The Mark of Fallen Flame (Weapon of Fire and Ash) by Brittany Matsen

Author:Brittany Matsen [Matsen, Brittany]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Brittany Matsen
ISBN: 9780473471460
Publisher: Brittany Matsen
Published: 2019-05-31T05:00:00+00:00

20

Emma

As she stepped up into a black Range Rover, Axel turned around in the passenger seat, flashing her a grin. Emma forced a small smile in return.

Blaze shut the door for her before climbing into the driver’s seat and then they were driving. The city was congested with such a large portion being blocked off, but no one seemed to have the sense to stay home.

“How did you know where I was?”

“Whenever there is a threat, it’s our job to check it out.”

She nodded.

“So the bombs were a diversion? How? I mean,” she licked her lips, her tongue like sandpaper. Her mouth was dry. She had cried what little moisture her body could muster, and she had given her bottle of water to the EMT. “What was the real intent then?”

Blaze’s stormy gray eyes flicked up to the rear-view mirror. “More abductions. Giborim compounds were attacked. The Shediem know if they bomb human structures, the Giborim forces will be diverted to offer aid and try to hunt the Shediem responsible. That leaves the fortresses with less protection in the event of an attack. Seattle wasn’t the only place hit. It’s everywhere.”

Perhaps she was too numb to feel the weight of what he had said, because no surge of horror rose up in her as it should have. Instead she just rasped, “Oh.”

In the front seat, Axel unzipped something Emma couldn’t see, and her heart shot up into her throat. Then he turned and handed her a bottle of water. The outside was frosty with cold. Emma swallowed hard and took it with a grateful smile. She gulped it down greedily, welcoming the stinging cold in her throat and the ache it left in her skull. Axel wordlessly passed another cool bottle back to her which she accepted with a small, “Thanks.”

The cityscape faded behind them, replaced with trees and foliage. Leaves of gold, burnt orange and deep red rained down from the branches, blanketing the road. Ahead of them, the Cascades shot high into the air. Already their tops were blanketed in white.

“Where are we going?” Emma asked.

“I guess you can say it’s my house. There’s going to be a meeting with Giborim from all over once we get there.”

“How far away is it? I need to be back before my mother.”

Axel chuckled. “Don’t worry, sweets, we’re almost there.”

Emma sat back and tried to relax, unsuccessfully, as every bump made her muscles tense. Everything felt like it was going sideways; now, even Seattle was marked unsafe. Emma wouldn’t be surprised if her mother tried to move her into some underground bunker. Nowhere in the world was safe, and it felt like all hope was crumbling along with the shattered sense of security. And the way she and Rowek had parted left her insides twisted and unsettled.

They turned onto a dirt road, hardly worn. Blaze drove with a certainty that was just as clear as if they were on a visible track. The terrain turned rocky, and they had to slow. Emma gripped the overhead handle as the vehicle rocked and bounced up a steep, mountainous incline.

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