Dreams of Fire

by Christian Cura

  Kara pushed away the thought as she walked among the guests. She wore a short white dress with pearls embroidered below the neckline and down the sleeves. Thin golden hoops dangled from her ears and her ear-length blond hair was combed back neatly. She picked up a glass of champagne and took a sip. Kara wished she could enjoy the sight of her landscapes on display. She had worked very hard to reach this point but the threat of Charlotte’s attack drowned her enthusiasm.

  She spotted Selene in the distance as she squeezed her way around clusters of affluent buyers and art aficionados. She wore a tight, black one-shoulder dress, the hem of which swished around her ankles as she walked. The frills at the bottom of her skirt softly shimmered and the silver hoops that hung from her ears glittered under the light of the chandeliers. Kara noticed she had foregone the lip ring for tonight and put on dark eye shadow and lipstick.

  Selene approached Kara then leaned in for a hug. “I circled the block twice before I came in. There’s no sign of her yet,” she murmured in Kara’s ear. She reached up with one arm and returned the embrace tightly.

  “Thank you for coming,” Kara said.

  Selene pulled away from the embrace and plucked a glass of champagne from the table. She took a sip to blend in with the crowd. “Whatever comes our way tonight, we’ve got this,” Selene said over her glass. The warmth of her reassurance was a balm to Kara’s nerves. She smiled and waved at a few guests as they walked by.

  “You look beautiful, by the way,” Kara said as she took another sip of champagne.

  Selene smiled. “Thanks. I feel so weird dressed up like this.”

  “Stop it!” Kara replied with a playful nudge of her elbow.

  “Why don’t you tell me more about your art? There’s a lot of work here I haven’t seen before,” Selene said.

  “Of course,” Kara answered. She pointed to each of her works on display and told Selene what inspired her about each of the locations. The wall was filled with scenes of the city where streaks of light rocketed up and down the streets to show the endless churning energy of the city. There were scenes of the monuments surrounded by blurred visitors as they rapidly came and went, always moving, always in transit; a striking contrast to the static monuments of stone.

  “I dig that one you made of Chinatown.” Selene pointed to the one on the far right. The dark street was illuminated by strings of paper lanterns that burned like stars in the night. The painted sky was filled with wispy clouds that drifted beneath the glow of a full moon. They swirled through the air like long serpentine dragons. “I would love to hang that in my living room.” Selene continued.

  “It’s going for $3,500,” Kara replied.

  Selene’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Is there a girlfriend discount?”

  Kara laughed quietly. But her amusement was cut short by a gasp of fright. In the center of the room, she saw a woman with wavy brown hair attired in a sparkling blue dress. For a terrible moment, Kara thought it was Charlotte, but then the woman turned around and Kara saw she had been mistaken. She sighed in relief and took another sip of champagne.

  “What’s wrong?” Selene asked.

  “I just saw someone who I thought was Charlotte. I was wrong, though,” she replied. Selene held Kara’s hand.

  “Relax. I’m here for you,” said Selene. She pretended to cough as she subtly gestured with her fingers in front of her lips. She cast an Orator Spell that linked her with Amelia. “How are we looking out there, guys?”

  “Everything is quiet out here…so far,” Amelia answered from the street. “You?”

  “It’s quiet up here, too. I’ll check in with you guys in an hour,” Selene replied.

  “Sounds good.” Amelia answered. Selene released the spell and sipped her champagne.

  A moment later, Terry and Daniela joined them at the table along with the Santos family. Kara introduced Selene and did her best to appear pleasant although her nerves were on edge. She chuckled half-heartedly at something Terry said when she was suddenly seized by the feeling of hot needles pressing into her arms and neck. Kara gasped and locked eyes with Selene. Armand and Diane exchanged a look of dread. Neither one had to ask what the other felt. They all knew.

  Terry saw their faces go pale as they looked at one another. “Guys, what’s going on?”

  “Someone has channeled a great amount of magical energy.” said Santos.

  “What?” Terry and Daniela exclaimed together.

  Then they heard the screeching of tires from outside.

