Read Online The Girl Born of Smoke by Jessica Billings - Free Book Online Page B

Sure enough, the crowd became less dense
and they slowed to a walk. Aurora doubled over, hands on her knees
as she tried to catch her breath. Roxanne leaned on her, breathing
hard. “Well, wasn’t that exciting?”
    “That,” Aurora panted, “that was
horrible.”
    As they recovered, the sun dipped behind the
low clouds near the horizon and the shadows melded together. A few
other individuals broke loose of the mob and limped down the road.
Finally, Roxanne straightened and pulled Aurora to her feet. “Come
on, let's go get some dinner. I'll buy ya something.” She ran a
hand through Aurora's hair, smoothing it back.
    Aurora nodded silently and
the two headed down the road, leaving the roar of the crowd behind
them. By the time they reached the main part of town, the sun had
set and the soft lights of Kain were a welcome sight. The city was
unusually quiet, but the tavern they ate
was abuzz with rumors. Aurora watched as Roxanne eagerly shared her
experience with the other customers, some of whom had also been in
the crowd. Long after she had finished eating, they finally left
the tavern and headed home.
    “Hmm,” Roxanne pursed her lips as they
approached the house, “I hope Kirian didn't worry too much about
us.”
    Aurora wrinkled her forehead in concern. “Do
you think he'll be mad at us?”
    Smirking, Roxanne shook her head. “Don't you
worry about a thing. I'll take care of it. You just head to bed,
alright? It's late.” She opened the front door and Aurora bit her
lip nervously, peering around Roxanne into the house. Kirian jumped
up from the chair where he had been sitting and Roxanne strode into
the room. Prodding Aurora toward her room, she turned to face
Kirian. “Hey love, you didn't have to wait up for us.”
    Kirian walked wordlessly into the kitchen,
followed by Roxanne. Tiptoeing to her room, Aurora quietly closed
her door and went to lie down on her bed. When the shouting
started, she pulled the blanket over her head, but could still
clearly hear their voices.
    “What the hell were you thinking, Roxanne?”
Kirian yelled, slamming something against the counter.
    “Oh please, don't give me that,” Roxanne
shot back. “You worry way too much. We were just having a bit of
fun. We're fine.”
    “You two could have been killed today! I
spent my day working out in the fields, trying to earn a living,
and you disappear with Aurora. That horror is no place for a little
kid. What’s wrong with you?”
    “Why do you even assume that that's where we
went. For all you know, we could have been out touring the
countryside.”
    “Don't give me that,” Kirian snarled. “I
know exactly where you were-”
    Aurora threw the blanket off her head and
leapt out of bed. Sliding open her window, she clambered out and up
the uneven brick wall, pulling herself onto the roof. Crawling to
the peak, she sat down and pulled her knees to her chest. A breeze
ruffled her hair and she gradually relaxed as she absorbed the
silence, broken only by the crickets chirping off in the
distance.
    Resting her head on her knees, she closed
her eyes and tried to forget everything she had seen that day. She
sucked in the cool air, savoring the sweet scent. A deep breath and
the fleets turned around and sailed back, away from Kain. A deep
breath and the man who fell was back at home, tucking his children
into bed. A deep breath and Roxanne and Kirian were sitting in the
front room, telling stories to each other and laughing while Aurora
lay in bed. Drifting off, Aurora heard a clunk behind her and
opened her eyes, startled. She jumped up as carefully as possible,
turning to face the noise. Djerr's familiar face popped up over the
edge of the roof. She shook her head, laughing quietly. “How'd you
get up here?” she whispered.
    He pulled himself up, grinning
mischievously. “I was just walking by and I saw someone sitting up
here. I figured it was probably you.” He scrambled up the roof and
sat down.
    Settling down next to him,