Page 106 of Of Flame and Fury

The other Howlers turned to look at their technician. Rahn hadbeen silent, frozen, for too long. Shadows fell across her pale face, deep lines carving into her forehead.

“I didn’t know,” she breathed, almost too softly to hear. “I didn’t—Ashes. Not you, too. None of this was meant to happen.”

More tears streamed down Rahn’s face. The guard called again for her to leave, but she didn’t move.

“None of this was meant to happen,” Rahn repeated. Her jaw set in a hard line. “I’m sorry.”

She turned and fled the room. The guard slammed the door behind her, the sound of a lock jamming in place.

“We still need to save Savita,” Kel pressed.

Her friends looked at her disbelievingly, and Kel raised a hand. “Look—Cristo’s not going to let me out of here until Sav rebirths. I don’t know what he’s planning, but he thinks he can make it happen by tonight. Once she rebirths, he wants to move me to a hospital. So, no matter what happens when Savita rebirths, my fate is sealed.” She still couldn’t bring herself to look at Coup. “But hers doesn’t have to be.”

Dira was still looking at her hopelessly, silent tears streaming down her cheeks.

Coup’s eyes were hollow.

Kel pressed on. “I don’t care if phoenixes can cure AB. If any of you let Sav die, I’ll come back and haunt you all until Salta burns.”

None of her friends seemed to find her words funny.

Eventually, Bekn managed, “We’re not lettinganyonedie. You hear me?”

He held Kel’s stare until she forced a nod. Bekn knew as well as anyone that there was no true cure for AB—but at least with Cristo’s facilities, she wouldn’t be in pain.

“I’m going to kill them all,” Dira breathed, her voice too frail togive any weight to the threat. “They’ll wish they’d never heard of the Howlers.”

Kel tried to force a smile, though as she turned to Coup, it vanished. He stood statue-still, his face slack.

She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Look at me.”

There was nothing but smoke and ash in Coup’s eyes. “I knew,” he breathed. “Iknewsomething was wrong. I’m so sorry, Kelyn.”

Kel cupped his face. “This isn’t your fault. It isn’t anyone’s.”

Coup shook his head. “I should’ve seen it sooner. I thought… I thought we had time.”

Kel wished she could reach out and steal the pain from his features. She wrapped her arms around him, and a moment later, his hands were clutching her back.

“We still have time,” Kel lied. “We just need a plan.”

They held on to each other as Dira cursed and pounded on the cell door with weak fists.

Kel didn’t know how to untangle the wrongness coursing through her. Fear, anger, absurd amusement—it was all too much.

She didn’t have time to make peace with AB. Though guilt rippled through her at the thought of Coup and Bekn losinganotherperson to this barbaric blight, Kel only had the time—the energy—to focus on one thing.

Savita.

If AB refused to rear its head until near-death, then Kel refused to give in. She refused to surrender, until death forced her hand.

Because now she was made of fire too, and she’d fight like hell to make sure Savita’s didn’t go out with hers.

FORTY-SIX

Hours seeped by as they pounded on the door, searching and shouting and holding back tears. Kel had no idea if it was day, night, or if perhaps she’d already died. Being locked in a cell with her team was a strange mix of purgatory and paradise.

Is Savita still alive? Has Cristo already succeeded?

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