The Boys of Fire and Ash (33 page)

I ran. I ran fast and I ran hard with no more thought in my mind than north. I slipped more than once. The destruction to the Temple had let in more of the water from the Baublenotts. I was up to my ankles in the fast-moving current. The Beginners' Temple was falling. I couldn't get to the north end fast enough.

When I finally got there, it was practically a pile of stone. The Belphebans had torn the whole front apart and my heart sank. Did they move her somewhere safer? A different part of the Temple? Or did Krepin flee the Temple before the attack, taking Lussit with him? What if they hadn't moved her at all? What if she'd been right here, in one of these splintered rooms, when the attack started?

A wall to my left exploded into a million pieces and I fell.

“Lussit!” I screamed, huddled on the floor. “Lussit, where are you?”

And then there she was, not Lussit, but the withered old prisoner, standing not five feet from me. She was standing, though her body was bent forward and her hands were wringing in front of her. Her eyes were different, not glazed like the last time I had seen her. They were alive and alert, like she knew something I didn't. Then she turned to me and reached out a spindly, long-fingered hand. She motioned for me to follow and she turned down one of the corridors that was still standing. I followed, not sure where she was leading me, but the explosions intensified around us, and getting out of here was the only thing to do. She stopped at the end of the corridor, which led to an outside courtyard, a staircase stretching to the upper levels of the Temple. She pointed to it while she smacked her gummy mouth together.

“Up there?” I asked her.

She nodded with that glazed-over expression that gave no indication she had any idea what was going on, and turned away, walking dumbly in no particular direction. But crazy old woman or not, her staircase was all I had to go on.

I climbed, having to cling to the stairs every time an explosion rattled the building. I could hear the battle now, the distinct cries of the Belphebans and the rumble of their weapons, the roars of men that fought for Krepin.

As I neared the top, the sounds of the battle died down, and I heard the voice of Aju Krepin booming over the Baublenotts, followed by the voice of Gorpok Juga.

“Aju Krepin urge all you blasphemers!” Gorpok Juga cried. “Expel this demon's lies from you heart. Let the Beginning keep you!”

When I reached the top, I saw them. I saw everything. They were facing their audience below, the Belphebans and Krepin's army, their battle paused to hear his words. A group of soldiers, priests, and Passages stood around Krepin and Gorpok Juga, praying and chanting.

“She is the wrong path!” Gorpok Juga preached, and there, in the center of the group, was Lussit, on her knees in front of Krepin, facing the horrified eyes of the Belphebans below, her hands bound in her lap. She wasn't crying and there was no sign of the fear she'd shown when she'd screamed my name. Her posture was defiant and noble.

The tall, spindly man who'd nearly killed Cubby, the one Krepin called Karlone, was there too, holding a jeweled dagger on a white cloth. Krepin lifted the dagger into the air, ready to bring it down on her at any moment.

“Krepin!” I barked.

Every head turned in my direction, and it was then that I realized I really should have thought a bit longer before I opened my mouth.

Krepin shouted words that I assumed meant something along the lines of “Get him!” because his guards and priests were quick to apprehend me. I flailed and kicked and wriggled with everything in me until I saw how close I was to Lussit. Shoving me beside her and forcing me to my knees in front of Krepin, his followers readied me for sacrifice.

“With they lives,” announced Gorpok Juga, “the Beginning will be happy. They go home to the start. All you who are sinners, forget lies of this unholy daughter of evil.”

Lussit kept her chin up, ignoring Gorpok Juga's words. She ignored me too. All her focus was on keeping a brave face. I admired her.

I suddenly found myself feeling light-headed. The height and the knowledge that my death was moments away were too much for my brain to process.

“Turn from—” Gorpok Juga's words were interrupted by my stomach juices spewing from my mouth. With a violent gag I vomited down the front of the Temple, my bile taking forever to fall to the crowd below.

Everyone was silent, good guys and bad guys, all of them shocked that I had done that. I was shocked myself, but mostly embarrassed. I didn't care about everyone else, just Lussit. I looked at her, but she was still facing forward with her chin held high. I watched the corners of her mouth twitch and I realized she was suppressing a laugh.

