Salvation's Kiss (Tales Of Mython Book 1)

by Kathryn Jayne

  Chapter 16

  It was clear to see why this location had been chosen for such dealings. Eclipsed by trees, unmarked upon any map, and with no registered blueprints, it was the perfect place in which to disappear. Alex led Conrad through the dense forest, pausing as they reached the boundary to look up at the two-storey mansion. The white bricks stood in contrast to the dark embrace of night’s shroud, while the warm glow from the Georgian-style sash windows spilt out onto the stone staircase leading to the front door. Above, as part of the second floor, stood a large, circular balcony supported by pillars and therein lay their entrance.

  Motioning for Conrad to follow, Alex crept across the open grounds, his footfalls silent upon the manicured grass lawn. The lack of security seemed suspicious, but given what they were trading here, the fewer people involved, the better. It was not as if those inside were helpless; fifteen powerful clan representatives were not something to be underestimated. Tess had hacked into the dormant security system, using the installed biometric scanners to detect and confirm the number of people inside. It was far fewer than he had imagined, but still more than he was comfortable with, especially given that Conrad had zero combat experience.

  Keeping low, they approached the windows, finding the immediate area deserted. Clasping his hands together, he motioned for Conrad to approach, boosting him up so his fingers scraped the overhanging balcony. He heard the white stone being clawed as he fumbled an ascent, before Alex used the pillars to follow. He had hoped to peer inside the many windows, but had already noticed the way they reflected the surroundings on their approach. He glanced at Conrad, relieved to have someone beside him, searching for the words to show his gratitude, but when nothing surfaced he simply offered him a nod.

  They knew the Tabus would be located here. Tess had isolated seven signatures, six to the right of this entrance, close together, and one segregated alone to the left. Their plan was simple. Locate Ashley, and extract her, along with any Tabus they could free as they made their escape. His team were due any time in the next fifteen minutes and knew their role.

  The door leading inside from the balcony to the first floor was a naïvely simple design. Clearly, the owner had never expected anyone to attempt what they were about to. With careful precision, Alex channelled his ice energy into the lock, manipulating the tumblers within until it opened with a satisfying click. To anyone looking on, it usually appeared as if he had simply placed his hand upon the lock to release it.

  Suddenly, a deafening roar shook the very foundations of the house, blasting the door from his grasp before he could open it fully. The powerful force thrust him backwards as wave upon wave of heat and fire engulfed the surroundings. He scarcely managed to expel his essence to create a barrier to shield them from the scalding heat as the windows shattered, blowing outward across the length of the building as the fire feasted, hungrily devouring the air. Groaning, Alex pulled himself to his feet, his ears ringing. They were too late. Grasping Conrad’s arm, he pulled him up with a grimace, all too aware of the barrier half shattering while the rest became a torrent of icy rain.

  “Change of plan,” Alex gasped, clutching his midriff. Sweat streamed from his body, mingling with the water as his strengthened barrier became nothing but a frost-lined mist. He dared not shift his form fully as the fire was too intense, and to do so would be a death sentence. At least this way, the fire’s blaze would be diluted, giving them a chance. But time would not be on their side, not against this heat. “We go right, get out who we can.”

  Orange and white flames rose from the left, feasting hungrily on the building. Walls collapsed in flashes of silver shards and molten metals, as what remained of the ceiling sagged. As he moved to advance further through the mounting smoke, Conrad grasped his arm.

  “What about Ashley?” he demanded, his gaze straying to the left, to the devastation of the ruined building that was engulfed in a cloak of flames and smouldering embers.

  “No one will get close to her, she’ll burn out.” He couldn’t hold Conrad’s gaze, it was too flooded with emotion.

  Taking another step into the sweltering heat made his every movement feel sluggish. He pushed more energy towards his essence, parting the smoke around his failing protection as it began to steam. He couldn’t keep this up for long; with every second the temperature rose, his sister’s power would become greater and she could not survive fire’s kiss for long. He needed to reach the Tabus, get as many to safety as he could. Retrieving his sister was no longer an option. He grimaced, biting back the rising pain and disorientation as his frozen core began to warm up. They needed to get out of here, quickly.

