Page 26 of Claiming Chaos
7
ASH
Let my fire burn? Was he serious? Surely he didn’t just offer himself up to a dark witch, thinking I could burn my way out of this mess, because I had already tried. All I’d managed was a miniature flame that barely singed the root, and then he’d kicked dirt over it.
Wait… My little spark had burned the root. She didn’t bother with a fireproofing spell because, as Chaos said, she underestimated me. Everyone underestimated me, and that was his plan. For me to somehow tap into my dysfunctional fire magic, burn my way out of this trap, and defeat an earth witch whose power was stronger than anyone I’d ever seen…even Cinder.
Riiiight… I should have gone to Hell with Chaos when I had the chance.
Chrys popped the top off a potion bottle and recited Shade’s spell, “Hide from sight our magical plight. With the power of Shade, my intent is conveyed.”
Shadows rolled around us, casting the rest of the world in grayscale. If she’d done that from the beginning, maybe the security guard would have survived. Not that she cared about the lives of others, but I did. And my body count was adding up.
She crossed her arms, screwing her mouth to one side. “This is a conundrum. I’d planned to force you into submission and kill Ash. Now, I’ll have to keep her alive in order to use you.”
Chaos growled. “Ash has claimed me. No spell you could cast will change that. I belong to her and her alone.”
She cocked her head. “Careful, demon, or I’ll send you back to prison with your brother.”
“You don’t have the power.” He curled his hands into fists, his talons and horns retreating, returning him to his full human form, and I couldn’t begin to fathom why.
Well, I guess I could. He was counting on me to save the day for some goddess-knew-why reason, but he was stronger in his demon form. Why on earth would he limit himself?
“You don’t have a clue. None of you do.” Chrys took a grimoire from her bag and opened it to a bookmarked page.
I wiggled beneath the roots, trying to free my arm. If I’d thought to strap a dagger to my thigh, I might be able to cut my way out of this, but no. I’d hyper-focused on getting that damn encyclopedia and didn’t consider that Chrys might follow us. That we might lead her right to it.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked for the umpteenth time. “Cinder was your best friend. Our coven, our family, has been nothing but good to you. We treated you like a sister.”
“Quit your whining.” She snapped the book shut and returned it to her bag. “Cinder betrayed me, Ember’s ego is more than I can bare, and you screw up everything you touch. Salem will be a better place without the three of you.”
She snapped her fingers, and the roots tightened around me, the dirt beneath me rumbling, turning to quicksand. “I’ll be calling on you again soon,” she said to Chaos before turning on her heel and darting into the night, no doubt heading back to Salem to enact her plan.
And here we were again. Chrys had decided to kill me after all, and why not? With the sigils and Mayhem’s skull in her possession, she could summon him and Chaos in one circle. Hell, she could probably drag Discord away from Cinder if she wanted to. It would have been the perfect time to say I told you so if I wasn’t in the process of being buried alive.
Chaos slammed his shoulder against the circle’s magic, letting out a roar when it didn’t shatter. Maybe if he set his inner demon free, he’d have a chance, but no. He stayed in his human form. “Burn through, Ash. You can do it.”
Dirt piled up around me as I sank farther and farther into the earth. My pulse sprinted, my chest squeezing like a vice until I could barely breathe. Did I ever mention being buried alive was at the top of my phobias list?
Burn through. How could I do that when a tiny spark was all I could ever manage? “I can’t.”
“You can.” He punched the invisible wall, and the magic shimmered. “Search your soul. It’s deep inside you, ready to come out. Use the adrenaline in your veins, and light those roots ablaze.”
“Thanks for the pep talk.” The roots pulled me deeper. Dirt covered my legs. If I waited much longer, whatever fire I could summon wouldn’t have the oxygen it needed to burn.
I took a deep breath and focused on my inborn power. Either nothing would happen, or I’d turn New Orleans into an inferno. I’d have to chance it.
“Goddess, please help me.” I drew magic from the core of my being, raising it to the surface. My veins heated, and sparks formed on my fingertips.
“You can do it, Ash.” Chaos slammed against the circle again. “I know you can.”
I had to, and I could. At least I thought I could. I had to think I could, or it wouldn’t work. I was like the Little Engine. I think I can. I think I can.
Curling my fingers toward my palms, I gathered my fire, igniting a ball in each hand. I let the fire roll down onto the roots, but the dirt shifted, dousing the flame before it could do any damage.
A fist of dread clenched in my stomach. That was all the fire I’d ever been capable of summoning, and with my legs covered in dirt, it was useless. “There’s no way.”
I sank deeper, deeper. My grave covered my hips and hands.