by Erin Johnson
"Ar-i-o! Ar-i-o!" people cheered, pumping their fists in the air.
"These people should be getting to safety," Shaday grumbled to Hank.
He nodded his agreement. But apparently the spectacle of the epic battle was too alluring to pass up. Half the city seemed to be watching with us.
And then the dust settled somewhat and revealed a frightening scene. Ario lay supine in the dust, shielding his face with his thick forearms. The monster stood nearly atop him. Its black-plated tail thrashed and it screamed a torrent of fire square at Ario's chest, over and over again. The armor did its job, as Ario appeared unhurt, but the cheering crowd gradually quieted. Why wasn't he getting back up and fighting? The monster kept him pinned down with the constant stream of fire, and then snapped at him with its massive, pointed jaws.
I gasped as Ario fended it off with his spear. The monster hissed, thrashed its tail once more, then turned away from Ario and faced the city.
"Get up," Hank muttered under his breath. "Get up."
But Ario just lay there. He tried to roll right, but couldn't get over. Then he tried left. I pressed a hand to my mouth. "He's stuck. The armor's too heavy, he's like a turtle on its back."
A wheezing noise came from the lantern and I lifted it to find Iggy laughing so hard, barely any noise came out. I dropped him back down to hang at my hip and huffed. I turned to Hank. "What do we do now?"
The citizens of Calloon who'd poured from the city to watch now tripped over themselves and each other to get back inside the city walls. Those next to us on the wall cried out in panic. The monster ignored Ario's shouts of challenge, issued while still lying flat on his back, and tore toward the city. Shaday dug around in Elke's bag and yanked the net-like gloves over her hands and arms.
"Shaday, what are you doing?" Hank's shoulders hiked with stress.
Her nostrils flared. "I'm defending my city."
"We're helping," I piped up from Hank's side.
She nodded. "Fine. Get these other people out of here and to safety."
"What about you?" I asked.
Elke shoved on some fire-resistant gloves and grabbed a shimmering, silky veil from the bag, then handed another one to Shaday. "We're going to give my inventions the ultimate test." She grinned and Shaday gave her a hurried peck on the cheek as they suited up.
Shaday's mother rushed up and grabbed her arm. "What are you doing? Now's no time for dance—we have an airship ready, we're leaving now."
Shaday embraced her mother, then pulled back. "No, Mama. I'm defending my city."
"Why?" She gasped, looking her and Elke over like they were insane. "You'll be killed."
Shaday lifted her beautiful chin. "I'm stronger than you know." She grabbed Elke's hand and pulled her to the nearest stairway, the royal guards helping to create a path for the two down through the shuffling crowds that were rushing to escape.
"Shaday!" her mother screamed at her back.
Hank and I exchanged looks. His blue eyes blazed.
"We can help them." I gulped. "As swallows, we can create bubbles of safety. I don't know for how long or if they'll stand up to the monster's fire blasts, but we can try."
Hank gazed about at the churning mass of people swarming in panic around and below us. "Help the people, or Shaday and Elke?"
I shook my head. "I don't think we're strong enough to protect all of Calloon. But if we protect Shaday and Elke, they might be able to drive it back and save everyone." The wall shuddered and I screamed and fell against Hank. He stumbled back but caught me and kept us upright.
"The monster's through!" a man screamed.
"Son." Hank's father rushed up, his mother and the rest of Hank's brothers and their wives standing behind him, surrounded by tens of guards. Francis hovered beside him. "Come. Our airship is ready for takeoff. We're leaving."
Hank's blue eyes widened. "We can't just leave the Fire Kingdom to deal with this alone."
The king's eyes narrowed. "She's not your wife. And she'll likely not even be a princess when this is all over—if she even survives. You owe her nothing."
My jaw dropped. How could he be so cold and calculating?
Hank lifted his chin. "She's not my wife, but she is my friend. And regardless, these are people in need. There's not enough airships for everyone. And what about the hospitals? I'm not leaving them."
Hank's mother sobbed but his father sneered, his eyes full of contempt. "Do as you will."
