Chapter 28 CASSIAN'S FLAMES

Chapter 28 CASSIAN'S FLAMES
CHAPTER 028: CASSIAN'S FLAMES

Morgana's eyes widen. " Mine too.”

" You have to calm your breath.” Alaric said.

“I'll try." I reply.

“Don't try make sure to breathe." Alaric explained and walk off.

“You should go too." I gesture to Morgana.

" Okay.” Morgana nodded and left.

I am alone now, walking around the academy I find the courtyard empty.

“Good, I need space to think, to breathe, to not feel like I'm suffocating under everyone's expectations.” I said to myself.

I sit in the grass and hold out my hands. I swing my hands freely and sparks flicker on my fingers. It is weak and unstable. They sputter and die before I can shape them into anything.

"Come on," I mutter. "Please, work."

I try again. The sparks appear and fade again.

I was frustrated. I've managed to freeze time, pull Morgana back from death, fight the Hollow King himself but I can't make a simple flame that'll last more than three seconds.

"You're overthinking it."

I jump and turn.

Cassian is leaning against the archway with his arms crossed. The morning light catches his copper hair and makes it look like a fire.

"How long have you been standing there?" I ask.

"Long enough to watch you fail six times." He walks towards me and sits beside me on the grass. "What's wrong?"

"I can't do it."

"Do what?"

"Control fire." I hold up my hands and sparks moved weakly across my palms. "Every time I try to make it stronger I remember the vision. I see myself burning, screaming and dying."

Cassian's expression softens. "That wasn't you. That was a past life."

"But it felt like me." My voice drops to a whisper. "I felt the flames eating through my skin. I felt my lungs fill with smoke. I felt myself die and I can't stop thinking about it."

He's quiet for a moment. Then he holds my hands.

"Fire isn't just destruction," he says. "It's transformation. Rebirth. That's what we are. Phoenixes. We burn and we rise. The fire doesn't end us. It remakes us."

"That sounds nice in theory."

"It's more than theory." He squeezes my hands. "I've died one hundred and twenty seven times Thalira. Every single death hurt. Every single rebirth was agony but I kept coming back because fire doesn't destroy everything. Sometimes it clears the way for something new."

I look into his amber eyes. They glow faint gold like embers.

"Show me," I say.

He smiles. "Okay."

He shifts so he's sitting behind me. His chest presses against my back and his arms come around to guide my hands.

"Don't think about control," he says. His breath is warm on my ear. "Think about release. Fire wants to burn. Your job isn't to cage it. It's to direct it."

"How?"

"Feel the heat in your chest. That spark that never goes out. Find it."

I close my eyes and search.

"Got it," I whisper.

"Good. Now pull from it. Don't force it. Just pull."

I reach for the spark and it come forward.

Heat blooms in my palms.

I open my eyes and there's a flame dancing between our joined hands.

"See?" Cassian whispers. "You're not broken. You're just learning to burn differently."

The flame pulses synically with my heartbeat.

I turn my head to look at him and he's so close our noses almost touch.

"Thank you," I say.

"For what?"

"For not giving up on me."

"I couldn't give up on you if I tried."

I don't know who moves first.

Maybe it's me. Maybe it's him.

But suddenly we were both kissing, kissing hard like our life depends on it.

His lips are warm and taste like smoke and cinnamon. His hands move from my palms to my waist and pull me closer.

I twist in his arms until I'm facing him fully. My fingers tangle in his hair and I feel him smile against my mouth.

The flame between us grows hotter. It spreads across the grass in a circle but doesn't burn it just glows like a shield.

When we finally pull apart we're breathing hard.

"That was—" I start.

"Long overdue," he finishes with a grin.

I laugh and it feels good.

Then a voice cuts through the moment.

"Seriously?"

We both stopped.

Kieran is standing at the edge of the courtyard. His amber eyes are blazing and his fists are clenched at his sides.

"Kieran," I say quickly. "It's not—"

"Not what?" he interrupts. His voice is dangerous. "Not what it looks like?"

Cassian stands and helps me up. "Back off wolf. This doesn't concern you."

"Like hell it doesn't." Kieran stalks toward us. "We're supposed to be working together, protecting her and not fighting over who gets to kiss her first."

"No one's fighting," I say.

"Really?" Kieran's eyes flash to Cassian. "Because it sure looks like he's staking a claim."

"I'm not a piece of territory," I snap.

"I know that." Kieran's jaw tightens. "But apparently he doesn't."

Cassian takes a step forward. "You want to go? Let's go."

"Stop it." I move between them. "Both of you just stop."

They glare at each other.

The air around Cassian shimmers with heat. Kieran's body starts to shift, claws pushing through his fingertips.

"I mean it," I say louder. "If you two want to tear each other apart go do it somewhere else. I'm done being the prize in whatever contest you think you're in."

That gets their attention.

Kieran's claws retract. Cassian's flames dim.

"I'm sorry," Cassian says. He sounds like he means it. "You're right. That was stupid."

Kieran doesn't apologize but he takes a step back. "We need to focus. The seeds are spreading. We don't have time for this."

"I know," I say quietly.

The three of us stand there in awkward silence.

Finally Kieran says "Corvus wants everyone in his office. He thinks he found something in the archives."

