Rise Up from the Embers by Sara Raasch

Author:Sara Raasch
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Published: 2021-06-07T00:00:00+00:00

Twelve

ASH

SHE WAS FLORUS’S champion?

Ash’s pulse beat in her temples, rocking her vision, making her dizzy. “I’m not yours, Florus,” she spat, and she felt flames lick up her back, giving her wings of fire. “You just tried to kill me and held me prisoner for a week. I will not fight for you.”

Biotus eyed her, her blue flames reflected in his dark eyes, and beamed as though she hadn’t spoken at all. “It’s an interesting challenge. I accept. If I defeat this mortal, you will come with me willingly to Crixion.”

“You can’t sacrifice her, Florus!” Hydra shouted. “He’ll kill her!”

“No.” Florus flicked a speck of something off his green tunic. “She can’t die. The fight will be to the surrender.”

That made Biotus flinch and eye Ash again, the fire on her back, the way she’d appeared like a god.

“Florus.” Hydra said his name like a gasp of pain. She was realizing how he knew that Ash couldn’t die—because he had tested the theory himself.

Ash couldn’t look at Hydra. Couldn’t fall apart any more than she already had. “I am not yours, Florus,” she said again, her jaw clenched.

“No, you’re the world’s, aren’t you?” Florus’s eyes were narrowed on her. “Prove it. Defeat the mighty god of bioseia. Save us, Ash Nikau.”

“Yes, Ash Nikau,” Biotus purred. He laughed, the sound like a roar. Ash inadvertently tensed, her fire wavering. “Save us.”

He swung at her, a fist to the gut; she danced aside on instinct only. She dodged two more blows the same way before one connected—but it wasn’t a punch. Biotus grabbed her, wrapping his beefy arms around her, and hauled her bodily from the throne room.

“Biotus!” Hydra shouted. “STOP—”

Ash screamed, but wordlessly; she was horror embodied, every raw ache from the beating she’d taken at Florus’s hands coming back on her tenfold. Her whole body lit up like a sunset, but Biotus held tight, running, running, until he leaped into the air—and out a window.

Briefly, Ash was aware of the palace giving way to the sky and a small bay jutting out from the land. Where the palace ended and the shore began, she couldn’t tell; this entire island was moss and vines and growing things. But out in the water, the liquid-blue sky and bay created a bowl.

A bowl that looked very much like an arena.

Biotus laughed again, the sound grating against Ash’s flaming back, and released her.

She dropped, plummeting through the air. She hadn’t realized how high he’d taken her until she flipped upside down and saw Biotus, above her, now in the form of a massive golden eagle.

Then she flipped again, and the bay waters were coming up fast, too fast—

A spurt of water shot up from the bay and gulped Ash into it. She flailed, fighting for the surface as the water lowered her to the bay’s surface and solidified into an ice platform.

Ash doubled over, coughing on the ice, shivering, as Hydra materialized into her human self.

She dived at Ash, ripping her to her feet and throwing her arms around her.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.