Set the Sky on Fire (Fire Trilogy Book 1) (17 page)

Every part of Ari's being wanted to go over to console the woman. Instead, she rested her head in her hands. It was not long before she heard the old woman heading back towards them. Ari could feel the seether shuffle in his seat. She hoped that the woman would be permitted to walk by. Between her fingers, Ari glimpsed the old woman’s black loafers as she stopped in front of her.

“Poor dear, is she alright?” the old woman’s voice was low and scratchy.

Ari still sat with her head in her hands, and she imagined she looked to be in a state of shock. The seether placed his hand on Ari's back and gave it a rub.

“She’ll be fine. Just having a rough few days. And it’s only gonna get worse for her.”

His touch made her skin crawl.

“I'm fine, thanks,” Ari managed to get out, not wanting the attention.

The women walked away, her grief trailing along behind her like a tired dog on a lead.

“From the expression on your face, I’d say you can feel her pain. Excellent. Now, I want you to try and track her. See how far you get.”

Ari felt her, followed her movements. She could track each step. The connection didn't wane but, after about ten seconds, she turned to the seether, “I can't really feel her anymore.”

The seether didn't seem bothered.

“That's a good start. Longer than I thought you could do.”

Damn,
she thought,
I could have got away with less
.

They sat there for a while longer, but nobody else came by. Ari cast around again for Nate. Still nothing. She fidgeted on the wooden seat. Beside her, the seether did the same. She could sense him losing interest in his experiment.

“Bugger this, let's go. We can send Michelle out for a late lunch when we get back to the hotel.”

“I’m not sure she likes being the errand girl.”

“She'll do as she's told.”

Ari was taken aback by the harsh comment.

“Come on, you can't be too worried about the way I treat her? Look at what she’s done to you. Not exactly compassionate, is she?”

Ari felt a pang of pity for Michelle. The seether used her infatuation to his advantage and Michelle’s feelings made her blind to the truth, even if they smacked her in the face. Ari wondered how long it would be, before he did just that. Michelle’s simpering demands stretched his patience.

The seether stood on the curb in front of Ari waiting to hail a taxi. For a moment, she wished that pushing him under the cab would finish all of this. It was a fleeting thought, one she knew she wasn’t capable of carrying out.

“We’re not using public transport?” Ari needled him. Even though she hadn’t had the pleasure of using it, she knew of the legendary tram system that connected Melbourne. One of the many tracks that snaked around the city centre passed right outside their hotel.

“I have no problem with public transport. I'm under strict directions not to let you on it. We lost one that way before.”

Ari stared at him. She hadn't considered the possibility the seether had discussed her presence with anyone.

“About six years ago in London, we had one of you,” he explained. “A fourteen-year-old boy. We’re not sure how, but the kid managed to alert a very solid, pumped-up guy he was being held against his will. As soon as the bus doors opened at the main terminal, the kid took off like a scolded cat, straight into the crowd. In the meantime, the brick-wall of a guy slowed my associate down enough for the kid to get away. It didn’t end well for the guy though, or for that matter, the next guy who tried to help out when the first one went down in a heap. Mostly internal injuries—both carted off to hospital, no idea if they survived.”

“But the boy got away?” she asked.

“For a while,” he grunted. “We didn't stop 'til we found him. Took us six months. By then, the kid lived in a mental institution, heavily sedated. Once the mind breaks like that, it's no good to us.” He talked of the boy as if he were an inanimate object. “They're not able to differentiate the same again. Or stop screaming when we're near them, which is bloody irritating. Anyway, the moral of the story is—no public transport. I'm sure you're not a fan of mindless violence, so I'm guessing you won't be doing anything quite that stupid anytime soon.”

Ari and the seether followed the same routine for the next three days. Nate hadn’t shown up, and as each day passed, the hope of him showing up, diminished. Ari tried to drink in the beauty of her surroundings, the parks, the trees and the colonial-age buildings that dotted the city—longing to ease the burden. But the toxic presence of the seether and the purpose of their outings managed to suck away any pleasure she felt. Practising over the past few days had honed her skills. However, she kept the extent of her progress from the seether, only relaying small improvements each day, gradual increments. After all, it was expected. Today, they didn’t have to wait long before Ari sensed someone heading towards them. She had felt the person for some time, his grief drenching the air surrounding him. Ari turned to the seether.

“Someone's coming.”

“Excellent.”

A young man came into view. His eyes were red and he trudged along, barely looking in front of his own feet. He stumbled into the cemetery. Particles of food dotted his blue jeans and T-shirt, and he looked dishevelled. A slight whiff of body odour filled the air as he passed Ari and the seether.

“Oh yes. You're right on the money with that one. Shall we go and see if there’s anything we can do to help?”

“Just leave him.”

The seether hadn’t meddled with anyone so far. This one was different. The young man’s grief swelled over Ari, and with it, a self-loathing that threatened to drown her.

“Get up.” The seether grabbed her arm. “Do anything stupid and Nevaeh gets a treat tonight. Kapeesh?”

Ari nodded.

“Excuse me,” the seether crooned, standing directly behind his target.

“Now's not a great time, mate. I just want to be left alone,” the man responded, with a definite edge to his voice.

“Perhaps I can help you,” the seether pressed.

“I doubt it, mate. I just want to be left alone.”

“But wouldn't it be nice not to feel that pain anymore?” the seether persisted.

The man closed his eyes tight, a tear squeezing its way out. His response was almost inaudible.

“I deserve every last bit of this pain. It's my fault she’s in the ground.”

