Chapter 45 Serena
SERENA
Iheave open the window and stick my head out into the warm night air. Thick smoke clouds float toward us from the lower floors. I can see the flames licking up the side of the building, hear the screams as people flee out onto the lawn and the street beyond, choking and gasping.
A pack of golden soldiers waits below, dragging people out by the hair, thrusting the wanted flyers in their faces.
“Call your dragon,” Eaton demands.
I am here, Furi answers.
No, Furi. Stay away. It’s dangerous.
Says the witch dawdling inside of a burning building.
“No,” I say forcefully. “They have arrows. Probably blood ore. I’m not risking her.”
You need me.
I need you alive, and after what happened in Vod, I’m not taking any chances. If you get injured here, we’re fucked.
This is not negotiable. I am your defender, she insists.
And I am your rider. Now scram.
She whines, pushing against my command but finally relents.
“Do you have a better idea?” Eaton presses.
“I do,” Kai says. “I can get us out. Just stay close behind me.”
Heat smacks into us as we spill into the hall. Kai forges a path, dousing the flames with his affinity just enough to make it down a flight of stairs. We cling to each other as he blasts down the door of a second-story bedroom and throws open the window.
“Coast is clear,” he says, peering down.
That’s when a deep roar rattles the burning building, followed by shouted orders and commands to open fire.
“Fuck!” I hiss. Zadyn’s eyes lock on mine as he registers what’s happening.
What are you doing?! I told you to leave!
It’s called a diversion, Blackblood. Trust the process.
God damn it, Furi.
Off you go.
“Go,” Zadyn urges our friends. “Hurry.”
One at a time, we climb out the window, making the leap onto the soft ground below and breaking for the field ahead.
I catch a flash of Furi’s wing sailing over the inn.
My heart lodges in my throat as she swerves, evading the arrows shooting through the sky in pursuit of her.
My friends have already scattered into the brush when a small voice rings out, freezing me in place.
“Daddy?”
A little girl wanders around the corner, covered in soot, tears soaking her face as she frantically scans the field. My stomach twists.
I rush to her, falling on my knees and gripping her by the shoulders—very aware that at any moment, the golden soldiers could appear and snatch me up.
“Where is your daddy?” I demand, brushing the flaky ash from her blonde head. “Can you show me?”
She lifts a trembling hand. I turn, following the trajectory of her finger.
“Serena—” Zadyn calls, one foot in the field, no doubt reading my mind.
“I’m sorry.”
Then without thinking, I sprint headlong into the burning building.
“Serena!” Zadyn’s voice chases me through the door as I plunge into the thick billows of smoke. The heat is stifling as I search the first and second floors and come up empty. I dart up the stairs, carefully dodging the flames, checking every room.
“Hello?” I call out.
Damn it. He’s not here.
As I reach the steps again, the inn is transformed into the stuff of nightmares. Everything is black except for the deviant flames devouring everything in their path with an insatiable hunger.
I hear Zadyn shout for me again. As I open my mouth to respond, the floor beneath me gives out, and I fall.
I groan as my back takes the brunt of it. Rolling off the piles of splintered wood, I bury my nose and mouth in my arm to keep from inhaling the smoke. A flash of movement catches my eye in the corner of the room.
Someone tries to stand and collapses.
Scrambling forward, I’m seized by a sharp pain in my shoulder. I look down at my arm dangling awkwardly at my side. I try to lift it and let out a loud cry.
“Fuck.”
It has to be dislocated.
Gritting my teeth, I haul the half-conscious male to his feet and sling his arm around my good shoulder. It takes three kicks for me to get the door open and peer out. The fire in the hall is low but manageable as we miraculously make it to the bottom floor.
Which is entirely engulfed in flames.
“Zadyn!” I shout, glancing around.
I burst into a coughing fit as my eyes sting and tear, turning my vision blurry. Everything is disorienting, covered in thick smog and rippling fire. Around us is a labyrinth of fallen beams and burning furniture.
We don’t have much time. But this girl isn’t losing her father. Not tonight.
A loud crack sounds, and I jump back in time to dodge the falling beam. It hits the ground with a roar, scarcely missing us, blocking the only path in sight.
I can’t see anything. I don’t even know what fucking room I’m in. I can’t see the exits, can’t see the windows, I can barely see my own feet.
Keep it on you at all times, and you will never be lost. It will always guide you home.
Kylian’s words echo in my mind as I reach for the locket.
Worth a shot.
I rip it open, allowing the star to burst from its cage.
Its glow puts the fire to shame. It takes all my effort to haul the male through the ash and debris to follow that brilliant little beam toward the most beautiful door I’ve ever seen.
Sweet relief tumbles through me as I push forward through the blistering heat.
Just a few more steps. I can almost feel the reprieve of fresh air.
That relief is replaced by a sinking feeling when the door flies off the hinges, blasting us backward, and Mal steps through the threshold.