He spun and the whole family swept away, none of his brothers even bothering to say goodbye. His mother called out and waved and sobbed, but all of her noise and words didn't amount to much. None of them stayed behind to help, except for Francis. But Hank's father turned, glared at our vampire friend, and jerked his head. Francis's face darkened, and I froze. I'd never found him frightening before that moment.
"I have to obey. Good luck." Francis turned and followed behind Hank's family.
Hank blinked and looked away, his eyes glassy. His throat bobbed.
I threw my arms around him. "You're a brave, good man. You deserve a better family."
He hugged me back and kissed the top of my head. "I love you." He jerked and jumped back.
"What?"
"The lantern was getting a bit hot against my backside."
I grimaced. "Sorry. Kinda forgot I was still holding Iggy."
My flame sighed. "Story of my life. And not a side of Hank I'd like to see again, thank you."
I grinned. "Aw, but it’s one of his best."
Hank blushed.
"Giant fire monster destroying the city," Iggy reminded us.
I jumped. "Right."
Hank grabbed my hand and we rushed down the stairs, the going painfully slow as we crowded in behind sobbing, screaming, panicked citizens. Finally we reached ground level and found it even worse down below. The monster had breached the wall, but not very far. Buildings all around us burned, and the alarm horns blew from all over the city rooftops. I lurched as someone ran hard into me and didn't even stop.
"Ow."
Hank hugged me close to him, then dragged me to the side as the monster's tail swiped by. We barely dodged it as it screamed, black smoke billowing from the length of its body. Hank pulled me down a side street and a few citizens scrambled past us. I coughed, nearly choking on the sulfurous fumes. Shaday and Elke came into view at the end of the narrow street. They whirled their magical veils in front of them, deflecting a blast of fire, and staggered backward under the force and out of sight. I pressed a hand to my mouth in awe and fear for them. Next came the lizard. Its head came into view between the buildings, its pointed mouth opened wide and spewing fire indiscriminately. Windows shattered and the businesses at the end of the street caught fire. It slithered and wriggled deeper into the city, its blackened body sliding past us. It had to be thirty feet long. Hank and I nodded at each other and then dashed to our right, heading to the next street over in hopes of catching up with Shaday and Elke to help however we could. We rounded the corner of the next street over and sprinted down it, past crates and barrels.
Shaday and Elke came into view, working furiously to drive the monster back. It shot a stream of fire out its mouth and Shaday spun her veil, deflecting it. Then she raised an arm and pulled water from a nearby steaming barrel. The water floated midair in a clear, shifting glob before she hurled it into the monster's red-orange eyes. It hissed and screamed and scrambled back. Nice one! We'd nearly reached them when a stream of fire caught Elke unprepared and knocked her to the ground. Her blonde waves splayed all around her head and her fire-resistant veil flew out of her hands.
"Elke!" Shaday whirled around.
The creature took a gasping breath and just as it let loose a deluge of fire, Shaday jumped in front of Elke and held her veil up as a shield. Only instead of knocking the fire aside, the veil took a direct and sustained hit. As Hank and I ran on, our feet scuffing along the dusty mud bricks of the road, the veil smoked and caught fire. I shot my palms out, felt for the
energy of the fire monster and pulled from it. But just as I felt full of energy and ready to send magic to Shaday's veil to strengthen it, it disintegrated to ash. I cried out as the fire stream burned directly against Shaday's outstretched palms. She screamed and writhed. With a grunt, I sent a magic bubble out to protect her, imagining the one I'd created atop the volcano. Magic shimmered around her, visible only because the flames the monster spat curved around it, keeping Shaday and Elke safe inside. Sweat beaded on my forehead as I struggled to keep the bubble strong, and then Hank joined me and funneled magic to it, lightening my load.
Shaday collapsed beside Elke and held her wrists against her chest. Her face contorted in pain, and even through the curtain of flames that poured around the bubble of protection, I could see the tears trickling from her eyes. But then Elke stirred, shook her head, and propped up on her elbow. She looked around with wild eyes, taking in everything, and gingerly held Shaday's burned hands in her own.
