Get out of there, Trinity! Now!
She started to run—down the street, through the alley, over the bridge. Screams assaulted her ears as she leapt over charred lumps she didn’t want to identify as human and her nose was assaulted by the smell of burnt flesh. It was all she could do not to stop and puke her guts out. But to stop was to die. So she kept moving.
Bursting into a vacant lot, she heard a cracking sound above. She looked up, her eyes locking on a burning roof, reaching the point of collapse. She leapt back, but found she couldn’t dodge the fiery chunk of wood flying at her face. Instinctively she put up her arm as a shield. As the wood hit her hand, she shrieked as the flames seared her skin.
Cradling her burnt hand, she bit back the pain, reassessing her surroundings. The collapsed roof prevented her from going any further forward. And the way she came was no longer an option. As she desperately tried a few doors—all of them locked—her eyes fell upon a small hole—a drainage ditch, large enough to crawl into. It looked dark and dank, the kind of place filled with rats and snakes, but she dove in anyway, splashing through the murky water, ignoring the putrid smell, thankful to be out of the fire’s path.
As she pushed on, literally seeking the light at the end of the tunnel, the space tightened, stealing her breath. Sweat dripped down her neck and her legs cramped as panic rose inside of her. What if she got stuck in there?
She paused, willing her pulse to steady as she watched the frantic feet of those still running for their lives outside. She didn’t know what was worse—hearing the screams of terror or hearing those screams fall silent. When this was over, there would be nothing left. No one left.
A thundering outside the tunnel made her draw in a breath. A moment later, the circle of light eclipsed and she found herself engulfed in darkness. It wasn’t until her eyes adjusted that she caught movement in the blackness. A single eye, peering back at her—large, blue, with a gold-crescent pupil.
A dragon’s eye.
She squeezed her own eyes shut, trying to prevent her body from shaking with terror and giving her position away. The dragon was too large to enter the tunnel and eat her raw, but it could always choose to serve her up as flambé. Neither scenario sounded like a good way to go.
Open your eyes, Trinity.
She startled. That voice again! From back at the museum. And at her grandpa’s house. Could it be…?
Can you hear me, Trinity? Open your eyes.
She found herself obeying, reluctantly opening one eye, then another. Sudden bright light forced her to squint and she realized the dragon had stepped away from the entrance and was now standing a few feet away. Calm, fireless, observing her with a curious expression on its face.
Come on out. I won’t let them hurt you.
What else could she do? With effort, she began to crawl again, squeezing her way through the tunnel until she was able to emerge on the other side. Relief flooded her as she scrambled to her feet, stretching her cramped muscles. For a moment she was so happy to be free of the confined space, she forgot she was still face-to-face with a dragon. A talking dragon, nonetheless.
“Who are you? And how do you know my name?” she found herself blurting out, probably the most ridiculous, insignificant questions possible at a time like this. But what else did one say to a dragon? Eat any good people lately?
The dragon seemed to chuckle, as if she could hear Trinity’s thoughts. Maybe she could. My name is Emberlyn, the voice in her head informed her.
Trinity’s heart stuttered.
“That’s my mother’s name,” she rasped.
The dragon nodded her massive head, not looking surprised. You named me after her, she explained. To honor your mother’s memory. But you usually call me Emmy.
“But that doesn’t make any sense.” Why would she name a world-destroying monster after her mother? For that matter, why would she name a world-destroying monster at all?
Because you’re the Fire Kissed, Emmy replied, once again reading her mind. And we are destined…
Chapter Thirteen
“NO!” Trinity leapt to her feet, screaming at the top of her lungs. Connor grabbed her, locking her into a protective embrace, his hands gripping her back until she stopped fighting him, realizing where she was. No longer in the midst of a raging inferno. No longer face-to-face with a dragon that had her mother’s name. She was back at her old home, safe and sound, with Connor by her side. Had it all been some kind of dream? But no, a searing pain shot up her arm. She looked down to find blackened skin, blistering from where the wood had hit it.
She jerked away from Connor, staring down at her burnt hand, then up at him, fury and fear surging through her. “How could you do that?” she cried. “How could you send me there without even warning me first?”
It had been real. All of it. She could have died! She could have been burnt alive. How could he just stand there, knowing he’d put her life in danger like that?
Connor looked down at her hand, his face awash with confusion. “Wha—how did you get that?” he stammered.
“You tell me. You’re the one who sent me smack dab into the middle of Armageddon world,” she retorted, trying not to focus on her throbbing hand. If a little burn hurt this badly, what would it have been like to be engulfed in a sea of flames like the others? She held her stomach, this close to throwing up as her hand continued to pulse in pain.
“But it was just a vision,” Connor protested. “A recording of a past event. Not even first hand—it came from my history reader. It shouldn’t have been able to hurt you…”