Page 50 of Of Flame and Fury

Before Kel could respond, Coup shrugged, almost imperceptibly. “It’s not that hard to fake a smile, Varra. Most of us need one to earn a living.”

Kel blinked. Coup continued smiling, waving, parading.

Rahn sighed from behind Kel. Kel turned, eager for the distraction. The technician held up her tele-comm to the other Howlers. “Canen can’t make it to today’s race, but he refuses to stop spamming me with fire icons until I show you this picture.”

Above a text chain littered withfartoo many fire symbols, a photo of Cristo filled half the screen. The words I’M WITH THEHOWLERS streaked his cap and T-shirt, below the Howlers’ logo. Red and black paint dotted his face, pulled up in a cheesy grin, and behind him sat piles of identical shirts and caps.

“Oh no,” Dira said, grimacing.

“Who could’ve guessed a billionaire genius could cosplay as such a convincing dorky dad?” Coup drawled.

Rahn sighed, shaking her head and pocketing her tele-comm.

Kel forced a light laugh. Perhaps she should have been giddier, bejeweled with new gear and sponsored by Salta’s leading tech giant. But her spine was rigid and her breath kept catching. Every camera flash and phoenix shriek made unease coil tighter in her chest.

The starting line—where the water began—quickly came into view. Most of the other twenty-four teams were already lined up. The track was only wide enough to fit every phoenix with theirwings pinned. Once they took flight, each would have to fight for space. Kel imagined most phoenixes would try to back away from the water.

Phoenixes of all sizes and colors clawed at the asphalt ground. A honey-hued phoenix shrank back from a maroon, speckled phoenix, swiping at the former with extended talons. Blood trickled down pale feathers.

Kel’s stomach dropped. She’d known Vohre races were more vicious. She’d watched plenty of reruns, had seen Dira research every team competing today. But watching Savita enter the chaos was another thing entirely.

She could see in Coup’s eyes, the way he sized up the other phoenixes, that he knew it, too. But she also saw his jaw clench and his hands tighten around Savita’s reins.

As if noticing the same thing, Bekn murmured, “Don’t do anythingCoup-like, okay? We just need to place.”

Coup sighed. “Don’t worry, brother. I’ll give Cristo the show he wants.”

Coup, Kel, Dira and Rahn turned on the comms in their ears and the latter two whooped, sending pitchy static down the line and muffling Bekn’s dry response.

Kel pressed a glove hand to Sav’s side in a silent goodbye, before following Dira, Rahn and Bekn back to their tent. Usually, tents and booths were raised for sky-high views of the tracks. But this race was low enough that the ground provided the best view. It felt strange, preparing for a race without the creaking, shifting metal of raised steps.

As Kel and the other Howlers watched Coup lean forward in the saddle, Kel realized that Coup had no intention of stayingsafe. If his grins to the media were any indication, he was a talented deflector. Of course Coup had told his brother what he’d wanted to hear.

More importantly, Kel realized, as the starting siren wailed, Coup had never promised caution. Only spectacle.

TWENTY-ONE

Asancter rifle filled the sky with lightning, and a firestorm shrouded the track.

Almost every phoenix tried to launch upward at once. Only half managed to navigate the slim breadth of sky between net and water. Others lost their footing and scrambled back from the water. Fearful screams polluted the air.

Five phoenixes remained at the starting line, watching the chaos unfold—including Coup. A moment later, the other riders guided their mounts into low crouches. Eventually, one by one, the other four darted through the empty patches of air and onto the track.

“Go!Go, Coup—hurry up!” Dira screamed through the comms.

“Shut up!” Coup grunted.

Kel could hear the strain in his words. It took every morsel of self-control not to add her own screams to the chaos.

A heartbeat later, Savita spread her great wings and darted into the sky. She wove between awkward wings and tucked talons. Her initial burst of speed wouldn’t last long; every race began with astraight stretch that lasted at least a few hundred meters, allowing for phoenixes’ initial takeoff. “Coup—five meters to the right, now!” Dira yelled.

Coup swerved just as a stream of water shot up like an underwater volcano, directly where he would have flown. Kel hadn’t even noticed the device bubbling below them. The water’s speed and pressure were enough to daze—even injure—any phoenix.

Kel’s heart pounded as Savita narrowly missed the jetting water. Instead, it collided with the phoenix to her left, jerking the creature skyward, its wings tangling with the overhead netting.

Dira let out a hard, relieved breath. “It’s hard to see the water from where you are—try to keep your focus on the track route. I’ll watch for any attacks.”

Together, Dira and Coup managed to guide Sav around the rapid fountains. Below swiping talons and above murky ripples, their phoenix found a faster, steadier pace. In minutes, Savita had ducked and soared past five, ten other phoenixes.

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