agony. I made sure Warrick and Sephiel were able to hold him. Between their sets of muscles, I didn’t think the men would have a problem carrying Max out.
“Run!” I shouted at them.
Sephiel slung Max’s unburned arm over his shoulder and turned for the stairs. It wouldn’t be long before the flames reached the bottom and trapped us inside.
Which made my temper flare when Warrick refused to move.
He looked at me desperately, thinking I would come with him.
“I’m getting Dro,” I shouted over the clamor.
He hesitated until I gave him a look that said, Trust me. I can get us both out.
At least, that’s what I hoped my look said.
There wasn’t enough time for me to make sure Warrick took my expression seriously. Sephiel would make him move, and if it turned out that I couldn’t keep my promise... Well, at least there wouldn’t be a way for him to argue with me. Not unless he wanted to yell at a pile of dust.
The second I entered into the spare bedroom where the fire had begun, the temperature ratcheted up at least ten more degrees. It was so hot I could feel blisters starting to grow on my skin. My hair was clinging to the sweat on my face. The clothes and backpack weighed a thousand pounds. Every breath was a struggle, parching my throat and binding my lungs. Scorching light embedded into my retinas, forcing tears from my eyelids.
All three walls I could see were made of fire. It cased the room, growing inward and filling every space it could find. Tornadoes of smoke caught flakes of ash and spun them through the air. The floor was groaning and straining under the heat and pressure. I had to get Dro and leave the room before it collapsed.
She wasn’t hard to find.
Ten feet away from me was a silhouette of white flame. It burned like the sun, glowing so brightly I had to raise my hand to my eyes and squint through my fingertips. It was so bright I couldn’t even see her outline.
But I knew it was her. Just like I knew this wasn’t the way it usually happened. Dro usually had a nightmare and would be woken up from sleep.
This time she was standing, her screams mixing with the tumultuous blaze, as if they were mocking her.
Dro was causing the fire, and she was wide awake this time.
“Dro!” I screamed. It quickly turned into a ragged cough. “ Dro !”
I wasn’t getting through to her. There was no way she could hear me through this storm. She might not have even seen me. That left me with one choice.
I took a step forward. I screamed her name. She didn’t hear me.
So I took another step and screamed again. Then again. And again.
With every stride, I felt the inferno crowding toward me. Tortured wood groaned under my boots. I was gagging each breath. My eyes were blurred with forced tears. Every inch of my body seemed to gain five pounds when I moved.
I only stopped when I looked down and saw the fire snaking its way toward my boots. If I kept walking, I would go up in flames.
“ Andromeda !”
She was about four feet from me. She should have seen me, should have heard me. But the glowing whiteness stretched and pushed outward, growing like a supernova about to burst. The floor under me began to shiver.
“ Andromeda, plea– ”
The floor couldn’t take any more pressure. It collapsed, and took me with it.
It wasn’t a far fall, but I wasn’t prepared. I didn’t bend my knees fast enough, so when I landed, I landed in the worst possible way. My ankle twisted and exploded with a pain so blinding I screamed. My back hit the floor, while splinters of wood clattered beside my head, burning pieces singeing the ends of my hair. My ankle throbbed mercilessly, but I opened my eyes and looked up.
To see the rest of the debris falling fast toward me.
I rolled away, yelping at the sharp torment it put my ankle through. I shifted onto my side and looked around. I was in the
“Run!” I shouted at them.
Sephiel slung Max’s unburned arm over his shoulder and turned for the stairs. It wouldn’t be long before the flames reached the bottom and trapped us inside.
Which made my temper flare when Warrick refused to move.
He looked at me desperately, thinking I would come with him.
“I’m getting Dro,” I shouted over the clamor.
He hesitated until I gave him a look that said, Trust me. I can get us both out.
At least, that’s what I hoped my look said.
There wasn’t enough time for me to make sure Warrick took my expression seriously. Sephiel would make him move, and if it turned out that I couldn’t keep my promise... Well, at least there wouldn’t be a way for him to argue with me. Not unless he wanted to yell at a pile of dust.
The second I entered into the spare bedroom where the fire had begun, the temperature ratcheted up at least ten more degrees. It was so hot I could feel blisters starting to grow on my skin. My hair was clinging to the sweat on my face. The clothes and backpack weighed a thousand pounds. Every breath was a struggle, parching my throat and binding my lungs. Scorching light embedded into my retinas, forcing tears from my eyelids.
All three walls I could see were made of fire. It cased the room, growing inward and filling every space it could find. Tornadoes of smoke caught flakes of ash and spun them through the air. The floor was groaning and straining under the heat and pressure. I had to get Dro and leave the room before it collapsed.
She wasn’t hard to find.
Ten feet away from me was a silhouette of white flame. It burned like the sun, glowing so brightly I had to raise my hand to my eyes and squint through my fingertips. It was so bright I couldn’t even see her outline.
But I knew it was her. Just like I knew this wasn’t the way it usually happened. Dro usually had a nightmare and would be woken up from sleep.
This time she was standing, her screams mixing with the tumultuous blaze, as if they were mocking her.
Dro was causing the fire, and she was wide awake this time.
“Dro!” I screamed. It quickly turned into a ragged cough. “ Dro !”
I wasn’t getting through to her. There was no way she could hear me through this storm. She might not have even seen me. That left me with one choice.
I took a step forward. I screamed her name. She didn’t hear me.
So I took another step and screamed again. Then again. And again.
With every stride, I felt the inferno crowding toward me. Tortured wood groaned under my boots. I was gagging each breath. My eyes were blurred with forced tears. Every inch of my body seemed to gain five pounds when I moved.
I only stopped when I looked down and saw the fire snaking its way toward my boots. If I kept walking, I would go up in flames.
“ Andromeda !”
She was about four feet from me. She should have seen me, should have heard me. But the glowing whiteness stretched and pushed outward, growing like a supernova about to burst. The floor under me began to shiver.
“ Andromeda, plea– ”
The floor couldn’t take any more pressure. It collapsed, and took me with it.
It wasn’t a far fall, but I wasn’t prepared. I didn’t bend my knees fast enough, so when I landed, I landed in the worst possible way. My ankle twisted and exploded with a pain so blinding I screamed. My back hit the floor, while splinters of wood clattered beside my head, burning pieces singeing the ends of my hair. My ankle throbbed mercilessly, but I opened my eyes and looked up.
To see the rest of the debris falling fast toward me.
I rolled away, yelping at the sharp torment it put my ankle through. I shifted onto my side and looked around. I was in the
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