Burnt Sugar (3 page)

Julian paled, but nodded.

“And escaping, that was a bad thing?” Ezra asked. When Julian nodded again, Ezra's brow furrowed. “What happened?” Julian just pointed at the floor. Oh good, there was something wrong with the floor
besides
the fact that it was a bone yard. I took off one of my boots and pushed it through the bars until it toppled down to the dirt. As soon as it hit, roots snaked up and grabbed it, pulling it into the soil.

“Well, that was stupid,” Lock said, watching my boot disappear. “Why not use something you don't need?”

“Watch it or you're going to get the other boot.” It hadn't been the brightest thing to do, but it wasn't stupid, either. “I needed to test the floor. What else should I have used? I'm not exactly overflowing with extra stuff over here. I just have my clothes, and unlike Ezra, I have some qualms about trying to escape naked.”

Ezra shrugged. “You get used to it.”

“I'm going to do my best to never have that experience,” I said, eyeing the floor and wishing I had my boot back. “Too bad none of us can fly.” The door opened at the end of the cellar and everyone went quiet. Mr. Healthy came down the steps whistling a tune. He stopped at the bottom right before he touched the floor and sang a song in a language I couldn't identify, something Germanic, I think, dancing slowly in a circle. He ended the dance with a flourish and then calmly stepped onto the packed dirt. Seemed simple enough, but I was betting the words to that song were important, and I hadn't caught a single one.

He examined the jars on the walls, pulling a few from the bottom. “A wasabi glaze this time, perhaps.” After selecting his sauce, he studied the cages, finally ending on Julian. “Yes, I think it's your turn today.” Julian cowered on the far side of his cage.

“Don't you want to wait?” I asked. “You know, fatten him up a bit? He's all bones.” Julian gave me a startled look, but I ignored him.

“It's not healthy, eating all that fat,” the man said. “No, the smart consumer goes for the lean meat.” He snapped his fingers and the roots spun Julian's cage around and pulled it straight up. The ceiling planks bent open to let the cage through, then snapped back into place as if nothing had happened. The man left, a bounce to his step, totally ignoring all of us as we yelled at him.

Julian had been the only kid willing to talk to us, the only one not completely broken by the experience, and now he was lunch. We had to get out of there.

“Ava,” Lock whispered. “I've got an idea, but I need you to be ready to open up our cages, okay?” I nodded, even though I had some doubts after watching the cages in action.

Lock kneeled as best he could and dug into his pockets, pulling out a small pouch. A pouch I recognized.

“Did you, at some point in today's adventure, stop to gather seeds?” I asked.

He blushed, but wouldn't look at me. “And now aren't you glad?”

“That remains to be seen.”

Lock opened the packet and tipped a few out, talking softly as he did. We all watched the seed float down, or tried to. I mean, seeds are small and kind of hard to see. At first nothing seemed to happen. Then a large daisy sprouted out of the ground under Lock's cage, the face of the flower the size of a hubcap.

“Now!” he said, his voice a sharp whisper.

I got the feeling speed was important. “Feet up!” I shouted as I set fire to the bottom of the cage, concentrating on the edges. The roots hissed and it was hard to tell if it was moisture escaping or if they were feeling pain.

Lock was already hanging from the top like a monkey by the time the scorched cage bottom rained down, a mist of ash and charred splinters. He dropped down, landing comfortably on the top of the flower. He wobbled for a second, then managed to find balance, throwing down another seed as soon as he could. He made a path of them over to me. It was a little trickier burning out my own coop, but I managed.

Ezra had shifted back to fox form, thinking that he'd be lighter and more nimble that way, but went back to human to help with our fellow prisoners. The kids didn't blink at the giant flowers or being helped by a naked guy or the fact that the naked guy had recently been a fox. They'd clearly seen too much during their stay already.

