The Burning Chaos

  All rights reserved.

  Printed in the United States of America.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including written, electronic, recording, or photocopying, without written permission of the author. The exception would be in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  The Burning Chaos by Melissa Giorgio

  © 2016 by Melissa Giorgio. All rights reserved.

  Published by Melissa Giorgio

  Cover by Regina Wamba at MaeIDesign

  Map of Dusk and image of dragon by Merritt Sloan

  Book designed by Inkstain Interior Book Designing

  The characters and events appearing in this work are fictitious. Existing brands and businesses are used in a fictitious manner, and the author claims no ownership of or affiliation with trademarked properties. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental, and not intended by the author.

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Acknowledgements

  About Melissa

  THE CROWD WAS NOISY, ITS restless energy charging the air and making me nervous. More nervous, I should say. I ran my hands up and down my bare arms, shivering from both the cold and fright.

  “Irina, stop,” Elyse chided. “You’ll rub all the glitter off!” She reached over and tucked a loose curl behind my ear before taking a step back to assess her work. When she nodded, I knew she was happy with what she saw.

  I was relieved she was done attacking me with combs and brushes and cosmetics. It had taken Elyse nearly a half hour to get my hair up in an elaborate twist, and another half hour after that to do my makeup. Surprisingly, Parnaby had stayed quiet throughout it all, but the looks Elyse shot his way each time he sighed loudly probably had something to do with it.

  I wasn’t used to all of this preparation. When I performed, I did it in a bright blouse, a long skirt stained with dust, and worn boots. My hair was always worn loose with the curls spilling across my shoulders, and my face was makeup free simply because I couldn’t afford cosmetics. Parnaby and Elyse, however, were so popular they never had to worry about income, and they spent plenty on elaborate costumes and glitter. Lots and lots of glitter.

  Of course, now I knew better. Yes, they were popular, and yes, they earned a pretty penny after each performance, but they’d never had to crawl their way to the top. They’d never worn fraying clothes or relied on props that had been broken and glued back together sloppily because they couldn’t afford new ones. Not once did they have to worry about where the money for their next meal was coming from, or if they could afford next month’s rent.

  The president of Dusk had other things to worry about, after all.

  I stared at Parnaby from across the tent as he double and triple checked today’s props. The man I’d grown up believing was my master’s rival in street magic was in fact the shadowy and mysterious president that everyone knew existed, but almost no one had ever seen. That should have roused a person’s suspicion, but thanks to Parnaby’s magic—real magic—no one gave it a second thought. The kindly gentleman who’d shared cookies with me after a performance was in fact a powerful, ruthless, and dangerous individual. If it were up to me, I would steer clear of Parnaby altogether. For two months I’d managed to fool him into thinking I was just another one of his obedient spies, but I wasn’t sure how long I’d be able to keep the ruse going.

  Which brought us to today, and why I was standing backstage at a popular outdoor theater dressed in a ridiculously scandalous outfit in frigid temperatures. My entire body was coated in a layer of silver glitter, my hair was twisted so tightly around my head I could feel a headache forming, and my face makeup had been painted on so thickly I was afraid smiling would cause it to start cracking. Cracking was bad. Cracking meant Elyse would come after me with her cosmetics again, which would definitely delay today’s performance and earn me Parnaby’s ire.

  I’d wanted to give up on performing altogether. After I’d learned the magic we used in the shows was real—and evil—I’d wanted nothing to do with it. But, surprisingly, people had been asking for me, enough that I hadn’t been able to retire like I’d planned to. Parnaby couldn’t do anything about Bantheir’s sudden disappearance, but he could parade me in front of the crowds during his shows. He said it would ease the citizens’ minds, but I wondered if he somehow knew how much I dreaded performing again. It would be just like him to force me to do something I despised. Knowing I didn’t have a choice, I agreed to participate in today’s performance. I thought I’d be fine, but I’d woken with a horrible stomachache and had been trembling nonstop for hours now. Everyone had chalked it up to nerves, but I knew better.

  Street magic had been my life. We may not have been the best performers Dusk had to offer, but I loved everything about it. And then Bantheir had to go and ruin everything with his crazy quest for immortality, showing me that magic was real and horrible, and now I no longer wanted anything to do with it. I hated him for that, and I hated Parnaby for forcing me to perform today. I’d rather face Jaegger, the terrifying dragon-god who had gobbled down Bantheir in a few bites, saving my life in the process.

  Thinking of Jaegger made me remember the shard of his Essence still embedded in the palm of my left hand. The dragon had been quiet, only speaking to me once when he stopped Parnaby’s magic from manipulating me, but I knew he was still there, watching and waiting. Waiting for what, I had no idea. The dragon had been impatient the one time we met face-to-face, and it was astonishing that he was content to stay quiet for this long.

  “Are we ready?” Parnaby said, breaking into my thoughts. He was looking at Elyse and completely ignoring me.

