Finding Fire -Book 1 of the Finding the Element Series

Chapter Thirteen

When I woke up my face was buried in Cal’s shirt and my hands were clenching its hem. I had the smell of him in my hair and on my skin. His arm was cradling me at his side and his forehead was nestled between the wall and the back of my neck. His breath came in even streaks of warmth. The room began to feel warmer and when my eyes adjusted to the dim light I could see Camellia in her cell, sleeping soundly.

I un-clenched Cal’s shirt and moved his head to be more on my shoulder than on my neck. We were leaning with our backs against the cinder wall, with our legs outstretched towards the bars. Someone in the cell next to Camellia stared at me, their grey eyes never leaving me.

I scooted back so my back was more up against the wall. I stared back at him. His dark skin was wrinkled in the corners of his mouth and a deep crease formed in his forehead. His dark hair was cut short but still looked as wild as a goblin’s.

“What’s your name child?” he asked.

I was caught off guard by the deep roughness of his voice and the pulling of his skin as he talked. Technically, my birth name, come to find out, is Aria…my second name though is Fiona. I told him the latter. “Fiona,” I said.

He twisted his face into a weird mask of wrinkled skin and features. I bit the inside of my cheek and tried to look away but something had a hold on me so much that I wanted to know more.

“You’re from Dark, correct?”

He looked back to me like he hadn’t even noticed we were conversing only ten seconds ago. “Yeah, what’s it to yuh?”

I was startled by the hard attitude. “Just…you look like you’re from Dark.”

He snarled, his teeth peeking out from an overbite. “Yeah, I’m from Dark.”

“Fire,” I said nodding. It doesn’t seem that he was interested in knowing where I was from but deciding to tell him was easier than just having to sit there in silence until Cal or Camellia woke up.

He stood up and came as close as the bars to Camellia’s cell. “What’s your name?” I asked.

The look in his eyes told me he didn’t want to say but I cornered him. “Leer.”

I had never heard that name before so I just nodded.

“How’d you end up here Fire girl?” he asked; his hungry tone diminishing. I preferred Fire girl over Ginger. Ginger felt so degrading.

“Long story, I was with him,” I moved my shoulder, gently jostling Cal against my shoulder. Leer nodded and shrugged. “Being with a prince can’t be that bad, but then again, you picked a bad time to upset the King.”

“Why’s that?” I postured myself better and pushed back hair. He shrugged again, “The wedding is in a couple days if the stars and sun speak right.” I remembered I learned that somewhere, astrology. You could learn what time it was from the stars or sun.

“Really?” I definitely had no clue about that. I felt a pang of guilt; Kade had to marry a girl he thought was crazy, he hid from her and secretly helped me, he let me stay with Cal when I was mourning, he cared even when he was trying not to and that is what attracted me to him. I got the feeling I always did when I felt excited or nervous or a mixture of the two. I loved him and I loved Cal. I could never be with Kade but I have the chance to be with Cal.

“Yep, in a couple days. Approximately eight, from what I can tell.” He looked at the barred window at the end of the hall.

I smiled at the window.

I stayed quiet for a long time, staring out the window in a dreamy daze. I could almost feel the heat and fire beckoning me to it, telling me to do what I had too.