Fire Heart (The Titans: Book One) (45 page)

Clare was taken aback. Katryna stood then and made to leave, and her next words were every bit as painful as a slap. “By the way, Clare, remember the loyalty test I told you about? You've just failed it.”

“Katryna, wait,” Clare said, and she stood and caught the other woman's arm in her good hand. “Please don't go.”

Katryna turned and gave her a blank stare. “Why not?”

“I'm sorry.”

Katryna cocked an eyebrow. “Perhaps I'm not the one you should be telling that to.”

Clare's gaze fell. “I know.” She let her hand fall away from Katryna's arm. “I'm just...”

“Afraid.”

Clare raised her eyes to meet Katryna's. She nodded.

“It's alright to be afraid, Clare,” Katryna said softly. “You just have to know who to trust. Will is going to live forever, and you won't. But I know him well enough to say that if he gives his heart to you, he is never going to take it back.” And then, in a move that made Clare widen her eyes with shock, Katryna caught her in a tight embrace.

“It's always going to be your choice,” Katryna continued. “Whether or not you want to be with Will is entirely up to you. But I've seen the way you look at him, and I've seen the way he looks at you. Dark days are ahead of us, and everybody needs a little happiness sometime.”

She held Clare at arm's length and gave her a smile. “By the way,” she continued, “you didn't fail the loyalty test. I was just trying to get a rise out of you.” And then she winked, and a moment later she had disappeared into the crowd.

Clare laughed softly and shook her head.
I think that woman might be mad,
she thought.
Or perhaps just unnecessarily cruel.
But she smiled regardless.
Maybe she's right.
Maybe I should go talk to Will...

But she never got the chance to. They were close to the armada now, and the nearest ship had turned away from its fellows and was making for the Leviathan. A lone man stood at the very tip of the ship's bow, and he was waving and shouting, “Lord Borbos! Thank the Void you've arrived!”

The soldiers atop the Leviathan fell immediately silent. “Your messenger found me. What be the trouble?” Clare heard Borbos cry.

“The Darkmen!” the man called back, and Clare dimly recognized the name the Islanders used for
the Fallen. By then the ship was very close, and the Leviathan shifted so as to match the vessel's speed. “They've attacked us!”

Clare looked around—as did every other soldier—but could see nothing. The sea was calm, and the armada of ships might as well have been fishing for all the combat they were involved in.

“I see nothing,” Borbos called in confusion, giving voice to Clare's thoughts. “Have they gone?”

The man on the ship shook his head. “They've set up a ring around the City. Anybody who tries to get out is killed.”

“Killed by what?”

The man shuddered and lowered his gaze, shaking his head. “Nightmares.”

More yaru?
Clare thought dubiously.
Surely they can't live in the water, too.
A chorus of whispers flowed through the crowd of men and women, but they quieted when Borbos began to speak again. “Mayhap you be mistaken,” he said doubtfully. “It could have been a feint. I touched the sea when we arrived; I felt nothing. These waters be clear.”

The man on the ship's face fell. “My lord,” he stammered, “I...I think we may have lured you into a trap.”

“What do you mean?” The voice belonged to Serah, and it was laced with fear—fear, Clare guessed, not for herself, but for Will.

“They've been battling the merfolk for four days, milady. And...” The man blanched visibly and swallowed, his throat bobbing with fear. “And they've captured the Sea Spirit.”

A chorus of enraged shouts and screams erupted from the front of the Leviathan, and Clare began to make her way through the throng of people to that position. She sensed a battle on the horizon, and her promise to Serah to defend Will with her life flashed through her mind. Whether or not Will liked it was irrelevant; she was going to follow him like a shadow.

The din of warriors making ready for battle filled her ears, and the great beast beneath her added its groan to the din. It was so loud that the man on the ship had to toss a rope ladder over the vessel's side and climb down to speak with Borbos. As Clare neared the front of the Leviathan, Serah's voice pierced through the clamor and reached her ears.

