Chapter 19 Flame and Fury
“LARA!” A HAND fastened around her right arm. Bree. “Stop!”
“I can’t!”
Swaying on her feet, Lara looked up at the sky. The Slew had departed, yet fire still flowed from her outstretched hand. She couldn’t sever the connection. The elation drained from her then, cold fear replacing it.
The fire held her in its thrall.
“Let it go.” Alar’s voice reached her then.
A sob ripped from her throat, even as sweat trickled down her face. Her skin felt as if it were smoking.
Alar moved close. Fingers fastened around her extended wrist, holding it firmly, while his other hand slid over the back of her hand. Panic thudded against her breastbone as his fingers started to press hers into a fist. What was he doing? He risked incinerating himself. “No!” she gasped. “Don’t.”
“Fight it, Lara,” he commanded. “You’re stronger than the flames.”
“Go inward. Find the stillness.” Ruari was there too, his voice raspy yet strong. Soothing. “You know the place. The peaceful loch where nothing can touch you.”
Lara swallowed, her throat painfully tight. And all the while, Alar’s fingers continued to push against hers. But still, she resisted him.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she struggled against the roaring in her ears, pressing through it to find her quiet center of power.
“Are you there?” Ruari asked.
“Aye.”
“Walk into it … let the cold water put out the fire.”
Lara obeyed, even as the fire magic rebelled with every step. Her skin hissed as water lapped around her ankles. She waded in, up to her knees now. The water began to steam.
Throwing her head back, she screamed. And then, she dove under. The chill hit her like a fist, and the fire’s roar nearly deafened her. An instant later, it went out.
Alar’s fingers closed over hers, successfully bringing her left hand back into a fist.
A deep silence settled.
Lara opened her eyes.
The fire pit smoldered nearby. The sky was clear. Around her, strained faces smeared with ash and soot stared back at her. Disappointment soured Lara’s mouth. The Slew had nearly bested them, and not just because her fire magic had almost failed her.
“You didn’t work together,” she rasped, her throat raw. Even now, the Shee and Marav stood apart as if an invisible fence divided them. “At this rate, we’ll never reach The Shattered Crown … let alone carry out our task.”
Discomfort rippled across their faces. Aye, they knew.
Something sharp and cold settled in the pit of her belly then.
She’d never lost control like that before.
When she’d tried to find that calm, still loch, her mind had refused to cooperate.
She wasn’t just losing time or blanking during conversations.
No, it was worse than that. She was slowly unraveling and powerless to stop it.
Lara’s gaze met Alar’s. The ends of his hair smoked, and an angry burn marked his left shoulder, but he paid none of that any mind. Instead, he gently released her hand. A half-smile tugged at his lips, and when he spoke, his voice was rough with relief. “You did it.”
“I did,” she whispered.
The world started to spin then. Suddenly, she couldn’t hear or see. Darkness rushed in, her knees gave way, and she toppled forward into the abyss.
Stepping forward, Alar caught Lara in his arms. Her head fell back, her lips parting. Alarm punched into him, and he ground out a curse. Twisting, he carried her to the fireside and laid her down. Reaching out, he felt for her pulse upon her neck. Sweat slicked her hot skin.
Her heartbeat fluttered against his fingers then, and he let out a shuddering sigh before sitting back on his heels.
The others had gathered close. They were all watching him. “She’s alive,” he assured them.
“She needs water.” Bree retrieved a waterskin and moved close, kneeling next to them. Lifting Lara’s head, she carefully let water trickle into her mouth. The High Queen swallowed before a moan escaped her.
Alar studied her flushed cheeks and flickering eyelids. That had been too close. The fire had almost consumed her. He’d sensed its power as he held onto her wrist and hand. Her skin had scalded his, yet he hadn’t let go. His palms were blistered in the aftermath. The skin now stung and throbbed.
He lifted his gaze then, taking in his companions’ faces. “She’s right,” he said curtly. He wasn’t blind; he’d marked how neither Shee nor Marav had moved to help each other. Or him. “We should have united tonight … but we didn’t.”