  Amelia Schumacher Paradigm Gallery, District of Columbia, Present

  The passersby strolled past them blissfully unaware of the impending battle that would take place that night. They walked briskly in and out of bright storefronts and chatted amicably about trivial things. How fortunate for them that they did not have to worry about a life or death battle. All they knew was what the news networks told them and what they were planning to do over the weekend. Amelia envied them. She looked across the street and saw more guests stream into the gallery. She turned the corner with John as she silently prayed the Creator would favor them tonight.

  Suddenly, Amelia felt something; a prickling sensation that raced up her arms and her neck. She halted in her tracks and touched John’s arm. He stopped and turned toward her with a questioning look in his eyes.

  “John, I felt a fluctuation. Something is coming,” Amelia said gravely.

  A moment later, cries of dismay pierced the quiet night. John looked up the street from around the corner. They ran past them with wide eyes and shouts of panic. Then, with an inward chill, Amelia saw a pack of Hounds emerge from the street corner. The fell creatures fixed their blazing red eyes on the two Enforcers and bounded straight toward them. Immediately, John’s maces flared into existence within his grasp. The turquoise glow stung Amelia’s eyes even as she too, summoned her weapons. A pair of curved blades materialized in her hands as the Hounds charged at them.

  John Hartman Paradigm Gallery, District of Columbia, Present

  The heat of John’s glowing maces burned in his hands as he stood and watched the Hounds approach. They leaped toward John and Amelia in long, fluid strides. Shouts of panic rose up all around them while bystanders fled the scene. They sprinted up the street as cars veered away from the giant beasts. The screeching of tires pierced the night. John’s heart thudded in his chest as Hounds closed in on them from every direction. His palms beaded with sweat as he thought of Kara. He looked over his shoulder and saw the gallery one block away with a line of Hounds between him and his sister. John inwardly cursed Charlotte then prayed that Selene could protect Kara from her wrath.

  He stood back-to-back with Amelia as the Hounds closed in. They growled and bared their teeth while the street paused its continual rush. The city around them seemed to halt its activity in the presence of the fell beasts. Cars stopped in the street. Drivers and passengers looked on with bated breath; frozen in their seats. Pedestrians ducked into storefronts and took shelter within. John stood with his pair of glowing maces and dared the Hounds to attack. Then all at once, they lunged.

  Kara Hartman District of Columbia, Paradigm Gallery, Present

  Kara and Selene walked briskly toward the window. The commotion from the street below drew the attention of the other guests and they too, clustered near the glass pane. Faint shouts from the street echoed into the room accompanied by flashes of pink and turquoise energy. To Kara’s dismay, she looked down toward the street and saw her brother and his second-in-command clashing with a pack of Hounds. The demons assaulted them from every side while John and Amelia slashed and pummeled them with their weapons. Panicked cries rose up among the guests. They murmured in astonishment and pointed to the chaos outside. Kara didn’t have to read the energy on the Hounds. She knew the time had come. Charlotte was here.

  Then something behind Selene caught her gaze. She looked out the window once again and saw a giant, four-winged creature glide in an arc around the gallery. Its dark fur nearly
camouflaged it with the night as it flapped its leathery wings. The other guests screamed in fright and scurried away from the window. Kara and Selene backed away with the crowd as the bat turned and careened into the glass.

  Cries of terror filled the room as a cloud of shards fell upon them. They ducked their heads and shielded their faces as the glass cut through the air and clattered on the marble floor. Then came the deafening screeching. The bat’s four leathery wings beat rapidly in the air as guests rose from the floor and stampeded out of the gallery space. Kara could barely hear their panicked cries amid the cacophony of the bat’s shrieking. The guests pushed and shoved their way out and nearly stepped over one another to escape the room. Daniela was caught in the tide of people and separated from Cristobal. Diane found her husband in the bedlam and the two fled the room together. Kara stood up with ears cupped while delved into the crowd. She vanished behind the fleeing multitude.

