Through Fire

Through Fire - Chapter 11

Diana stood up and faced him, tears shining in her vivid red eyes. "Do something, Flint. They're getting away."

He looked up at her, and no words came. How could he express the pain and helplessness he felt? He closed his eyes and looked down.

"Flint, there's no one left to stop them. If they get to the city, my awful uncle will get his guns, and he'll make everyone slaves. Isn't that what you hate? Haven't you told me a million times you won't be a slave, won't see the city a, a cage, a prison?"

He tried to ignore her, but heat built in his chest until he had to speak. He scowled up at her. "This isn't about my values, Diana. It's about the Eagle's goddamn turbine. They're past us. I tried my best to prevent it, but they're past us now, and this rig cannot overtake that rig, not here, not on the smoothest way ever made. Don't you understand? There is nothing that I can do."

She held his gaze. Her face turned pale and her hands trembled, but she held her gaze. "Really?"

"Yes. Really."

"You're a liar."

He looked skywards and spread his hands in a gesture of exasperation. "In what world am I a liar? Look, look over there. You can see the Eagle. How am I lying to you?"

She reached into a pocket on her skirt. "You're lying to yourself."

"No. No I'm not."

"Then explain this." She took out a shining golden object and held it before him. He recognised the gleaming metal claw, and remembered finding it dug into the wing.

"How did you get that?"

"You dropped it when Jerethy knocked you out."

"He didn't-" He broke off and sighed. "That doesn't help us, Diana. I can't magically summon the fire monsters. I can't call up the King of Fire on the radio and ask him to take care of Caerlion and Co."

She set the claw on the dash, beside the wooden rhino. "Yes," she said, and looked out at the sea. "Yes you can."

He followed her gaze and looked at the great expanse of water. From here to the city, the way followed the wide curve of the shoreline, but a straight run across the water would be much faster. His heart started to beat quicker, but he shook his head. "No. No way."

"You've done it before," she said. "I know you have. I might not be grown up, but I've seen the new burn marks on the right flank. They're the same as the one you showed me at Smelt. There's a deep new scratch on the wing, and it matches the claw perfectly. You didn't tell me before because you thought we were going to die, and you were so mad at Caerlion you'd try anything to beat him, but you went up against a fire monster right after we left the burned place."

He shuddered. "I had to do that."

"No, you didn't. You chose to because Caerlion had turned your home into a prison, and you wanted to be free. Well that's my home over there," she said, and pointed at the distant city. "And every second you waste telling me 'no' is another second he gets closer, and when he arrives he'll make everyone I know a slave." She sobbed, and her eyes streamed. "How dare you ignore them? How dare you abandon them?"

He grimaced, and felt himself heat up, boil, felt he had to explode from the pressure within. He wanted to comfort her, and he wanted to hurl her out of the door and fly away, forget everything that had happened in the past week. But he knew he couldn't do either. Comfort would ring hollow, and having come this far he couldn't turn his back on her now. He only had one choice, and he'd known it since she'd shown him the golden claw. A strange, wild exhilaration rose in him; it spiraled up from his belly and shot tingles and sparks through his chest, back and arms. He grabbed the wheel in both hands and wrestled with it, almost wishing it would break off and make the next move impossible, but he knew the rig would hold.