They’d fought together against the Circines, forming a circle in that glade. But that fight had been different. They’d clashed with men and women. Flesh and blood. “That’s the second time Lara has saved all our sorry hides,” he added.
No one answered, and the anger smoldering under his breastbone flared hot. “Do you disgust each other so much?”
Faces grew taut at this challenge. Cailean and Roth exchanged looks.
The druids averted their gazes, while Eithne and Duana clung together, faces ashen.
Only Bree met Alar’s gaze. She alone knew what it was to be torn between two worlds, and yet she hadn’t cooperated with their allies either. Meanwhile, the Shee bristled.
“It wasn’t deliberate,” Vyr said stiffly. “It’s just … instinctual … to protect our own.”
Tension rippled around the fireside. Meanwhile, Lara groaned.
“If I had my way, Shee and Marav alike would burn,” Alar said finally, even as ire pulsed in his chest. “You’re not worth saving.” Ashes. He missed the wulvers. Right now, he wanted to turn his back on these people. When the darkness came, let it take them.
“I share your anger, Alar.” His gaze cut to Mor, surprise rippling through him.
Even sweaty, singed, and coated in ash and soot, she stood proud.
Her face was all sharp angles, and her black eyes burned.
She hadn’t yet sheathed her sword. Firelight glinted off its thin folded steel blade.
“That was a near disaster,” she said as she surveyed her Ravens.
They bowed their heads under her wrath. “If we don’t start working together, we’ll not last the distance. ”
When Lara’s eyes flickered open, the first thing she saw was Alar.
Groaning, she shut her eyes once more.
“Lara?”
She made a sound in the back of her throat.
“Are you thirsty?”
She swallowed. Her throat was parched. Her mouth was sticky with a bitter taste. “Aye,” she whispered.
“Here.”
She opened her eyes to see him unstopper a waterskin.
He then lifted her head, cradling the back of it with one hand, while he raised the skin to her lips.
It was an intimate gesture, and had she not felt as weak as a newborn foal, she’d have pushed him away.
However, she had more important things to focus on right now.
Lara gulped thirstily; the stale water tasted like summer ale.
“How are you feeling?” Bree’s face appeared then. Her friend’s brow was deeply furrowed.
“Weak,” she replied. “What happened?”
“You fainted after you severed the connection with fire,” Alar said, drawing her attention once more.
Lara wet her parched lips with her tongue. She was warm. That was to be expected though. She always came down with a fever and chills after wielding fire against the Slew. It took a lot out of her.
Her pulse stuttered then. Too much.
Fear slithered through her gut—a familiar sensation these days.
She was tough, had proved her mettle over the past years, but she couldn’t fight whatever it was that now ailed her.
She hated feeling so vulnerable. It was the last thing she needed, especially when the days ahead required her strength. She couldn’t let everyone down.
“Do you remember the attack?” Cailean asked. He too had knelt, next to Bree. They both had burns on their faces, minor compared to the one on Alar’s shoulder. Her gut clenched. That was her doing. She’d nearly immolated them all.
Lara nodded, even as her pulse started to thud in her ears. “I lost control … I’m sorry.”
Cailean huffed. “Don’t apologize. We’re all here because of you.”
“We are.” Mor’s voice intruded then, and Lara glanced right to find the Raven Queen seated, cross-legged, a few feet away. Eagal had returned to her shoulder. “Thank you.”
Lara held her gaze for a moment. “Did we lose anyone?”
“Not this time,” Mor replied, reminding her that one of her Ravens had fallen during the Circines attack. “Although some of us got scorched worse than others.” She glanced over at Alar. “That shoulder needs seeing to.”
“I can help.” Ruari approached then, mixing something with a small wooden pestle and mortar. “Our healer, Eldra, gave me this and some of her herbs for the journey. Boar weed soothes scalds and burns.”
The seer knelt next to Alar then before gently smearing the green paste over the blistered burn on his shoulder. He then turned his hands over and dressed his raw palms too.
Alar’s jaw flexed, and he hissed through his teeth. Ruari cast him a rueful look as he continued to work. “You can thank me later.”