It didn't take a lot of convincing to get them to follow us. Some were afraid of falling off the flowers, but Lock stood on the daisies he'd grown beneath the cages and caught them. Each time, the flower dipped alarmingly, and Lock was starting to sweat from all the exertion, the moisture cutting tracks through the ash from the cages. He still managed to hand the kids off to me and Ez, but he was getting tired. It was a good thing that not all of the enclosures were occupied

There were thirteen of them on the stairs as Lock reached for the last one. Even after I'd burnt out the cage bottom, she held on, her thin limbs trembling. She was too afraid of the floor to let go. Lock and Ezra coaxed, but she wasn't having it. I knew I wouldn't be able to help so I stayed with the others. Ezra says I lack finesse. I guess I'm better at burning things down than talking to people.

I'm okay with that.

The girl held on until her arms gave out, which meant her fall wasn't well-aimed, and she missed both the flower and Lock. He reached for her, almost losing his balance. She hit the dirt floor. Everything went still, even the girl, her eyes wide with panic. The floor rumbled and writhed. Roots shot out of the dirt and went for the girl, stopping just as they touched her. They trembled there, hovering along her skin, caressing her as she sobbed.

“Help, please,” Lock said through clenched teeth. “I can't hold them long.” Ezra and I stepped in at the same time. I scorched the roots while Ezra leaped down, snatching the girl up off the floor before hopping back onto the stairs. I don't know if I've ever seen him move so fast. The girl clung to him, shaking.

We were out of the cages, but still facing a very locked door. Normally, not a big obstacle for Ezra. He frowned at it. “The lock's not a difficult one. I really need to figure out some way to carry my tools with me when I change. Maybe a small bag…”

“Ezra—” I said, trying to get his attention, but he ignored me, his attention fully on the problem.

Lock looked like he was about to pass out. “It's too thick for us to try and kick it down. Maybe we can remove the hinges somehow…” He'd really expended a lot of energy if he was ignoring something so basic. Like, you know, that I was a firebug.

“Yeah, hey, too bad we don't have anything that could burn through a wooden door.” I crossed my arms and waited. They both turned to me, Lock with a sheepish expression. Ez just glared and told me to get on with it.

I didn't need to burn down the whole door, just the area around the knob. I guess with all the other security features, whoever made the house hadn't bothered with anything fancy on the door. I held out my hands. Gestures aren't necessary when I use my power, but they help me to focus.

“As soon as I get it open, you guys get the kids out. I'll go for Julian.” I didn't wait to hear their response. The wood smoked, the knob turning a bright cherry red. I kicked it with the foot that still had a boot on, and it hit the floor with a clang.

We ran up the twisty stairs, cresting onto the top floor like a wave. The man looked up from the cauldron he was stirring, shocked. There was a woman with him now, probably Dolly. She had Julian in an enormous mixing bowl. Though he was trembling like a frightened Chihuahua, his eyes darted around, looking for an opportunity to escape. They hadn't broken him yet if he was still hoping for a chance to get away. He'd been stripped and I assumed bathed—he was clean now, and people tend to wash their food before they eat it, even if those people are human-eating witches. Julian was now being brushed with what I think was a wasabi glaze. A roaring fire had been built in the cast-iron stove, which was big enough to roast a boar inside. As the two adults gawped, the kids ran out the door. They didn't manage to react until it was just me, Ezra, and Lock left inside.

Dolly looked a lot like the guy. Exercise gear, skin kissed with health, too-white teeth. Like she'd popped out of an infomercial for exercise equipment.

“Reggie,” she shrieked. “What's going on?”

Reggie left the cauldron, his expression one of calm and ease, taking the basting brush from her hand. “These were the three I found snooping earlier, dearest.” He dipped the brush into the bowl of glaze.

“I'm going to be honest,” I said. “I was expecting some sort of hag situation.”

“That's the problem with these houses. They have a reputation,” he said, continuing to brush the glaze lightly onto Julian's skin. “People get them to bring in power, to bring in extended life, and then what do they do? They let themselves
go
.” He stabbed the air with his glaze brush, getting into his speech. “But you can't do that. You have to take care of yourself. Eat right. Exercise. Plenty of sleep.” Dolly's attention was fixed on him while he talked, her eyes aglow.

I wanted to point out that the problem with gingerbread houses wasn't that the owners got a spare tire and forgot to brush their hair. It was that the houses drove you barking mad. But apparently this guy was already barking mad, so there wasn't much point. “Yes, well, clean living is great, but I'm afraid we're going to have to put the ol' kibosh on your current lifestyle.”

