Feudlings In Smoke (Fate On Fire Short Story) Read Online Free PDF Page B

right.”
    He sat forward. “What do you mean, something isn't right?”
    Ari didn't fidget. So when she started picking at her nails, he finally had sense enough to be truly worried. “Ari.”
    “Usually when Richard sends me into battle, they don't know I'm coming, right? They're usually just mild skirmishes and there aren't a lot of Carules waiting for me. But lately…” she paused, squinting at him as if trying to judge whether he was annoyed at her suspicion. “Lately there are a ton of Carules and they are waiting for me. Literally. They're standing around, throwing small spells to stay alive, saving their magic to fight me. It's like someone is telling them I'm coming.”
    Will's brain raced as he tried to process the information, annoyed at himself for his sleep-deprived fog. “You've been in a lot of battles. Maybe they just assume you are coming?” It sounded stupid, even to him.
    She shook her head, twirling a red curl around her finger. “I've actually been fighting less lately than I ever have before. Like Richard knows something big is coming and he's saving me for that. Plus, there are hundreds of battles all over the world every week. They can't all expect me to show up.”
    “Wait, go back to the Richard-waiting thing — why do you think that?”
    She shrugged. “Just a hunch.”
    “The war is profitable for Richard. He may very well be trying to facilitate a very large battle that will risk many lives and stir up lots of anger.” He leaned back against his pillow, frowning.
    “Will, focus. And don't use the word facilitate. It makes you sound old.” She crawled over his legs to the other side of the bed, stacking throw pillows behind and around her so she could spread out like he was. “We both know Richard is always trying to start something. This isn't news. But the Carules thing worries me. Somehow, they know I'm coming.”
    And if they knew she was coming, they could bring in their Prodigy. Trap her with too many forces. She was tough, but even Ari couldn't take on an entire army alone. Suddenly, Will was positive he wouldn't be sleeping again. Ever.
    “I'll figure it out, Ari. Until then, I don't care what you have to do. Stay out of battles.”
    She sighed and leaned her head over against his shoulder. “I know you will. I just have this feeling… I can't shake it. Like something bad is coming.”
    Horror made it hard for Will to speak, but he swallowed it. Ari didn't need him to be scared. Ari needed him to save her.
    “Get some sleep. I'll wake you up before school starts.” He started to slide out from under her, but she stopped him, yawning as she said, “Will?”
    “What, baby sister?”
    “Don't go save the day right now. Just stay here and talk to me 'til I fall asleep.”
    He forced a laugh, “What are you saying? I'm so boring I put you to sleep?”
    She shrugged as he settled back onto the bed. “You did use the word facilitate in a sentence.”
    He frowned at her. “Facilitate is a fine word.”
    She snickered.
    “Okay, fine. You wanna talk? How are things with Shane?”
    Her snickering stopped abruptly and she sat up, glaring at him. “Things are fine with Shane. He's a very good friend.”
    “And Hunter, too, right?”
    Her glare was downright menacing now. “Yes. Hunter too.”
    He finally gave up and laughed. “Tell me about your friends, Ari. Tell me about school.”
    So Ari told him about Hunter and Shane and Charity and Nev and Livi — all her friends that, if Will didn't know better, he'd be pretty sure Ari loved.
    And then his sneaky sister turned the tables and asked him about Dani. What was worse, she fell asleep before he even got to the part about how Dani liked to make him pancakes.
    ****
    “Ari thinks there's a spy in the colony,” Will said as soon as Dani walked through his door the next morning. Ari had gone back to school two hours earlier and since then, he'd gone over the battle maps he and Dani had created. None of the places Ari had