Page 40 of Of Flame and Fury

“What’s happening, Kel?” Dira called.

“Is Coup okay?” Bekn asked sharply.

Kel pressed a gloved palm to Savita’s feathers, not caring if more burns scarred her hands.

Savita’s plumage danced with its usual tiny flames. Yet… her temperature was too high, higher than even mid-race. Perhaps it was caused by anxiety?

Coup yanked off his helmet, his hair still impossibly, perfectly arranged. “What are you playing at, Varra? There’s nothing wrong. Stop being paranoid.”

Kel raised her chin, refusing to let her embarrassment show. “I’d rather be paranoid than scraping an overcooked rider off Savita’s back.”

He rubbed his face. “You need to put a cere in a jar every time you overreact.”

Kel folded her arms. “I’m not. She’s—”

“She’s magnificent.”

The Howlers spun toward the new voice, deep and smooth, and Kel momentarily forgot her fears. A figure approached them in long, confident strides. A pearly smile lit his face. His eyes tracked Savita’s every move with wide, glazed awe.

Canen Cristo.

He looked exactly as she’d expected. Tanned skin gleamed beneath the hall’s fluorescent lights, his black hair short and gelled. A blue blazer, tailored with gold thread, fitted snugly around his strong build. If anything, he looked younger than on media screens. In his early forties, perhaps.

Rahn grinned and hurried toward Cristo. “We thought you weren’t back until tonight!”

Cristo chuckled. “I couldn’t miss my new team’s first practice.”

Rahn gazed at Cristo as if he was an Alchemist reborn.

Cristo met Kel’s stare. “Rahn Xing was an easy choice as your new technician. I’m so glad she’s made herself at home with you all.”

Silence.

Rahn’s cheeks glowed cherry-pink. “I wanted to give you a chance to settle in before telling you.”

Savita squawked loud enough to shake the netting overhead. She raked her talons against the hard ground, a clear demand to be airborne. Coup murmured to Savita and began unbuckling his legs from the saddle fenders. Bekn and Kel fidgeted.

Cristo seemed oblivious to the tension.

“You’ll be working with us?” Dira beamed. “Every day?”

Kel bit back an unexpected laugh. Excitement vibrated throughDira as Rahn tucked a few loose hairs behind her ear. “If you’ll let me.”

In hindsight, it was almost too obvious. Rahn was their age, she lived in their unit, and had said she worked in Cristo’s CAPR department.

She was the perfect Cristo employee.

And—Kel couldn’t help thinking—the ideal spy, to ensure the Howlers followed the rules.

As Dira and Rahn spoke, Coup nudged Kel’s shoulder, sending a shock of warmth down her arm. Against her ear, he whispered, “I’m surprised, Varra.Annoyedis your default setting. You’re not frustrated you don’t get a say in her recruitment?”

Kel folded her arms. “She can’t possibly be more annoying than you. That’s enough for me.”

Kel ignored Coup’s next jab, focusing back on Cristo. Kel watched him as he watched Sav, noting the intricate hue of his irises. Near-black, speckled with varying shades of brown.

“I’m so grateful you all could come on board. I’ll explain your roles soon enough, but first I’d just like you to familiarize yourself with the facilities. There’s free tutoring available for anyone who’d like to continue their schooling, and plenty of fun on the floors above your rooms. This is a home.”

Dira seemed delighted at the mention of free tutoring, and Coup’s eyes glowed at the wordfun. Eagerness lanced through Kel’s veins. She still believed the compound was just an oversized aviary for its workers. But… she was open to thepossibilityof being proven wrong.

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