  When she saw her again, Selene stood at the far end of the room while she helped Terry rise to his feet. The tall, lanky man sagged and limped at her side as a shard of glass jutted out of his leg. Kara made a move to go and help them but instantly leaped backward when the bat snatched at her arm with its claws. Its claw reached out and closed around nothing as Kara ripped her arm away. She blasted it with a shockwave and knocked it back but it came at her again. It beat its wings wildly over Kara’s head and snatched at her wrists and arms. The bat’s shrieking filled her ears as she swatted its claws away. Selene hurled a fireball at it which exploded on the beast’s fur. Flames burned on its back and head as it turned and struck Selene with its leathery wing. Selene and Terry were knocked off their feet and they fell to the floor. The bat grabbed Kara by the shoulders and began to fly away. Kara screamed as she felt her feet leave the ground. Selene jumped up from the floor and summoned daggers of light which materialized in her hand. She threw them at the bat’s wings as it lifted Kara up into the sky. The blades twirled through the air and shredded through the leathery membranes. The bat dropped a few feet as it fluttered its wings desperately. But its wings could not capture the air as well anymore. It bought Kara time. She rapidly uttered a Heat Spell and her hand became as hot as a brand. Her palm and fingers were ablaze with a fiery orange glow. Although Kara could not feel the heat, the bat would. She pinned her hand to the creature’s foot and it shrieked as her searing palm burned its flesh. It released one of her with one of its claws and tried to shake off her grip. Kara was now directly over the busy street as cars zipped by beneath her. Below and to her left, she could see John and Amelia dueling with a pack of Hounds. Bystanders nearby cried out and pointed at the creature in the sky.

  Kara planted her hand on the creature’s other foot and the odor of its charred flesh filled her nostrils. The bat shrieked again and released her from its grip entirely. Kara fell toward the busy street. Cars raced by as Kara watched the creature in the sky grow smaller and smaller. She screamed as the cold night air rushed up from beneath her. Kara tumbled through the night as terrified onlookers screamed in fright. She saw the dark buildings rise up in her periphery when, suddenly, her fall was suspended by a cushion of red shimmering light. Selene stood at the frame of the shattered window as her hands worked a Levitation Spell. Kara gasped in relief as she hung suspended over the rushing traffic.

  But there was no time to savor it. The bat descended from the sky in a tight spiral, its dark form outlined in the silvery moonlight. The menacing creature grew larger as it fell upon its quarry. Kara muttered an incantation and gestured rapidly with her hands. The magic flowed like fire through her arms. It coursed from her shoulder then down to her wrist where it concentrated like a ball of heat in her hand. The bat descended on Kara as its deafening shrieks filled her ears. It reached out with an open claw as Kara finished the sequence. She pointed her index finger and let the magic explode.

  Bolts of lightning flowed from her fingertip and struck the creature in midair. The bat’s dying shrieks echoed in the streets as it writhed and convulsed above Kara. She saw flashes of its skeleton as the electricity coursed through its body. Startled drivers below looked up and nearly collided with one another as the lightning shot up from above the street.

  Kara emptied the lightning out of her hand and the creature tumbled to the ground below. Wisps of smoke trailed from its charred corpse as it fell. It hit the ground with an awesome thud and passing cars veered away from the dead creature. Their screeching tires echoed in the night and traffic came to a near halt. The giant bat lay spread-eagle on the street, its massive wings outstretched and its mouth open in a silent scream. Astonished drivers stepped out of their cars and looked upon the smoking carcass, then turned their gaze up at Kara who laid on her back suspended above the halted traffic.

  Selene levitated Kara back up to the gallery and set her down gently on the floor. She released her spell and Kara sprang to her feet. She ran to Selene and they embraced tightly for a long moment.

  “Are you okay?” Selene asked urgently as she caressed Kara’s cheek.

  She nodded. “I’m fine.” Selene kissed her on the lips and hugged her again. “I’m so glad you caught me.” she said. As they embraced, Kara saw Terry on the other side of the gallery with a look of astonishment on his face. Blood drained from his leg and stained the glass shards around him. Kara broke their embrace and went to Terry who stared up at her with bewildered eyes.

  “Kara. What is happening? What is all this?” he asked.

  “Terry, I promise I’ll explain everything later. But for now, let me take care of your leg and then I need you to get out of here.” Kara replied. Without waiting for a response from him, Kara gingerly pulled the fragment of glass from Terry’s leg and discarded it. He winced as the shard was extracted from his thigh. Then Kara gestured with her hands and spoke an incantation. Warm energy flowed through her arms as she held her hands over Terry’s injured leg. Soft ripples of light radiated from her palm as the torn tissues mended themselves back together. Terry’s eyes became wide with awe as he felt the wound close. “Go, Terry. For your own safety!” Kara said when she was done. Thoroughly at a loss for words, Terry rose to his feet and left the gallery.

