Dawnbreaker

“What is it? How did you get here if you were trapped in the other world?”

“Aurora discovered during the past few years that the walls between our worlds were growing thin and weak. Some of our magic weavers could create a temporary hole in the barrier. We could send one or two people through, but we weren’t sure they were actually arriving here,” she explained.

“So you came alone?”

“No, there was another,” Cy

“But they didn’t,” Danaus prodded when she seemed to pause.

Cy

“So they decided to leave the job to me,” I said, folding my arms over my chest. “It’s an interesting theory, but it only explains how you got here. Now what about why you’re here?”

“I think Aurora is wrong,” she whispered, as if afraid one of her own kind was listening in.

“About what?”

“This war.”

“I don’t believe you,” I snarled, taking a step closer to her.

“Mira—” Shelly started, but I held up my hand, halting the comment in her throat.

“It’s too convenient. A naturi that wants to end this war winds up in the hands of the nightwalker that can potentially destroy their hopes of freedom,” I said. “It’s a trap.”

“Are you sure?” Danaus asked, surprising me.

“She gets close because I believe her tale of woe, and she kills me,” I argued, turning my attention to the hunter, who was now standing beside me.

“It can’t be a trap because their plan has already failed,” Cy

“There’s still time,” I reminded her, which only made her smile at me.

“Yes, but if you kill me, I can’t help you.”

“Why would you want to do that?”

“Other than the fact that I believe there is a better way to end this war than killing everyone?” she asked, arching one thin eyebrow at me. “I think that my sister is trying to kill me.”

“And I’m to be your protector?” I asked, my voice jumping in shock.

“Of course, you’re the Fire Starter. She can’t beat you.”

I looked over at Danaus, who seemed to be struggling to keep a straight face, not that I could blame him. It all sounded pretty ridiculous, but it was all I had to go on for now.

Frowning, I was suddenly unsure of what to do with the naturi. I didn’t believe her, but there was this nagging question in the back of my mind. What if? What if it was the truth, and I had the power to destroy the naturi nation with this young naturi and her idealistic hopes for something other than war?

“If I’m going to help you, I’m going to need your cooperation,” I said slowly.

“I’m not going to help you kill my kind. I’m not a traitor.”

I smiled and took a step toward her. “We can avoid killing them if we can avoid them completely. How many naturi are in my city?”

“I’m not sure,” she said, lifting her wrists. The iron manacles were blocking her ability to sense her own kind.

“They’re not coming off, and you’re becoming less valuable to me by the minute.”

Cy

“There aren’t any close by,” she murmured after a minute. “Not for a great distance—in the west and to the deep, deep south, across an ocean.”

“Danaus?” I prompted, turning to the hunter in hopes of getting some confirmation.

“My reach isn’t as strong as hers,” he hedged, his deep voice close to a low growl.

Yet, before he finished talking, I felt him reach out with his powers, sending the warm wave of energy crashing through me. The touch was soothing, easing away some of the tension humming through my taut frame.

“There are no naturi within the immediate area,” he said at last.

“So what do you hope I will be able to do for you?” I asked Cy

“No! Absolutely not!” Cy

“So Aurora will be stuck in her world and you’ll be stuck here,” I said, raising one eyebrow at her.

“Assuming that you let me live.”

“Not likely,” Danaus interjected before I could speak.

A smile haunted my lips as I wandered back into the yard and sat down in the grass not far from where Cy

“You’ve charged me with a difficult task,” I drawled. “Not only must I stop Rowe and his plan to free your sister and the naturi horde, but I must also protect you from Rowe and Aurora because you have some grand idea of bringing a peaceful end to this fight. I’m the Fire Starter, not a god. You’re expecting the impossible.”

“Can’t you raise an army?”

“An army will be raised to defeat Rowe. They will not do anything to protect your hide.”

“Then what? What do you want from me?” she cried, extending both her hands to me, palms out and open. “I’m offering you a chance for peace. Why are you fighting me?”

“I’m not. I’m being realistic. I’ve fought Rowe twice now and barely survived both encounters. I need an edge.”

Cy

“Teach me how to use earth magic,” I said with a grin.

The naturi gave a soft little laugh and dropped her hands back down to dangle before her. “That’s impossible. Nightwalkers can’t use earth magic.”

I rose bonelessly to my feet, standing only a couple feet away from her. With a thought, a ball of fire blossomed between us. It slowly circled around Cy

Cy

“I can access the power of the earth when I am at one of the swells, but I have no control over it. If I don’t learn to control this soon, I’m going to kill everyone around me, regardless of whether we are on the same side or not.”

“And controlling it will give you the edge you’re looking for to defeat Rowe?” Cy

“Rowe wants Aurora free. He will do whatever it takes to see that accomplished. From what I’ve seen, he’s already mastered blood magic to find a means to his end. I have no doubt that he will kill everyone that stands in his way—human, nightwalker, and naturi alike.”