We're going to die.

Several things happened in a split second as the thought numbed her mind. Jason's arms constricted and squeezed a gasp from her chest. Sinastar swung the motorbike sideways into a controlled skid and extended a palm towards the roadblock as gunshots rang out, his fingers slightly curved. The air rippled and a light blue wall of zai reared up towards the sky, as wide as the motorway and as tall as a lorry. It blocked their view of the cars and bullets but not the terrified yells of the men beyond it.

“Whoa!” exclaimed Jason as the motorbike continued to slide towards the danger, now doubled by the zai-barrier.

Sinastar's free hand clamped down on her wrist and something buzzed across her skin. The zai-bonds he used earlier whipped around both her and Jason who cried out behind her.

“Hold on!” he ordered before he somehow got his feet beneath him and sprang off the motorbike.

Satara grabbed onto him thoughtlessly and felt Jason do the same. Though they had been yanked off a moving vehicle, they almost seemed to float over the hard shoulder after Sinastar until they slammed into the grass and rolled down into a field adjacent to the road. Several seconds later a loud bang shattered the peace of the countryside.

That can't be good. Flat on her back, she lifted her head just enough to see orange flames shoot upwards then meld with Sinastar's zai as if they had cancelled each other out. Her head dropped back onto the ground and she gave herself a second to breathe. She covered her face with both arms as shrapnel from the motorbike peppered the ground around her and she flinched as something hot passed her knee. No more wounds. Those are the last things I need right now.

She rolled onto her stomach, surprised by the lack of rib pain as she pushed herself up onto all fours. A couple of feet away, Sinastar wobbled in what would have been a flawless crouch, one arm held out to the side for balance, before he dropped onto one knee. He scanned the area around him with unfamiliarly half frantic eyes and found her first. His mouth moved but the shock had plugged her ears.

He's probably asking if I've hurt myself. Or if I'm okay. She shook her head at him and managed to sit back on her heels, pointing at Jason who had ended up behind him. Either way, Jayce doesn't look so good. Sinastar glanced at her a second time and then went over to her friend. Jason was on his side, trying to pull his helmet off with one hand. Sinastar helped him free himself from the broken plastic and, as he grasped his right hand to help him up, Jason pressed his left wrist to his chest with an unmistakeable grimace. Oh no. He's probably broken it.

The voices of the men on the motorway finally reached her ears but there was no sign of them on the roadside when she looked back at it. It probably won't stay that way though. Sinastar appeared in front of her as she got to her feet and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Are you hurt?” he asked, clearly ignoring both his own pain and the blood trickling down one side of his face from somewhere beneath his hair.

Where did his helmet go –? She suddenly remembered the buzz of zai covering her body and squeezed her eyes shut for a second as she removed her own. It had a large crack along its centre. The bike's gone. How are we going to get away now?

“I don't think so.” Even as she appreciated his sacrifice, several scrapes and tender points on her limbs and face emerged through the adrenalin rush while she patted herself down. “What happened to Jayce's arm?”

“I think he sprained it.” His eyes darted up and down before shifting in the direction of the cars beyond her. “Can you walk?”

She nodded and followed his gaze as the group of voices drew closer. “Can he?”

“I'm afraid he'll have to,” said Sinastar grimly.

He looked her over once more then returned to Jason, who slipped the hiking bag from his shoulders and passed it to him as he held out a hand.

“Sorry, mate.” His eyes dulled.

“It's not your fault –” Sinastar turned sharply towards her and Satara flinched as he raised his other hand. His zai shot up like a flare and encompassed all three of them in a net-like structure. When he spoke again, his voice was low and urgent. “Satara, Jason, please don't make any noise.”

She twisted on the spot and froze as several men swarmed down the grassy slope. All of them carried guns and most bore red or black marks on their skin as if they had barely escaped the explosion. They examined the nearest bushes and made confused sounds.

“Where the hell did they go?” demanded one as he scanned the area and looked directly at her.

