https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FbyUiVzM.jpg [https://i.imgur.com/byUiVzM.jpg]

  Cobalt crossed the room and jogged up the stairs, and I followed him up. Ruddy light flickered down the passage wall through the open trapdoor, and as we came closer to the surface, I could make out the low, overlapping crackle of what sounded like a massive bonfire. Sliding the crates to use as a step up, Cobalt climbed out first and offered me a hand, but I forgot to reach for it as I clambered through the fountain floor and stared open-mouthed at the scene before me.

  In a complete ring around the fountain, the town was ablaze with scarlet flames that leaped into a dark sky. Windows burst in a spray of glass triangles, roofs sagged in and sloughed off their shingles, and fragile lumber collapsed in on itself, sending the flames higher. Brilliant ruby sparks spun through thick clouds of smoke.

  There was a yell behind us. A blazing red figure leaped higher than a building and came down with a preposterously gigantic saber on a cabin roof, and the whole cabin crumbled in on itself. The red boy lunged out of the wreckage, laughing. Flames licking over his arms and shoulders as he turned to look at us. “Oh, hey, Blue!” he shouted. “Finally! I was tired of being old!”

  Cobalt groaned out loud. “Really, Red? We’ve been here five minutes.”

  The red boy made several chops with his saber and looked down appreciatively at his biceps. His hair was wild and scruffy, and he stood a little taller and squarer than Cobalt, with the rangy build of a young man who hadn’t quite put on all of his adult weight. “It’s Rhed, this time.”

  Cobalt frowned. “It’s what?”

  “With an ‘H’. R-H-E-D.” He waved it off and jogged toward us. “You’ll get it. But come on, Blue! Before we get tied down with our jobs, let’s have some fun! Or are you a pacifist again?” He clapped a hand on Cobalt’s shoulder, and steam hissed where they touched. They both jerked apart.

  Cobalt clutched his shoulder and glared daggers at him. “You know better than to do that!” he said.

  “Hey, that wasn’t as bad as before,” Rhed said, flapping his hand to cool it. “There’s always a first time, Blue.”

  “Cobalt.”

  “Whatever.” Rhed slid his saber into a loop of leather strapped to his back. “Fine, what’s going on? Where is everybody?”

  “I don’t know. We weren’t released properly, so they could be scattered anywhere.”

  Rhed’s forehead creased. “How long can we wait to take on our roles?”

  “You’d have to ask Green. She usually knows about this sort of thing.”

  “That’s no good if she isn’t here.”

  I cleared my throat. “Uh. Hey. There’s a town on fire? You… you gonna do anything about that?”

  Rhed cocked a thumb in my direction. “Who’s this?”

  “This is Manda,” Cobalt said. “She’s the one who let us out.”

  “She let us out? Is that why we’re so much younger than normal?”

  “Yes, but it’s not her fault. She didn’t know it was too early.”

  “Whatever happened, it’s done. Let’s just find the others.” Rhed turned and started walking away.

  “The fire?” I yelled after him.

  He waved his hand toward the fire as if swatting a fly. The flames kept flying. Stopping in his tracks, he gave them a warning glare and waved his hand again, but still got no response.

  Scowling like a demon, he planted his feet wide, ground his heels into the dirt, and thrust out his arms. Some of the closest flames bent in his direction, and then all at once the whole blaze leaped from the buildings and funneled into his hands like a sideways cyclone. I shielded my eyes from the rush of scorching air, and Rhed went flying through the wall of what used to be a general store. Smoking shards of wood shot in all directions, and with a crack the roof collapsed in on top of him.

  “Ohhhhhh karā, he's dead,” I said.

  Cobalt only rolled his eyes.

  The rubble shifted. A flat of wood flipped over as Rhed kicked his way out, crawling out of the wreckage. He coughed and swiped a few embers from his shirt. “Gotta work on that.”

  He wheeled his shoulder to work out the kinks and started off down the dark stretch of road that led out of town. “Let's find someplace to wait for the night!”

  “Since you burned down the best options...” I muttered to myself.

  Cobalt glanced over at me with a look that said he commiserated in my exasperation. “Some things don’t change,” he said.

  We followed Rhed down the trail, and as the smokey funk of town faded behind us, I was surprised to hear crickets chirping quietly in the dark. Now that I thought about it, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d heard crickets. There was no moon in the sky, but the stars were out, softer and grayer-looking than usual. I leaned over to Cobalt and asked, “You said you were the Stars, right?”

  “Yes,” he said, his head tilted back to watch them, too. “There must be some residual magic keeping them going. Although... those don’t look right.” He pointed to the Sailor’s Horizon constellation, a row of five stars with a larger golden star just above the middle. The Horizon’s line looked as though it had been bent, like a wire that a student twists during a boring class. “They’ve drifted from their places.”

  “Did you keep them in place?”

  “They occasionally wander from their constellations, and I had to guide them back. I also kept them moving with the seasons. As far as dominions go, the Stars isn’t difficult, but it does require consistent attention. Being the Sun or a season is much more demanding, though they do make you more powerful.”

