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"You wantedfire, Larkspur I think I will"

Eight

She launched the pot high, arching it over her head

Six By the tiround, the clock would have run out, it would be too late

I took three running strides and threw my spear

Two The clay fire pot hovered at the peak of its arc, the spear shattering it in the air The fire exploded in a blast that sent h that ribs cracked, splintering under the force Overwhel through me as it searched out the worms On my knees, I watched asout of his nose andas they shriveled up beside hi downlittle drops of moisture that lasted all of two seconds on the fire heated floor I crept to my father’s side and scooped his upper body intoeased He was alive I’d done it in ti bitch? That she wanted his death? His eyes opened and I shookacrosssure he saw htest inclination of his head that could easily be seen as ain

Cassava laughed "Of course, I killed him, that was the plan, you little idiot Hoeet that this will be the only tiasp slipped from me, both froht be telling the truth "He didn’t despise rin widened as she stalked aroundout behind her "You re on hilow around her hand pulsed, the pink fire swelling until it encoround and stood

"He didn’t despise me, and my mother would never cheat on hilared at me "Damn you, believe me!"

Her roar hit me, a sound wave of epic proportions, and I leaned into it as it swept my hair up Her voice wrapped arounduntil I could barely form the word I needed to say: "Liar"

The power aroundat me to let it in, that all would be well if I just listened to her I pushed against it, like stickingto push off The power sucked me under and I held my breathas if that would help All I kneas I couldn’t let her in If I did, I was giving up

My boots dug into the hard packed floor, and frohherher to leave asped in a breath and foundup at her She had a hand in littered with a hate she didn’t bother to hide

"Your enetics were Time to die, Larkspur, like the whore’s bastard that you are" Her hand lifted and the sparkle of green around her fingertips lit up her fingers She was going to drop me into a hole and crush ive me the truth before you kill ht

She burst out laughing, al over at the waist "Larkspur, you are truly naïve or maybe just the stupidest elemental alive Not that the reason matters now We are in no hurry" With her free hand, the one with the thick pink diamond on it, she stroked my hair "Your father eak Too weak to do what he th Do you know, the other eleth in st the elite We should be the rulers of the world, Larkspur Do you know that it used to be that way? That foolish storyteller had that part right We were meant to rule the humans, to direct them and be worshipped by them And I am not the only one who thinks so There are others, like your ht seeeneral? What have you done with hiainst her hand, the roots ofwas just with in rabbed her hand and jerked her towardas I tucked her arm under oing to work My ribs burst in an eruption of fire insidefurther, but I didn’t let her go Couldn’t This was our one chance

She let out a scream, "To asping for breath, but already they were healing The color of their skin pinking nicely, no wor fast

Not as fast as her oldest children, though They ran for us too, Vetch with his sword raised above his head, Belladonna and Keeda lifting their hands, calling on the power of the earth If they reached ht and true One into the right shoulder of Vetch, the other into the ground at Belladonna’s feet They spun, and Griffin stood there, grinning at theht between those two Let’s keep it that way, children"