"Found what?" Cassian asks.

"A way to slow the seeds down. Maybe even stop them."

I feel hope in my chest. "When?"

"Now."

We head inside together .

Sofia meets us in the hallway. "There you are. Corvus has been looking everywhere for you."

"We're coming," I say.

She step beside me and lowers her voice. "You okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you have that look."

"What look?"

"The one where you kissed someone and then got caught." She grins. "Who was it? My money's on Cassian."

My face heats. "How did you—"

"You smell like smoke and your lips are swollen." She bumps my shoulder. "Also Kieran looks like he wants to murder someone so I'm guessing he walked in on something good."

"Can we not talk about this right now?"

"Fine but I want details later."

We reach Corvus's office. Everyone's already there. Alaric by the window. Zev leaning against the bookshelf. Morgana sitting on a chair looking pale.

Corvus is behind his desk with books and scrolls spread out in front of him.

"Good you're here," he says when we enter. "We need to move quickly."

"What did you find?" I ask.

He holds up a leather bound journal. The pages are yellow and smell like sand.

"This belonged to the first headmaster of Duskmoor. He documented the original banishment of the Hollow King."

"And?" Kieran prompts.

"And he wrote about the seeds." Corvus flips to a marked page. "The Hollow King used them before. On other vessels. Most died when the seeds reached their hearts but one survived."

"How?" I demand.

"By burning them out from the inside."

Cassian straightens. "Phoenix fire."

Corvus nods. "Phoenix fire burns hotter than normal flame. Hot enough to destroy the seeds without killing the host but it requires absolute control and the person wielding it must be bonded to the host."

Everyone looks at Cassian.

"I can do it," he says immediately.

"It's dangerous," Corvus warns. "If you lose control for even a second you'll burn her from the inside out."

"I won't lose control."

"Cassian—" I start.

"I won't," he repeats. He looks at me with those amber eyes burning bright. "I've spent a hundred and twenty seven lifetimes learning to control my fire. I can do this Thalira. Trust me."

I want to. I really do.

But the memory of burning is still so fresh.

"What about me?" Morgana asks. Her voice is small. "I don't have a phoenix bonded to me."

The room goes quiet.

"Then we find another way for you," I say.

"There might not be another way." She looks down at her hands. "The journal only mentions phoenix fire."

"Then Cassian does me first and then we figure out how to help you."

"That's not—"

"Yes it is." I crouch in front of her chair. "We're bonded remember? Your pain is my pain. I'm not leaving you behind."

Tears well in her eyes. "Why do you keep saving me?"

"Because that's what we do now." I take her hand. "We save each other."

Corvus clears his throat. "We should begin immediately. The seeds have already reached critical mass. We have maybe an hour before they fully take root."

My stomach drops. "An hour?"

"Maybe less."

Cassian moves beside me. "Then let's do this."

"Wait." Zev pushes off the bookshelf. "If this doesn't work—"

"It will work," Cassian interrupts.

"But if it doesn't we need a backup plan."

"The backup plan is I don't lose control," Cassian says flatly.

Alaric speaks for the first time. "And if the Hollow King interferes?"

We all look at him.

Because the seeds are connected to him. If Cassian tries to burn them out the Hollow King will feel it.

"Then you keep him busy," Cassian says. He looks at the other three boys. "Whatever it takes. Don't let him get to us."

Kieran nods. "Done."

Corvus stands. "We'll do this in the ritual chamber. The wards there are strongest. They should keep him out long enough for Cassian to finish."

"Should?" I repeat.

"Will," Corvus corrects. But he doesn't sound certain.

We walked out of the office and head down to the lower levels. My hands keeps shaking.

Cassian walks beside me. "Hey."

I look at him.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he says quietly. "I promise."

"I know."

"Do you?"

I nod. "I trust you."

His hand finds mine and squeezes.

We reach the ritual chamber. The circular room with the brazier in the center. The same place we called the Oracle.

Corvus lights candles around the perimeter. "Thalira lie down in the center."

I do.

Cassian kneels beside me. His hands hover over my chest.

"This is going to hurt," he warns.

"I know."

"I mean really hurt."

"I know," I repeat.

He takes a breath. And ignite a pure white fire.

The Phoenix fire.

The hottest flame in existence.

He presses his hands to my chest and I scream.

Pain explodes through my chest. It feels like every nerve in my body is being changed.

Through the agony I feel the seed fighting back. Its roots tighten around my heart and squeeze.

Cassian's face is a mask of concentration. Sweat drips down his temple.

"Almost there," he grits out.

The fire burns hotter.

I can't breathe, I can't think and I can't do anything but feel.

Then something happens.

The seed shrinks. The roots loosen.

The fire is working.

The candles blow out.

And a voice echoes through the chamber.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?"

The Hollow King stands in the center of the room.

Cassian's fire flickers.

"No," I gasp. "Don't stop."

The Hollow King raises his hand and Cassian is thrown backward. He hits the wall and coughs out blood.

The seed in my chest pulses.

Then it sends out new roots.

Faster than before and stronger than before.

They wrap around my heart and squeeze until my breath gives out.

The Hollow King leans over me.

"You're mine now daughter."