  I didn’t know much about the stars, but I did know that all the sailors that traded from island to island relied on them to navigate, especially constellations like the Sailor’s Horizon. Controlling the sun and the changes of the seasons would obviously be impactful. But if the Colors changed roles each lifetime, did that mean some of the cults still active today were for gods that didn’t really exist anymore? Could the Colors hear when their followers prayed? What happened if the Sun overslept? My brain buzzed with how much I didn’t know. I didn’t even know what questions to ask.

  Up ahead, Rhed stopped and scanned the horizon. All was dark as far as I could see, the shift between land and sky only a slight change from inky black to blackish blue. He punched his fist into the air, sending up a blazing bright fireball that spiraled into the sky and burst, and ruby light stained the field around us. As it faded out like a firework, bits of hot slag pattered into the grass.

  Rhed reared back his fist to launch another one, and Cobalt called to him, “You already set a town on fire! I think if they were anywhere nearby, they’d have come.”

  Rhed glared back at him, lit his hand with flame again, and launched one more fireball into the sky before stalking off.

  Far be it from me to make snap judgements about gods, but Rhed reminded me uncomfortably of the young thugs that prowled the streets of Vanberg at nightfall. Something about the scruffy hair, the way he carried himself like he would shove through anyone or anything that got in his way. Obstinate and risky. Those boys either got themselves killed, became pirates, or joined some criminal racket — smuggling, gangsters, and the like. I didn’t know Cobalt much better, but he reminded me more of a businessman’s son, or a student at the Inashi academies. Neither of those were exactly my cup of tea, but at least Cobalt’s type were approachable.

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  When I didn’t think Rhed could hear me, I softly asked Cobalt, “Are the other Colors more like him?”

  “Wantonly destructive and completely heedless of others? Some of them, but Red has no competition.”

  “I get the impression you’re not bosom friends.”

  “You could say we have a history of disagreement.” Cobalt pressed his lips together and took a deep breath, loosening his shoulders as he let it out. “I’m sorry. I’m being short-tempered, aren’t I? Red and I can tolerate each other's presence for a while, but I’d rather we find the other Colors quickly. Our fights usually don’t end well.”

  “Hey, you!” Rhed yelled from ahead. “Here’s a spot for the night!”

  “Let me see.” Cobalt jogged off the path, guided by a glowing red orb above the grass ahead of us. I ran after him, and saw that Rhed had wreathed his hand in crimson flames and was holding it high like a torch. He stood next to a dry, cracked riverbed with a washed-out hollow just beneath the bank .

  Hopping down into the riverbed, Rhed poked his burning hand into the hollow and waved it around. “No animals.”

  Cobalt nodded. “It’ll do.”

  Cobalt and I clambered down, and Rhed doused the flames on his hand and drew his saber. With two savage swipes, he tossed up some dirt, leaving a depression in the ground. He spit in it, and with a pop, a campfire sprang out of the ground. He plunked down, stabbing his sword into the dirt, and stretched his arms over his head. “You haven’t used magic yet,” he said. “You still good with water?”

  Cobalt appeared to consider that. He extended his hand toward the river bed, face pinched with focus. His hand trembled with effort, veins going tight, before he gusted out with air and let his hand fall. “I seem to have lost that ability,” he said.

  “Oh, great.” Rhed chewed on the knuckle of his thumb. “What good are you, again?”

  Cobalt frowned, and I stared at the dirt wall of the hollow. Usually, I didn’t mind listening to other people’s arguments. Arguing is practically sport, and I’d witnessed several epic matches from the corners of inns and secret hideaways I knew as a street kid on Vanberg. But it had been a long day, and I didn’t really feel like attending to more conflict.

  I sat down on the opposite side of the fire from Rhed, who immediately turned his attention to me. The firelight glinted red in his eyes. “Why are you here?” he asked.

  “That’s rude,” Cobalt said, sitting beside me.

  “She’s a mortal. It’s dangerous to get her involved.”

  “I gathered she didn’t have anywhere else to go for the night. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt to gather updated information.”

  Rhed bounced his eyebrows, acknowledging that Cobalt had a point. He flicked a finger against his sword, and the blade pinged. “Fine. What’s changed since last time?”

  I blinked and sat up straighter. “Uh…”

  “Which island are we on?” Cobalt asked, turning to me.

  “Muir,” I said. “Towards the north side, about three day’s walk from the coast facing Vanberg.”

  Rhed squinted one eye. “Which one was Muir?”

  “The southernmost one,” I said. “Big, flat, woods and fields, mostly farms? Have you not been here before?”

  “I have, it’s just that things get… muddy.” Rhed waggled his fingers next to his temple.

  “You spent almost the entirety of your last life on this island,” Cobalt said.

  Rhed pursed his lips at him. “Okay. Which island is closest to your underwater palace?”

  Cobalt suddenly became very preoccupied with wiping dirt from the toe of his shoe.

  “That’s right.” Rhed smirked. “So we’re on the farming one, and there’s the little noisy one—”

  “Vanberg,” I said.

  “Yeah, and the bigger one above that with all the craftsmen…”

  “Argozon. Actually, they’re mostly inventors and engineers now.”

  Cobalt perked up slightly. “Really? What kind of inventions?”

