“I’d rather not find out.”
She did walk into a volcano, Asteria says. And here she is, just fine.
I’m worse than a volcano, Thunar says. He’s probably right about that, based on what I’ve seen Azar do. Let’s see how far her luck holds.
This is bad.
Chapter 3
Azar
When Thunar fire-blasts Liz, my entire body reacts.
Just not fast enough.
Thankfully, when Liz throws a hand forward, a red shield erupts in front of her, deflecting the flames. “Asteria!” she shouts. “Get them all out of here. Now!”
I assume she’s talking about her siblings, and I hope Asteria listens. I care about Liz’s little sisters and brother, mostly because I can see how much she does, but the only person I really care about is currently using my magic to block Thunar’s flames while he attacks her right in front of me.
What is this? Some new magic? Thunar stops flaming her. And you said you weren’t a witch.
I don’t wait for any more talking. I launch forward and barrel into his flank, flaming him as I do. I just wish he wasn’t so much bigger and more powerful than I am.
I’ve watched fights like the one I’ve started, and they never go well for the smaller, younger blessed.
I watched as this very brother consumed the younger flame blessed, and they were older than I am. Even so, the one thing I can’t do is stand by and watch him attack Liz.
Hyperion, bless him, immediately attacks from the other side.
Thunar’s roar feels almost gleeful—of course it is. He’s probably wanted this to happen since the moment he arrived. He’s looked for an excuse to kill me for as long as I’ve been alive.
And I’m ready to die.
I’ve done what I could for my people. I found Liz. I’ve recovered the heart. And now, if it’s time for me to perish while defending the one thing I care most about in the world, maybe that was my purpose all along. I wish I’d have been able to recover my memories, but I’ve made some really great new ones.
It’s enough.
Thunar launches into the sky, and I should appreciate that. He’s less likely to destroy everyone else I care about from up there. Keeping everyone Liz loves safe is a good thing. Maybe she won’t even get melted in the fallout from our fight. As Hyperion and I follow him upward, I can sense her down below me, watching.
Hide, I say. Please hide.
From the corner of my eye, I see her darting away, and I breathe a small sigh of relief before I dig deep and pull on the inferno that’s always raging inside of me. I release the strongest, hottest blast I’m capable of making, and it strikes Thunar’s side at the same time as Hyperion does the same.
Maybe together, we can burn him to ash, Hyperion says. I intend to try.
Until we came to earth, Hyperion kept me safe as some kind of guilt-ridden obligation. It was always clear he didn’t like me. He just wanted me to fix whatever he was inevitably doomed to break.
It’s different now.
He’s. . .different. We’ve both changed.
Because of Liz. Thanks to her, now we feel like a team. I have a strange affection for him that I never associated with any other siblings. It’s more like what I feel for Euphrasia, or even a little like what I feel for Liz.
I’m not terrified he might be hurt, but I’m saddened by the idea.
It’s a new feeling to me, and it doesn’t help me fight with more skill or power. Our blasts seem to do very little to Thunar, which makes sense. We’re creatures of destruction, heat, and flame. Why would my attack harm him? What else can we do? I ask, finally running out of firepower. He’s completely fine.
Thunar’s been flying north and just a little east, so he doesn’t just head back to the island again, I suppose. As the water rushes past us below, I can’t help wondering what we could do that might harm him.
