

  “Prove it,” Robin said.

  Ketan gave her a flat look that Mieshka couldn’t quite decipher. Then, he held out his hand.

  Fire slipped onto the tips of his fingers as easily as a glove. The glow broke the shadows on his face, cast his skin in a warm, golden light, reflecting like twin flames in his eyes.

  They watched her.

  “Your turn.”

  She met his eyes for a long moment. Was this some sort of Elemental secret handshake?

  Her arm shook when she lifted it, though the pain from the wounds was dulled by the wonderful set of pills Dr. Deforet had prescribed her.

  Fire flared with a thought, warming the bandages that wrapped her knuckles.

  Her fire triggered something in Ketan’s expression that she couldn’t read. It was like his face froze, or broke—half of it went into poker mode, the other half looked up with an interest that even his mask couldn’t hide.

  “Can I talk to you?” His eyes darted to the door where Roger had disappeared. “Alone?”

  Fire danced between them, its heat comfortable and light. She felt strong. Independent. Whole.

  Warmth shifted inside her, as if the Phoenix had turned over in its sleep. It brushed the edges of her consciousness with feathers made of fire. She met his eyes, searching for darkness.

  But all she found was flame.

  “Sure,” she said. “Let’s go.”

  *
r />   “Yeah, let’s wander off into dark alleyways with strange men. There’s no way this could go wrong.”

  Sarcasm dripped from Robin’s every word. They’d followed Ketan into an alley, and Mieshka’s limping pace had slowed them down to a crawl. When he had wandered ahead, Robin had launched into the whispered tirade.

  “What? He seems nice,” she said.

  “Except for the part where he robbed a store with his friends, threatened us, and totally torched your crutch.”

  Okay, so Robin had a point. But Mieshka was curious about the new Elemental. Besides, he hadn’t seemed really part of that robbery. More of an accomplice. And she might have been responsible for the crutch herself. She didn’t exactly have the best control over her Element.

  She glanced down. The front piece of wood had a rippled charring pattern in its middle, as if someone had held it over an open spit so that only the tallest flames could get to it. She didn’t remember burning it… but then, she didn’t really remember setting Ryarne’s sky on fire with her Element three months ago.

  “Well, I have my phone,” she said. “It’s connected to the UnderNet now.”

  “That won’t help us when Fire Boy turns on us in some back alley and decides he wants to be the only Fire Elemental in the Core.” Robin sidestepped a wayward garbage bag, scrunching her nose up as she passed. They were behind a restaurant, by the smell of it. “Where are we going, anyway?”

  “He said he lived somewhere around here.” Mieshka poked her nose around another corner, searching for movement in the shadows.

  And found none. The alleyway was empty. And worse, she had no idea where they were.

  Robin was right. Trudging down dark alleys after a quasi-criminal Elemental was probably not one of her brighter ideas.

  “You still got that gun?” she asked.

  “Cocked and ready to kill,” Robin confirmed, stretching as she said the last. Then, she saw Mieshka’s wide eyes. “Figuratively speaking. Jesus, I’m not that stupid.” She took a closer look. “You still got a thing about guns?”

  She snorted. “Hardly. I’ve been shooting things with Jo all break.”

  They came to an intersection of alleys, and she stopped short, peering down both sides. Even without the rafters closing in on their heads, this place would have been a claustrophobic’s nightmare. Who the hell had built these places so close together? And what half-assed zoning office had let them? And why the hell were there so many garbage bags?

  It felt like a mine tunnel. For a dump.

  Mieshka took a tentative step forward, squinting into the dark as if it would help her see. Cool air breathed across her collarbone, and the smell of smoke touched her nose. It reminded her of another dark tunnel from just a few days ago.

  In the shadows, a rock skittered across the ground.

  Its sound echoed, clear in her head.

  Her blood froze. Memories of earth piled up in her head. Suddenly, the air tasted of dust. The ground felt less stable, less secure.

  She had to go, had to run, had to get out—

  She backed up and ran into someone.

  Ketan steadied her arm with a warm hand. The look on his face was passive, but his eyes were intense. They met hers, a question lifting his brows. He was close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from his body.

  “Whoa there. Step away from the Meese.” Robin moved into view behind his shoulder, her face a mix of amusement and incredulity. Her hands crossed over her chest. “At least, buy her a drink first.”

  Ketan backed away, hands rising in surrender. “Sorry. She just—walked into me.”

  A slow grin split Robin’s lips as she watched him.

  “Yeah, that sounds like her.” She prowled around to Mieshka’s side, offering a hand. In Mieshka’s rush to reverse course, the crutch had managed to pierce through the nearest garbage bag. Robin helped her pull it out, and then twisted her nose at the smell.

  “Ewwwww.”

  Mieshka gagged. The end of the crutch glistened in the light. Rotten liquid dripped down the bag.

  “Why is there so much garbage here, anyway?” Robin asked. “This shit is foul. Come on. Let’s go.” She fixed Ketan with an expectant look. “Where’s your lair, Lover Boy?”

  It was hard to see Ketan’s face in the shadows, but the pause was telling.

  “Are you sure you’re Meese?” he asked.

  She sighed. He wasn’t the first to think that. If she’d thought to present herself as some elegant, competent Elemental, she could abandon all hope of that right now.

