Ignited

Chapter 10

"Nathaniel," I command softly.

He withdraws the blade, as quickly as it came. He takes a place next to me.

"I'd love for all of us to continue with our conversation, but we should begin the trek to the next island before dawn, before we rouse any more suspicion." Andrew's eyes find my own, but all he offers me is a nod. We'll talk later. He rummages around the room until he finds cloaks. He offers them to us silently.

I drape it over my shoulders, pulling up the hood. "We'll have plenty of time later, Ash," I promise the fire bender.

"Good," he replies, grinning.

At that, the chains at his feet fall away. "Let's go, then. I'll get you home in half the time it would have taken you," Andrew says, winking at me. He doesn't back to see if we are following him. I scoff silently.

We come to the edge of the beach. The waves roll gently, and quietly under the night sky. The Cursed Prince steps a distance away from the water, concentrating as he pushes his hands forward, and slowly lowers them. The ground in front of him parts, and goes deeper that I would have imagined. He cocks a brow as he extends his arms to the entrance.

"Follow after me and stay close. I'll try to make it as sturdy as possible but with the seabed and coral reef, it can become unstable."

"What happened to getting us there in 'half the time'?" I tease.

"Just try not to drown, Khy."

"You do know I'm a water bender right?" I pull on some of the seawater from outside the entrance, swirling it in my hands before splashing it on his face.

Andrew blinks. "Yes thank you. I was also talking to fire boy over there-" Ash frowns, "And if the structure falls apart, water will be the least of your problems if you're pinned down by a rock."

"Ah, I see," Nathaniel murmurs, his eyes narrow as he takes in the hollow path forming in front of us. He steps in cautiously. I follow closely behind him.

With a torch in Nathaniel's hand to illuminate our path, Andrew steadily leads us downward. Down and down we go, debris and mulch surround the walls. I assume the lower we go, the sturdier the walls around us will become. We make the walk in silence, letting the earth bender to the tiring work. It's interesting to see him work - the different movements he makes to forge the path ahead.

Willing flames to come to my hand, the fire swirls around my hand, softly and in a comforting, warm glow. Closely behind us, file in the Celestials as well as Nathaniel and William, flanking the Ash Demon. Whest sticks to the end.

"When we arrive, I can try to secure a ship to get you back home," is all Andrew says as we go deeper into his creation.

"Thank you, for all of this, Andrew," I reply in gratitude. I'm not sure what I would have had to do, had we not come across him.

"Anything for my betrothed," he smiles faintly, pushing forward, and solidifying the walls around us.

I keep by the Prince's side, overly aware of the small walls surrounding us. "Couldn't you make it bigger?" I voice my discomfort.

"I could, but it would increase the chances of the walls caving in. The earth around us isn't as solid as it would be on land," he explains.

"Lovely."

"Not a fan of close spaces? Or do you truly not like being next to me that much?" he asks.

"You, I can tolerate slightly, but the close space is not my favorite," I confess.