A Game of Chi Book II: A Throne of Tears

Chapter 30: Eris V

ERIS

Eris and Flinx had only waited for a minute before Braptor returned with more pails of water. "You don't need to do that," Scarrmax said. "Li'ella has gone inside to get them out." Braptor's mouth hung open. "She what?"

"She has the Gift of Fire," Eris said. "She should be more resistant to heat than any of us." Braptor still looked unsure, but Scarrmax cut in. "Braptor, you need to take Eris and the phoenix back to the Stinger," he said. "We owe it to Li'ella to get them to safety."

"But what if the Stinger has been breached?" Braptor asked. "I have no idea how far the rioters have gotten. We'll just have to hope that we can get in safely," Eris declared. "We don't have the time to sit around and wonder about things we can't control. Let's take action instead." If there's one thing I've learned here, it's that I can't learn or change anything if I don't do anything, she thought determinedly. I figured out that Blista was the one who did this without the help of my firedreams. Without the help of a phoenix. She looked down sadly at Flinx, who was mesmerized by the flames and sounds around them. She wasn't what I was expecting here, she admitted to herself. If she is the Queen of Fire, that's not who she is now. I don't blame Li'ella, or anyone else in the Scorpion Den for doubting her. But if we want Flinx to become who we want her to be, we need to get her to safety and restore order. "So, Braptor. Should we get going?" The bat nodded uneasily. "If we're questioned by anyone, tell them you captured us," Eris advised. "That can buy us time to get closer to the Stinger."

"Alright," Braptor replied. "Stay safe, Scarrmax," he said. "You too," the scorpion replied. "All of you."

Eris, Braptor and Flinx ran through the streets, heading towards the giant pyramid. It was night now, but the streets were still illuminated by the fire. Eris watched as a market stall that had caught on fire was at the centre of a heated argument; a spider was shouting at a scorpion with a torch in his hand. "She is our rightful queen!" the spider shouted. "And even if you disagree, why would you burn down my business? My livelihood?"

"You're one of them," the scorpion replied. "You believe in that false queen? You don't deserve to have this stall!" Eris covered Flinx' eyes as the two began fighting each other, and they hurried along. Finally, the entrance to the Stinger was in sight, but Eris was horrified at what she saw. They got through, she realized. Several scorpion guards were dead on the ground, and the once resplendent doors to the pyramid had been broken down. The three of them hesitated, wondering what to do next. "I'll go in and scout," Braptor volunteered. "I'll fit right in. Stay here with the phoenix," he said. Eris nodded and watched as the bat ran into the palace. "Did they get into the palace?" Flinx asked, clearly scared. "It looks like it," Eris replied. "What about Tormak and Lundor? And Panthar and Scorm?" Eris kept her eyes worriedly glued to the entrance. "They'll be fine," she assured the phoenix. "They're fighters. They'll get through this." Soon enough, Braptor ran back out to inform them of the situation. "Scorm's guards have retreated to the stairway," he said. "There's enough room for the scorpions to hold their ground there. But we won't be able to get through." Eris looked up at the Stinger's balcony. "What about up there? Why isn't anyone flying?"

"I asked about that too," Braptor responded. "They've got crossbows up there. If anyone flies close by, they'll get shot down. A few already have." He pointed to the ground not too far from the entrance, and Eris realized with a jolt that several bat corpses were lying there. I hadn't even noticed, she thought. I just assumed the only body there was Blista's. "So what do we do?" Flinx asked, looking up at Eris. Grimacing, she looked back up at the balcony. "There's only one thing we can do," she decided. "We fly."

Braptor held Eris back from walking towards the palace. "But we'll get shot down! In this darkness, they won't be able to see that we're not the enemy!"