Elemental Hunger (13 page)

“Eternal flame,” he pronounced. His flesh remained untouched, not a blister or even so much as a smudge of soot on it. “The Firemaker’s flame is truly remarkable. I’ve never had the privilege of enchanting such interesting flames. Delightful.”

Well, that didn’t even begin to describe what had just happened. I gazed at the ordinary-looking fire. Minus the smoke. So I guess it wasn’t so ordinary.

The Chief rose in a fluid movement. “Interesting thing, your fire. Those flames had a lot to say.”

I straightened too, wiping my hands on the cloak. “You can talk to fire?”

“Spirit-speakers can talk to anything,” he replied. “Your fire was…lovely to converse with.”

The heat crept into my cheeks, and I turned away. “Yeah, lovely,” I managed to mumble. I hoped I wouldn’t hurl right there. I couldn’t believe my own Element—my own flames—had ratted me out.

I walked away just as Hanai asked, “Lovely? What does that mean?”

It means your dad knows I’m a girl!
I wanted to scream, but I bit my lip and climbed the stairs.
Lovely
mocked me inside my own head, even when Adam caught up to me. He asked if I was okay, and I made an excuse about being tired.

Hanai showed me to his cot inside the one-room cabin and said I could rest as long as I wanted. “I’ll make you something to eat, all right? Do you want me to wake you up when it’s ready?”

“Sure. Thanks, Hanai.”

He grinned. “I’m so glad you’re here, Gabe.”

I couldn’t smile back, but Hanai left without noticing. I glanced around the small cabin, noting a curtain that divided it in half. On the other side stood another cot, presumably for the Chief. I wondered if he would sleep somewhere else, or if we’d be sharing. I almost wanted him nearby, but at the same time, I needed to be alone.

I lay down on Hanai’s cot, hot tears gathering behind my eyes. Crying was out of the question.
If either Adam or Hanai sees me….

I rolled over and sniffed, swiping at an escaping tear. The cabin door opened, and I said, “Leave me alone.”

“I heard…I mean, are you okay?” The tenderness in Adam’s voice pulled at my heart.

“I’m fine.”

He crossed the cabin and touched my shoulder. “Liar.”

“Leave me alone, okay? I just need some time.”

“Time for what?” His breath billowed over my neck, causing something unfamiliar to stir inside.

To figure out what to do next. What to say to the Chief. How to act like a blazing guy. How I feel about you.

My thoughts—especially the ones about Adam—surprised me.

“Just stuff,” I said, glad my voice didn’t sound too nasally.

“We can trust Hanai with your secret,” he whispered.

I rolled to look at him. “Can we?”

“He’s going to be your Unmanifested. You’ll have to tell him sooner or later. I vote for sooner.”

My breath seemed too heavy for my lungs. “I know. Tomorrow, okay? I have to…find the right words.”

A grin graced his features and softened his jaw. “Tomorrow.” Then his lips touched my temple. A hot, foreign shiver ran down my spine. A moment later, the cabin door banged closed, drowning out my racing pulse.

As I lay there, I wondered if the Chief would tell his son before I could, wondered how much more complicated my life could get.

I woke in the dark, my stomach cramping. I sat up to find someone had covered me with a blanket.

My cloak, shoes, and socks: Removed.

My feet: Bound and dressed in white cloth.

Gasping for breath, I stumbled to the door, causing quite a racket as I went. The night air nipped my lungs as I sucked at it. I sank to my knees, trying to figure out why I felt so panicked—so trapped.

I’d felt like this at school too. Unable to find somewhere to fit. Powerless, with secrets and lies hidden deep inside. Large hands squirmed inside my chest, finding my heart and squeezing, squeezing the life out.

I ran my hands over my scalp and took deep, calming breaths. My feet didn’t hurt, and when I removed the dressings I found them completely healed.

“Gabe?” Hanai crouched next to me. “My father worked his healing magic on your injuries.”

I nodded, unsure I could speak without crying.

“You hungry?” he asked.

My stomach twisted with hunger, and I focused on it to clear my emotions. “Yeah, okay. Where’s Adam?” I asked as I followed Hanai over to the fire.