What's wrong with their eyes –? Satara stepped back and glanced at Sinastar as his fingers grazed her upper arm. His other hand quivered as he maintained the net of zai around them and her heart beat fast enough to make her stomach churn. Is that how he hid from me before? What else can he do with zai?

“Maybe they went the other way?” suggested another man. He lifted a radio to his mouth. “This is team two. Seems clear on this side. Copy.”

The device crackled and a voice punctured the static hiss. “This is team one. Copy that. No sign of them on this side either.”

“Did they blow themselves up?” The first man looked back at where Sinastar's barrier had been incredulously. “What was that anyway?”

The second stood less than a meter away and Sinastar tapped her arm until she looked at him. He lifted a finger to his lips and turned to Jason before he backed away from the people who clearly couldn't see them. As one, they mimicked his movements and distanced themselves from their apparent pursuers.

Who are they? They were obviously waiting for us. Do they know who we are? Satara turned her back on the danger as he waved carefully and sped up a little. Jason did the same on his right. Are they with the police? No. The police wouldn't have shot at us like that. They would've made contact first, with a megaphone or something. They already blocked our way with their cars so there was no reason to shoot. If Sin hadn't used his zai, they would've killed us all by now.

They weren't far enough when Jason decided to look back and almost slipped down a slope that could have provided further cover for them. Sinastar's gaze snapped back towards them and the zai-net flickered. Satara slapped a hand over her friend's mouth and dragged him upright again as her back collided with her cousin's but she hadn't completely muffled Jason's startled cry.

“You hear that?” asked one of the men closest to them.

Satara and Sinastar shared a tense look and picked their way down the slope as noiselessly as they could, taking Jason with them. The zai-net vanished around them seconds before they ducked behind a convenient patch of bushes beside the fence that separated the motorway from the fields.

“Sorry,” squeaked Jason against her palm.

She let go of him and knelt beside Sinastar. His back heaved and he couldn't seem to conceal the after effects of his exertion. She peered through the partially obscuring leaves. Mere seconds later, several heads appeared above the crest of the slope and she held her breath. We're like mice waiting around to be eaten by a cat. We can't just sit here until they find us.

“You can't do the net thing again?” she murmured, shifting as close to Sinastar as she dared.

“With some of your zai, I could,” he breathed back, slowly lifting a hand from the ground and holding it palm up.

Didn't he say that's illegal or something? And how am I supposed to give –? Satara pushed aside her doubts as one of the men descended the slope towards then and took Sinastar's hand. Who cares? I control my zai. If I want it to reach him, as long as I want him to keep us safe, this should work.

She found it harder to concentrate with a gun pointed in their direction and her cousin's hand trembling in her grip. Doesn't he have any zai left? Won't that kill him? Surprisingly, zai flooded from her palm and Sinastar absorbed it into his own before the memory of the night before could stem its flow. How much does he need? Her zai continued to encompass their joined hands and disappear in turn until his fingers steadied within hers and he seemed firmer on his feet.

“Thank you,” he murmured as he gently parted their hands.

He splayed his right towards the ground and zai rushed out from his palm. It encircled them in a ring of Blue Fire and rose up to block them from view right before the man drew level with their bush.

“Can't see anything here,” he said, scratching the back of his bald head. A tattoo shaped like the letter A embedded in a symbol drew her gaze to the back of his hand but he lowered it before she could identify anything else. “Probably a bird.”

He retreated back up the slope to join the rest. Something made her look at Sinastar before she spoke and he shook his head without looking at them. He lifted a finger and kept his gaze trained on the group. If he had ears like a cat, she knew they would have been swivelling from side to side. His jaw tightened and two heads reappeared at the crest of the slope again a split second later. The men surveyed the field suspiciously for several minutes before they left again.

Still Sinastar refused to move, half kneeling in mud that stained his freshly changed clothes. He waited for about five minutes and Satara looked over her shoulder at her friend. Jason's green eyes, widened in an almost childish display of terror, now brimmed with questions too. She shook her head and nodded at her cousin's upraised finger. Jason swallowed hard and pressed his wrist a little closer to his chest. Car doors slammed shut and engines started. Sinastar waited until the cars had hummed past before he slowly rose to his feet. He gestured with one hand and scanned the road behind them.