“They must be using the same trick as Pestilence,” she said. “How else would so many of Keth's children be able to remain hidden from you?”

Borbos, who was pacing back and forth, shook his head. “You be right. And that means that we've fallen right into their trap. They must have allowed that messenger to get through to lure us here. But why...?”

“They want Will,” Leyra said, and her beautiful voice carried a dark edge that chilled Clare to the bone. “Pestilence may have sent a message to Agony before he died, or perhaps his yaru fled to the Black Fortress and spread the word.”

All of the Titans' eyes settled on Will, who had adopted a look of grim rage. “Will,” Feothon said, “we need to get you out of here. We have made a grave mistake.”

“I'm not going anywhere,” Will answered. “I don't really understand why you people keep failing to grasp that fact—we came here expecting a fight, and I am going to stay regardless of how you feel about it. Why is it any different now?”

“We did not expect the Fallen themselves to be here, Will,” Feothon replied. “If they are, it changes everything.”

“But you're all here,” said Will. “We can fight them if we do it together.”

“And what if you die?” Serah said, her voice rising in anger. “What then? The world will be cast into darkness once more—perhaps for another five hundred years, until Koutoum decides to grace us with his presence. Only this time the Fallen will not be weakened, yes?”

“Well what if
you
die?” Will yelled. “Who's going to teach me how to...how to do whatever it is I'm supposed to do? Huh? Am I just supposed to wave my hands and mumble some ancient words of power and become the fiery god of death? Is that how this works, Serah? If it is, please tell me now because I
really
need to get started on practicing my hand-waving.”

“Will is right,” Leyra said, holding up her hands to stay Serah's angry retort. “If we die, he might as well be dead for all the good he is going to do anyone.”

“But he killed Pestilence in Prado!” Serah cried. “He can do it, with time. And who is to say we will all die?”

“Yes, he awakened,” Leyra answered, “and he almost killed the—”

She stopped abruptly when she caught sight of Clare, who was watching the exchange with widened eyes. “He almost killed Clare,” Leyra finished a moment later, still holding Clare's gaze. “And himself. He cannot survive on his own.”

“But what if something happens that we do not expect?” Serah said, desperation creeping into her voice. “He cannot stay here. There is a force down there that was sent to capture or kill at least one Titan—and they must have expected us all to come. The Fallen themselves are undoubtedly here!”

“Serah!” Feothon roared, and everyone close enough to hear him fell immediately into stunned silence. Clare had only known the Titan for a short time, but she had grown accustomed to his easy, quiet mannerisms. This new side of him was one she had never expected, and by the looks on the faces around her, she was not alone.

But when he spoke again, his tone had reverted to its normal softness, and he put a gentle hand on Serah's shoulder. “I know you are afraid for Will,” he said quietly. “I know what you are thinking right now. But Davin is dead. You cannot change that. And this is what he would have wanted; fleeing from a fight was not his way.”

She opened her mouth to speak but he silenced her with a smile, and she said no more.

“We do not all die here,” Leyra said, her voice sounding suddenly exhausted and world-weary. “It is not our path.”

Clare wondered at her cryptic words, but Serah seemed to understand and accept them; she nodded weakly and said nothing more. She, too, looked tired and defeated. Her dark eyes, normally bright and lively, had a dull sheen to them. But then Will did something that caught Clare—and the others, she realized—completely by surprise.

“I know you're just trying to protect me,” he said softly, and he stepped forward and seized Serah in an embrace. “Thank you.”

The Lady of the Sky seemed completely bewildered; she simply stood there with her eyes wide and her hands hanging limply at her sides. And then, slowly as though afraid he might pull away, she brought her arms up around Will and returned the gesture. There was something touching about the scene, something that tugged at Clare's heartstrings and made her want to weep.
Serah is terrified,
she realized.
Terrified that she will be powerless to stop the death of the one she loves most—again.
She had not heard the tale in its entirety, but she had gathered enough to piece together Serah's feelings for Davin. And Will was Davin reborn—to let him strike off head-first into danger, nearly helpless against the horrors of the Fallen, must have been tearing Serah apart from the inside.