  She could feel him readjusting his opinion of her.

  She yanked her crutch in front of her and hobbled forward, tilting her chin up to meet his stare. He wasn’t that much taller than her. It wasn’t hard. When she spoke, sarcasm dripped from every vowel. “No, I’m Ryarne’s other Fire Elemental. Expecting someone else?”

  Another stone dropped in the alleyway behind her, but she ignored it. Heat flushed her skin. In her mind, the Phoenix brushed the edges of her consciousness like warm coals.

  He didn’t back down. She’d give him that much. The air in the alley grew colder as her Element rose within her, filling her veins with fire. Energy itched under her skin. She held his gaze, watched his dark eyes watching her, openly curious. He didn’t try to hide it now.

  Finally, he moved.

  “Did you really set the sky on fire?”

  His tone was hesitant. As if he didn’t know what to expect.

  She stiffened.

  “I did,” she said, and steeled herself for the next question.

  Another pause.

  “What was it like?”

  Fire flashed into her mind, as bright as the night she’d set it. She had been a ticking bomb during the raid on Cyprios—unstable, flushed with fire from the Phoenix, struggling for control. She’d left a trail of charcoal handprints along painted concrete hallways. Water had hissed against her skin. She’d incinerated bullets, blasted through floors, and sent an entire enemy squadron to Ryarne’s main burn ward.

  The taste of copper flooded her mouth. Fire roared between her ears.

  Gradually, she became aware of Robin’s hand on her arm. Her friend didn’t speak, but her fingers squeezed her elbow softly, careful to avoid her injuries.

  Mieshka’s panic attacks may have lessened over the past few months, but Robin knew the signs.

  She worked to loosen her tongue. Her whole body felt numb, tense. She shook herself loose of Robin’s grip and looked Ketan straight in the eyes.

  “Exhausting.” Pain gritted her teeth together. She sucked in another breath for the next sentence. “Fucking exhausting.”

  Ketan stepped back—a little quicker than he should have. Had she freaked him out that much? What had the panic attack looked like?

  Whatever. If he didn’t like the answer, then he shouldn’t have asked the question.

  Mieshka moved on.

  But as she limped her way up the alley, she heard a patter of footsteps.

  “Meese,” Robin hissed, catching up to her. “Your eyes. They’re doing that glowing thing again.”

  And, below her feet, the ground gave a low rumble.

  Chapter 31

  The ground bucked, and twinges of pain shot up her legs as she balanced herself against the brick wall. She steadied herself, feeling the heat rise behind her eyes. Gold glinted off the brickwork, the light flickering like a candle threatened by a gust of air. It darted around as she moved, fragmenting hues of orange, red, and yellow like fractals in a crystal. And it made her dizzy.

  “What the fuck was that?”

  Unlike Mieshka, Robin had managed to keep her feet—barely. Her legs were splayed like an ungainly goat, her arms flung out for balance.

  She met Mieshka’s glance with wide eyes. “An earthquake?”

  They had earthquakes on the coast, where a fault line ran within fifteen kilometers of the shore, but she’d never heard of them here. Not this far inland.

 
Besides, it hadn’t felt like an earthquake. Earthquakes were… bigger. Lasted longer. This one was barely an earth-sneeze.

  And, considering there were now two Earth Mages in the underground city…

  Panic rooted her to the ground—a different panic from her earlier flashback. She looked up at Ketan, meeting his eyes. Did he know about the Earth Mage? Michael’s existence was hardly a secret, though his asshole-ish demeanor wasn’t as well-advertised. And Gobardon? News of Gobardon’s arrival had spread through the UnderNet like wildfire, but, given Ketan’s somewhat criminal bent, she guessed he might not have been connected with the right Underground news sources.

  When he spoke, the doubt in his voice confirmed her suspicions.

  “I didn’t think Ryarne’s got earthquakes.” He took a step toward her, and a fractal of firelight lit his shoulder. He was cautious, careful. “Do your eyes normally do that?”

  “I’m not sure ‘normal’ is quite the right word for it.” Robin edged closer. “This is, what, the second time? Third?”

  “Fourth,” Mieshka said. “Maybe fifth.”

  The alleyway was silent as Robin considered that.

  “Well, you’ve always been a little weird, Meese.”

  Robin’s voice had an apologetic air to it. She reached out to pat Mieshka’s shoulder lightly, but hesitantly—as if Mieshka might burn her, or explode.

  Looking down, she noticed that her friend stood farther away from her than normal. Robin’s blue eyes reflected Mieshka’s like pinpricks of candlelight.

  “Thanks,” she said flatly. “You’re a great friend.”

  “I’m the best,” Robin agreed, though she didn’t step any closer.

  Mieshka had only seen pictures of her eyes like this, but she could imagine they were somewhat alarming. Even Ketan, who should have been used to magic, seemed uneasy. He kept sneaking glances her way when he thought she wasn’t looking—something hard to do given there were only three people in the alleyway. But, like her, he seemed more preoccupied with the ground than he was with her eyes.

  “I ran into an Earth Elemental earlier,” he said. “Do you think…?”

  The ground shivered beneath them. She gripped the handle of her crutch tighter, the wood digging into the inside of her fingers