The Boys of Fire and Ash Read Online Free PDF

I could see Blaze’s pale blue eyes, not fixed on anything, like he was looking inside, not out.
    “He’s asleep,” said Crow.
    Beside me, Fiver snorted a laugh.
    “Stolen secrets!” Blaze went on, pulling at his hair, scratching his neck. “Hidden victory! End to the Beginning!”
    “What’s the Beginning?” I asked.
    Crow just shrugged and reached out to touch him.
    “Uh…,” I whispered, “I’m not sure that’s the best—”
    As soon as Crow’s fingers touched the man’s arm, the blank eyes filled with consciousness, wild and confused. He grabbed Crow by the throat and threw him to the ground, torch and all.
    Fiver pounced just as quick, jabbing the spoon handle into Blaze’s side with his right hand, wrapping his left arm around his neck.
    Blaze grunted in pain but never let go of Crow, who was gurgling as he tried to breathe.
    Dumbfounded, I couldn’t move.
    I felt someone grab the skillet from my hand, and Av stepped into the torchlight. He brought the skillet down with an assertive
thunk
, straight onto the back of Blaze’s head.
    Dazed, Blaze released Crow, who rolled away, rubbing his neck and coughing.
    Fiver let go of Blaze and the man stumbled onto his hands and knees, trying not to pass out. Then I caught Av’s face: he was catching his breath through his nose, his mouth tight with anger. He wouldn’t look at me.
    “Way to protect your Brother. Big help there, Useless,” panted Fiver. “Thanks for that.”
    My insides withered. I was useless.

FIVE
    I woke to the sweet smell of Larmy pig being cooked up in the fire pit. Pungent herbs tickled my nose. It was the smell of celebration. Excited voices, crackling fire, and sizzling meat filled my ears.
    I opened one eye and saw a group of Brothers tending to the fat Larmy roasting on a spit. Crow sat among them, picking at a sprig of herbs.
    That was when I remembered Blaze, his giant hand wrapped around Crow’s neck in the fading torchlight. My stomach churned and I rolled over, begging myself to go back to sleep.
    But I couldn’t. All I could do when I closed my eyes was see the night play out again and again. Crow gasping for air, Av unable to look at me. I’d just stood there, like a scroungee. And Blaze’s crazy eyes, his crazy words.
End to the Beginning
. Whatever that meant.
    The bed began to shake and the pots above me jingled as Cubby scrambled onto my cot.
    “What?” I grumbled.
    Cubby said nothing. He crawled up onto my legs and sat,his back resting against the wall as the circulation to my feet was slowly being cut off. I let him stay there, too exhausted and humiliated from the night before to bother with him.
    “Digger said we should all be celebrating,” said Cubby quietly.
    “Celebrate what? Blaze?” I laughed.
    “Yeah. The return of our Brother. He’s better today. Says those monster things were chasing him for days. Digger’s giving up the Larmy pig he was saving for his Leaving Day Ceremony to make this a real big occasion.”
    Never mind that the man attacked Crow.
    “Digger’s an idiot.”
    I turned my head and let my eyes drift over to him again. He was dressed different, I hadn’t noticed the new colorful hide draped over his shoulders. One of Blaze’s.
    The excited cheers of a dozen games taking place outside drifted into the A-Frame.
    “So why aren’t you out celebrating?” I asked. “Sounds like they’re playing Screamers out there.”
    Cubby said nothing, rocking his legs.
    “You love Screamers.”
    He still didn’t respond. I turned over and smacked him on the forehead. “Why aren’t you playing?”
    Cubby’s lower lip was trembling as he tried to dislodge his caught voice.
    “Fiver?” I asked. I could only imagine the hideous things he’d said to Cubby after last night.
    Cubby shook his head.
    “Wasted?”
    Cubby nodded.
    I kicked the kid off of me and rolled out of bed, ready to go give Fiver’s Little Brother what was coming to him.Wasted was becoming more vicious every day, and