Firestorm

I walked out of the room and down the hall. “You can come, Cactus. But if for one instant Fiametta starts to pay attention to you—”

“I’ll back out. Don’t worry so much, Lark. This will be slick as slug spit.” He jogged to catch up to me, swatting me lightly on the ass with an open palm. I arched an eyebrow at him.

“Cactus.” Just his name, a simple warning. Peta was less subtle.

“Keep your hands to yourself, prick.”

The three of us stepped out of Cactus’s place and into the open cavern and just for a moment, disorientation flowed over me. Going from the green, cool, and flowering place that Cactus had created to the stark rock of the inner mountain I had to take a few breaths and get my bearings. The heat picked up with each step we took, like being inside a tiny box, we couldn’t escape the closed in air and for just a moment panic reared its head.

I wanted to run, to get to Brand as quick as possible and ask him who was with us when we’d Traveled; just to get this over with. But if Cactus was right and the queen had her spies watching everyone, listening to everything, I had to be careful.

Walking swiftly, I headed back to the bridge. I stepped onto the arched structure and bolted across. The heat from the lava flowed through the rock that made up the bridge despite how thick each piece of stone was.

Peta trotted across, her tail flicking in the air and Cactus sauntered, smiling at me the whole way. I shook my head and spun, stepping right into the chest of a well-endowed woman. Bouncing off her, I took a couple steps back. “I’m sorry.”

She was almost as tall as my six feet, which was unusual. Her hair was so dark a red, it was almost a purple tone, and her eyes were a pale gray. Other than her large chest, it was difficult to tell she was a woman. Her shoulders were incredibly broad and her hips narrow but between hips and shoulders she had a monstrous gut.

She arched an eyebrow at me. “Terraling. What are you doing wandering around?”

Peta strode between us, shifting into her full leopard form, her black spotted thick white coat rippling. “I’m watching over her, Fay. Leave the Dirt Girl to me.”

Fay let out a low laugh. “Oh, then she’ll be dead within the week. Well done, bad luck cat.” She patted Peta’s head and strolled away, still laughing. I took a step forward and touched Peta’s head.

“Don’t listen to them,” I said, knowing what it was to be the one your people looked down on.

Peta let out a low growl. “We are not friends, Dirt Girl. Not by a long shot. I do this because I must.” She shrunk back to her housecat form and stiff legged, stalked away from me.

Cactus was at my side a second later. “She’s . . .touchy. In all the four families, Peta has lost the most charges. They always die on her, and the mother goddess doesn’t seem inclined to stop handing her off to people.”

“Lovely. And now everyone will think I’m next on the list.”

“Why do you think Peta hasn’t told anyone she’s your familiar unless she has to?” Cactus arched an eyebrow at me and I realized he had a point. As long as Peta kept quiet, no one would make the connection between us and when I died, it would be one less death on her.

Damn, that was a tough row to hoe.

“I hate to disappoint her, but I don’t plan on dying anytime soon,” I muttered as I walked after my familiar. My familiar. That had a nice ring to it, even if Peta hated me. Maybe I could get a new familiar once this was all over. One that could tolerate me and would be nice.

Peta waited quietly outside Smoke and Brand’s house. She sat and stared past me, her green eyes unblinking, and she said nothing. Fine by me.

I put a hand to the edge of the door and peered in. “Smoke?”

Not Smoke but their youngest boy, Tinder answered me. “Hi, Terraling. My mom isn’t here right now.” He grinned up me, two front teeth missing on the top of his jaw. I smiled back.

“Actually, I was wondering if you knew where your dad was?”

He bobbed his head several times and for just a moment I saw Cactus as he’d been as a child. Always eager to be a part of whatever was going on. “Yup. He’s down by the edge of the Pit. But I think that’s too hot for you. You’ll burn up.”

I forced myself to smile, because he was right. I had no protection from the heat and flames. “Thanks, I’ll be careful.”

“I could take you there. I was just swimming there with my brothers.” He slapped a hand over his mouth and I remembered Smoke told him specifically not to swim at the Pit. I shook my head. “It’s okay. I’ve got Cactus here to take me.”

Cactus gave the boy a wink. “Besides, you wouldn’t want your dad seeing you find your way to the Pit on your own when you aren’t supposed to even know where it is, right?”

Tinder nodded, his eyes solemn. “You’re right.” He spun and ran back into the house before I could say goodbye.

Beside me, Cactus chuckled. “They all find their way to the Pit before they’re supposed to.”

I glanced at Peta. “You coming?”

She flicked an ear at me, stretched and sauntered out in front of us. I lifted an eyebrow at Cactus. “You still want to come with me? I’m sure Peta can take me there with no problem.”

His green eyes sparkled. “You’re going to need me, Lark. I just know it. So yes, I’m coming with you.”

I wasn’t arguing with him. He had gained strength in his abilities in our years apart and now was the queen’s threat against whatever they were afraid of. Not a bad guy to have on my team while I attempted the impossible. We walked the length of the cavern, and at the far end, a cut in the rock opened. Stairs led downward, and the same light reflecting in tunnels that I’d seen in Cactus’s home and the main cavern were used to illuminate the darkness.