  “I’m not leaving her.”

  “Even you can’t survive Phoenix fire,” he cautioned Conrad. “We go this way.”

  Grasping his side, Alex tried to suppress the cough, his eyes fixed ahead where the heat had started to shatter the remaining walls. He could tell from the way they glowed and resisted that, unlike the windows, they were not made of simple glass. They had been forged to withstand magic and the fact they now began to crumble despite the fire not yet igniting here, only showed they were being consumed by Ashley’s aura. She was berserk, and her aura would spread, consume, and grow until her essence burned itself out. She lacked the training, the knowledge to draw her aura back, to preserve herself. The energy was simply wild, unleashed. He focused on transferring the water from his sweat back into the barrier while trying to draw water from any source he dared.

  ‘Lex, this is Bindu, we’re in position.’ Alex grimaced at the interruption, knowing how taxing it would have been for her to link him into their web without being physically near. Through his panting breaths he sent a thought, hoping it didn’t feel as weak as he did.

  ‘Targets were in the banquet hall. Estimation fifteen Vampires. Watch your six.’

  ‘Guards?’

  ‘None. Tess found no additional life signatures when she hacked the sensors on their systems.’

  ‘Ah, so that’s Tess.’ Bindu’s mental tone suggested their paths had crossed. ‘Okay, we’re coming in. Do you need any help? It’s looking pretty hot up there.’

  ‘I have six Tabus close. We’ll be bringing them through the front door, assuming the staircase is still standing. Be careful, Bindu, this isn’t ordinary fire.’

  ‘You don’t need to tell me, Lex. Holler if you need anything.’

  Alex turned his focus back towards Conrad, noticing that at some point his grip had released. He glanced over his shoulder, a curse weakly playing upon his lips, to see nothing behind him but fire and smoke. There was nothing he could do now but press on. Conrad had made his choice.

  Flames licked his arms, leaving blisters that caused his essence to stir. Glowing shards of distorted and bubbled mirrors lined the broken and shattered hallway, casting back haunting reflections as his other-self fought to emerge. He knew he had no choice, not if he had any hope of reaching her. The flames were too hot, too hungry. Even for an ifrit, this fire was unbearable, but not as much as the thought steeling his mind. If he didn’t reach her, she too would be consumed.

  He cried out in anguish as the heat became too much, causing his blood to burn and his other-self to emerge in response to his need. The sweat cascading down his blistered skin turned molten as the air surrounding him became saturated with the scent of sulphur. Vibrant blue flames licked the air around his growing aura as his essence expanded in a visually mesmerising display. Vibrant oranges, yellows, and reds erupted from within, pouring from his essence as every part of him became aflame. It was a display that put the majesty of a volcanic eruption to shame. The lava flowed, mingling with the fires of Phlegethon that spewed forth from his very being, coating his every fibre and building upon him, forging him into his other-self. His shell grew and pools of vibrant colours swirled tumultuously below the darkening skin, as his once-toned body became the enormous form of an ifrit, a being forged from fire and Phlegethon.

  Seeing himself within the shattere
d shards of mirrors as he advanced, his monstrous claws swiped angrily, fracturing horrific images, sending another glass wall crumbling to the ground only for several more reflections to taunt him with his grotesque appearance. His enormous horns rose like jagged thunderbolts, cutting the air with their blazing brilliance, making him appear like a demon stepping straight through the gates of Hell. The heat was suffocating, causing beads of blazing magma to force their way free, creating minute eruptions upon the surface of his flesh, their intense shades tracking his form like sweat until finally cooling and becoming part of his darker shell.

