Page 29 (1/2)

29

12:00 AM

FLAME-BRINGER

"What do you mean, Dess?" Rex asked

"When the defenses ate Jessica&039;s darkling,to sputter out"

Jessica looked up at the edge of the pit The ring of lightning surrounding theer blinded when they shot up into the sky, the bolts of blue pale and tentative

"I know," Rex said "But I thought you could fix it"

"We did e could I don&039;t have enough clean steel So out on the desert"

"You walked away fro all Amazon with your spear"

"Somebody had to kill that tarantula," Dess shouted

"You didn&039;t kill it, you turned it into an army," Rex yelled, "which some of us almost drowned in"

"You don&039;t drown in an army!"

"Stop it!"

Melissa&039;s cry silenced Rex and Dess Jessica saw that their argument had drained the color froony

"Sorry, Melissa," Rex said He took a deep breath

"There&039;s nothing I can do, Rex," Dess said softly

Jessica looked up into the sky Through the sputtering ceiling of lightning she could see slithers swirling around the snake pit At the lip of the crater a host of tiny eyes gazed down at her The spiders had surrounded the pit and peered down at them expectantly

"It&039;s up to you, Jessica"

She looked at Rex helplessly "What a Like I&039;rasped her hand, and she felt his reassuring weightlessness flow into her "It&039;s okay, Jess We&039;ll figure it out"

"What does &039;flaer&039; mean, Rex?" Dess asked

"I can&039;t be sure I&039;d have to do o look it up in the lore, Rex," Jonathan interrupted "What do you think it means?"

Rex looked over at the shaft of stone, biting his lip Melissa pulled her head from her hands and looked up at him

"You&039;re not serious," she said

Dess laughed "You think it&039;s literal, don&039;t you? You think she can use fire Real fire"

"In the secret hour?" Jonathan asked

"That would kick butt," Dess said "Red fire in the blue time"

Rex looked at Melissa

"Itthat would scare theh to explain all this"

"But you said fire didn&039;t work here," Jessica said

Rex nodded "That&039;s right That&039;s why they created the secret hour in the first place The whole point of the Split was to escape technology Fire, electronics, all the new ideas" He turned to Jessica "But you&039;ve co"

"Well, don&039;t just stand there ot any matches?"

"No"

"No"

"No"

Melissa shook her head "Soer"

"Hey, I asked about matches," Jessica said "And Rex said they&039;d be - "

A cracking sound pealed through the snake pit, along with a blinding flash, and a dead slither fell to the ground next to Dess

"Oh, yuck!" she cried, holding her nose at the smell

Melissa raised her head to the sky "They know it&039;s fading They&039;re co closer"

"Okay," Rex said "Maybe we don&039;t need matches We can start a fire the old-fashioned way"

"With what? Flint or so?" Jonathan said

"Or two sticks You rub theether," Dess said