  “C’mon. I read Charlotte’s energy signature all over that bat. She’s probably here.” Selene said gravely. Kara nodded resolutely and then followed Selene out.

  Charlotte Grey District of Columbia, Present

  Charlotte strutted into the lobby as the guests huddled together in fright before the window. They murmured fearfully amongst themselves as they gazed at the dead creature that lay in the street. She walked across the marble floor and stood before them with a hand on her hip.

  “Well, aren’t you a dapper-looking crowd!” she said.

  Armand Santos stepped in front of his wife and son to shield them from the dangerous woman. Diane held her son close as she eyed Charlotte apprehensively.

  “Charlotte Grey! In the name of the Council, I place you under arrest for the forbidden practice of Necromancy and the reckless endangerment of non-magical society.” Santos said forcefully. He summoned a pair of shackles which Charlotte immediately dispersed with a casual gesture. The shackles burst into a cloud of embers which fell to the floor. Santos’ eyes widened in astonishment.

  Charlotte was nonplussed. “I’m afraid you’re not taking me back to that gods-forsaken rock,” she said. “Have fun recapturing the other 6,000 rogues running amok, though,” she finished with a chuckle.

  Santos glared at her. “Charlotte, why have you come here tonight? What do you want?” Santos demanded to know. “These are innocent people behind me.”

  Charlotte’s smirk dropped into a frown as her dark eyes simmered with rage. “I have come to dole out retribution on one who has betrayed me,” she said in an ominous tone. “Tell me where Kara Hartman is.”

  “I don’t care what you think she has done to you!” Santos retorted. “I will not deliver Kara into your hands!”

  He held out his hands and two glowing daggers materi
alized in his grasp. Their yellow light outlined his face with their intense glow as he charged at her. He slashed at Charlotte fiercely and she nimbly dodged the blade. She watched as his dagger cut through the air and felt its warm energy graze her arm. Santos spun and swung out horizontally with his blade then stepped and thrusted straight out with the other. Charlotte deflected his arm then elbowed him in the face. He groaned as his head snapped backward. Before he could recover, she kicked him in the stomach then blasted him with a shockwave. Her attack rippled the air as Santos was hurled backward. He hit the floor with a loud thud and rolled. Diane cried out and rushed to his side.

  “Charlotte! That’s enough!” a loud voice exclaimed from above. Charlotte turned and looked toward the head of the floating staircase. There Kara stood with Selene at her side as they overlooked the lobby together. Charlotte smiled.

  “There you are, old friend! It’s been too long.”

  “Everyone, clear out!” Selene shouted. The guests didn’t have to be told twice as they flowed out of the lobby. Diane and Cristobal carefully picked up Armand from the floor and exited the lobby with the other guests.

  “Aww. You don’t want anyone else to play with us?” said Charlotte with an ostentatious pout.

  “Charlotte, please. We don’t have to do this. I know deep down you’re still my friend.” Kara pleaded.

  “No,” Charlotte said. “Your Charlotte is dead! And the only thing that can bring me joy is your blood spilled on the floor.” Charlotte crossed her arms in an “X” before her face then rapidly dropped them to her sides as two menacing blades shot out from her forearms. Then she bounded up the steps with her two blades extended behind her. As Charlotte ran up the staircase, Kara summoned a sword whose white-hot glow bathed the lobby in its light. Selene hurled glowing daggers which burned like embers as they spun through the air. Charlotte leaned to her right as a serrated blade zipped past her face. Then she deflected two more with her blades and they ricocheted down into the lobby. Charlotte feigned a slash with her blade then thrust straight out with the other. Kara stepped sideways and parried the blow then slashed at Charlotte’s chest. She blocked Kara’s sword with both blades as Selene’s blazing red katana slashed her arm. The blade seared her shoulder and she cried out in pain. Kara thrust her knee into Charlotte’s stomach and she fell backward. But before she hit the stairs, she suspended her fall on a cushion of blue, shimmering light. Then she somersaulted backward and landed at the foot of the stairs once again.