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How?
Flames, she said. I eat.
That will kill him, Amaya.
No. Weaken.
Azriel?
She’s right. It’ll weaken him. He paused. But it will also kill him if she goes too far.
His mental tones suggested this might not be such a bad thing. Anger rolled through me, but I ignored it. I had bigger battles to fight right now.
I stopped moving, drew my sword, and held her—point first—in front of me. Lilac flames began to roll down her sides, and her hissing became filled with anticipation.
Okay, Amaya, I said. Do what you have to do to drain his energy. But don’t kill him.
Kill not. It was somewhat begrudgingly said.
Her flames leapt from her shadowed blade, then raced across to the elemental and ran up one tree-trunk leg. Her lilac fire contrasted sharply against the red and gold flames of the elemental as she ringed the creature’s rotund belly. For several seconds nothing happened; then, as Amaya began to hum softly—almost contentedly—her steel began to vibrate and the flames around the creature’s stomach suddenly seemed less incandescent.
The creature never stopped moving, however, and the closer it got, the hotter it got, until I stood in the middle of a firestorm that tore at my hair and burned my skin. Until I felt as much a creature of fire as the one who was now only feet away from Amaya’s tip. And yet, for all that it burned, the creature’s heat didn’t destroy me, and this close, it should have. Whatever my sword was doing, it was working.
“Tao,” I screamed, more out of fear than any real need to raise my voice above the roar of the flames that swept around me. “You must get control of the elemental again.”
The creature growled—an ungodly sound that came from somewhere out of its flaming middle—and swiped at me. I didn’t move—I didn’t dare, lest I break the contact Amaya had with the elemental—but the blow never struck. It stopped inches from my ear, the heat of it singeing hair but not actually touching skin. The creature roared again, and this time, it was a sound of frustration. The vibration in Amaya’s steel grew stronger, and fingers of dullness were quickly spreading from the creature’s belly to the rest of its body.
If you’re going to touch the elemental, do so now, Azriel said, his voice barely hinting at the anger and concern I could feel within him. If Amaya drinks too much more of the creature’s power, she will kill both the creature and Tao.
Amaya, don’t, I warned.
Fun, she grumbled. You not.
I snorted softly, then, as the creature roared and took another swipe at me, raised my hand and caught the flaming paw. This time, my skin did burn, and I screamed.
Risa! Do not expect me to stand here and see you harmed—
I can, I cut in fiercely. And you will.
Closing my eyes, I gritted my teeth against the agony and the screams that pressed up my throat and gripped the fiery paw harder. For several seconds, nothing happened, and I began to wonder if Azriel was right. Maybe Tao was lost and I was burning my hand for absolutely no reason. Then, suddenly, my fingers were touching flesh rather than heat. I opened my eyes. The flames were receding—grudgingly, but retreating nevertheless—from the point where my fingers clasped Tao’s hand. His fingers twitched, then convulsed around mine, his grip fierce. It hurt like hell, but I didn’t say anything, biting my lip and blinking back tears as the flames continued to retreat, first up his arm and then across his shoulders, revealing his head and upper body.
Amaya, release him.
No; want.
Do it, I said. Now!
She hissed her displeasure, but her flames unfurled from Tao’s waist and dropped to the ground, slinking back to her blade with some reluctance.
As the remaining flames flickered and died, Tao opened his eyes and blinked. Then awareness surged, and horror spread across his pale, thin face.
“Oh god, Ris,” he said, voice hoarse and raw. “What have I done?”
I quickly sheathed Amaya and tried not to think about the agony radiating from my left hand—a hard thing to do given it was so bad, all I wanted to do was throw up. “Nothing that can’t be—”
I cut the rest of the sentence off as he collapsed, and I lunged forward to catch him. Azriel got there before me. He slung Tao like a sack over his shoulder, then swung around to face me.
“Your hand—”
