Ashes (Fire Within Series Book 3)

by Ella M. Lee

  Nicolas sat down on his other side. “The tests all seem to indicate that your magic can heal Mark.”

  Daniel rolled his eyes. “I’d love to save his life. So I can kill him slowly right after.”

  “Hey, get in line,” I said, remembering how good it had felt to punch my idiot brother a few times earlier.

  Nicolas wasn’t in the mood for our games. He brought his hands into a steeple in front of himself and gave us both a stern look.

  “There aren’t any other options here. We will heal Mark and send him on his way—unharmed—because we have bigger issues to deal with. Do the two of you understand me?”

  “Yes, Nico,” Dan said, and I was surprised to find that there was no resentment in his tone.

  “Fi?” Dan prompted, looking at me.

  “Yes, fine, whatever,” I said. “As long as I never have to see him again.”

  Nicolas looked relieved that I wasn’t going to cause more of a problem. I didn’t have the strength for that right now, and I didn’t want to annoy Nicolas in any way. Both he and Daniel were smashed to pieces, and I wasn’t going to make this harder.

  “Dan, can you put on a good show?” Nicolas asked.

  Dan gave him an absolutely miserable look before saying, “If I have to. Can you wait a few minutes while I throw up several times and take a shower?”

  “Be my guest,” Nicolas said, sweeping his hand toward the bathroom with a wry smile.

  Daniel stood, ascertained that he wasn’t going to fall over, and made his way slowly to the bathroom. Once he had shut the door, Nicolas moved closer to me. I watched warily as he took my hands in his, caressing my knuckles.

  There is something else I need to tell you, lamb, he said silently. The last secret that I think has any bearing on our lives.

  Christ, what now? I thought.

  Do you remember when you asked me if I knew why my visions and mind-reading had appeared? he said.

  Yes. You told me they came out of the blue, that you don’t know what triggered them, I offered.

  I wasn’t being completely honest with you, he said. I wasn’t exactly lying either—it’s true that I don’t know why my abilities exist, but I do have an idea of their origin. They are likely tied to my bloodline because, you see, Stephan has abilities of his own.

  What? I asked. He can read minds and see the future?

  No, his abilities manifest differently, Nicolas said. Even I don’t know their exact nature and full extent. He is very good at hiding himself. But Fiona, never, ever let him touch you. Whatever gifts he has for seeing into people and influencing them require touch in order to engage. In that regard, I suppose mine are superior. Or inferior, depending on how you view it.

  Who else knows about this? I asked.

  I’m sure there are individuals in the world who know of Stephan’s powers, but they are few and far between, Nicolas said. I have never told anyone myself, nor have I met anyone who seems to know. It is something I might consider revealing to the rest of the group if required, but not yet. For now, I simply needed you to know, because…

  What? I asked.

  His hands squeezed mine. Because you are the most important person in my life, and I worry that someone like Stephan will try to use that against me. I want you to have every advantage possible.

  Do you think he’s somehow using his abilities to find things out about us? I asked.

  Nicolas shook his head. I don’t know. I don’t think they work like that. I simply know there is something similar about the two of us, something we share.

  Why did he hurt you? I asked. He knew. He knew what was wrong with you. He knew what you were going through.

  Nicolas shrugged. Maybe he didn’t. I can’t use my abilities on him, and he can’t seem to use his on me. I have publicized my abilities widely, but he hasn’t. That implies to me that his must work differently.

  He still tortured you for no reason, I said.

  Stephan is as driven to find answers as I am. Nicolas said. Worse, in many ways. If he desperately wanted answers about his own abilities, why use himself when he could use someone like him? Why put himself through pain and misery when he could do it to me instead?

  That’s awful, I said.

  That’s Smoke, he said.

  You are not like that, I said.

  I used to be. Like father, like son, he said, his hands tensing on me for a moment in unhappiness.

  If I ever meet Stephan, I’m going to kill him, I said.

  Nicolas laughed, startling me. He kissed me briefly on the cheek, his eyes glowing. Get in line, lamb.

  Chapter 20

  “So what do I need to do?” Daniel asked.

