I bared my teeth as I yanked my arm out of his tight grasp. His fingernails left track marks on my skin. “Unlike you,” I spat. “I don’t believe in getting my own way at the cost of other people’s happiness.”
He shrugged and drank again before giving me a lethal smile and tipping the rest on the floor, leaving a puddle of highly flammable fuel just ready to be found by the fire raging in front of us. “Suit yourself.”
“You’re an asshole.” I pushed past him.
I ran.
I bolted down the stairs and straight out the kitchen door. Racing to the hose I’d spotted the night Kas drew me an outdoor bath, I grabbed it and prayed the length would reach the dormitory.
Twisting on the tap, I ran back the way I came, spraying water everywhere, leaping over the threshold and drenching the kitchen as I moved as fast as possible.
I didn’t have time to think about Jareth’s intentions.
I couldn’t let myself think about what would happen if Fables burned tonight, if Kas shut down, if his mind went blank, if he died...
All I focused on was protecting Kas in the only way I could.
The hose slithered in my hands, water licking every surface as I reached the bottom of the dormitory stairs.
I took a step.
The hose ran out of length.
“No!” I slammed to a halt, raining water everywhere it wasn’t needed. “Fuck!” I left the hose running, sending rivers down the corridor, and bolted back to the kitchen. Grabbing as many pots and pans as I could, I skidded back and did my best to fill them.
Kas appeared at the top of the stairs stumbling against the wall, wheezing and coughing. Soot covered his hands, and ash decorated his long hair. His eyes locked onto mine, wide with worry and watery with smoke. He didn’t speak as he coughed and scaled the steps two at a time to me.
Snatching up a pan full of water, he raced back up the steps, bouncing off a wall as his headache and concussion stole his balance.
True panic filled me as the hiss and sizzle of fire came, followed by a massive plume of black smoke. Filling not just the dorm now but the corridor and snaking its way to the kitchen.
“No!” I angled the hose up the stairs and sprayed it as high as I could.
Fire licked its way to the puddle of bourbon Jareth had left at the top of the landing, catching it in a gust of blue and orange.
I looked for Jareth.
He wasn’t there.
Where the fuck is he?
The hose couldn’t reach high enough, its spray utterly useless as fire licked up the doorframe, blocking the way out. “Kas! Get out of there! It’s too late!”
Kas appeared, leaping through the fire and tripping down the steps, stopping his fall by grabbing the banister.
He coughed heavily, his eyes streaming with smoke-tears as he stumbled down the rest of the stairs. He looked back up to the nightmarish sight of fire creeping down the stairs, chewing through an age-old mansion as if it were kindling.
He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe it. “I don’t know how to stop it.”
“We can’t.” Grabbing his hand, I pulled him toward the foyer. I abandoned the hose, letting water spill and river. Perhaps it would be enough to dampen the corridor and stop the fire from creeping deeper into the house.
“Wait. I—” Kas tried to go back.
“There’s no time!” I screamed, yanking him as hard as I could. “We have to go.”
“I can’t just give up. This is my home!” he yelled.
“Wrong. It’s your prison!” Jareth’s voice sailed back, hinting he was in one of the rooms up ahead.
“Get out here and help us!” I screamed. “You can’t just destroy everything and sit around drinking!”
Jareth didn’t reply.
My mind spun in circles. If we stood any chance of fighting this, we had to work fast. Maybe there was an option of fighting it from outside. Another hose we could spray. More buckets to pass. Dirt to throw. Anything to suffocate the fire.
However, my survival training kicked in.
This was a life-or-death situation.
Therefore, preparedness was key.
If Fables burned tonight, we had to be smart about what came next. We’d be shelterless on a cold autumn night. We’d need supplies. We’d need ways of staying alive.
Pulling Kas faster, I practically hauled him into the library where my newly packed backpack waited. I’d spent the time this morning to place my camera back inside after Kas saw the video of my brother. I’d stuffed all my climbing gear back in. There was also what was left of my first-aid kit, my lackluster clothing options, and a few muesli bars.
It was too valuable to be left behind.
“What the hell are you doing?” Kas coughed. “You need to get outside. I can’t risk you getting hurt. I’ll come back in and continue fighting—”