  His alteration was a thing to behold. He, like all elementals, did not change and alter like shifters. His ifrit essence simply bled from him, building a new body upon his old one like a protective covering, and yet every fibre remained him. Every part resonated within; they were his giant clawed hands, his monstrous features and enormous torso, they were just another aspect of who he was. This form held his true power and he needed every ounce of it to reach Ashley. ‘I’m coming,’ he thought, begging her to hold on, to be strong, to wait for him.

  His resolve almost faltered as he recalled how Rei had reacted to his form—how, after seeing it, the only looks he received from her were those of hatred and fear. But his vanity didn’t matter now. All that was important was making sure Ashley survived. At the rate she was consuming her magical essence, she would burn out too quickly. ‘Hold on, I’m here, I’m coming.’

  He hurried, his thundering steps grinding the glass to dust beneath his massive clawed feet. He could hear her screaming, two voices, a woman and a bird, shrieking and crying as one. Minute volcanoes continued to erupt upon his flesh, sealing and renewing at speed, a warning his core was becoming too hot, that there was no protection from the damage he still endured. There were but two fires hotter than his own and both had been forged from the eternal flame. The first was the fiery breath bestowed by the gods to the dragons, and the second was the Phoenix, whose form was first born from the fire itself.

  He could see her now, across the collapsed floor. She was magnificent. Her body was nothing more than a humanoid sea of fire, her arms outstretched with phantom wings of flame extending behind her. The heat roiling from her was unbearable, even to him. Each breath he drew was laboured, unsatisfying, unbearable. But bear it he would. He would save her, even if it cost his life. Her survival was all that mattered.

  He fought through, avoiding the licking, hungry blaze as he picked his way across partially devoured supports, aware of their damaged structure trembling beneath his hulking weight until finally he set foot upon the only place still untouched by the fire’s hunger, the plinth on which she stood. He could feel the agony of each footstep as the unbearable heat scalded his feet. The air was just as searing, and yet it was as though it was also protected from the damage in some semblance of self-preservation.

  His skin was still a mass of molten eruptions but, not fearing he could damage her, he did the only thing he could when his voice went unheard. Sinking to his knees, he wrapped his terrifying arms around her, bringing her into his embrace as he called her name. The contact was excruciating, the worst agony he had ever endured, and yet nothing compared to how he knew he would feel should he lose her. He held her close, hoping the sound of his desperate pleas would somehow wake her enough to drive back the berserker fury. If not, he could think of far worse ways to die than with her in his arms.

  Emily stood statue-still, a quizzical expression upon her face as the unfamiliar figure she had been looking at began to melt before her gaze. The electric blue clothes seemed to bubble upon the figure and, for a moment, she thought her dreams had turned to nightmares once again as horrific growths appeared upon the person’s flesh, distorting their gaunt features into ghastly disfigurements. Seconds later, a splintering crack pierced her ears as the world around her shattered into nothingness. Silver rain cascaded around her, its touch like razorblades upon her skin. But when its downfall ended, reality had been made anew, becoming an open space littered with miniature worlds trapped within the mirrored fragments and lit by fire. She remained still, her gaze focusing ahead just as the master had asked. She was to wait until her new master made themselves known, and serve them in any way they desired. Covering her mouth, she heard herself cry out as her coughs caused pain to swell through her torso.

  Her hand rose to the throbbing pain in her side, causing her to suck a breath through bared teeth as her touch caused it to burn and the flow of the warm, sticky fluid to quicken. She dared a glance down, and hoped the master would not be too disappointed that one of the mirrored fragments had buried itself within her flesh. She looked down upon herself carefully. The Master had said she needed to look appealing, yet the red scratches oozing ruby fluid across her skin were ruining the pretty clothes she had been given. She tried to wipe them, succeeding only in worsening the smears.

  She glanced around, hoping to find help, hoping she could fix the damage before her new master came for her. Through the smoke, she saw a figure emerging, and tried her best to straighten up despite the intense pain in her side. Behind him were five other shadows. She marvelled as the smoke appeared to part for him, as if he had the right to pass. Before he could reach her, she grasped the fragment, hoping to remove the imperfection, but merely touching it sent her crumpling to her knees, where further shards sunk deep into her legs.

