Hi all!
As promised, here is a sample of chapter one of Cinder and Fire. If you haven’t read the previous books and don’t want to be spoiled, I recommend skipping this blog post.
“Rocky?” I peer into the darkness, trying to see who had snuck into my new room.
“Fuck.” A deep voice replies, but not Rocky’s.
The light switch is flicked on next to the man, who crosses his arms on the bed as my eyes adjust to the light.
“Oh, Mason.”
“Glad to see you too,” he snorts back. “I got the wrong room.”
“Marco?” I guessed, not needing to think hard about who he had been after. They are brothers, after all.
“Yeah,” he sighs, rubbing his eyes tiredly. “How is he?”
I haven’t seen him in months, but he hasn’t changed much. His brown hair still sticks up in tufts, though now at wild angles. His brown eyes are glazed over, exhausted. Clearly a lot has happened since I’ve been gone.
After months of being on the run from Ray and his cronies in the city, it feels weird to see Mason again. The others will probably find it weird too. After all, Marco and Braith left for me, and left everyone else behind.
“He’s okay.” I reply with a shrug. “Not happy that Ray has brought us back here.”
“I can imagine. What was it like out there? What did you see?”
After being out of camp so long I forgot that the kids stuck inside have no idea what’s going on out there. We must be the first escaped ones to return.
“It’s… Huge. There’s a city filled with people and dragons, there’s farms – proper ones. But no-one seems happy.” I explain, though not very well.
“Why aren’t they happy?”
I cast my mind back to the Wyverns; how they perished at the hands of humans after Thula freed them. People were terrified of them, and the Anthropomorphic. Anything that they don’t understand is a threat. I suppose that’s why Marine was so angry with me all the time. We were both threatening each other.
“They’re scared. Now that Ray is in power, they have even more reason to be.”
“Well, if it’s anything like it’s been here, I don’t blame them.” He shuffles across the bed, letting me sit down.
“What has happened here?”
“Wyrms,” Mason says with a shiver.
He doesn’t need to say any more. I’ve dealt with the nasty dragon sub-species enough times, although thanks to my heightened element, I can fight them off more easily than before. They have little control over me and Braith. I guess the others must be the same.
“Where are the dragons?” I ask timidly. I hope that Aqueous isn’t trapped in some sort of farm again.
He shrugs. “They keep them away from us usually. They think it lessens the pain, but it doesn’t.”
I cross my arms and look up at the grey ceiling, hoping it might morph into the night sky. Sleeping rough had been horrible at times, but it was better than sleeping under Ray’s roof.
Before I can say anything else, the familiar cold feeling creeps up my throat.
Shit.
I’ve used the shark too much the past few days.
Mason must have noticed me going rigid as he places a hand on my shoulder. “Haze, you okay?”
The cold forms into an icy lump, which I’m able to cough up before it can get stuck. Mason looks at me with a mixture of shock and disgust.
“Serum failure,” I explain with a small smile. “It means-”
“That the serum they injected is failing,” Mason finishes uncomfortably. “Violet has it too. Though she’s going nuts, not coughing up ice.”
Kicking the lump of ice under the bed, I clear my throat until it’s not croaky anymore. “How is everybody?”
“Surviving,” he jokes. “Just.”
My heart sinks at what’s ahead for us all. I don’t want to be trapped here again, especially with the Wyrms around. Ray can get away with anything he wants, and there’s nothing we can do about it.
“I’m going to find Marco,” Mason mutters uncomfortably. “I hope Rocky didn’t end up in his room.”
My heart flutters. My brother! How could I forget I’d be seeing him again?
***
That’s it for the preview, you’ll have to wait to read the rest until April! The book will be going up for pre-order in the next few weeks, so keep your eyes peeled. See you next week!
