Rootbound (The Elemental Series, Book 5) (21 page)

“We can’t stay here,” I pointed out.

Peta slept, snoring softly. I clutched her to my chest, finally allowing myself to see how close I’d come to losing her for real. Her heartbeat had slowed to the point that I knew it only had a few beats left in it.

“Too close,” I whispered.

Bella put her head against mine. “Her job is to protect you.”

“And if she breaks me by dying? That won’t protect me, it will destroy me completely.” The words slipped out of me before I could catch them.

Bella let out a sigh. “You would survive, Lark. You always do.”

I wasn’t so sure she was right. Peta was a part of my soul, and the thought of losing her was beyond anything I’d ever experienced. I’d killed my own father and felt less pain. I’d lost my mother and little brother and slowly the grief had faded.

I wasn’t so sure the same could be said if Peta died. I suspected I would go mad with grief if I lost her.

I rubbed a hand over my face, thinking. So much for taking the stones back with ease. “How the hell are we going to do this?” I didn’t ask because I thought she would have an answer. My question was for myself.

Bella was silent a moment. “I could go to Flint. He would listen to me. He might even be able to get the ring from his mother.”

I hated to put this on her, but if we could avoid another confrontation, then I would take that chance. I opened my vest and tucked Peta inside. She snuggled against my skin, but otherwise didn’t stir. “Let’s try, if you think he would help you.”

She scooted ahead of me, her voice echoing back. “I’m pregnant with his child, he’d better help me.”

Shock rocked me back and for a moment I couldn’t move. Then I was shooting forward. I grabbed her foot. “Excuse me? When the hell were you going to tell me you were pregnant? And I let you come with me on this journey and you’ve been in danger the whole time! I never would have allowed you to come—”

“I know.” She jerked her foot from my hand. “That’s why I didn’t tell you. I want to help, I need to help. And this baby needs to have a world that will allow for half-breeds to live. I don’t know that he or she will be strong like River. Or you. I don’t want this baby to end up a slave in the Deep.” She led the way in the pitch black, her voice echoing back to me. “You already are protecting me, Lark. I trust you to keep us both safe.”

Us. I closed my eyes and crawled after her. “Bella, you should have told me.”

“I wasn’t certain when we left the Rim. I felt the baby kick when we landed on the mountain.”

Of course the baby would recognize its home. My heart lurched for Bella. Half-breeds were drawn more strongly to one side of their heritage. Cactus was drawn to the Rim and his Terraling side. River was drawn to the Rim too, instead of the Deep.

But if the baby Bella carried reacted here at the Pit, there was a good chance he or she would be drawn to the fire in their blood.

Ahead of us, light trickled in along with the sound of voices. Bella slowed and I caught up to her. The tunnel tightened until it touched my back and belly at the same time. Peta let out a muffled mew and I touched her head. “Shh. Go back to sleep, lazy cat.”

Bella slid out of the tunnel while I was distracted. She stepped around the huge statues that blocked the view of the tunnel.

“Flint,” she whispered.

A gasp and the sound of lips on lips. “Bella, love, how did you get in here? Does my mother know you’re here?” His voice had a lovely deep timbre; even I could see how she’d be seduced by it.

“Please, your mother can’t know I’m here.”

The sound of shuffling cloth, as if he’d pulled her tightly against him. I hoped for her sake he did love her. That he wasn’t using her. Call me cynical, but after dealing with Cactus, I wasn’t so keen on Salamanders and their professed love.

I shimmied close to the edge of the tunnel and slid out. Crouching behind the statue, I waited.

Bella cleared her throat. “My sister helped me get in. We need your help, though.”

“Your sister? Briar is here?”

That was my cue. I stood and stepped around the golden statue of Fiametta. “No, the trouble-making sister.”

Flint’s eyes widened, but he caught himself quickly. “Larkspur. I’d say welcome, but your name is somewhat synonymous with chaos and destruction.”

I smiled, but it wasn’t a nice smile. “Your mother, how is she?”

He shook his head. “Psychotic. But that’s why you’re here, isn’t it? To remove her from the throne?”

Apparently that was what I was remembered for as much as the trouble I caused. Removing unsuitable rulers from their thrones. I didn’t like that association any more than I liked being associated with destroying things.

I cleared my throat. “Something like that. We need to get the ruby off her first.”

I hadn’t even finished speaking when he started to shake his head. “It’ll never happen. She’s worn that ruby from the day you gave it to her and every day she’s become increasingly unstable. And increasingly paranoid.”

I narrowed my eyes. “You know what the ruby is?”

He shrugged. “Doesn’t take a genius to figure out that it holds power. I added things together and it is the only thing that changed after you left. That, and the last person who asked to see the stone was beheaded.”

The three of us stood silent for a moment.

“Does she sleep?” Bella asked.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, his deep gold eyes never leaving her face. He brushed a stray curl back from her cheek with his other hand as he smiled at her. Damn, it did look like love. Then again, looks could be deceiving.