  We were back at Teng’s place, arranged around Mark’s bed. He was still unconscious, breathing rapidly, his face a pale mask. Evie held his hand, and even though I couldn’t dredge up sympathy for him, at least I could feel a pang of concern for her, with her glassy eyes and white knuckles.

  Dan was standing, and I wasn’t sure how he managed it. I could tell he was still near collapse, quiet and stoic, looking like he was actively monitoring every one of his breaths. Nicolas kept an arm around him on our way down here, and he had still stumbled several times.

  Irina was fiddling with Mark’s intravenous line, while Nicolas studied Mark with the metal hoop device again. Ryan, surprisingly, was holding our prototype sanctum, the one for Shatterfall testing.

  “I need some of your magic in here,” Ryan said, holding up the glass orb. “We are in a bit of a conundrum. Daniel is the one whose magic can fix Mark, but he doesn’t have the healing skills to do so without his magic causing harm. I can heal Mark effectively, but I don’t have the correct magic type. Drawing directly upon Daniel with my transference would be tricky and dangerous—he isn’t practiced enough to control the flood when his magic is in an active and transmuted state, and splitting my attention is risky for everyone involved.”

  Ryan hefted the orb in his hands. “This has all the wards and failsafes in place to hold transmuted magic in a stable state and allow me to draw on it as needed.”

  Daniel took the orb carefully from Ryan’s hands and filled it with magic, his crackling lightning spreading like glittering, frosty webs under the surface of the glass. I held my breath, worried. I had no idea how Dan had any magic right now after what had happened earlier. He seemed like a near-infinite well of power.

  He gave the orb back to Ryan. His hands were shaking. Gently, I touched Dan’s shoulder and tilted my head toward the living room. I drew him away from the others and firmly sat him on the couch. He put his head in his hands, looking tired and sullen.

  Teng looked over his shoulder and studied Dan. After a moment, he asked a long question in Cantonese.

  “Mou so wai,” Dan said. I’d heard this phrase a million times: It doesn’t matter.

  I put my arms around Dan and pulled him against me. He didn’t resist. After a moment, he shifted, burying his face in my shoulder and clinging to me, his fingers digging into my back, his breathing ragged.

  I stroked his hair gently. “Can I do anything for you?”

  “I just need a minute,” he said.

  “Of course, Commander Darling.”

  I watched through the bedroom door as I held Daniel. Ryan was seated on the left-hand edge of Mark’s bed, while Irina sat on the right-hand side. Ryan held the orb carefully cradled in one hand, while the other touched Mark’s pale face and neck as he pointed out things to Irina.

  Nicolas had drawn Evie away and seated her in a chair a few feet away from Mark. He was standing over her shoulder, and she seemed torn between worry for Mark and nervousness at having Nicolas so close.

  Ryan and Irina were conferring insistently, planning what to do. I couldn’t hear the details of their low murmuring. Daniel turned his head slightly, following my gaze.

  “You should be in there,” he said quietly, his voice hoarse.

  “I don’t care,” I said.

  “He’s your brot
her.”

  I fixed him with a firm look, squeezing his shoulders. “You are more of a brother to me than Mark is. I barely know him anymore.”

  Daniel gave me a weak smile, and I knew the words had touched him deeply.

  I didn’t want Mark to die—there was already far too much death in my life—but I didn’t feel the intense worry and concern that Evie obviously did. She loved him. That was fine. Good, even. It meant he didn’t need me. Not that Mark had ever really needed me. Outside of my senior year of high school, when we’d been weirdly inseparable, we’d been too disagreeable with one another as children to ever be close.

  And when my mom died, and I left for the University of Nebraska? We had drifted apart completely. At the time he disappeared, the two of us hadn’t spoken in months, not since I had returned to school at the beginning of the fall term.

  Eight years of mourning him had simply been yet another nail in the coffin of our relationship. Shriveled, burned up, completely gone.

  If Nicolas wanted to fix him, fine. If Nicolas wanted Mark as an ally, fine. Nicolas had always been shockingly magnanimous toward his enemies, and I couldn’t really gripe about that—his forgiveness was the only reason I was still alive.