The seether placed his hand on the man's shoulder, grasping it tightly, then leaned in and whispered in his ear. It only took a second but, from where she stood Ari could see the sadness in the man’s eyes leave to be taken over by anger. She felt the emotional move as well. It was sudden and unnatural.

The seether turned and walked past, leaving Ari alone with the man.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Why don't you piss off,” he gave her a stiff shove and stormed off back through the entry gate.

“Hurry up, Ari,” the seether called.

She ran to catch him.

“Wow, that felt good," he said, shaking his arms and legs like an athlete unwinding after a sprint race.

“What will he do now?” Ari had never felt that amount of rage bottled up inside one person before. At some stage, the pressure would have to be released.

“Don't worry about him, he'll be fine. You should, however, be worried about whoever he meets up with next.” He was so pleased with himself.

“How did you do that?”

“Where you can sniff out a person’s feelings, I can push mine onto others. I’ll admit I don’t have the same range as you, and it only works on a specific group of people. But what I do sticks.”

Satisfied with his day's work, the seether hustled Ari back to the road and hailed a taxi. On their way back, as they had for the past three days, they crossed the Princes Bridge over the Yarra River, the car slowing to a crawl in the heavy traffic. Ari gazed out the window. Through gaps in the bridge railings, she could see the river meandering below them, thick with sediment turning it cloudy brown. A stick hugged the river's surface, as it drifted through the city on its way out to the sea. She longed to be like the stick, drifting away from her troubles. Ari couldn’t stop thinking about the angry man and the potential targets of his rage.

The taxi dropped them off outside their hotel. As they walked through the lobby, she did what she always did—more from habit than expectation—she dropped her guard and checked for Nate.

He was there.

Nate had found her.

Warmth invaded her body. The feeling felt foreign, yet it had only been a few days since she had last experienced it. A smile pricked the corners of her lips. He was so close.

Nate had found her.

For the first time in days, she felt hopeful. She glanced over at the seether, who had shortened his gait. His nostrils flared.

“Damn it. It's lover boy isn't it? I can catch a faint trace of him. How'd he find us so quickly? I thought I might get at least a few more days’ peace before I had to deal with him.”

The seether put a hand on Ari's back forcing her forward. He picked up his stride again and muttered to himself.

“Damn it,” he repeated. “It doesn't matter now, I guess. Time for Plan B.”

“What’s plan B?”

They entered an empty elevator and rode it up to their floor.

“He’ll be tired from tracking us. I imagine he’s not in a very good state right now. Not overly strong. That’ll give me the advantage. I’ll finish him off now. A little earlier than expected. I was hoping for a bit of help before he got here. Still, it’ll be satisfying to see the end of that nuisance.”

Ari expected some master plan, not a straight out attack. She’d seen them fight before. It was viscous, but they both seemed evenly matched. What if Nate
was
too tired? What if the seether
was
faster? Stronger? The thought made her heart break. She couldn't lose Nate. There had to be another way.

“If you kill him, you’ll be knocked unconscious. If that happens, I swear to God, I will end you.” Ari flashed fury.

“I admire your resolve. But do you really think you’ll be given the option? I’m a little smarter than that.”

“If you’re in close proximity when he dies, you’ll go down too. I’ll find a way. So you need another plan. What if I can get him to leave?” The thoughts coursing through her mind didn’t amount to much of a plan either, but she could ad-lib as she went. She hoped.

“Wow, you don't have much faith in Prince Charming now, do you? I do love the confidence you have in me, though. I could get used to that.”

Ari sneered at his narcissism.

“I don't judge your odds to be any higher than his, I just value his life a whole lot more. I'm willing to take the chance that he values my life too.”

“How very admirable of you, pathetic, but admirable. What's the game plan?”

“He's only going to fight you now, when he’s tired, because he thinks I’m in danger, because he wants me back, safe. I just need to get him to second guess my feelings for him. If he thinks I’m a lost cause, then he might leave.”

“And how do you propose to do that?”

“Pretend...” Ari gagged on her own thoughts. “Pretend that I’m into you.”

“Wow, that's callous. That’ll not only break his heart, it's going to tear it from his chest and throw it under oncoming traffic. I must admit I
love
the idea.”

“He'll get over it, and he'll still be alive at the end of it. Is it a deal?”

“We have a deal.” The seether held out his hand. Ari shook it, quickly, as if he had a contagion.

The seether took the new threat seriously, checking the hallway before entering their room, then chaining the door behind him. But Nate hadn’t followed them. Ari felt his every step, moving in the opposite direction.

“He’s found us,” the seether told Michelle.

“How? I thought you said he couldn't track us?” Michelle snarled.

“I don't know. I guess I was wrong.”

Ari smiled to hear those words spill from his lips. A satisfied grin plastered Nevaeh’s face too.

The seether explained Ari's plan.

“Yeah, I like that. Damns both of them at the same time,” Michelle said.

“It also means we will have to ramp up the progress. And we’ll have to keep moving if they have some way of tracking us down.” The seether addressed Michelle as if Ari and Nevaeh weren't in the room.

Ari sat on the edge of the bed, her head in her hand, her inner strength weakening and becoming dangerously worn. Until now, she had bided her time—kept moving forward, one foot in front of the other, with one goal in sight—to be ready to run when Nate showed up. Now, he was here, she would tell him to vanish. Was any of this worth the struggle? At that moment, timed to perfection, Nevaeh sat down beside her, leaned in, put a hand on one of her hunched shoulders, softly laid her head on the other, and whispered, “You okay?”

And there it was, the one reason she had left to fight. She needed to keep Nevaeh safe.