Page 51 of The Rebel and the Rose
Seraphine was scrabbling away from him. The market crowd broke into startled cries, the spectators drawing back as the stench of burning flesh filled the air. Another glimpse at the soldier’s ear revealed the lobe had been seared clean off, the skin on his cheek bubbling into angry blisters.
Unease snaked through Ransom.
The Shadowsmith paled as he got to his feet.
‘What the hell was that?’ said Caruso, stalking forward.
Nadia pulled him back by his collar. ‘Don’t go near her.’
The rest of the crowd was watching the writhing soldier, trying to figure out where the rogue fire had sprung from.
Ransom was watching Sera.
She was crouched on the edge of the circle, trying to slow her ratcheting breath. Her eyes burned bright gold. She blinked and the glow winked out, but not fast enough.
Ransom made his way towards her.
Nadia slid in front of him. ‘Don’t you dare touch her.’
‘Someone has to get her out of here.’
‘That was no vial of Lightfire,’ she said in a low voice. ‘That washer.’
‘The more reason to get her away from all these people,’ he said pointedly.
The other soldiers were already descending on Seraphine. By the time Ransom reached her, they were binding her wrists.
‘Leave her to me.’
‘She struck a royal guard,’ hissed Maelle. ‘Can’t let that go unpunished.’
Seraphine instinctively covered her head. ‘He started it!’ she spat from the cradle of her arms. ‘He went for Theo! I was only trying to get him off.’
‘You lit one of them firecrackers!’ accused Kasper. ‘Shoved it in Ribauld’s ear!’
‘Did not!’
‘It hardly burned itself off!’ shouted Bram. ‘Bloody Flames. Knew you were trouble from the off.’
With a sharp sigh, Ransom withdrew a jar of Shade from his pocket. One mouthful and every shadow in the square was his to command. He pulled them from the ground, like slithering vipers.
The crowd scattered in terror.
‘Subtle,’ remarked Caruso.
The soldiers jerked their heads up, their chins quivering at the sight of all that encroaching darkness. Slipping his hands into his pockets, Ransom cocked his head in a lazy threat. ‘Like I said, I’ll take it from here.’
Sera peered up at him from her spot on the ground, the only one among them who wasn’t remotely afraid of the shadows that now moved across his skin. Nor the ones that pooled like ink at his feet. It’s not like they could hurt her, thanks tothe strange fire in her blood. That much was more than clear to him now. He had been wondering when he would get a glimpse of it again.
‘Send Ribauld back to the barracks,’ he said. ‘He can’t travel any further without treatment. As for the rest of us, let’s get back on the road before we end up in the local penny papers.’
Hardly an auspicious start to their journey.
Versini shoved his way into their huddle. ‘This whole thing was Ribauld’s fault.’ The soldier, who had finally staggered to his feet, moaned weakly in protest. ‘I slipped away to send a missive back to Halbracht, and he jumped me. Thought I was doing a runner.’
‘Save the monologue, Versini,’ said Ransom in a bored voice. ‘Can you play cards?’
‘What?’