  Good, I thought wrapping my arms tightly around my torso. I didn’t want anyone to see me dressed like this, in this flimsy, sheer fabric that I swore was see-through in the right light. The light-blue gauzy material was not only sleeveless but strapless, and the skirt ended much higher than I was comfortable with. Elyse wouldn’t even let me wear my boots, instead forcing my feet into ridiculous pointy heels that I would probably kill myself in. When I’d first tried the costume on, I’d taken one look at my reflection in the mirror and choked back a sob, not wanting to hurt Elyse’s feelings as she smiled at me. She might be comfortable in garments such as these, but this wasn’t me. It would never be me, the girl from the slums who’d managed to climb her way up into Way only by chance and the kindness of a stranger.

  Kindness that had turned into betrayal faster than I could draw a card from a deck.

  Don’t, I told myself as I forced my already-aching feet to follow Parnaby and Elyse to the stage. Thinking about Bantheir would distract me, and I couldn’t afford to ruin this performance. I couldn’t give Parnaby any reason to corner me and try to work his magic on me again. With Jaegger quiet, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to fight Parnaby’s manipulation a second time.

  I refused to beco
me one of Parnaby’s unquestioning puppets.

  We paused at the curtain, Parnaby and Elyse discussing something about one of their routines in hushed whispers. I tuned them out, closing my eyes and focusing on my breathing. I can do this.

  Parnaby said, “It’s time.”

  Opening my eyes, I followed them out onto the stage, where we were greeted by the deafening roar of the crowd. Even though I wanted to turn around and flee, I forced my feet to move forward until I was standing on the stage next to a beaming Elyse. Staring straight ahead and seeing no one, I silently pleaded with Parnaby to hurry up and get this over with.

  Whenever I’d performed with Bantheir, we did it in cramped courtyards. We never had a stage, and we never drew a crowd as large as this. I felt sick, my body slick with sweat despite the freezing winter temperature, and I wondered if Parnaby would yell at me if I fainted.

  He probably would.

  After introducing himself, Parnaby called Elyse forward, and the noise of the crowd increased even further. Beautiful blond Elyse had many, many fans, and it appeared they were all in attendance today. She waved and smiled, and they cheered in response.

  Then Parnaby said my name. I expected silence, or maybe a smattering of applause, but instead a group to my left roared their approval. Blinking in surprise, I sought out the noisemakers—

  And my heart swelled.

  Leading the group was Leonid; he cupped his gloved hands around his mouth and shouted my name proudly. Next to him was Vernen, who offered me a small wave and a smile. And next to him was Aden, who put his fingers into his mouth and whistled shrilly. Surrounding them were more of Leonid’s soldiers; they clapped and hollered until the rest of the crowd joined in.

  I shut my eyes briefly, savoring it. In all my years of performing with Bantheir, I never imagined myself standing on a stage, listening to them cheer for me.

  The stage fright was worth it, if I could have moments like this.

  “See, it’s not so bad,” Elyse said, shouting in my ear.

  Overcome with emotion, all I could do was nod and grin—my first smile since appearing on stage—and Leonid’s men went wild. I caught his eye and mouthed, “Thank you.” He nodded in return, giving me one of his rare, beautiful smiles.

  Parnaby clapped his hands and the crowd settled down. I stepped back, allowing Elyse to take center stage with Parnaby. It was my job to select volunteers from the crowd for some of the later tricks. Parnaby had already told me I couldn’t pick Leonid, much to our equally shared disappointment. It had to be someone we didn’t know, Parnaby instructed, to keep the illusion real.

  Illusion. I snorted to myself. Even now Parnaby was working magic into his tricks to wow and amaze the crowd. He magically forbade us from telling anyone his real identity, but he had no problem flaunting his magic in the open like this. If the crowd knew the magic was real, they’d flee in terror, convinced the old wars were starting again and the extinct dragons would come back to life to kill us all. I understood Parnaby’s need for secrecy, but I could still shake my head at the irony of it all.

  When it came time for me to select someone from the crowd, I walked down the steps from the stage, mindful of my heels, and purposely ignored Leonid and his men. I could feel the heat of his gaze on me, which made avoiding him that much harder. I picked a boy a few years younger than Leonid, and he blushed to the tips of his brown roots. It’s the dress, I reminded myself, hoping Leonid wasn’t watching too closely. Knowing him, he’d shove the boy aside and mount the stage in his place.

  After I led him back to the stage, Parnaby performed card tricks with the youth, the crowd gasping each time Parnaby selected the right card. When he was finished, he gave one of the cards to the boy, who clutched it to his chest proudly. The crowd roared its approval, and he smiled and waved to them before leaving the stage.

  A few more tricks, a few more volunteers, and then the three of us began setting up for the big finale. The crowd hushed, those who had seen the show before knowing what was about to happen.

  The last time I’d seen this trick, I’d been with Bantheir, right before our final magic show together. Parnaby would take center stage with Elyse next to him. He’d throw powder to the ground, creating an explosion, and when the smoke cleared, Elyse would be the only one left on the stage. Parnaby, meanwhile, would show up in the middle of the crowd, as if by, well, as if by magic. Because that was what it was. Teleportation magic was risky, so of course Parnaby had to include it in his show.

