We continued onward until we reached a large round room with a stone table. The Ember King took a seat at the head of the table and offered a hideous smile that showed off blackened teeth, shriveled, yet somehow sharp. His head caught fire from the blaze on his high collar, but it didn’t seem to bother him as his whole head was engulfed.
“I haven’t had another witch in these halls for years,” he said, opening his arms to us and gesturing for us to sit. “It’s been rather lonely.”
It took some effort to make out his garbled words. It sounded like his vocal cords were reduced to rock as the rest of him seemed to be. He had once been a witch, but now he seemed more demon than anything.
“Well, your reputation does precede you,” Narcissa said, clearly not caring if she provoked him. “And it’s stifling in here. I’m covered in fur, if you hadn’t noticed.”
“Hush, Narcissa,” I said, eyeing the Ember King warily. “We’re guests here.”
As we sat at the table, I once again noted the Ember King’s great height. He towered over us from his seat. I stared at his fists, nearly twice as large as my head.
The Ember King stared at me for a moment. “What brings you to my keep? Few brave my wrath.”
“You kidnapped our friend,” I said, crossing my arms. “Hardly gentlemanly behavior.”
“Trespassers in my territory must answer to me, one way or another.” The Ember King looked Auggie over. “Why do you travel with a human? Is he to be your meal?”
I frowned. “No. He’s our friend.”
The Ember King leaned closer to Auggie, squinting. “He looks delicious. I would slow-roast him and serve him with lamb.”
“Oh, that does sound rather good,” Narcissa allowed.
“Except that he’sour friend,” I reminded Narcissa.
“Humans aren’t friends of witches,” the Ember King said.
I winced. “I used to think similarly, I’ll admit.” I nodded at Auggie but turned back to the Ember King. “But some humans have proven themselves worthy of being peers.” At the Ember King’s skeptical look, I hastened to add, “Very few of them.”
The Ember King considered my words for a moment, then sighed, a sound that was like chestnuts popping in a fireplace. “I hope we can be friends. Because now that you’ve seen this place, I cannot let you leave. You are henceforth my prisoners. But I promise you will be very comfortable here.”
“Not with this heat, I won’t be,” Narcissa replied.
“We really do need to decline your generous offer,” I said, glancing at Freya, but she gave no indication of whether she could open a portal or not. She was preoccupied with the canteen at her hip, sawing off the top with a sword.
The Ember King steepled his fingers. “Don’t make me do something I will regret.” He reached out and grabbed hold of my cloak. I pulled back, but it was too late. My cloak had caught fire. I yanked it from the Ember King’s grip and tossed it to the ground, stomping the flames out quickly. I glared at the king. “You must be a potion master,” the witch said to me. He turned to Freya. “I haven’t figured you out yet. You have a very unusual appearance, even for a witch.”
She smiled tightly back at him. “I was going to say the same thing about you.”
He stood and stepped around the table to tower over her. “You have something beneath your cloak as well.”
Freya held up her two visible hands to show that she was no threat. Apparently his hellhounds hadn’t been able to communicate her extra appendages, and the Ember King hadn’t seen them before she’d freed herself. As he reached out for her cloak, she jerked up with her hidden arms, throwing the contents of her canteen directly into his face.
The Ember King roared as his face and chest steamed, the fire having been quickly extinguished. He covered his eyes, narrowly missing Freya’s dagger as he doubled over. He kicked the table, and she stumbled away from him.
The room suddenly grew brighter, and I cursed as lava golems slipped into the room from the moat below.
“He has an endless source of troops to send against us,” Freya said, teeth clenched.
“And troops that we can’t touch,” I added, looking up as the Ember King lifted his hands from his face. Steam still poured from his head, but fire was already returning to his collar, and if his bared teeth and sizzling eyes were any indication, he wasn’t amused by the proceedings.
Auggie didn’t have a chance to react before the Ember King backhanded him with one of his rock-hard hands, sending him flying from the table and into a wall, sliding down it silently in a heap.
“Auggie!” I made to rush to his side, but the Ember King placed himself between us.
Narcissa launched herself at the Ember King. Claws out, she scratched at his face, digging deep gouges into the soot and drawing his attention from Auggie. But the golems were already upon us, pushing us back from the table and against the wall.
Freya gasped as one of her feet slipped through the hole in the wall, but I pulled her back up and steadied her, turning to face our adversaries. I no longer had my cloak. It was still smoldering on the floor near my chair. I didn’t know what could be salvaged from it, but something would be of use I hoped. If only I could reach it.
