Free Eternal Fire by Chrissy Peebles Page A

flooded through me. The priest must’ve took him. Now I’ll never be able to bury Victor—or keep him in an urn by my side.
    Another priest handed me another glass of water. This time, I played along and took a sip, knowing that if Ethano suspected my plan to escape, he’d hurriedly throw me into that vegetative state. He must have thought me calm, as he continued looking at the book with the priests, who were getting more and excited by the minute over whatever they were looking at. No time better than the present, I thought and made my move.
    Since there were no oil lamps near me, I slowly stood and scooted the candles next to the curtains. I then hurried back to my seat and watched as the material caught on fire. I slid back into my seat, as if the fire had happened naturally.
    Within seconds, the fabric was ablaze, and the billowing curtain of smoke and fire made all the priests rush over in a panic, shouting.
    Playing the part of typical damsel in distress, I screamed hysterically, “Put it out or we’re all going to die!”
    A priest led me to the other side of the room. “Stay calm, Highness.”
    I glanced into Liz’s terrified eyes as she grabbed my arm. I was more than relieved to see that she was awake and okay.
    “ Great distraction,” she whispered. She took a deep breath as she glanced around. “The doors are blocked by Immortals and soldiers. We’ll never get through.”
    “ Who needs doors? I say we jump out the window,” I whispered. “Now!” Without waiting for Liz’s response, I jumped to the windowsill about ten feet above me. I bit my lip as I teetered, precariously close to the edge. With one hand, I clung to the wall and kicked the stained glass window with all my might, delivering a mighty blow. The window shattered with a boom , glass spraying outside, onto the grass below. I peered out into the night, exasperated. There were no trees to shimmy down, no ladder, no rope, and nothing to aid our descent. Without hesitation, I climbed out and grabbed Liz’s hand, and together, we took the plunge.
     

Chapter 6
    After we landed from our jump out of the church window, I scrambled to my feet and raced through the night, pulling my sister along with me. Thunder softly rumbled in the distance, and the wind picked up, blowing long strands of hair across my face.
    We were almost off the grounds when I suddenly bounced off of something and was thrown back with a jolt. I stumbled but caught myself before I fell. “Wh-what’s going on?” I peered around me but didn’t see a tree or a wall or anything that would have caused such a collision.
    Liz reached out her hand and touched the invisible barrier. “It’s a force field.”
    I blinked, unable to believe what was happening.
    “ I can break through it,” she said. “I just need a minute.”
    I was amazed at how calm he was. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Ethano’s soldiers rushing in our direction, and my heart raced. “We don’t have a minute.”
    She gripped my hand tightly. “I know a trick, but we’ll have to work together.”
    I nodded. “That’s never been a problem, eh, sis?” I said with a grin.
    She continued, “Right. Anyway, we’re gonna make a giant, invisible wave—strong enough to knock down an army.” Then she lifted my hand. “Concentrate just like you would to create a fireball. Use that same energy, and I’ll do the rest.”
    I closed my eyes and focused, and I could feel the energy in the pit of my stomach. As I tapped into it, tiny dots of light flooded my vision, followed by a wave of electricity rolling through me. It was so intense that I could barely hang on.
    “ Don’t lose the connection,” Liz said. “Hang on!”
    Breathing deeply and focusing harder, I was able to merge my mind with the light. I clenched my jaw, and an all-too-familiar headache began throbbing in my head. I could see the outline of a giant wave emerging in my mind. When I opened my eyes, I actually watched it pick up in speed