Rhyode pushed back the knotted vines and ducked under the low branch into the cave. His arms were laden with dripping wood, and he crossed to the fire and dropped the fuel beside the flickering flames. The strength of his anger was palpable and Zhira scrambled out of his path when he looked up at her.
‘Light it,’ he ordered and walked away to the back of the cave.
She stared at him, fury quashing any concern, then sprang forward as commanded. Her heart jittered in her chest but she extended her hand over the pile and closed her eyes. She shut herself away from Rhyode’s presence and remembered to breathe. The spark flowed from her outstretched fingers and with the smallest of nudges it jumped. Fire surged before her, blasting into the piled wood.
It rocked with the force but held. She
