Page 9

The creature watched her, snapping its beak twice. A sharper wave of heat sent sweat rolling down Kel’s back. The bird stepped forward and lowered its head to the treats, scraping its talons far too close to Kel’s knees. It devoured one treat, two, still watching Kel.

Kel let out a breath of relief and mingled it with her whistle.

“Coup,” she said, low and gentle, “grab the collar.”

The creature tracked Coup as he crept to the right and, slowly, scooped up the ashen collar. Loudening her song, Kel drew its attention back. She cocked her head and paused, just a few yards away. Finally, she lifted her eyes to meet the phoenix’s depthless gaze.

The beast clicked its beak a few more times, as if to communicate. All Kel could do was blink through the hot sweat dripping down her forehead and keep whistling. Keep forcing herself not to look at Coup as he crawled toward her.

She felt his rough hand press against hers. Without looking, she fumbled for the collar and curled her damp fingers around the hot metal. As Coup shifted away, she stood.

The phoenix rustled its wings and a few blush-red feathers stood around its neck, signaling its unease. She only had one shot at this.

Kel moved closer. It was hard to resist lifting a hand to block the scalding heat. Her steps were slow, steady—until she heard the scuffling of dirt. A stampede of feet.

The shouts of an approaching mob.

The phoenix reared its head. It spread its great wings, and pale flames exploded into the air. Kel felt her arms singe as holes burned into her sleeves. The phoenix lifted one of its talons—directly over her head.

Kel launched to the side just as the phoenix sank its claws into the earth where she’d been crouched.

It threw its beak back, as if to strike.

But Kel couldn’t run—not now. Not as the creature’s feathers shuddered and the air began to quake.

The collar became a bar of molten soap between her sweaty fingers, blistering her skin.

Kel lurched forward, arms outstretched.

The phoenix’s feathers scalded her hands as she heaved the heavy band around its neck. Then, the collar’s magnets locked together, and three green lights blinked to life, once again active.

A scream tore through Kel’s throat. She struggled to pull her fingers from the metal, shock fighting her brain’s commands. Her hands shook as she managed to pry them free, her breath whiny and ragged as she tumbled back, away from the phoenix.

Cradling her scorched hands, Kel looked up at the phoenix. She’d hoped the creature might calm once it felt the familiar weight of a collar.

She was wrong.

The phoenix let out a monstrous cry. Then—faster than she could follow—the bird lashed its head toward her, beak outstretched like a blade—

Something hard knocked Kel to the ground, just as a searing pain dug into her arm.

Winded from the impact, Coup landed on top of her.

Both of their clothes were damp with sweat, his body pressed against hers.

He grimaced as the phoenix loosed another ear-piercing screech.

The phoenix had missed Kel’s chest but caught her right arm with a deep gash—far less lethal than it would have been if Coup hadn’t knocked them both to the ground.

Still, Kel winced as pain slashed across her bicep and blood streamed from the wound.

The phoenix flapped its colossal wings and the force sent Coup and Kel tumbling away, grasping each other.

The phoenix screamed again, but at least it could no longer destroy Cendor. It couldn’t fly more than a few meters without the collar’s inhibitor stiffening its wings.

Kel and Coup struggled to untangle their limbs. Her wounded arm and blistered hands ached from the fall. Black spots danced across her vision, trying to consume her, but the feel of hands around her arms helped her focus.

Suddenly Dira was at her side, helping her stand as Bekn helped Coup. Kel bit her tongue to hide a groan of pain as they scrambled toward the inn’s porch.

Now that the phoenix had its collar on, three brave souls—tamers she recognized from CAPR—were crouched low, approaching the phoenix.

The creature thrashed about, beating its wings and testing its limits. The air thickened and cooled, returning to a mundane, tepid evening. The phoenix nuzzled its beak against the sooty metal at its neck.

The three tamers managed to grab the phoenix’s brown leash, hanging limply from its harness. The creature settled low to the ground, as if soothed by the familiar tug.

“How the hell did you manage to get the collar back on that thing?” an onlooker asked.

Kel slid her arm out from Dira’s shoulders. “That thing was just confused,” she rasped. Her throat felt stripped raw and hot needles bit into her shaking arms. “It needed trust—not a crowd waving their arms around.”

The man coughed and stepped away as Coup approached her. His cheek was grazed, but his face glowed with his usual smile. He seemed oblivious to his torn shirt, splattered with Kel’s blood.

“Not a bad first stunt for the new Howlers,” he said breathlessly. His eyes flickered down to her bleeding arm, and his grin vanished. “ Ashes! You need a medic. How badly does it—”

“I’ll survive,” she muttered, clenching her teeth around searing waves of pain.

“I’ve got a salve at home to treat the burns.

” She winced as she tried to bend her blistered fingers.

The blisters would heal soon enough with her CAPR medic kit, fading into the other burns mapped across her hands.

But she’d have to make sure the slash up her arm didn’t get infected.

“How are you so calm? Not many people are stupid enough to dive between a phoenix and its prey.”

Coup frowned. “ Stupid seems like a harsh word for someone who saved your life.”

Before Kel could reply, the nearby glint of something silver drew her focus. Not just a glint—but flashes.

She looked back to The Ferret’s porch, expecting to see the scattered remains of the inn’s crowd.

Instead, all she saw was bursts of light and video cameras, recording everything.

Recording her.