As my insides withered and I felt my cheeks blush, I saw out of the corner of my eye the naked skin of Krepin's ankle near my wrist. In that moment I had a choice: die humiliated or live a hero.

Seizing the distraction, and not thinking beyond that, I reached out and grabbed the Aju's ankle, yanking it towards me and sending him falling forward.

“Run!” I yelled, grabbing Lussit by the arm.

Krepin let out a shriek as he went head over feet over the front of the Temple. A roar of cheers from the Belphebans erupted below us.

Startled, Lussit scrambled to her feet, gripping me for support while Juga wailed and nearly threw herself after her leader. Guards and servants leaped to where Krepin had fallen, forgetting us entirely.

I could still hear him crying out, and when I peeked over the edge I could see him, his knuckles white from gripping to a decorative red stone protruding from the wall of the Temple. Juga nearly had her hands on him, still more of her followers reaching down to grab him.

Karlone stood dumbfounded, still holding out the cloth ceremoniously. His eyes, puffy bags drooping beneath them, locked onto mine and the corners of his lips gave a twitch, like a smile was hiding behind them.

“Urgle!” Lussit screamed.

Behind us, an army of Tunrar was crawling its way down the parapets, their angry faces trained on us.

A pair of guards, spears held at the ready, advanced on us and I felt Lussit frantically grabbing at my clothes as we backed closer to the edge.

Through them. That was the only way out of here.

With a roar, I threw my body onto the first guard, taking him by surprise, and the two of us went crashing to the ground with a thump.

I heard Lussit scream behind me, and I was seized from behind, the second guard trying to tear me off the first.

I flailed and kicked as wildly as I could, my left foot connecting with the jaw of the guard beneath me, knocking him out.

The second guard had his arm wrapped around my neck and I couldn't breathe as the Tunrar screamed and bounced with excitement, making their way closer to join the fight.

The guard let out a yelp and his grip loosened a moment, just enough for me to break free.

I turned to see Lussit on his back, digging her nails into his face as hard as she could while he did his best to shake her off.

I threw myself into his knees and the two of them went flying to the ground.

“Come on, come on!” I screamed, dragging her to her feet as the first wave of Tunrar began to surround us.

The second guard's arm shot out, grabbing Lussit by the ankle. She cried out, clinging to me for help. I pulled her away, but his grip was firm. She screamed at him, and with one shot from her leg, she kicked him in the face, and the man went limp.

“Ikkuma!” roared Juga.

She and the others were dragging a furious Krepin onto the roof, while Juga started screaming in her own tongue, pointing at me and Lussit. The Tunrar screamed back and tightened their circle around us. My heart was ready to break out of my chest but I gritted my teeth, prepared to fight them all if I had to.

“Run!” I heard Av yell from somewhere overhead.

Everyone looked up and there he was, his body half out one of the top windows of the Temple, Farka handing him a ball that she lit up in flames. He hurled it right at us, and
I knew what was about to happen. I grabbed Lussit by the arm and tried to pull her out of the way.

The ball exploded and threw us sideways, but I never let go of her hand.

Krepin, Juga, and their entire entourage were thrown too, and when I opened my eyes the doorway was only steps from us.

“Come on, Lussit!” I screamed, dragging her to her feet. She was dazed and disorientated, but we had to move.

The warriors below were frenzied and the battle continued as I ran as fast as I could down the steps, dragging Lussit behind me. The riverbank. We just had to make it there.

We rounded the corner in wild flight from the angry guards that had survived the blast, and my body slammed into another. Lussit let out a shriek, but it was Av. Farka was with him and her sword was drenched in red.

“This way! Follow me!” said Av, running off towards the south, taking us farther away from the riverbank.

Farka stayed behind, fending off the advancing soldiers with her skilled blade.

We kept running. We couldn't wait for the woman who had saved our lives.

Av made a sharp left into a giant space of nothing but rubble, the rushing water of the river barreling over the piles of debris.

Av didn't hesitate and he started climbing his way across the river, hopping from pile of rubble to pile of rubble.