  We had practiced this trick quite a few times in the past week. It was still shocking to see Parnaby use real magic, and my stomach churned dangerously each time he appeared and disappeared. I couldn’t help but wonder what else he used the teleportation spell for. Would he suddenly appear in my room one day? I shuddered, pushing that thought from my mind. I needed to focus or else I would mess up the trick and face Parnaby’s wrath.

  My job was simple: After he disappeared, I would wander the crowd, looking for him until he found me, which would delight the crowd. What they didn’t know was that we worked out Parnaby’s location beforehand, and me wandering around, pretending to look for him, was just part of the act. It would help build up the tension, Elyse explained. The longer I took, with my desperation showing on my face, the more frightened the crowd would grow, as if Parnaby had truly disappeared. Then, when all hope seemed lost, he would appear, and the crowd would go wild. We hoped, at least. This was a new addition to the act; Parnaby had never gone missing before, and we weren’t certain what the crowd’s reaction would be. A lot of it depended on how well my acting skills were, Parnaby had said.

  “Please,” I’d said with a sniff reminiscent of my old master. “I grew up watching Bantheir practice his expressions in front of the mirror. I know how to act.”

  Not to anyone’s surprise, the joke had fallen flat.

  As Parnaby and Elyse set up the last act, I stood to the side, my hands clasped behind my back. Elyse had wanted me to help, but Parnaby had forbidden it for fear of me accidentally messing up the spell. I didn’t know the full extent of the magic—no one but Parnaby did—but I did know there was a summoning circle drawn directly under the stage. If Elyse or I stepped into the circle while Parnaby was casting, the results would be disastrous—and involve missing limbs and severed heads.

  I was quite comfortable where I was.

  The preparations done, Parnaby wowed the crowd with fancy arm movements and nonsense words that were meant to be part of the spell. Out of range of the circle, Elyse clutched a handful of exploding powder in her fist. This was new, too. The powder wasn’t magic, so anyone could use it. Parnaby had wanted Elyse to be more involved, so he’d assigned her this task, which she’d enthusiastically accepted. At the end of Parnaby’s speech, Elyse threw the powder to the ground, and the courtyard was rocked with a loud explosion. Plumes of green smoke flooded the stage, and I used the distraction to descend the stairs and walk amongst the crowd.

  “Parnaby?” I called, making a show of looking around furtively. When he didn’t answer, I creased my brow with worry. “Parnaby, where are you?”

  Elyse called to me from the stage, as planned. “Irina, what’s wrong?”

  “I can’t find Parnaby! He isn’t where he’s supposed to be!” I let my fear show on my face and in my voice, and the crowd began murmuring nervously as they watched me.

  Calling his name again, I cut through the crowd to the spot where I knew Parnaby would be waiting, a hood covering his face to keep his identity a secret until the last possible moment. Scanning the crowd, I spotted him and made my way over without being too obvious about it.

  Cupping my hands around my mouth, I shouted, “Parnaby!” I kept my back to him, waiting for him to “scare” me. But when nothing happened, my cries dwindled, and I turned to meet Elyse’s eye, confused. Why wasn’t Parnaby doing anything?

  She looked as perplexed as I felt. Shrugging her shoulders, she nodded her head in the direction of the hooded figure. Taking t
hat as my cue to act first, I reached out to flip the hood down.

  “Aha!” I said. “There you—” My words died on my lips.

  It wasn’t Parnaby.

  AN ALLURING YOUNG WOMAN WITH hair the color of a starless night sky and gray eyes stared back at me. She was about my height, with an olive-toned complexion, and looked to be around my age. Her face was expressionless, as if having her hood yanked down by a complete stranger hadn’t fazed her at all.

  I, on the other hand, was beyond mortified. Face burning, I sputtered an apology. At the same time I wondered, Where is Parnaby?

  Something was wrong. Sweat trailed down my back, and again I exchanged a hopeless look with Elyse. She began making her way to the stairs, alarm lacing her words as she called for Parnaby.

  Tension flooded the air, and the crowd shifted uneasily. How far was I from Leonid? If the people started panicking, would he and his soldiers be enough to calm them down?

  “I’m really sorry,” I told the woman again.

  She smiled. “Don’t worry about it. No harm done.” The woman touched the back of my left hand briefly, and heat flared in my palm where the shard of Jaegger’s Essence remained. It was sudden and sharp, and gone so fast I wondered if I had imagined it. “I really enjoyed your show, Irina. I’m sure we’ll see each other again very soon.” She pulled up her hood and melted into the crowd without another word. As I rubbed my palm, I wanted to call after her and ask her to wait. But that was foolish. It wasn’t as if I could ask her if she knew about the piece of Essence I still carried with me.

  There was no way she could know, right?

  Be careful, human.

  I startled badly at the sound of Jaegger’s voice in my ears. Jaegger? What just happened? I tried sending out a thought of my own, wondering if he could hear me.

  I’m not certain, but the scent of magic is heavy in the air.

  Do you know who that woman was? I asked as fear rolled over me in waves. She’d said she would see me again soon.

  Before Jaegger could reply, Parnaby materialized in front of me, scaring me so badly I screamed and took a couple of stumbling steps back.