Page 200 of A Fate in Flames

The night sky stretched above us, the distant stars twinkling gently.All the heat from the day vanished to make way for the night’s sharp chill.

I folded my legs beneath me, wincing at the soreness of my muscles, and lost myself in the fire’s hypnotic dance.The wood split and cracked, sending embers spiralling upward like tiny spirits seeking freedom.

I should have been thinking about Zaheera, or my mother, or of what came next.

Yet all I could see was him.

I examined the stone, the very thing that had turned my life upside down.I turned it over, holding it towards the flames.The black swirls within it shifted erratically.It was restless.

“Elira.”

Theo’s voice pulled me from my trance.

He had flopped down beside me, stretching out like a lazy cat.He lifted an arm in invitation.“Come on.”

I shook my head.No matter how exhausted I was, I feared that the moment I shut my eyes, I would see him.

“I’m fine.I’m not tired.”

He gave me a look, one that said he saw straight through the lie.

I held out for another heartbeat before giving in.

Slowly, I stretched out my legs, my bones cracking as I shifted into him.

He curled an arm around me, locking me against him.He kept his other arm outstretched for me to lay my head on.It was no pillow, but anything would be better than the hard ground.

Tavrik was already lost to sleep, his obnoxious snoring filling the silence.

With the stone pressed firmly against my chest, sleep claimed me.

I didn’t dream.

There was only darkness.

I woke to a dull ache radiating through my back, my body stiff from the unforgiving ground.I pushed myself onto my elbows, wincing.Everything hurt, but at least my sleep had been dreamless.

I inhaled deeply but regretted it instantly.The scent of roasting meat seeped through the air, thick and acrid, coating my tongue with the taste of charred flesh.

Tavrik was crouched over the fire, gripping a makeshift spit and turning over what one could only assume was a skinned rabbit.The meat searing and curling at the edges, splitting open to reveal grey muscle beneath.The sight alone was enough to nearly make me throw up.

Tavrik kept his face blank, though there was tension in his shoulders.

Theo loomed above him with his arms crossed tight over his chest, watching the rabbit like it had personally offended him.When the fat started bubbling and popping, his face went through about five different shades of green.

Tavrik tore off a chunk, charred bits clinging to his fingers, and thrust it toward Theo.

Theo jerked backward, his nose wrinkling.“Absolutely fucking not.”

Tavrik’s mouth curved into something that might’ve been a smirk as he pivoted toward me, the meat dangling from his fingers like a threat.

“Elira?”

I gave him a blank stare.“Not happening.”

With an exaggerated sigh, he lifted it to his own mouth, his jaw working overtime to breakdown the stringy texture.His expression remained carefully neutral.Too neutral.

Then his eyebrows shot up, his entire face brightening.