“In the cabin. He insisted I didn’t wake you up. He went to bed as soon as he ate.”

“What time is it?”

Hanai looked to the sky before answering. “Almost four. People will be up soon. You slept forever, man.”

“Yeah, well,” I said, adopting Adam’s policy of vague answers as I sat next to Hanai. The fire sparked, and I leaned forward, inhaling the smoke. My nerves settled.

Hanai handed me a metal bowl. “Rabbit stew,” he said. “You’ll like it.”

I’d like rubbery beans at this point. The stew was rich and hot, nothing like the canned garbage Adam had in the backpack, and certainly nothing like I’d ever been privileged to eat at school. I ate it all in a matter of minutes. Hanai refilled my bowl without asking, also dishing himself seconds.

He handed me a round piece of flatbread, and I used it to soak up the last of the stew. When I was finished, he took my dishes and set them next to his. “Where’re you from?”

“Crylon.” I could only maintain so many lies.

“How’d you meet Adam then?” His question seemed innocent, but it brought up so much I didn’t want to explain.

I swallowed the last of my bread. “Um, in Forrester.”

Hanai looked into the fire, the orange glow illuminating half of his face. His eyes reflected trust. Innocence. “But that sentry said they were looking for a girl.”

I held one hand over the fire, inviting the flames to jump into my palm. “They are.” The fire remained stubbornly in the pit. I gazed at it, imploring it to come. Finally, it leaped and landed in my hand, licking my fingers.

“But my dad said they’re looking for you, that we need to protect you.” He watched me, firelight chasing the shadows from his face.

I swallowed hard. His dad
had
told him about me. “I don’t know who the sentries are looking for, but it’s not me.”

He simply looked at me. Then he watched the flames in my palm. He smiled, all traces of doubt gone. But he wasn’t stupid, and it was only a matter of time before he’d learn my secret.

I felt like he knew already. He glanced at me several times, and I was glad for the bulky sweatshirt. Malnourished and overworked, I’d never had much in the way of a chest. I searched for the words that said
I’m a girl
but couldn’t find any that didn’t sound completely ridiculous inside my head.

I turned my hand, and the fire scampered around to stay with me. The silence pressed down, filled with my unspoken confession. Why couldn’t I speak?

I took a deep breath and looked toward Hanai. He was gone. I glanced around, wondering how he could move so stealthily.

The cabin door banged, and Adam stood there wearing a blue T-shirt and a dark pair of jeans. He rubbed his eyes and tromped through the leaves to sit next to me.

“Morning,” he said, running his hands through his hair. “How’d you sleep?”

“Fine.” I didn’t look at him.

Adam acted like nothing had happened. No kiss, no undressing while I slept.

“So today I thought we’d practice with the knives.”

“Are we really staying?” I shook the flames from my fingers and into the pit, where they hissed and crackled.

“We thought staying here for a while might be better. Give the sentries a chance to focus on something else.”

“We?”

“Me and Hanai.”

I swallowed back the sour feelings. Of course Adam would know how long the sentries would keep looking. He’d been one.

“It doesn’t mean anything,” Adam said. “You’re still the lead…man. Hanai and I were just talking last night after you crashed.”

I nodded, still pretending to admire the gnarled tree trunks a few feet away.

“He needs to learn how to use a knife too. It’s not a big deal.”

“No big deal,” I snapped, turning to meet his gaze.

He didn’t even blink. “All right, then. Let’s eat and get started.”

“We already ate,” Hanai said, appearing out of nowhere and sitting next to me.

Adam flinched, and I was glad I wasn’t the only one.

“Tornadoes, give me a warning, Hanai.”

“Totally, man,” I said, trying to sound masculine. I knew I’d failed when Adam turned his laugh into a fake cough.

“Sorry guys.” Hanai smiled sheepishly. “I forget you’re not Spirit-speakers.”

“Can they all move like you?” I asked.

“Most of them, yeah.”

