The Fate of Destiny (Fates #1) by Danielle Bourdon Read Free Book Online Page B

bolt upright. Dressed in Hello Kitty footy jammies, auburn hair askew, she peeled the eye covers off and stared at Farris.
    “ Why are you shouting? Farris, you sound like--”
    “ There's a fire!” Farris could see the glow past the teeny tiny part in the curtains. She ran to the window and pulled the drapes back.
    Fire had raced up the side of the garage toward the roof. A corner of the small balcony was on fire, too.
    Farris almost fainted.
    Her stories. Her stories were going to burn! For an awful moment, she forgot about her and Beelah's own safety. The crushing need to save her work was so intense that a dizzy spell gripped her.
    Beelah screamed when she saw the fire.
    “ Get a bucket from under the sink! We can still put it out!” Farris ran to the door. The second she touched the knob it felt warm. Not boiling hot, but...warm.
    She fretted the fire was already on the stairs. The only way out if the stairs went was the front balcony and her back bedroom window. It was a straight fall to the ground. Not lethal, but if they landed wrong, it might mean a broken bone.
    Beelah, bucket swinging wildly from her hand, darted over to Farris. “Open the door, let's go! Farris, it's coming!”
    “ I'm afraid to open the door,” Farris admitted. “The knob is warm and getting warmer. We have to go over the balcony.”
    Both girls glanced that way. They could see tiny licks of flame traveling the outer edge. It was almost too late.
    “ Come on!” Beelah shoved Farris for the balcony. The girls ran to the door and flung it open.
    Farris coughed when a gout of smoke curled over the balcony railing.
    “ Jump!” Beelah screeched and waved her hand like that might combat the slowly moving flame.
    “ It's all along the front edge!” Farris could see the fire, and although it hadn't engulfed the balcony yet, it was tracing the perimeter.
    Beelah spoke past a sob. “We're not going to make it.”

    Chapter Five

    Emerson set a foot on the asphalt from the dirt road on Henson's property. He turned left, shoved his hands in the pocket of his overcoat, and started walking back toward town. Every other step he wanted to glance back at the garage to see how fast it was burning.
    He didn't.
    There was no sense in over thinking it or second guessing his action. The odd heaviness in his gut felt awkward and foreign, a sensation he wasn't used to.
    Less than fifty steps from the end of the driveway, a scream split the air.
    Emerson stopped dead and whipped a look back at the garage. Even across the distance, he could see two figures back-lit beyond the open door.
    Someone was home.
    Devon had told him Farris would be at Beelah's for the night.
    A growl ripped from his throat and he burst into a run, boots slapping the asphalt until he hit dirt. Even as he ran, he put his hands toward the heavens and rumbled out a chant, calling up a storm from the cumulus collection of clouds nearby. They thickened, rolling over one another, causing thunder to crack so hard and loud that it startled the girls, both of them, into another scream.
    No hose or bucket would put the fire out fast enough.
    Not to suit him.
    Bringing his hands down, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end, he charged toward the garage. Fire had spread all along the edge of the balcony, and while it wasn't fully involved, he knew the girls would be skittish to dangle their legs over the flame.
    “ Farris! Beelah! Come out on the balcony and jump!” Emerson speared an impatient glance at the sky.
    Any time now.
    Lightning flashed, more thunder boomed.
    Beelah appeared at the door, staring out, looking frightened beyond reason.
    Emerson stopped where she could see him, not far beyond the balcony, and waved his arms in a 'jump' fashion. “I'll catch you, hurry up!”
    “ It's on fire!” she shouted back.
    “ It won't burn you. Jump before it's too late!” Emerson saw that the fire was still contained to the outside of the garage and hadn't fully reached the roof