Read Stone Soldiers: Catching Fire for Free Online

stone body leapt off the ground and passed through the whirling, flaming fire-man, barely disturbing it.
    Smith landed roughly, collapsing to one knee and tumbling. He hadn't been an acrobat in his previous life, but he'd had more grace then this. He chalked it up to his new stone body.
    He started to rise, but the Djinn was on him again, engulfing him in flame.
    Smith smiled, then opened his mouth and spit.
    Every ounce of Smith was stone now- his eyes, his teeth- even his tongue. Just as Dr. King had said, every molecule of his body had been turned to living stone. While this meant he couldn't taste, he couldn't eat, that his heart didn't beat- it didn't mean that he had lost control over his bodily functions. Even made of stone, his stomach and lips worked. And right now they were expelling water into the living fire.
    The Djinn recoiled- not screaming like when the Colonel had touched it and disrupted the very energy it used to hold itself together. But it did slip off Smith, as some of the fire that it used to form its body was extinguished by the small stream of water. Smith imagined it was like a bear being punched in the nose- distracting, but not something that would really hurt it.
    So now that he had its attention, it was time for the second part of the Colonel's plan. It was time to run.
    ***
     
    Zaman shook with anger as the Djinn recoiled from the stone man- who then leapt to his feet, far more nimble than a living statue should be able to do and sprinted away.
    "After him!" Zaman breathed into the ring held to his lips.
    The Djinn complied, and swirled off after the stone man, once more resuming his swirling, dust devil-like column of moving flames.
    The chase tore through the remainder of the village- the stone man moving with inhuman speed and agility. He leapt onto roof tops, crashed through walls, and ducked around corners. Using the ground for purchase, the stone man was able to take sharper turns than the swirling Djinn, able to accelerate to speed faster with his solid body.
    Zaman watched the chase for several moments through his binoculars- nervously awaiting the stone man's end. Then he smelled something.
    Vegetable soup.
    The Americans had been giving out canned soup for some time. One even explained to Zaman why- they received it in care packages from Americans back home. And the last thing the generous soldiers wanted in the hot desert was a hot bowl of soup.
    Serving as an insurgent didn't offer Zaman a salary. He had to fend for himself. Which meant accepting food from the very infidels he had sworn to kill. Zaman had eagerly taken their soup and eaten it. He had enjoyed many of the canned soups the Imperialists offered him.
    Except vegetable soup. It was a horrible, foul broth of brown that made him want to wretch when he smelled it. And now he smelled it quite strongly.
    "Shh, Aladdin!" A stern voice whispered in his ear as one strong hand clamped down over his mouth and another gripped the back of his neck like a vice.
    Zaman's eyes grew wide with fear and he dropped his binoculars. He also threw up a little in his mouth from the horrible vegetable soup smell now permeating his nostrils.
    Zaman felt himself spun around quickly, the hands on his neck shifting so one clamped over his throat and the other grabbed his ring hand. Zaman's eyes went wide with fear- it was the invisible man, the giant the Djinn could not see.
    The soldier's shirt and vest were gone- replaced by a vile smear of paste that Zaman immediately recognized as soup. It looked like what was left in the bottom of a pot that had been over the fire too long and all the water had evaporated.
    "Let me see that!" Colonel Kenslir said, lifting Zaman's hand, and his large gold ring up. He was crushing the insurgent's hand now- applying just enough force that the bones didn't break- but were ready to.
    Zaman would have collapsed to the ground, but the strong hand on his neck was holding him up.
    Kenslir examined the ring- paying