We were closer to the falls back here; their thunder was deafening and the water was even more violent. There'd be no fighting this if you accidentally slipped and fell in.

“What about Farka?” cried Lussit.

“She'll be fine,” said Av, trying to keep his balance as the
pile of debris beneath his feet shifted. “I've watched her kill every guard and Tunrar that came our way—there were a lot, and I don't think any of them ever landed a blow!”

Av was gushing. Farka had impressed him.

I felt like a fool. I'd run after Lussit even though he told me not to, bumbled headfirst into a pathetic rescue attempt only to wind up throwing up in front of everyone.

The rubble beneath Av's left foot gave way, and his whole left leg plunged into the racing river.

I threw out my arms and gripped his shirt as he slipped farther in, the pull knocking me off balance. I fell and my hip slammed into the rubble. I dug my nails into the tattered stone to keep from going in with him. With my other hand on Av's shirt, I pulled as hard as I could.

He gave a strained grunt, and his hands managed to fly up from the water to grab the stone that supported me.

“Thank you,” he said with a shaky breath as I pulled him up beside me.

I nodded, relieved that he wasn't mad at me anymore.

“Not just for that,” he said, “but for what you did, back there.”

I looked at him, surprised, and he was grinning.

“You saved her life,” he said.

“I puked.”

He laughed. “However you did it…you did it.”

I nodded.

“I'd have probably puked too.”

I grinned, knowing full well he would not have.

“Where are we going?” Lussit asked.

“To find Cubby,” I told her.

The three of us made our way through the Baublenotts and I was sorry I'd told Fiver to head to Abish Village. That was a long way off. It would take me forever to get back to Cubby, and I wanted to get back to him as soon as possible. I'd left him alone again; I shouldn't have done that. And for a girl. I knew Lussit wasn't just a girl, but explaining that to Cubby would be hard. I didn't think he'd understand at all.

I thought about how to make it up to him as we trudged through the thick vegetation. Maybe I'd get him one of those golden Abish cakes. He'd love the sweet taste of those spongy yellow bricks. Then I'd find the man with all the Abish shrouds. We'd pick one out together, me and Cubby, the most colorful one we could find so Cubby could have his very own. Or we could try and find the little fortune-teller, get her to read Cub's palm. It wasn't long ago that I never wanted to see her little face again, never wanted her to look into my soul through the lines on my hand. Whatever she said she'd seen had frightened me, and it had kept me nervous through everything we'd done. But here I was,
with Av, and on my way to Cubby. She'd been wrong about me. Completely wrong.

But Krepin wanted his Abish shroud. The Beginners were still coming.

My legs were aching from the effort of moving them through the muddy, swampy marsh, and Lussit was struggling to keep up, her white tunic soaked black from the journey.

“She's sort of nice-looking, huh?” said Av.

“What?” I blushed, terrified he'd seen my thoughts about Lussit.

“Farka, I mean. She's nice-looking.”

I tried not to laugh and I saw Lussit bite back a grin. “Sure,” I agreed, though she'd only ever seemed scary to me.

Av stopped. He was watching something in the distance, a lump sitting on a pink-speckled stone.

“That's Fiver,” he said.

He was sitting there, hunched over, his knees up to his chest.

“Fiver!” Av called to him. Fiver's head turned to see us, but he didn't acknowledge us in any way.

“Where's Cubby?” I said to Av, a cold chill running up my spine. “Cubby!” I shouted, and ran to Fiver as fast as I could through the mud and water that tried to slow me down.

I scanned the landscape, hoping I'd see him bouncing up and down, waving excitedly, but there was nothing. Just Fiver, sitting alone in the middle of the marsh.

Not Cubby
.

My stomach tied in knots as I got closer and still Fiver didn't acknowledge me.

“Where's Cubby?” I shouted, gulping in air and gripping
him by the arms. His eyes were swollen and red. He'd been crying. I felt myself getting sick again.

Not Cubby
.

“We were on the roof,” he said, refusing to look at me. “It all happened so fast. I don't remember letting go of his hand.”