  She cried in pain and frustration. The Master would be so disappointed in her. She flinched, expecting punishment when the hand of the man reached down towards her.

  “Come, you are mine now,” he whispered. She looked at his hand again, lifting hers into his. His gentleness stirred warmth within her as he lifted her to her feet and the oppressive heat surrounded her lessened just a fracture.

  “I’m sorry, Master,” she whispered, doubling over as the pain from her side caused darkened spots to swim before her gaze. She gasped as his arm encircled her waist, helping to support her as they walked. Glancing behind her, she saw the world behind her being devoured, the floor sinking into a gaping mouth of nothingness.

  “We need to move faster!” he commanded, and a string of voices, including her own, all echoed their obedience.

  Rubble rained down from above, the ceiling parting to send plumes of billowing smoke into the darkened sky as the groans and complaints of overburdened supports sought release from their load. Emily felt herself become weightless, gasping as she was lifted into her new master’s arms, his pace increasing as the collapsed rubble of the enormous doorway came into sight. She clung to him tightly as he guided her and the others outside into the cold, refreshing air.

  Breathing deeply, she cringed at the burning pain, but the air tasted so fresh, so rejuvenating, that she just had to do it again. The coolness on her flesh, the openness of the sky, it was all so large, so overwhelming. She felt herself begin to tremble as people rushed forwards to greet them as her feet once more found the floor. It was soft, cushioning her feet as her heels sank into the earthy texture of the grass. Her hand clutched her side firmly as coughs escaped her sore throat. She backed away from the approaching swarm, their shouts and voices too loud, too many. Without thinking, she grasped her master’s arm as they tried to take her, praying he wouldn’t punish her as she choked out her words, “I’m sorry,”

  “It’s okay, go with them. You are free now, they will help you,” he encouraged, gently removing her tight grip from his arm. The words seemed strange to her ears. How could she be free when it was her duty to serve him? She felt the hands of a medic upon her. Her gaze turned back to her new master and she was just in time to see his sad smile as he gave an encouraging nod, before sinking to his knees and becoming lost in the swarm of medics.

  Ashley had known who stood before her the instant she had seen the mirror shatter through the distant smoke to reveal his magnificent form. She was frozen, paralysed within an ever-expanding aura of magic she could not restrain, yet her soul cried to him, asking why he thought he had needed to hi
de something so magnificent! He was no shifter, he was something so much more, something truly striking. The way his fiery essence pulsed and flowed beneath the darkness of his molten flesh was hypnotic, mesmerising, like gazing deep into the night sky, or watching the power of a thunderstorm. He was a thing of raw and powerful beauty. She was glad to be able to gaze upon him, to know him so completely if only for a moment.

  If she’d had control of her body, she would have reached out to touch him. But instead, she stood silently, crying unheard for him to leave as he dropped to his knees before her, his powerful arms folding around her with gentle strength, to cover her almost completely.

  Through his touch, she somehow sensed his shame, a shame scarcely concealed over the torrent of his thoughts assailing her mind. He was in pain, dying. He held onto her knowing it was killing him. He clung to her desperately, willing to sacrifice everything in the hope of saving her. Her core grew hotter, her essence reaching out to embrace his even as she screamed for it to stop. She heard its claim, its song within her mind as it embraced him with her power. ‘Mine.’

  She wanted to warn him away, to have him retreat while he still could. She already knew nothing could survive her touch. Her other-self spoke to her, its voice so loud, offering apologies because it could no longer rein in its power. The dam restraining it had broken, and all that could happen now was for its power to flood out until nothing more was left. It screamed and cried with her as the man she loved held her and the jagged edges of their essences melded together into one smooth connection. She could feel his pain, and yet he clung to her desperately, whispering softly, confessing his love, offering words of comfort as if he could quell the rising tide. But she had already burnt too hot, too fast.