"She's healing her," Hank ground out, a vein popping out in his neck as he concentrated his magic. "She'll be okay. We have to keep this up as long as we can."
I gritted my teeth and nodded.
"Come on, Imogen." Iggy's lantern swung from one hand. "You can do this!"
Elke scrambled to her feet and helped Shaday up by tugging under her arms. We all skittered backward as Tar charged. His tail swung left and right, knocking holes in buildings and toppling vendors' carts. He screamed and I winced, not sure I'd ever be able to hear again. Though long-term hearing loss was the least of my problems. Elke and Shaday used the multiplier spell to create doppelgangers of themselves. Their little army twirled and dove and confused the monster, so that he fired at their mirages.
All five Shadays called back over their shoulders. "We need to put out his fire." She spun at the last moment and rolled to the side of a fiery blast. Tar roared like a jet engine.
"We need water." Hank's face had turned beet red from the heat and the effort. He gritted his teeth.
"The fountain!" Elke and her doubles took a flying leap. She landed and rolled to the side of one of Tar's swiping claws. "In the main square."
Working together, Hank funneled magic into the protective bubble while I shifted my effort to fueling Elke and Shaday so they could continue to use the multiplier spell. We moved backward, luring Tar after us. As we neared the main square, screams and shouts came from more and more citizens. Apparently, lots of people had gathered here and now they scattered as the monster broke free of the streets. His claws punctured the mud-bricked ground and the citizens of Calloon scattered in all directions.
"It's the princess," a woman behind me shouted. I edged backward, sweat pouring from my brow. I blinked to clear my vision. The sun had begun to set and the orange glow of the late afternoon bouncing off the buildings only added to feeling that the entire city was burning.
Shaday took a heaving breath. "Citizens! Come together." She and her doubles twirled right. The monster obliterated one of her illusions with his flames. "Douse it with water!" She screamed to be heard over the monster's cries.
A woman on the edge of my vision lifted her arms and hurled an undulating glob of liquid forward. But instead of hitting the monster, it hit Shaday. She jerked, but then grinned. She gleamed with oil. I gasped—it was the protective oil she'd described the women using for their fire dances. The woman had helped her. Another woman and another stepped forward and threw more of the oil on Elke and Shaday from a distance. Little by little, more help arrived, and soon it seemed as though water and oil flew from all sides of the square.
The monster jerked and writhed as steam rose up from its body. It turned blacker and blacker as the glowing orange cracks between its charred scales shrunk.
My chest heaved with exhaustion. I glanced at Hank. "It's working."
He panted and flashed a quick grin. Then we both turned back and concentrated on protecting Shaday and Elke. I pulled my magical energy from the monster itself, hoping to weaken him by doing so. It took nearly half an hour of combined, concentrated effort, but bit by bit the monster shrunk down and cooled until he shriveled to only the size of a large iguana. He still snapped his jaws and swung his tail, but his blasts of fire diminished to the point that Elke rushed forward, threw her surviving veil over him, and smothered his fire.
Shaday marched forward. She held her arms out to a royal guard who stood nearby, and he tossed her his spear. She caught it but winced and dropped it. It clanked to the ground. Her hands must've been burned pretty badly when she shielded Elke from that blast. Instead she held her hands out, ready to cast a spell and destroy the creature.
But just before she did, someone cried out. "Ssstop."
I whirled to see Sam running across the square from the palace, with Maple, Wiley, and the other bakers on his heels. My chest heaved as I swayed on my feet. My friends were okay.
Shaday hesitated.
"It'sss not hisss fault." Sam ran closer, his arms swinging loosely at his sides. "He'sss jussst a creature. Ssssomeone ssset him on the cccity, but he wasss being usssed. Don't kill him." Sam blinked his big blue eyes.
Shaday's brows drew together.
A man nearby scoffed. "He's killed and wreaked havoc on the city. Kill it, before it rises up and destroys all of us."