  “They’ve got some experimental electric lights, but nothing that works great so far. A few automobiles. But again, nothing that really works, just something for the Bonjeri richies to show off.” I squinted up at the roots dangling from the dirt ceiling. What else would be pertinent information? “Uh… I’ve heard of dolls with little phonographs in their chest, drinks with bubbles in them… Oh, and they started installing telegraph lines on Vanberg. It’s about time. Argozon’s had them for years.”

  “What about the art academy on Inashi?” Cobalt asked. “Wasn’t there a sort of artistic symposium they were trying to start?”

  “Intellectual,” Rhed snorted. “What about that jungle island, Pugna? Do they still have the army there?”

  “Yeah, Pugna is still where the military trains. It’s a joke, though. We haven’t been invaded for hundreds of years, and scholars aren’t even sure that those times weren’t myths or a misunderstanding. But hey, they drive through parades once in a while, so that’s something. To answer your question” —I turned back to Cobalt— “I don’t know about any symposium, but there are academies and boarding schools on Inashi, so they have craftsmanship festivals every summer. Of course, most of that is for the benefit of the richies’ kids.”

  “Oh, yes, what is this you keep saying about ‘Bonjeri richies’?” Cobalt flicked a beetle-like bug from his sleeve. “I thought Bonjeri was mostly pastureland.”

  “Was it?” I tipped my head to the side, trying to remember. It had been a while since I’d read up on history that didn’t have to do with old treasure and lost civilizations. “I don’t know what it was before. I just know some guy from the Gentleman’s Assembly built a summer home there at some point, and everyone dogpiled so they wouldn’t be shown up. It’s supposed to be really nice, if you have the money to go to concerts and serious theatrical performances. I haven’t been. Lower-class scamps like me probably stick out among all the manicured gardens and, uh… bustles and fans and top hats, and whatever else they have up there.”

  Rhed yawned and shook his head, flaring his eyes to wake himself up. “Fascinating. Where do we go to find the other Colors?”

  “How far could they have gone?” I asked, turning to Cobalt.

  He shrugged. “As much magical energy as there is flying around during rebirth? They might be scattered all over the islands.”

  “Then we’ll want to head to the middle. Vanberg will be best,” Rhed said. “Hopefully everyone else will be trying to meet up, too.”

  Cobalt raised his eyebrows slightly. “Hopefully,” he said, sounding decidedly unhopeful.

  “If you’re going to Vanberg…” I said, tapping my fingers on my leg, “Can I come along? Sounds like you could use someone who knows their way around.”

  Rhed peered over at me, his head cocked as he sized me up. He might make me nervous, but this was the chance of a lifetime. This was how historic discoverers and mythic heroes made a name for themselves, by grabbing onto an opportunity and chasing it down to conclusion. If I walked away from this, I might be wandering and surviving on stolen scraps for the rest of my treasure-hunting career, however long that lasted.

  “Manda, we can’t put you in harm’s way,” Cobalt said. “The other Colors may not be…” He struggled to find the right word.

  “They might chew you up and spit you out,” Rhed supplied.

  Cobalt shot him an appalled look. “I was going to say they might not take kindly to her being there.”

  “Oh, you mean like Green or Yellow? You know Black’s out there, right?”

  “We don’t know for sure that—”

  “Black’s the real danger.” Rhed leaned back on his hands. “You want to get her killed, be my guest.”

  Cobalt turned to me. “You know your way around Vanberg?

  “Yessir.” I swiped a finger along the brim of my hat. “Born there and raised myself on the streets.”

  “We would be able to find the others much more quickly with a guide,” Cobalt said.

  Rhed let his head flop back and heaved a long, labored sigh. “Fine. Fine, fine, fine. But if she gets in trouble, it’s not my fault.” He pushed himself up, hunched over to miss the roof, and crossed to the other side of the hollow. Setting himself on fire, he kicked back and folded his hands behind his head to sleep, flames rolling across his torso and through his hair. “Be ready to move early.”

  I leaned over to see the sky through the wide mouth of the hollow. Without the moon, I couldn’t really judge what time it was, but it felt late. Strange, since it was midafternoon not that long ago. This godly magic sure wreaked havoc on your internal clock.

  Cobalt waited until I shifted back toward the fire, and then he asked quietly, “Are you sure you want to do this? Do you know what you’re getting into?”

  “Cobalt, god of Blue, it is my personal philosophy that no one ever really knows what they’re getting into, and you just have to learn to roll with the punches.”

  He smiled. “All the same…”

  “Karā, were all your past lives worrywarts?” I said. “I’ll be fine. This is hardly my first time being in danger. I’ve been in and out of it almost as long as I can remember.”

  His expression shifted to concern. “Do you have a family at all?”

  “I consider myself free and unattached.”

  “That sounds like a no.”

  I waved it off. “It’s not a big deal.”

  “Family is important,” he countered.

  “What about you, then? What about your relations?” I gestured toward Rhed’s still-smoking form.

  “We’re not related,” Cobalt said.

  I raised my hands dismissively. Cobalt gazed out into the darkness and let out a soft breath, then crawled out of the hollow. “Get some sleep. I’ll keep watch.”