Page 25 of Inextricably Tied

“Expecting something?” Flint leans closer.

Agony’s shadows ripple. He tilts his chin enough to meet Flint’s gaze over his shoulder. The slashes warm Flint’s face, but not as much as Agony’s eyes dipping to his mouth. “Apparently not.”

Flint can hear his breath. Doesn’t realize he’s clutching Agony tighter until he pulls away, leaving a reasonable amount of space between them. There’s no way it’s true. How could Agony not remember details from his own world? There’s no use wondering. There’s nothing Flint can compare this creature to, and Flint’s own dreams are as nebulous as Agony makes his out to be. Still, that can’t be all Agony remembers. There has to be something.

“Did you hear that?”

Flint follows Agony’s gaze toward the hallway. Surely Agony’s looking for another chance to cause chaos.

“Hear what?” Flint keeps his voice gruff, but a chill creeps up his spine. Agony’s fucking with him, trying for distraction so he can make a break for it. But Agony doesn’t move.

“Something broke.”

“Don’t play with me, terror.”

Agony doesn’t look away from the hallway, focused enough that a dim glow from his eyes spreads along the walls. But —

It’s not from Agony.

Something crashes through the front window, sending flames across the carpet.

“Shit!”

It spreads too quickly for Flint to contain, scorching a hot line between them and the corridor. He grips Agony with one hand as the living room rapidly fills with smoke.

“Harbinger!”

There’s no response. Flames race to the base of curtains, too fast to be normal fire. Rainbow colors shimmer in the blaze as it spreads across the ceiling, eating through the drywall in a flare of multicolor.

Phoenix fire.

“Fuck!”

Flint has to move. To make a decision before the flames engulf the building. He has to get Harbinger.

He has to get Harbinger.

“Uncuff me.”

Agony’s voice jerks Flint from his thoughts. “Are you out of your goddamn —”

“Uncuff me!” Agony rattles his chains. “I can go through the shadows. I can pull her out that way.”

“You’re joking.” Flint doesn’t have time for Agony’s plot to escape, but Agony’s insistent.

“Uncuff me!”

“No!” Flint roars. “Enough!” He can’t move through this much phoenix fire in his stone armor. And Harbinger —

Fuck.

Flint lifts Agony under one arm, smashing the mace of his tail through the front door before it’s engulfed. He lunges through the flames, dropping Agony on the porch, eyes skirting over the windows. He has no idea which room she’s in. No idea where she is. Desperation claws at him to batter straight through the nearest pane of glass, but flames lick up the inside of each one.

Fuck. Fuck.

“There!”

Agony leans over the porch railing, pointing down into the yard. Something black has skidded through the grass, leaving a line dug into the mud. Flint can barely make it out through the smoke pouring from the house, but sunlight reflects off of the visor.