Peta (An Elemental Series Novella, 3.5) by Shannon Mayer Page A

feeling the reason we were not leaving had something to do with it.
    It didn’t take long for me to see the firestorm I’d been sensing was upon us. The lava flow began to spill out of its confines eating up all those in its path—even the Salamanders.
    We had to get out of the Pit; there was no other choice.
    Brand gestured to the ladder that would lead us out of the living quarters. “You three get up there. Peta, you can lead them to the Traveling room.”
    I leapt up several rungs of the ladder before looking back at Lark and Ash. “Hurry.”
    Unable to hear what Lark said to Brand over the roaring of the lava lighting up everything in its path, I was not surprised to see that he followed up the ladder. Smart man.
    Brand led us toward the Traveling room, stopping at the stairwell that led down to it. We peered past him to stare at the bubbling lava that curled up the steps toward us. That made the decision easy. No going home that way.
    He didn’t pause though. “The queen has a backup pair of armbands in her chambers. She’ll let you use those. I don’t know where they will take you though.”
    “Unless she’s using them to get her people out of here,” I said, padding ahead of them at a steady trot. There was no point getting fussed at this juncture. We only had to get to the exit and we would be out of the mountain and away from the lava. Easy as far as I was concerned.
    Not so easy with Lark.
    We found Fiametta in the healer’s rooms and we offered to help move the Salamanders out to the main entrance to do exactly what I thought should have been done in the first place.
    From the corner of my eye, I saw the queen’s familiar, Jag, hanging back. “You told her to do this, didn’t you?” I asked.
    He nodded. “Yes, but she wouldn’t listen. Hours ago, I told her it was time to evacuate, but she refused. Said she could handle it.” He snorted softly. “There is no place for familiars in the elemental world anymore, my friend.”
    I looked from him to Lark, and my heart warmed. “No, we have a place. They only have to remember that we are a part of them.”
    Lark offered to carry some of the children who’d been burned. I moved beside her. “I can take someone.”
    Smit snorted. “Bad luck cat, I don’t think so.”
    Lark put a hand on him, tightening her fingers over his forearm. “Her name is Peta, and if you call her a bad luck cat again, I will forget you are a healer.”
    His eyes flicked between us. He swallowed hard. And I wanted to shout it from the rooftops. “I thought the rumor was wrong about her being your familiar. Pardon me.”
    I let out a soft snort and Lark shifted the young girl to my back.
    The child leaned forward. “You have a beautiful coat.”
    Looking back at her, the golden eyes of a fire elemental stared back. So innocent though. “You have beautiful eyes.”
    She blushed and lay forward, her arms clinging to me.
    We left the healer’s rooms and headed for the main entrance. The doors led onto a massive field of cherry trees perpetually in blossom, the petals flowing down like a soft, warm snowstorm. At least, if they were open that would be the case. As it was, they were locked down tight and it seemed as though no one was getting out.
    Which made things rather touchy when the adult firewyrm showed up.
    He burst through a sidewall and advanced on Fiametta. She held up her hand as if that would stop him. He ignored her.
    “You think you rule here, but your fear is what rules this place. You are no queen.” The lizard snarled and leapt forward with his mouth gaping.
    As the firewyrm leapt forward, time slowed. I heard the echo of the mother goddess speak to Lark to save Fiametta.
    The Terraling jumped in front of Fiametta and held up both her hands, as she dropped to my knees.
    “In the name of the mother goddess, stop!”
    Mewling under my breath, I waited knowing that any move I made could be considered aggressive as far as the firewyrm was concerned.
    “Who