Child of Flame (Crown of Stars 4)

“Go on,” Alain murmured, afraid to speak more loudly for fear of alerting the Cursed Ones, but Adica didn’t move.

Torchlight lit the rock face and made sharp angles stand out in relief. A spear point probed around the cleft. With his staff held vertically, Alain shoved the point aside and, using the rocks to protect himself, twisted within the cleft, striking the leading warrior so hard in the face that he staggered backward into the others.

“Run!” Pushing Adica forcibly before him, Alain fled with her and the hounds toward the phoenix’s cave. They stumbled over bones and debris in time to see Two Fingers and Laoina escaping out the far passage down which they had first come. The tail-feather eyes had woken, all of them, searching the cavern. Snakes slid from the nest to fall in among rubbish and bones. The debris on the floor shifted, rocking, tipping, tumbling as black shapes writhed through the heaps of refuse. The Cursed Ones advanced from behind, voices ringing as they called out in triumph.

Recklessly, he shoved Adica forward into the cavern. Beyond, Two Fingers lingered at the far passageway. He lifted the feather to his lips as the phoenix stirred, cracking open one golden eye.

“Let it wake!” cried Alain. He shoved Adica hard onto the ground and fell on top of her just as a spear passed through the space where he had been. Sorrow and Rage raced toward Two Fingers, fleeing in terror as a wave of heat filled the room, the restless phoenix opening its wings.

o;Hsst!” They retreated into the tunnel from which they had emerged just as two figures appeared in the other entrance, illuminated by torchlight, spear points leading their cautious advance.

The Cursed Ones.

Rage barked threateningly. Alerted, the two scouts slipped back into their cave, and their shouts calling for aid blended with the roar of the cascade.

“Come.” Two Fingers spoke urgently.

“Quick quick,” Laoina echoed.

An arrow shattered against stone. Laoina clawed at her eye, stumbling, as Two Fingers pulled her down the tunnel. Alain called in the dogs as a group of Cursed Ones burst out into the cavern, spears and swords in hand. The leader leaped into the water, splashing quickly across the stream, and lunged forward to thrust at Sorrow. Alain deflected the spear’s thrust with his staff, countering, but he was too far away to actually hit the warrior. As the Cursed One jerked back from the blow, he slipped in the water. Sorrow pressed forward, but Alain shouted sharply, catching him across the chest with his staff.

“Back!”

Cursed Ones screamed triumph as they charged into the water, brandishing their weapons.

“Alain!” cried Adica behind him.

“Go, Adica!”

Alain held them back, striking toward their heads, knocking a spear thrust off course, as Rage retreated in Adica’s wake and Sorrow took one last bite at the foot of the struggling leader who, righting himself in the slippery stream, thought he could get a last kick in for free. In the confusion, Alain retreated with Sorrow. They cut into the tunnel as another arrow thudded against stone.

“We go back to the phoenix,” called Laoina, ahead of them.

“Are you hurt?” Alain kept his balance in the blackness by keeping one hand in constant contact with the wall.

“Dust in my eye, nothing more.”

But it was more than dust that pursued them. Shouts and ululating cries rebounded off the walls. A light flickered behind as the Cursed Ones brought torches forward to light their pursuit. Alain saw Adica running before him and farther, almost a stone’s throw on, the faint figure of Laoina. The hounds had gotten ahead and were now trying to push past Two Fingers, who was leading them through the dark. They rounded a bend, and the light faded.

Alain paused long enough to turn and shout. “Haililili!” Then he rushed onward after the rest. Every score of steps he would yell back again, hoping to give their pursuers pause, believing he meant to charge out of the dark at them. But after the third time they began to yell taunts back at him. Even with Two Fingers’ knowledge of the tunnels, the Cursed Ones with their torches were gaining ground.

A glow rose ahead. Golden phosphorescence striped the walls. Two Fingers halted in that jumble of fallen rocks where they had stopped to laugh so short a time before. Here the tunnel narrowed until only one person could squeeze through at a time. After the others crowded through behind him and Alain stationed himself to guard the cleft, Two Fingers lifted the gold feather to his lips and blew.

Adica’s fingers brushed Alain’s back, a reassuring caress on his neck. The hounds pressed up beside her, tails thumping lightly on rock. Two Fingers lowered the feather and retreated cautiously toward the phoenix’s lair, Laoina at his heels.

“Go on,” Alain murmured, afraid to speak more loudly for fear of alerting the Cursed Ones, but Adica didn’t move.

Torchlight lit the rock face and made sharp angles stand out in relief. A spear point probed around the cleft. With his staff held vertically, Alain shoved the point aside and, using the rocks to protect himself, twisted within the cleft, striking the leading warrior so hard in the face that he staggered backward into the others.

“Run!” Pushing Adica forcibly before him, Alain fled with her and the hounds toward the phoenix’s cave. They stumbled over bones and debris in time to see Two Fingers and Laoina escaping out the far passage down which they had first come. The tail-feather eyes had woken, all of them, searching the cavern. Snakes slid from the nest to fall in among rubbish and bones. The debris on the floor shifted, rocking, tipping, tumbling as black shapes writhed through the heaps of refuse. The Cursed Ones advanced from behind, voices ringing as they called out in triumph.

Recklessly, he shoved Adica forward into the cavern. Beyond, Two Fingers lingered at the far passageway. He lifted the feather to his lips as the phoenix stirred, cracking open one golden eye.

“Let it wake!” cried Alain. He shoved Adica hard onto the ground and fell on top of her just as a spear passed through the space where he had been. Sorrow and Rage raced toward Two Fingers, fleeing in terror as a wave of heat filled the room, the restless phoenix opening its wings.

A snake slithered over his hand, cold and smooth. It had no eyes, but its tongue flickered ceaselessly, probing his skin with a stinging touch. A second, and third and fourth, followed; he felt a dozen or more writhing over his legs and the flicking darts of their forked tongues as they investigated him. Adica whimpered softly. He had never seen her truly scared before. Yet when a snake touched the skrolin armband, it hissed, spasming wildly, and at once the blind snakes scattered, leaving them alone.

Alain scrambled up, grabbed Adica by the arm, and they dashed after the hounds just as a volley of arrows and thrown spears clattered into the cavern, accompanied by cries and shouts.