“Stay here,” he said quietly, stepping out of the zai-net.

Some of the Blue Fire clung to him and spread over his body from head to toe as he crept up the slope and disappeared. Though he didn't say anything, Jason's breathing suddenly hitched behind her and she spun around to scour their surroundings without getting up. He avoided her direct gaze but shuffled closer to her as if he wanted look out for Sinastar's return. They didn't say a word to each other and, before the suspense could collapse her lungs, Sinastar reappeared. His movements seemed somewhat lighter than they had been that morning as he rejoined them within the zai-net.

“Let's keep moving,” he said as he helped them up. “They might come back.”

“Who are they?” demanded Jason and his voice seemed raucous following the silence. Satara jerked away from him and he lowered his tone with an apologetic, strained grin. “Why the hell did they try to shoot us?”

“I don't know for certain,” said Sinastar. “But I doubt they wanted to help either of you.”

They were expecting us. Or expecting Sin, at least. The high rise buildings had seemed a lot closer when they were on the motorbike. But the zai surprised them. Which is probably a good thing. If they were with Saytarnia, they'd know about zai, wouldn't they? Then again, why would she need humans to work for her when she might have demons to do what she wants?

“I guess we're walking from here then?” she asked, walking back to the slope.

“We are?” asked Jason. His skin lost more of its already sparse colour as he turned to Sinastar.

“We'll go as far as we can today,” replied the other guy. “We still have one tent left even if we can't make it there by tonight.”

Share a tent? With them? Satara patted her strangely painless ribs and tucked herself further into Sinastar's coat, picking up the pace. Not if I can help it.

<><><><><>

She couldn't help it.

She walked more than she had ever walked in her life and listened to as much of Jason's subtle complaining as she could. Her eyes were still gritty from weakness that had trickled out from them and the memory of holding onto her cousin like a child drew closer to the front of her thoughts despite her attempts to evade it.

They stopped and started with ten minute breaks in between. Once they were about half an hour away from their starting point, Sinastar dropped the zai-net but advised them to stay alert. If they saw, heard, or smelt anything unusual, they were to tell him straight away.

In the middle of one of their breaks, Sinastar passed her a water bottle and his arms weren't as steady as they had been after she shared her zai. A quick glance revealed Jason holding his water bottle up with his left hand.

“Do you need more?” she asked her cousin, then internally cringed at the lack of context surrounding her question.

“Thank you but maybe later,” said Sinastar, tapping her palm which had somehow moved towards him without her permission. “Save your strength for now.”

“Do you think we'll make it in time?”

At some point, Jason caught wind of their conversation but didn't join them. Instead, he sat in the middle of a strawberry field and watched them through semi-shell shocked eyes.

“I hope so,” said Sinastar. He followed her gaze discreetly and hesitated before he looked back at her. “Either way, I may have to rely on you a bit more from this point on. Is that okay?”

Satara shrugged. “I don't mind. I'm – I think I'm fine now.”

“I'm sorry you had to go through all this.” His eyes glimmered in the weak sunlight as if he actually meant it. “When you already had a rough night.”

“It wasn't the first and I'm not the only one.” Her smile felt more like a grimace. “Just tell me what I need to do. And don't thank me for saving my own life.”

“Okay. Just this once.” He smiled down at a row of strawberries between their feet and returned to Jason. “Ready to go?”

“I was born ready,” wheezed the younger of the two as he got up.

He looked like he was about to challenge her to a race but she set off before he could remember what she said to him that morning. The masked warmth of her own words burned cigarette holes into her conscience but she refused to ice the marks left behind.

