“Did you do that?”

 

“I was only trying to short out the equipment on stage so he couldn’t use it to start a fire!”

 

“I think you tripped the main breaker.”

 

Of course, people were starting to pour out of the club. The fire giant was looking around.

 

He spotted us and stalked over, dodging around a taxi to do so. I stood, facing him.

 

“What did you do?” he demanded.

 

“Stopped you from burning those people out.” I kept my tone even. “Tell Surtur that I will oppose him at every turn.”

 

“That was original.” He glanced at Kanesha then Clara, but seemed to dismiss both of them. “If I wasn’t under strict orders.”

 

I half-grinned. “You’d fight me. It might be fun. Another time.”

 

He scowled at me. “You think it would be fun.”

 

“I enjoy a good spar. When and if we aren’t enemies any more.” It was a declaration that I didn’t plan on hurting him.

 

“Maybe I’ll…”

 

I smiled and lifted a hand and pulled as much fire towards me as I could.

 

“…damn.”

 

I kept smiling. “You’ll do what again?”

 

“You’re stronger than he is.”

 

“Why do you think he wants me on his side?” A pause. “Of course, he’s going the exact wrong way about it. But…you have to understand the general principle.”

 

“I do.” A pause. “Screw this.” And he stalked away.

 

Clara grinned at me.

 

“Sorry for letting him think that was all me.”

 

“Nah, he’d probably try to kill me if you’d let on.”

 

She was right. He didn’t have any instructions about not hurting Clara.

 

“Still, let’s get out of here.”

 

We did, moving away from the club, which still didn’t have power back. Definitely blown the main fuse.

 

Probably done them a favor by helping them find a short or whatever the real problem was. A problem that might have led to a fire without any giant assistance.

 

But I felt a growing sense of threat as we moved away from the site. A feeling that even for tonight this wasn’t over yet.

 

I kept moving, but I was tempted to split from the other two.

 

Very tempted.