Fire Weaver (Fall of the Fey #1)

Chapter 11

In the end Carmel thought it was best to stay with the second group and Deadly agreed. They waited until the dead of night before they made their way to the base of the cliff. Deadly had said not to worry about humans seeing, Carmel didn't know if he had cast a spell or if he really didn't think the humans would care that a bunch of supernaturals were walking through the streets.

Zereth walked with Carmel the whole way barely concealing his anger. She bumped into him with her shoulder, 'I would be a liability.'

He looked down at her, his face changing from angry to resigned. 'I know. I'd just prefer that you were with me.'

'You could always stay behind.' She told him it was the first time she had said it but it wasn't the first time she had thought it. She wished he'd say that he'd stay with her, but she knew he wouldn't. His answer confirmed her thoughts. She knew he would prefer to stay with Lekinya.

'And leave an already small group smaller? No, they need me and I'm going.' His face steeled with resolve. Carmel turned her head so he wouldn't see her smile.

It didn't take them long to reach the cliff face. The town was built right underneath it so there was nowhere to hide our people. Deadly didn't think it mattered because he figured the necromancer already knew they were coming and because he had somehow assumed the unofficial role of leader. Even though he had no intention of leaving Deadly's Sin to help, no one questioned him.

She had asked Deadly why he coudn't leave and he had stared at her as though, with a look, he could make her leave him alone before he sighed. He looked at her with weariness as he spoke, 'a long time ago I disobeyed a direct order from my leader and I was cursed to spend the rest of my days on this land.'

'Oh.' Had been her response. There were so many question but Deadly had been vague on purpose, which Carmel knew meant he didn't want to talk about it. Instead she asked a different question. 'Why do they call you Deadly.'

'That was all Faux.' Deadly's expression warmed and he smiled slightly, 'when he was young a fight broke out in the club. Faux was present and he said I was Deadly and it stuck.'

Carmel had laughed, it seemed like something Faux would do. It made her wonder at the events that led to Faux's nickname. She would have asked but Zereth had been motioning to her. It was time to leave.

Once they were settled in the small crop of trees just before the cliff Carmel hugged both Tharoe and Zereth while wishing them luck. She then walked over to Faux, who stood apart from everyone else, kicking at the dirt beneath his feet. 'Hey,' she said in a vain attempt to catch his attention. He grunted in acknowledgement but otherwise didn't make a move to indicate that he'd heard her. 'I just wanted to wish you luck.'

He kicked the dirt with force and dust puffed up, curling like a cloud of brown smoke before it faded away. 'We don't need luck.' He told her and grinned like a Cheshire cat, 'we will win.'

'You speak as though you know there will be a fight.'

'He wants to fight.' He told her. She raised her eyebrows, silently asking for him to elaborate, 'he would have been flying under the radar if he didn't want a fight but what did he do? He disrupted a whole ecosystem of supernaturals and stayed exactly where he was. He is making a stand and declaring himself.'

She regarded him silently before she built up the courage to ask her next question. 'You don't think it will end tonight?'

'No,' He shook his head a smile still playing on his lips, 'this is just the beginning.'

'And you're happy about that?' She asked.

'We should head out.' Zereth called out and started for the only ground level entrance of the cliff face.

Faux started after Zereth and called out to her over his shoulder, 'absolutely.'

Carmel watched her friends backs disappear into the darkness of the cave and took a seat, her eyes traveling up the cliff to the next opening. She was scared. She stared at her hands in her lap and could see them shake like flames flickering in the wind. She squeezed them until her knuckles went pink and looked back towards the second opening. She waited. They would be fine. She had to believe that they would be fine.

They made it to the third opening without incident but they were behind on the fourth. Carmel had been pacing for the last fifteen minutes her eyes continually going to the fourth checkpoint. She wasn't the only one who was restless. Carmel gave up on waiting and stomped towards the closest Draco.

'What's on the fourth level?' She demanded and he recoiled from for a moment in surprise before he recovered and answered.

'It's the hall. Where everyone gathers,' he told her.

'Is there a fire there?' She asked him and his brow creased in confusion.

'Usually, why?'

She turned away from him and walked to the fire that the night elves had built to cook food while they waited. She closed her eyes as she stepped forward concentrating on her friends and her idea of what the Draco's hall looked like.