  But I didn’t have to like Mark, and I didn’t have to care. I had enough to worry about without the extra burden.

  I clutched Daniel tighter to me as I watched Ryan remove his suit jacket. He handed it to Nicolas and carefully retook the orb, drawing himself up. Nicolas leaned in to say a few words to Ryan, and Ryan tilted his head, attentive. I swallowed, impressed once again with my family’s ability to work together.

  Ryan pressed his hand against Mark’s bare chest, his eyes on Irina. He watched her as she directed him through several advanced healing spells. He nodded, looking between her and his hands. It was strange to watch Ryan use Daniel’s magic, which I had always associated uniquely with him.

  With a shock, I remembered that we’d all soon have lightning magic.

  Ryan was in a rhythm now, listening to Irina’s guidance as he healed Mark. Healing magic ran through Mark, with Ryan maneuvering it carefully. He poured more and more into Mark’s body, and I hoped there was enough in the orb for him to use—and that Mark could take it.

  This went on for several minutes. The apartment was silent except for Irina’s murmuring and Teng’s occasional typing. Daniel’s breathing was still labored against me, but he seemed calm and half asleep.

  Finally, Ryan ceased healing, pulling his hand back abruptly. “Nicolas?” he asked.

  Nicolas came forward, running the metal hoop device over Mark’s still body again. After thirty seconds of intense study, Nicolas nodded.

  “Clear,” he said.

  He pressed his hands to Mark’s skin for a few moments, then checked his pulse and pulled up his eyelids to see his eyes. “Irina?” he asked.

  Irina had her hands on Mark as well, her brow furrowed and her lips pressed into a thin line. Her hair had come undone from its bun and was hanging around her face. “Clear. It seems like he is in normal sleep. His sanctum?”

  “It’s fine, from what I can tell,” Nicolas said.

  Evie was leaning forward, her hands twisted together, straining to see beyond Nicolas and Ryan. “He’s okay?” she asked, and I could barely hear her whispered words.

  “Yes,” Nicolas said, stepping back and gesturing. “See?”

  Evie flung herself to Mark’s side and grasped his hands. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and she was making choked sobbing noises.

  “Evie…” Nicolas began, reaching to touch her back gently.

  With another sob, she threw herself to the ground at Nicolas’s feet, taking one of his hands in hers. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she said, the words strangled.

  Nicolas brought his startled gaze up to meet mine. He looked like he wanted to find the nearest bridge and throw himself off of it, but he simply dropped to one knee and took both of Evie’s hands gingerly.

  “Come now,” he said gently. “Everything is all right. I’ve had a long couple of weeks, and I could do without the hysterics, please.”

  I was ready for things to quiet down too. I watched Nicolas raise Evie up off the floor, and I thought wistfully that it might be sort of nice to know that they would get to hold a beautiful wedding after all.

  I wanted to help Daniel back to his apartment to sleep, but he insisted on staying with the group. He didn’t eat anything, but he drank mug after mug of hot water with honey and lemon, staring off into nothing as everyone else talked. He occasionally shot me agonized looks, rolling his eyes in frustration and pain, and I offered him as much silent sympathy as I could.

  We all dug into dinner, spread out haphazardly across the surfaces of Teng and Cameron’s apartment, as we waited for Mark to wake up. Ryan looked exhausted, but he walked Nicolas through each step of his healing process while we all watched with varying levels of fascination. Evie frequently flitted back into the bedroom to check on Mark, but he was still in a deep sleep, his body and magic finishing up its own repairs on top of Ryan and Irina’s healings.

  “He’ll wake up, right?” Evie asked Nicolas for the tenth time.

  “Yes, for certain,” Nicolas replied, and those were words he only used when he had seen the future and could confidently speak on it.

  Evie still looked anxious, but I trusted Nicolas’s words. I had gone in to see Mark briefly, and he had seemed much better than before; there was more color in his cheeks now, and his pulse and breathing were back to normal.

  Teng’s computer chimed insistently. He gave it a grave look, retreating to his desk to check it.

  “Shit,” he said, after a few moments. “Nicolas, official summons.”