The sun started to set and, though they were a lot closer to it, the town was still a considerable distance away. The weight of his effort dragged down Sinastar's shoulders and he spent more time walking behind with Jason than leading the way. Satara continuously checked to make sure they were going in the right direction but left him alone otherwise. The air cooled and they stayed clear of the motorway to the best of their ability.

“We can set up there,” said Sinastar from somewhere at her back.

Jason groaned appreciatively from a similar distance. He's probably talking about those trees over there. Isn't this all private property though? She couldn't see any warning signs but there was barely any light left and they would have to hurry if they wanted to make it to the trees in time. She considered offering to carry the hiking bag but Sinastar had already refused her with a pained but kind half smile several times, reminding her that she needed to conserve her energy. I guess I'll have to put up the tent or something.

Her feet ached and her bag, unlightened by zai, hung like a boulder from her shoulder. The strawberries they had picked that afternoon were nothing but sour memories on her tongue. Why is walking so much harder than fighting? They managed to reach the cover of the trees and Satara set up the tent, surprised but receptive when Jason joined her. Sinastar retrieved a black cloth bag from the inner pocket of his coat and Jason eyed it as if he knew what it contained.

Once they finished erecting the sole remaining tent in the position dictated by Sinastar, the latter approached them with stained fingers. Several large circles marked the ground around it in a soot-like substance, unbroken even by the tree behind it, and he knelt to draw symbols on all four sides of the tent and its roof too.

“Satara?” He waited for her to join him by the tent entrance before speaking. “This should shield us from low grade attacks and stop most people from seeing us too. But I need more zai to activate it.”

“Okay –” She held her hand out to him.

“Can I channel it from you instead?” He briefly avoided her gaze.

“Channel it?” Her fingers curled inwards again.

“I've seen that before,” said Jason. He cleared his throat subconsciously and focused on Sinastar. “It's like in Vampire Diar – In those series with supernatural powers and stuff. They cut their palms and hold hands to use each other's powers.”

“That way would be faster but we're not in a rush just yet.” Sinastar sat down directly on the core circle and extended his hands. “If you let me take what I need, from both hands this time, I can do the rest.”

“That's gonna drain her zai though, ain't it?” said Jason as she sat down opposite her cousin. “Why don't you channel us both at the same time?”

“I could but it probably isn't a good idea to take zai from you both,” he replied. “If something happens tonight, I might need your help.”

“It makes sense,” she said before Jason could protest, resting her fingertips on his palms.

Sinastar cast a final glance at her friend before he clasped each of her hands. “If you do what you did before, I'll tell you when to stop.”

“Okay.” Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and shoved her zai out before it could resist.

His skin was cooler than usual. Not the deathly cold it had been before but it still wasn't the temperature she remembered. At least he isn't shaking any more. Jason hovered like a stubborn drone and within seconds the false sense of security provided by the darkness behind her eyelids disappeared. She opened her eyes again and Jason stepped back as if he had been about to peek at her face.

Opposite her, Sinastar's eyes remained closed but their melded zai, Black and Blue Fire, illuminated his still water-like expression. Occasional flashes of White Lightning threw the shadow of his eyelashes onto his upper lids and highlighted the smooth lines of his jaw and neck. Glowing pale blue symbols appeared on his cheeks and forehead without warning, and she almost lost focus. His eyelids flickered but he spoke without breaking his concentration.

“Do you need to stop?” he asked. His voice vibrated and seemed a little deeper.

“No, I'm okay,” she said faster than she intended.

He didn't say anything else and she took in a deep breath but kept her eyes open. In a matter of minutes, the black lines and circles around them blazed a deeper blue as if the colour of her zai had altered the shade of his. She held her breath but none of their combined Fire touched her and she allowed herself to breathe again. She couldn't decipher the patterns around her no matter how hard she stared at them as though they were a reflection of the guy effortlessly holding her hands.

Are you that used to kindness? Her silent questions would go unanswered but she asked them anyway. What happened to you after Saytrania destroyed our clan? You said another clan took you in. Did they pretend to love you like the Cunningham's loved me? Or did they actually care? Is that why you leave yourself unguarded so easily? Or are you stronger than I think you are?

