CELESTIAL FIRE

ira

eathe for a

my hand. My fingers ha

ming for y

d it

ag

blue now, almost morning. But no light touched the h

horn sounde

hu

welc

back from

k again-no glow, no heat. But it still pul

touch it

nd grabbed my boots. My hands were shaking. I di

the doo

as empty.

ight. A ghost, a vampire, a fae. Magic buzzed

it was

sil

t a sound. My boots barely touched the ground.

leadi

o

the earth

estion it.

ms. Past the stairwells. I passed a mirror-and didn

I hea

tst

ng f

beh

ra

my throat. I didn't

ner-and slamme

me before I

xir

as Z

His chest rose and fell hard.

rn," he said. "

t the ground shook b

tle. Like

ame th

eep and heavy. Like

a s

me close. "We

he

he open.

r

ard the

ld hallways. The

th locks olde

id. Like the stone whispered to him. He pushed open

, it w

t with a match from his belt. The flame fl

pt mo

note. Someone left it. Said

n't look

e said. "

hy

st any spell you broke

ced bac

e. And the binding wasn't fo

oes tha

t it break. Something o

pped w

before an

was made of

d no

car

ulsed when my

rned again. Like fire

at might keep you safe," Zeryn sa

does

ted. "I'm

ked a

to a door you'

smile. "Welcom

t something about it made

ache

touched t

lowed

oor o

ut a

s nothing

ell. Goi

Zeryn. He

stepp

the threshold, the d

o lock. It

ere

orch. Just

ps echoed off the walls. After a whil

I s

gh

om the

m b

Round, wide, and covered in roots. Stone wa

nter-a pool o

still. Like time

de it. He dipped

r didn't

throbbed like it wanted

old," Zeryn said soft

llowe

e water

rose f

nd mist. She didn't spea

n forms. Human. Dragon.

drawn by somethin

her hand-and po

urn

e wall

sym

ime, they

them

ire, hidde

flame, sou

rns red and the

akes must choo

hiv

the woman's-spo

meant to survi

sp

at the base o

rk as smoke. E

ving. Between me and

didn't

fight," he said. "

bout what?

s eyes

e said. "They're not teachers. Not students.

me that

"And it showed y

"It showed m

he past isn't gone, N

f you knew this was comin

old. "Because I didn

fr

"She didn't ask

he cracked the circle. She stirred th

ed to m

chance," he sa

t is

the pool. "You

mber

ds were bare

e before you

eak again, the gr

rning th

qu

s fell from the ceil

arm. "We have to

aid. "She has

ose

iling above us-so

hu

vamp

t

ng with

fi

hu

as h

it the wall

ough it-blinding

I sa

e, glow

hing

it

rabbed

inted to

," he

ut

only way t

ack wi

eam cam

os

tt

on my pal

th

ra

d the

d the

d the

I ju

fore the world vanished-w

comin