“Can you hear each other?” I hoped this wasn’t something I should know about Spirit-speakers. I hadn’t been taught much, beyond being told to stay away from them. I was starting to realize that the Supremist didn’t want the competition. See, Spirit-speakers had healing powers, could talk to anything, could move silently, and who knew what else. The complete list of their magical talents could potentially outweigh being able to throw fire.

“We can
feel
each other. You know, the soul of a person.”

My pulse quickened. “Can you feel us?”

He dished Adam some stew. “Yeah.”

“But I thought you were Unmanifested.”

“I am.” Hanai stirred the coals with a stick. “But I still have Spirit-speaker blood. Gifts, you Elementals call them.”

“But your dad said you didn’t have any gifts.”

I looked at Adam, who was no help at all. He shoveled another spoonful of stew into his mouth and shrugged, despite the fact that Hanai had just admitted to being able to feel our souls. Did that mean he could tell if someone was lying? Could he read minds too?

Tension settled in Hanai’s shoulders. “No
useful
gifts.”

“Sorry, Hanai. I didn’t—”

“Doesn’t matter.” He patted my knee. I jerked at the contact. He jumped to his feet. “Sorry. I—I don’t know why I—” He cut off, a frown creasing his eyebrows.

Adam elbowed me and inclined his head toward Hanai. What he meant:
Tell him now.

I shook my head. The words still weren’t in the right order.

“Sit, Hanai. Gabe doesn’t bite. Usually.”

I glared at Adam while Hanai chuckled. Like he would know if I was a biter or not. I’d known him for a day and a half.

I wondered if the souls of men and women were different. Surely not, otherwise Hanai would already know I was a girl. I got up and headed for the cabin, hoping to find a way to tell Hanai and a way to reason through the disquiet growing in my gut.

“Relax,” Adam whispered as he joined me.

I didn’t look at him. “I’m fine.”

The door banged closed, and Adam locked it, sealing us in the cabin together. “You’re too tense. If I can feel it, you can bet Hanai can. Just tell him.”

“I’m working on it. You don’t understand. This is a major secret.”

Adam folded his arms. “I don’t understand?” He stripped off his T-shirt and turned his back. “What kind of secret is this?”

I gaped at the tattoo cascading over his back and swallowed hard. “That’s a pretty big secret too.”

“What does it look like today?”

The circular lines of his tattoo had straightened slightly. The ones near the orange, electronic eye were still wound tight, but the outer edges had expanded. The black lines covered almost half of his back now.

“Well?”

“The eye is dim.” I stepped closer. “The lines shift from circular in the center to more boxy ones along the edge.” Without thinking, I reached toward the thicker lines running over his shoulder blade.

He lurched forward. “Don’t touch me.” He pulled on his T-shirt in a swift movement. I studied the floor, trying to understand what I’d done wrong.

“You know what the tattoo means?” His voice foamed with danger.

“It means you’re an active sentry.”

His teeth flashed white in a brief smile. “Exactly. So if you touch me….”

“They’ll know where we are,” I whispered.

Adam was only inches away. “So don’t touch me.”

“But you’ve touched me….” I trailed off, thinking of his warm lips on my forehead, his hand in mine, the way he’d brushed his fingers across my bare shoulder at the bathing pool.

“Yeah, but if I initiate the contact, I can choose to transmit the location or not. I haven’t reported in for months and months, yet I’m still active. You know I’m electronically connected to the tattoo?”

I nodded, unable to look away from his penetrating gaze. Noticeable redness hugged the area around his eyes, almost like a mask.

“My first alert in eight months is that your prints are now in the system, and that I should bring you to Tarpulin should I happen to find you.”

I stepped backward and sat on Hanai’s cot while Adam pulled on his green jacket. “When did the alert come in?”

“Middle of the night.” He tucked all three knives into his belt loops. “You keep my secret, I’ll keep yours. Until we’re ready to tell.”

“Already done,” I said.

He stepped in front of me, took my hand, and pulled me to my feet. Slowly, deliberately, he cupped my face in his palm. He closed his eyes and sighed. His body shook from shoulder to foot and back again. Adam moaned, and his face twisted in pain.