“When she does she has the Firewyrms who are left guard her bedchamber. She trusts no one else.”

I waved a hand at the doors. “Maybe standing out front of your mother’s throne room as we discuss her is a bit like tempting fate?” I pointed out. “Is there a better place to talk?”

He shook his head and his eyes flicked away from me. Like he couldn’t hold my gaze. “There is no safe place to talk. Your friend Cactus found that out the hard way.”

A sudden lurch in my gut slowed my response. “What do you mean?”

Flint tightened his hold on Bella. “I can’t protect you both. You understand that? Without Fiametta wearing the ring, I could face my mother. I am strong enough to beat her.”

“That’s not what I’ve heard.” The words popped out of me before I could catch them. Peta snickered softly against me, then burrowed down again.

He didn’t snap at me, though, only smiled. “I let people believe I am weak. Don’t you find it leaves them unsuspecting when you finally show your true colors, Destroyer?”

I tipped my head. “Though that is true, I didn’t plan it that way, and that is the difference between you and me.”

He smiled. “Yet still, it has worked in my favor and yours. I could have trumped her before, but now there is no way. She is too tightly bound to the volcano and has threatened to let it loose on us.”

“You’d survive,” I pointed out.

“For how long?” Both his eyebrows went up. “Even the Firewyrms need to breathe. I’m talking about her filling the mountain with lava and destroying her own people. For no reason other than she chooses to.”

I didn’t want to like Flint, but I could see his mind at least was a match for Bella’s and that softened me a little.

“Then I will face her if I must. You keep Bella safe, we are in agreement on that.” I slipped Peta out of my vest and she blinked one green eye at me.

“Lark—”

“No, I will worry about you too much. And you are no good to me in the shape you are in.”

Bella took her and cradled her. Peta didn’t squirm, but her eyes never left mine. “Do not die on me, Lark.”

“I don’t plan on it.”

Flint straightened. “You have a plan?”

I stared at the throne room behind us. “Get your family out, Flint. And get them out fast.”

From the leather pouch at my side I sifted through the stones. The five fake ones I pushed to the side, and I pulled out the two real rings I’d collected so far. There was something about them that was more vibrant than the fake ones. I couldn’t put my finger on it, more like a glimmer of the possibility that lay within them. I wondered if it was just me that saw it, or if my connection to Spirit allowed me to see beneath the surface.

The real emerald and sapphire blinked up at me, beckoning. Did I dare use them, hoping I would not be pulled under the spell of their creator?

Did I dare face Fiametta in all her rage and madness without them?

“
he is in the lower levels with everyone.” Flint broke my concentration as I stared at the stones.

I clenched my hand around the emerald and sapphire. “Bella, I need a piece of your skirt.”

“Really?” Flint stared hard at me. “You need to change clothes before you see Fiametta?”

“No.” I bent to one knee and grabbed the bottom edge of Bella’s full skirt. “I need to prepare myself before we deal with her.” I cut off a strip and laid it on the ground. I poured out the fake stones onto the material and wrapped them tightly. If I needed to grab the real ones, the last thing I needed was to scramble and waste time sifting through the fakes. I tucked the bundle into my leather pouch and then set the real stones on top.

“Now I am ready.”

Flint raised an eyebrow but didn’t question my actions further. “There is no way to get my people out without alerting her. And you need someone to lead you in and out.” He took Bella’s hand and strode ahead. “I think the best way would be to get Bella out, and you and I will face my mother. I won’t risk Bella being hurt.”

My lips twitched. “Bella, I approve. And you should probably tell him.”

She swung back to me, her mouth an
O
, her eyes filling with tears. I blamed those on the hormones.

Flint didn’t slow, typical man didn’t even seem to hear me, or get the undertones of my words. “We have to hurry. Tell me on the way,” he said.

I laughed. “Oh, I think this might slow you down.”

Bella shook her head, and I knew what she was wondering. Why now? Why tell him she was pregnant now of all times? And then I saw the understanding sweep over her face.

There was a chance he would not survive what was coming. It was why we wanted her moved to safety. My mistake was thinking it would help her say her piece and move to safety.

“No, I’m coming with you.” She slid to a stop. “I am coming with you. I am queen of the Rim, and I will not run from a battle.”

“Peta cannot come with us, she’s still healing,” I pointed out.

“Then we will put her outside and Shazer can pick her up.”

Worm shit. “Bella, there is no time to argue—”

“Which is why you should stop trying to protect me. I’m not an invalid,” she snapped.

I put a hand on her shoulder and physically dragged her toward the entrance, which I could see now glimmering in the darkness. The black obsidian rock shined in the flickering torchlight. “It’s my job to protect you. You are my sister and my queen. You are the important one in our family. My life for yours. Always.”

Flint nodded. “Listen to her, my love. Being queen does not mean you must always fight. Your sister is doing her job. You must do yours. My people will need to be organized as I send them out.”