CELESTIAL FIRE

ira

the water, it was

as l

ped around me like fire-but it didn't hurt. It pulled me

idn't fill

lled wi

feel like air

t like

rything

d. No m

me-fl

on

my eyes

around me

he undergroun

oots. No stone

anding i

t a re

s purple. The stars above moved

but I didn'

my palm was

I had never seen before. A long robe, soft as feathers, white with glowing

k one

d felt so

ed beh

th

o doorway.

started

?" I c

ans

ned s

en I s

n from t

dy shimmered like light through glass. Her eyes were no

idn't

n't look an

.. wa

m I?" I

hand and poin

he m

ed-but no so

er. "Please. S

r hand and ope

ard my o

youn

littl

eam

d back,

nother soun

erent

o

ue

hu

round us sh

grass tur

ky da

ars va

around me-but

pped back int

w figure stand

as t

shou

ke glow

n't ha

ad s

red.

wi

tretched wide and

eath

pped c

shook th

his

ked li

exac

lose

you?" I w

head. Smiled w

lready

I d

clawed hand and t

ploded in

ing through a

d and stone c

ing my name-b

feren

uldn't r

to my

was hot n

n-man lea

," he said. "Once in

t under

u w

round me be

es roare

urned-but the

edi

the drago

ha

KE

rld sh

asp

s flew

ing on c

roots and s

ce appeare

e said. "Ar

My head hurt. M

ppened?"

t pulled you under. You didn't come back

sto

oked

olf eyes w

face. It fe

e gone. My c

on my palm wa

ing

ked a

in the unde

-but it was dark now. No

near the wa

gled to

. "A man. A dragon. I thi

ly. "You saw one o

wh

"You mean she's

dragon," Darian sa

of what?"

ature that once ruled flame. Long be

ak again. I sat

y m

who it does," Darian said. "But once

. "You said the hunt

"But they're not lookin

oking for m

es

aven't they

eiling. Cracks had for

is hidden from magic

oan came

e sh

ots tr

move," Zeryn

ere?" I

nd a broken column. "That leads to the

d t

aid. "Fight. Flee.

oes tha

didn't

ead into the

der gently. "We'll fig

odd

dn't bel

fu

t

down, through broken stone and strange shadows. Sometimes we saw things on

of them

them b

a blade i

ever loo

walked. But finally, the

a round s

pushed

de-su

sun

t was

ky wa

ll lik

und the school

ck shapes moved

e f

wal

em carrie

hed the school

tight. "They've br

flying things turne

saw

cree

d broke

shed me b

didn't

hing inside m

ld fe

my palm wasn

as a

like a h

my chest-I

real

methin

at the

falli

thing flyi

didn

ped fo

burned t

houted

reached

was t

nside me b

light shot ou

ound c

air

reamed and fell from the sky-b

from behind. "Nyx

pes were

ze

hund

ice was cal

lit the si

I asked, my v

oked

for the f

ey've been

sky split

huge stepped t