Dolly hissed at me. She actually
hissed
, then curled her lip derisively. I wasn't super fond of Dolly's attitude, to be honest.

“You think you can?” She flicked her fingers at us in shooing gesture. “You are in
our
house. We have the power here.” Another finger flick and the flames in the oven roared. “And don't get any ideas about shoving us in the oven. We read the pamphlets that came with the house, and we've no intention of going anywhere near there.” The wood creaked as the boards warped, allowing the roots to snake up through the floor. I'd really hoped that the roots couldn't come up this far.

Cold fear at the sight aside, I couldn't help laughing. I mean, really. The oven. We may be young, and yeah, she managed to capture us, but we weren't
new
. The oven. As if! I just couldn't help it. I kept laughing at the very idea. The roots stopped at Dolly's feet as she studied me, confused by my reaction.

“Lady,” I said, “I hate to tell you this, but you're in deep—”

Lock coughed “
language
” at me to remind me of the little ears in the room. He's kind of adorable—Julian had been terrorized, almost eaten, and were now in a standoff with two crazy witches, not to mention that Ezra was still naked, and Lock was worried about
language
.

“Well, you're in deep. Let's just say that. You've missed a few payments to Venus. Maybe they slipped your mind?”

Dolly blinked at us. “You're the collection team?” Now it was her turn to laugh. “You? You're children.” She cackled. She legitimately cackled. Finally, a witch stereotype coming true. I just wish it hadn't been aimed at me.

“Have you seen what happens to children in this house? You're not a threat, you're a side dish.” She cackled again as the roots snaked along the walls. “All these years kowtowing to Venus and you were the threat we feared?” Her eyes shone, the gleam of madness apparent. The house had gotten to her good. “Besides, she can't touch me. Not here. Not in my lovely home.” A root snaked around her in a caress and she petted it fondly. Like it was an adorable puppy.

See? Absolutely bonkers. Reggie just kept covering Julian in wasabi sauce, totally unconcerned.

“I would have you pass on the message to Venus that we don't need her ‘protection' anymore, but you won't be seeing her again.” Her hands curled like claws as she called on the power of the house—cupboards rattled, a window broke. The floor rippled.

“On three,” I said. “Three! The boys sprang into action—they knew I always skipped one and two. Ezra dodged the twining roots as they started to move again, then tackled Reggie. Lock did his best to redirect the roots, tying them into knots while making his way to Julian. And I did what I did best. I burned. There's nothing more terrifying than having someone walking at you while they're wreathed in fire. Dolly screamed. I shot a volley of fist-sized fireballs at her feet.

“See, here's the thing, Dolly. If Venus sent us, that means we've got her seal of scary approval. That even she will admit that we're something to be feared. You of all people should know that in our world, looks can never be trusted.” I heard Reggie yelp as Ezra tossed him into the wall. Dolly didn't notice as Lock snatched up the slippery Julian and went for the windows. Dolly's mental grip on the house would keep the front door shut, but a well-placed elbow could open up a new exit.

I threw another blast of fire her way. Dolly's eyes were wide, her body trembled. She'd finally figured out she was in trouble.

“Venus wants her money? I'll give it to you! All of it!” She backed up until she hit the wall. I noticed she was right by the giant oven she had said she'd avoid and smirked to myself.

I shook my head. “Oh, no. We're past that now. You've become a liability. A danger. Venus doesn't like hiccups.” I paused as Reggie flew into the cabinets, sliding down with a whimper. “And the thing is, while your little operation wouldn't bother our boss, it sure as hell bothers us. And you've just given us plenty of leeway to put you down and your little house, too.”

I could tell Dolly had thought of something, because she calmed and straightened. She squared her shoulders. “You're all talk. If you could take on a gingerbread house, you would have done so earlier. You had plenty of time.”

Ezra came up beside me, tying Reggie's blood-spattered Kiss the Cook apron around his waist. It didn't quite cover everything, but it helped. “Because there were children inside before.” He grinned, and for that brief moment, let his predator side show. Dolly shrank back. Reggie remained an unconscious pile on the floor.