Page 10 of A Fate in Flames

I shot him a glare, hot enough to burn metal, but he only grinned wider and stuck his tongue out.

“Traitor,” I hissed.

“Payback,” he whispered, giving me a gentle shove toward the Seer.

Reluctantly, I lowered myself onto the rug, the woven fibres rough against my bare ankles as I extended my hand, palm upward, revealing the lines etched into my skin.The moment her fingers closed around mine, her entire body stiffened, nails digging into my skin.

She sucked in a broken breath, her brows dipping so far down that her face transformed.Her eyes darted beneath her closed lids, her lips moving rapidly though no sound escaped them.

Then just as suddenly, she released me, flinging my hand away like it had burned her.

I yanked back, clutching it to my hammering chest.Tiny crescent marks on my palm welled with small droplets of blood.

The Seer stared at me as though she could see beyond flesh and bone, to something hidden beneath.Her eyes were wide and unfocused, lips trembling as they struggled to form words.

“I… I cannot say,” she whispered, almost to herself.

A chill of unease settled over me.The marketplace around us seemed to fall away, sounds muffled, as if my ears had been stuffed with wool.

She shook her head violently, the motion setting her beads and amulets clattering against each other.

“Bargains will be called in,” she muttered.“Nothing is as it seems.I cannot say more.”

What in the hell does that even mean?

Her gaze lingered on me, heavy with meaning I couldn’t decipher, but felt in the pit of my stomach.“Well.That’s enough ofthat.”I pushed myself up, legs unsteady as I stumbled to my feet and wiped dust from my trousers.

“Wait!”

Her voice stopped me cold.

Her expression was grave, the inked eye on her forehead seeming to pulse in the flickering firelight.

“A warning, girl.”

I exhaled sharply, the air hissing between my teeth.

Oh great.

“If you allow the fire to touch you—” her voice lowered, like a whisper of smoke curling from dying embers.“Prepare to burn.”

I bolted, my feet moving faster than my mind could command them.Theo matched my stride, his longer legs easily keeping pace.

“That was…fucking weird,” he said, breathing heavily as we rounded a corner into a more populated section.

I forced out a dry laugh that sounded fake even to my own ears.

“She’s probably just hoping I’d hand over more coppers to hear the rest of my so-called fortune.”The words tumbled out quickly, though I didn’t quite believe them.

Neither did Theo.I saw it in the way his mouth pressed into a thin line, his usual light-heartedness dimmed.

We didn’t talk about it further.And just in time.

“There you are!”

My mothers voice sliced through my thoughts like a knife.She appeared between the crowd, pushing past a group of haggling women.Her arms were filled with bundles of herbs, rolls of fabric, and small clay jars sealed with wax.

Theo rushed forward, effortlessly taking the heavy satchels from her arms before she could argue.The leather straps creaked as he adjusted their weight, slinging them over his shoulder.