The wind picked up briefly then, and the depths of Serah's eyes sparked for an instant. It died down a moment later, and she pulled away from Will. “The reinforcements I sent for are close,” she said quietly. “I redirected them to the City in the Waves when we were in the Dark Forest. It should take a day at the most for them to reach us.”

She turned and walked away without a word. Clare had not noticed the oppressive silence that had fallen over the warriors until then, and it was suddenly broken by the renewed clatter of weapons and armor, and the calls for men at the ready. The other Titans went back to discussing something—matters of importance, she was sure. They kept darting glances her way, though, and spoke in low, suspicious undertones. She shrugged it off and headed out after Serah.

“I have not forgotten my promise,” she said when she found the Titan alone, staring out into the sparkling sea. The water was mockingly calm and peaceful.

Serah turned slowly, her long hair billowing in the breeze. She held Clare's gaze but said nothing.

“I will defend Will with my life,” Clare continued. “Like I said I would.”

Rather than the reaction she expected, however, Serah's face fell. “I...thank you,” she said. “I am glad to hear it.” Her tone told a different tale, though, and Clare cocked her head in confusion. She saw Serah's eyes dart to her maimed hand, and she moved it behind her leg self-consciously.

“If there is some question as to my ability...” Clare began, but Serah shook her head.

“I am sorry, child. Your skill and determination are not in question.” Serah licked her lips, obviously choosing her next words carefully. “Perhaps, ah...perhaps you should stay behind the lines, though. For your own safety.” She indicated Clare's hidden hand. “You are injured, and such an injury could cost you your life. That would...be a terrible waste, yes?”

Clare narrowed her eyes. “I don't understand you,” she said quietly. “First you make it a plain-faced threat that my life is forfeit if Will dies on my watch, and now you're telling me to let him run off by himself? Make up your mind, woman, because I have already made up mine.”

Serah squeezed her eyes shut and ran a hand across her face. “Clare, I know what I said before. But new developments have arisen, so I need you to listen what I am saying now: stay out of the fighting. You are important to Will. If you were to come to further harm...”

“But—”

Serah whirled around and stalked away without another word, cutting Clare short. Her men—neither of whom Clare had noticed was there until that moment—followed close behind her. The one with the Southland longsword gently patted Clare on the shoulder as he walked by. Clare shook her head, bewildered, and after a moment turned back toward where the other Titans stood. The other Titans, and Will.

“We need to rescue the Sea Spirit,” Borbos was saying as she drew near. “He be powerful, and part of me. We need him in the coming battle.”

“We shall make that our priority,” said Feothon. “But undoubtedly he will be heavily guarded.”

“I will go,” Borbos replied. “I be in my element now; if one of the traitors be down there, I should be able to take them.”

“Alone?” Leyra scoffed. “You are going to go down there alone?”

“Of course not, dear sister. I'll be traveling with a force of merfolk.”

Leyra nodded in approval. And then her eyes settled on Clare, and after a moment of apparent hesitation she said, “Take Will with you.”

Her words were met with silence. “What?” Borbos finally said. “Take him down to the bottom of the ocean? Be you mad? Sick?”

“No,” Feothon said, and realization lit his eyes. “'Twill be the safest place for him—away from all the fighting.” He looked at Borbos evenly. “Because we will be up here, creating a distraction for you.”

Borbos seemed about to argue, but then he nodded in consent. “'Tis a good plan. And this way we won't have to spare any more men to guard Will.”

“I'm going, too,” Clare said, and the others all turned to look at her. She saw Leyra give a small smile. “I said I would defend Will with my life. I intend to live up to my word.”