Abruptly, the Blue Flames went out again and a faint yet pulsing brightness remained along the lines beneath and all around them. Sinastar opened his eyes but held onto her for half a second longer as if he had returned from a journey and couldn't remember which language she spoke.

“Thank you, Satara.” He dipped his head towards their hands and she stopped releasing zai at once. “How are you feeling?”

“The same.” He let go but stopped her before she could get up.

“It might not be wise to stand up straight away.” He examined the markings on the floor until he seemed satisfied. “Jason, do you mind helping me with the sleeping bags?”

Jason grunted and Satara wanted to scowl at him over her shoulder. They dragged the hiking bag along with them into the tent and, as soon as they were out of sight, she started to get up, moving one limb at a time. Aside from a little dizziness she was fine. I transformed last night. My bones broke and changed shape. I lost control of my zai. So why do I feel better than I did before? It doesn't make any sense.

“I'll keep watch,” said Sinastar as he re-emerged from the tent.

“Me too,” said Jason before she could speak.

“I can keep watch as well.” She waited for her cousin to reject the offer.

“You both need to rest.” He didn't let her down, looking at them in turn. “You've been walking almost all day.”

“So have you have too.” She turned to him. “I'm not that tired yet.”

“Neither am I,” said Jason as he faced Sinastar too. “Both of you were awake last night. I can take the first watch.”

He sounded as if he'd wanted to say that exact sentence for a long time.

“We'll watch in pairs,” said Sinastar. “Jason and I will take the first watch and wake you around four.”

“Okay …” At least this way I won't have to share the tent with either of them. “But if I can't fall asleep I'm going to switch out sooner.”

Sinastar smiled as if he had expected her response and nodded. “Deal.”

She took off her shoes and crawled into the tent. Her heart fluttered uncomfortably as she realised she'd have to borrow one of their sleeping bags since she had torn apart her own. She chose the dark blue one and tried not to pay attention to Sinastar's scent as it enveloped her along with the fabric.

They better wake me up in time.

<><><><><>

She couldn't remember falling asleep. Only that she had been staring at the roof of their tent one moment and someone was calling her the next.

“Tara. Tara – !”

She rolled over and Jason's hand stopped before it reached her shoulder. He smiled tightly, eyes rimmed red and puffier than they had been when she last saw them.

“You okay to switch now?” he asked, looking past at her.

She pawed at her face and sat up. “Where's Sin?”

“I'm trying to make him go to sleep but he won't listen,” He backed away from her.

Normally, she would have pointed out his awkward, half crouching motion with a sardonic smile but the day before drained into her thoughts like sewage even sleep couldn't wash away.

She fixed her clothes as if she hadn't noticed it. “Okay. Give me a minute.”

He left her without another word as she wiped her face with the heels of both hands and twisted her hair into a bun. She picked up the hoodie she had discarded in a corner before going to sleep and hastily pulled it on as the cold night air slithered around her, zipping it up half as fast as she wanted to. The protective circles glittered under her feet and Sinastar's Blue Fire guided her the edge of them where he sat with Jason. He looked at her as soon as she left the tent. The drained expression had returned to his face.

Just from lighting that tiny fire? She swallowed and he stood up as she approached.

“Satara,” he said and even his voice seemed fainter.

She stiffened self consciously as he lifted a hand but held his gaze as he pressed his palm to her forehead.

“Do you need more zai?” She grasped his extended wrist before he could pull it back.

“Jason already gave me some.” He eased his arm free and smiled at her. “But thank you.”

Jason nodded and averted his gaze from them just as fast. She shoved her hands into her pockets and hoped the colour of her skin wasn't as visible as his in the semi-darkness.

“You're going to sleep now, right?”

“I'll try to,” he replied. “But if something happens, make sure you –”

“– We'll wake you up so don't come out until you've slept.” The request came out sharper than intended and Jason twitched by the fire.

