Her heartbeat roared in her ears, and she could barely make out Flicker’s voice. “Reader? What happened?”

Alice tried to force words out, but it was no use. Her jaw was clenched so tight, it felt like her teeth would crack.

“Are you all right?” Flicker said. “Reader? Alice?”

Then the fire-sprite’s voice vanished entirely into a cold, dark void.

CHAPTER NINE

PYROS

“ARE YOU SURE?”

“I’m sure. Humans aren’t like us.”

“My grandspark always swore the cure for bluechill venom was to soak in oil and then let it burn off. Drives out the cold, he said.”

“I told you, it doesn’t work that way for humans.”

“We could at least try to get her to eat something.”

“I’m giving her water.”

“How is that supposed to help? She needs flame, the hotter the better!”

“For the last time, Actinia, you can’t set humans on fire! It never helps.”

“I think she’s waking up!”

Alice opened her eyes. She lay on a stone bench, padded with a lumpy strip of leather. Pyros stood on one side of her, the blazing colors from the crown of his head reaching only a few inches down the long, ashy gray of his hair. Actinia, his flame tinged with blue, waited by her feet. A fire crackled and spat in a stone bowl by her side, hot enough to make sweat stand out on her brow; her skin had gone red, but the memory of deep chill made her want to huddle closer to the flame.

“Can you hear me?” Pyros said. “Are you all right?”

“And do you think setting you on fire would help?” Actinia said.

The old fire-sprite glared. Alice took a deep breath, coughed, and found her voice.

“I . . . think I’m all right.” She felt surprisingly free of pain, though her palms were stinging. When she lifted her hands, she found she’d clenched her fingers so tightly, her fingernails had dug bloody half-moons into her skin. “And setting me on fire won’t help, I’m afraid.”

Actinia sighed, and Pyros scowled at him.

“I could use some food,” Alice said. Remembering that the fire-sprites likely had nothing she could safely eat, she added, “There should be some in my pack.”

“Go and get the Reader’s things,” Pyros told the boy. “And another pitcher of water.”

Actinia made a face, but he turned and left the room, the beaded curtain clattering behind him. Pyros settled himself onto a stone beside Alice, moving with an old man’s caution.

“Is Flicker all right?” she said.

The fire-sprite nodded. “He was the one who brought you back here, with a bit of help from Ishi.” Pyros paused. “He told me you killed the bluechill.”

“It came close to killing us both,” Alice said. “My wards didn’t hold it. I had to . . . improvise.”