Shouts of agreement rose up from the crowd that slowly moved in around us. Faces appeared in windows around the square and people wandered out of their hiding places. Shaday licked her lips and glanced around. A nasty pink burn streaked across her cheek and she seemed unable to open one eye.
My mouth dropped. "Shaday, you need medical attention."
Elke threw an arm around the princess as she debated.
Sam clasped his hands together. "Pleassse."
Shaday panted and her shoulders slumped. She dropped her arms to her sides. "Contain it. Douse it with more water to bring it even smaller. We'll sort out what to do with it later."
"Thhhank you," Sam gasped.
Huh. Go Sam, standing up for what he believed in. But having just battled the creature, to be honest, I wasn't feeling as charitable as Shaday toward it.
Murmurs sounded from the crowd. Shaday staggered and Elke steadied her. "Just because we don't understand something doesn't mean we should destroy it. What Sam said is true. The monster was just a tool—we must seek justice with whoever wielded him on us." Her head rolled to her chest and Elke cried out as Shaday collapsed. Guards and citizens rushed forward to catch her. A small crowd rushed her across the square to the palace infirmary.
20
A New Kind of King
One of the Fire King's councilors raised his arms and again called for quiet. No one paid him any attention. The main hall of the riad churned with activity, packed to the brim with visiting royalty in town for the wedding, rulers of the other Fire Kingdom tribes, and regular citizens of Calloon. The tables and chairs for the wedding reception had been cleared out or stacked against the walls. The rest of the city packed into the main square, waiting to hear what came of this emergency meeting.
It had only been an hour since we'd stood just outside the palace and battled a giant fire monster. My stomach twisted when I thought of Shaday. She, her mother, and Elke still weren't back from the infirmary, and we'd heard nothing. I clasped my hands tightly in my lap and hoped Shaday would be all right. I'd seen a glimpse of her hands and forearms. The skin had stretched tight and pink and gnarled over her charred fingers—burned when she'd shielded Elke from that direct blast of fire that would surely have killed her.
Hank sat beside me in his own chair, both of us too exhausted to stand, with Iggy in a lantern at my feet. Hank slid his warm hand around mine and gave my fingers a squeeze. His mother, father, and eldest brother, Michael, and his wife milled about on the raised platform where we sat at one end of the main hall. They spoke with Shaday's father and brothers and a variety of councilors and heads of tribes. Francis hovered nearby.
I leaned forward. "We're out of our league," I muttered
to Iggy as I glanced around at all the glittering jewels and crowned heads around us.
Iggy scoffed. "Speak for yourself."
Maple and the rest of the bakers, along with Rhonda, stood toward the back of the room. I'd only gotten VIP stage seating because of my connection to Hank… and also possibly because I'd helped defeat the monster.
Again, one of the councilors looked out over the tightly-packed crowd of bodies and called for order, shouting to be heard over the deafening cacophony of voices. He turned and gave an annoyed shake of his head. Amelia strode forward and motioned to a nearby guard, who handed her the curved ram's horn at his belt. I recognized it as one of the ones used to call out the alarm from the rooftops. Hank and I exchanged wide-eyed glances and then pulled our hands apart to plug our ears. Amelia put the horn to her lips and blew. The deep, reverberating sound vibrated in my chest and shocked the crowd. They jumped and put their hands over their ears, turning wide-eyed toward Amelia and the rest of us behind her. Amelia dropped the horn to her side and huffed.
"The meeting will now begin. We require your full attention and"—she raised a finger—"your silence until it is your turn to speak."
Voices immediately called out a variety of questions.
"We want answers!"
"My house burned, who will pay for it?"
"Is the monster going to return?"
Amelia opened her eyes wide in warning and brought the horn back to her lips. The crowd quieted. She sniffed and hugged the horn to her. "I'm going to hold on to this." She swept an arm out. "King Benam, the floor is yours." Amelia stepped back as Shaday's father stepped forward, his back to Hank and me, and faced his people.
"I know you have many questions and I shall strive to answer them as best I can." His shoulders slumped.