Page 44 of Of Flame and Fury

Coup and Bekn locked eyes, long enough that Kel thoughtsomething unspoken passed between them. Eventually, Coup looked into his lap and mumbled, “Fine.”

“But it’snot,” Kel threw back.

Bekn leaned further forward toward her. “Three hours at the park. Holding hands. Waving to cameras if you see them.”

“One hour,” Kel said flatly. “And I’m not holding anyone’s hand. Especially his.”

Coup made an offended sound.

“Two hours and you’ll stand close enough to fake affection,” Bekn countered. “Final offer.”

Kel pursed her lips. The idea of spending time alone with Coup—outside of training—made her stomach swoop in a strange way.

“Fine,” Kel muttered.

Coup sighed. Slowly, he turned to Kel. “Ready to swoon over me at the park, Varra?”

EIGHTEEN

Compared to Cristo’s clinical, pristine compound, the conservation center’s noise made Kel’s skin prickle. Other visitors skipped about and inhuman sounds filled the air. Jeweled colors shone from every direction and too many sweet smells clouded her nostrils. Kel felt as if she was walking through fireworks.

Despite the heat, she pulled her navy beanie over her ears, dampening the noise. At her side, Coup had thrown on a dark peacoat she hadn’t seen before. It fit his tall build too well. She hated that she noticed. Unbuttoned with the collar unfolded, it made Coup—with his windswept curls—look like a rogue pirate.

“Have you ever been to a conservation center?” Coup asked, as they passed through the park’s brick entrance. “Or does this much color hurt your surly rep?”

Peeling statues of Salta’s animals guarded the entrance, beckoning people inside far too menacingly. “No to both,” she replied. “Have you?”

Kel handed over their passes to a glassy-eyed ticket collector.The man’s expression sharpened, and Kel felt his lingering stare as they passed.

Coup shrugged. “Public aviaries are probably the closest I’ve been.”

“My mom’s mentioned an Asciran conservation center in a postcard. She made it sound like something out of an Alchemist fable, seeing all of Salta’s magic in one place.”

So far, the center—just west of Vohre—had yet to convince Kel of any fable-like qualities. She could only see winding stone paths and nature strips; no animals or cameras, other than the security lenses above the entrance.

Coup tilted his head back and froze. Kel frowned. “What’s wrong?”

Coup chuckled, a strange, breathy sound. He pointed up.

Kel followed his gaze. Her jaw went slack.

She’d been so preoccupied dreading the time at Coup’s side, worrying about how Savita would fare without her, she hadn’t even considered the creatures she might see.

Overhead, a glass tube stretched from the park’s entrance to the trees ahead. She could faintly make out tiny lights dancing inside.

Sprites.

The small creatures—no bigger than her thumbpad—reflected the morning sun, stuck between the glass panels like a jeweled flurry in a snow globe. Blue, red, green, yellow—too many colors to count. She couldn’t make out their little shapes; a spindly limb here and a pointed wing there, but nothing clear. Staring at them for too long stung her eyes.

Though sprites were usually fickle creatures, their magic was rumored to affect weather and moods. Kel’s passion had always lainwith phoenixes, but seeing their iridescent lights flicker and swirl like trapped galaxies made her understand why Ascira was the most popular tourist isle.

Looking ahead, Kel realized the sprites’ enclosure ran above the entire park, curving down in glass columns that visitors could press against.

“I wonder how they breathe inside the glass,” Coup mused as they began walking. “It’d be difficult to make holes small enough that they couldn’t escape through.”

Before she could reply, a camera flashed to their right. A few steps away, a young girl stood in front of an older man. Grinning, the girl held up a large tele-comm, one of the few capable of taking photographs.

“Sorry,” the man said feebly. “My daughter’s a huge fan.”

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