  Nicolas looked like he wanted to strangle Teng for delivering that message, but he merely said, in a deadly calm tone, “Details?”

  “Claudius wants to see you and Dan this evening.”

  Nicolas pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingertips. “Daniel?” he asked.

  Dan, who had been reclining against the couch with his eyes closed, shook his head. “No way. Claudius can’t see me like this. He’ll know something is weird. Take Fi.”

  Ice shot through my veins. “What? No.”

  Daniel’s half-open eyes fell on me. “You’ll be fine. Just let Nicolas do the talking.”

  I had only met Claudius once, in passing, and I had no desire to have further contact with him. As a pinnacle member of the clan, he had immense tenure, power, and experience. Nicolas may feel comfortable in his presence, and Daniel might feel equipped to handle him, but I certainly didn’t.

  I looked between Daniel and Nicolas and realized I had no choice. They both looked completely smashed. Nicolas was still flinching occasionally, his expression much more distant than usual. I was still worried about him, and I wasn’t about to leave him alone to tackle this next challenge, even if I was afraid.

  Nicolas pressed his fingertips together. “All right. We can’t ignore Claudius. Teng, send a reply. We’ll be there in an hour.”

  “What does he want?” I asked.

  “I don’t know,” Nicolas said. “It could be completely innocuous clan business, or it could be something more.” He sighed. “First, we need to wake up Sleeping Beauty.”

  “Is that safe?” Evie asked tentatively.

  “Yes,” Nicolas said. “He’ll be tired and disoriented, but his health isn’t at risk.”

  Nicolas went into the bedroom and took a seat on the edge of Mark’s bed. Evie, Ryan, and I followed him in, clustered at the end of the bed. Daniel startled me, coming up from behind and putting a hand on my shoulder.

  I shot him a stern look that I hoped said, you should be sleeping. He smiled at me sheepishly.

  Nicolas cupped Mark’s chin with his hand and sent a slight hint of Water magic into him. Mark’s eyes opened heavily. He blinked several times, confused.

  “Wh-what…?” he started, the word muddled.

 
“Good evening, Mark,” Nicolas said.

  “Yeah, good evening, asshole,” Daniel added from over my shoulder.

  Mark tore his gaze from Nicolas to focus on Daniel. Mark’s eyes traveled over me. When they found Evie, they softened in relief. Finally, they flicked down to the shackles on his wrists.

  “There is a lot to catch you up on,” Nicolas said, “but the short story is that we were ambushed by Derek in Singapore. You were injured. I killed him. We brought you home with us. You are at Water’s Hong Kong clan house. While you were out, we also managed to cure you. You owe Daniel a massive thank-you. And an apology.”

  Daniel said some sharp words in Cantonese, and Nicolas smiled.

  “I’m sorry,” Nicolas said. “I misrepresented Daniel’s wishes. He says he’d like to see some groveling.”

  I braced myself for Mark to say something petulant. Instead, he merely nodded. “I can’t really move right now, but I’ll grovel later,” he said to Daniel. “I am sorry, Badass.”

  Evie, who stood at my left, reached her hand back and brushed Daniel’s arm gently. “Yes, thank you,” she said, her expression serious and sincere.

  Daniel pressed his lips into a thin line. Although he was trying to be stern and stoic, he was abashed at their attention. Daniel was compassionate. He didn’t want Mark dead; he didn’t believe in wasted life. He was currently torn between annoyance and pride at his ability to, yet again, do something unique and interesting.

  “Yeah, whatever,” Daniel grumbled, but his tone was gentle and accepting.

  “Fiona and I have a meeting to attend, but you and I will talk later,” Nicolas said, drawing Mark’s attention. “For now, I want to temporarily remove your shackles so that you can tell me how your sanctum feels. I am out of patience, so I’m going to be upfront with you and say that if you even so much as conjure the barest idea of causing trouble in these brief moments, I will kill you, and I will not feel bad about it.”

  Nicolas’s tone left no doubt in my mind that he was serious. He didn’t wait for Mark to agree, he simply pressed his fingers to the shackles and caught them in his hands as they slipped off Mark’s wrists.