Sinastar smiled before the apology on her lips could take form and pressed a hand to his chest, his thumb and first two fingers extended, in his signature bow.

“If that's what you want,” he said, retreating into the tent and leaving them alone.

He hasn't even zipped it up properly. She shifted on the spot and Jason was already staring at her as she glanced his way. He patted the space beside him, uncharacteristically bold, she almost decided to sit opposite him instead. But he looked more tired than ever and his smile seemed contain a thousand tears seconds away from spilling.

“What time is it?” she asked as she sat an arm's length from him, facing the Blue Flames.

“Sin said it's around four-ish.” He adjusted his position to lean back on one hand but scanned the area as if Sinastar had taught him how to do so professionally. “Sleep all right?”

“Yeah. Surprisingly.” She nodded at his wrist. “How's your arm?”

“Sin fixed it.” He straightened up to flex his fingers and relaxed upon it once again. “Apparently it took him years to master zai-healing.”

So that's why he looked like that. She glanced back at the tent and flexed her own fingers. It's not something you can learn quickly like sharing zai. Damn it.

“Tara –” The details of his expression were hazy in the half light but Jason looked at her as if they were seeing each other for the first time. “This morning –”

She forced herself to maintain the eye contact he had barely been able to initiate. “What about it?”

“I know you probably don't want me here.” He spoke slower than he usually did as if he understood the weight of his words better now and wanted to demonstrate how mindful she should be of her own. “At least, way more than you want me to stay.”

She didn't answer but tilted her head to the side as if he were a car that needed her permission to drive before she crossed a road in front of him.

“I think I know why and I get it but –” His voice seemed stronger too. What exactly did you guys talk about while I was asleep? “– but whether I stay or go, it's not really your call, know what I mean?”

“Why isn't it my call?” she asked to give him a break from talking. “Isn't that what friendship is? Having a say in each other's lives?”

He chuckled as if genuinely shocked by her response. “I don't know when you started caring about the meaning of friendship – or friends in general, to be honest – but having a say doesn't mean the other person has to do what you tell them to do. Even if you are close.”

“I know.” Obviously. She kept the scathing word out of her reply. He's trying here. Even if I didn't really ask him to.

“You know and so do I – I'm not as strong as you. Or Sin. And I might never be.” He finally looked away as the confession seemed to sear his throat on its way out. “But that's not gonna stop me from trying to get stronger. And better. It's not gonna stop me from going wherever you go.”

“Then what will?” She could have toned down the ice in her question but didn't, waiting for his eyes to return to hers. “What do I have to do to make you realise it's better for you to go back to your family?”

“Not everyone stays with their family forever,” he said and the warmth of his words collided with the chill of her own. “Most people find their own later on in life. It's normal. Besides I always told mum I was gonna move out one day. It's just happening a few years earlier, that's all.”

“Getting a job and moving out is different, Jayce,” she said. “There's always a chance that something can happen but here with m – with us, there's even more of a chance that you'll –”

“What if I wanted to be a firefighter or join the police when I leave school? It's still dangerous. Would you try to stop me if I said that's what I wanted to do?”

“It's not the same,” she groaned, wishing she had been able to brush her teeth and wash the sleep from her features before having the same conversation. “Normal fires don't chase you through buildings. And, most of the time, police officers aren't targeted by themselves. If they get hurt, it's not always personal.”

“You think Saytarnia's gonna hurt me 'coz I'm with you and Sin?” He smiled but his tone lost some of its steadiness.

He might not give a damn about something bad happening to him. But what if I said –

“I think if Saytarnia tries to hurt you, she's going to put all of Sin's efforts to waste.” She swallowed around a patch of guilt.

“I don't know what you mean by that –”

“I already told you.” She straightened up, highly conscious of the pain missing from her torso. “I can't look after anyone else until I've got enough to take care of myself first.”

“Enough of what?” His question shoved a blade between the doors of all her secrets and he twisted it, forcing the edges apart. “You can fight. You know how to use zai. And apparently you can transform into something cool. What more do you need?”