Page 44 of Burn Bright
"Are you allright?"
A flash of yellow eyes. "Get… out ofhere."
"You carried me out of a forest fire," I snapped. "I’m hardly about to leave you to the samefate."
Somehow I got an arm under his shoulder. Dark bruising mottled his ribs, and he groaned. "Evaron?"
"The prince is still alive." I didn’t add "barely".
There was no sign of Galina. Two of the prince’s men poked about the flames where her body had been. All that remained was the charred haft of the spear, and Hussar, who groaned and lifted his charred head, his eyes pure black as the flames in his clothes subsided, and thendied.
I didn’t know how he’d survived that, but I didn’t have any time to worry about it. And the two soldiers stood guard over him, lookinghorrified.
"Make your choice, Neva. Will you be myheir?"
And give up everything? I staggered under Cas's weight. She'd saved him. For me. And what about myfamily?
"How?" I growled out. "How do I make mychoice?"
"Accept thesparks...."
Another spark hit my skin as we reached Evaron. I held my shaking hand out. I'd never wanted this, but I'd seen what the darkness had done with Hussar. I had to protect my family—myworld.
"Done," I whispered, and curled my fist around another floating spark. "Where areyou?"
"Within younow."
The heat inside me felt like it was reaching blistering level. I swayed as Cas sank to his knees, his nostrils flaring as he peeled back the bloodied shirt. Evaron breathed hoarsely, crying out as some of the shirt stuck to thewound.
For a second there was two of the prince lying before me, outlined in a faint golden light. Cas’s aura seemed a darker, earthier red, but no lessvibrant.
Iblinked.
"We need to get the arrow out," Cas growled. "Meldor, where are the medicalsupplies?"
"Gone, sir," replied the red-haired soldier at his side. "We lost the pack in the forestfire."
"Why? Why would Hussar do this?" asked Jor, the one soldier who’d bothered to introduce himself tome.
Because the Darkness hadhim.
But no, that was not the only answer. The king had wanted his eldest son dead, if he failed to return with the firebird’s heart. And he'd sent along a man to make sure his will was carriedout.
Evaron’s breath came in a bloody wheeze, but he captured Cas’s wrist. "If… I die… Then you mustflee."
"No." Cas returned the clasp, his face settling into that mutinous expression I knew sowell.
"You know…" Evaron coughed, and blood sprayed. "He’ll need someone toblame."
"Then I’ll blame Hussar," Cas snarled. He turned to the two men by the flames. "We need to heal the prince. We need thefirebird."
"Sir, there’s no sign ofher…."
Nothing but the glittering whirl of white flame, and the sparks that soared into the nightsky.
Another burned my skin. Then another. It felt like my bones were trying to melt within me. I moaned, and Cas shot me a hard look, but I waved him away. "I’mfine."
He ordered the men about, sending two of them to try and find any sign of Galina, whose blood could heal the prince. Cas and Jor propped Evaron up, and Cas ground his teeth together as he broke the arrow shaftcarefully.
