Guardians of Fire

by Alexia Purdy

  I looked away, not wanting to earn any further wrath from Corb. Most of the time, he was like a calm lake. A calm, frozen lake. But after his connection with Shade had been severed, I’d not seen him much, and I could tell his experience of nearly being turned into a regular, powerless being had not left him unscathed either. Despite his cool demeanor, I knew his emotions were raw, fluctuating, and inconsistent. I wondered if Shade knew she was the key to this. Maybe she didn’t. Her mind was elsewhere lately, as was mine.

  I closed my eyes. The thought of her burned inside my skull. Where there was usually passion, I felt the thin line of hatred blooming. Her love for Soap was driving a wedge between us, no matter how hard I tried to accept it. How could she have done this to me? She’d promised me forever. It was never supposed to be like this. Why was I not enough?

  “Don’t be so hard on your wife. She only does what is best for Faerie. The land has a way of using us for its own purposes, and we are not always in control of how or why things happen.”

  I flung my eyes opened to watch the Ancient back away and study the cottage sitting in the center of the vortex. He held a gloved hand out to the energy flowing from the site. Closing his eyes, he let a small smile play on the corners of his lips. The bastard was enjoying the wild magic. I loathed him for invading my one sacred spot.

  “What’s it to you? You don’t care about anyone but yourself.” I snapped my mouth shut, not wanting to instigate, but it was too late.

  “She loves you, but still you left her. Now, when she needs you the most, you are here and not at her side. What would Faerie say of your vows?”

  “She chose another and is with him. I can’t stomach it. I just need… space to think.”

  “Don’t think too hard, Teleen. Humans tend to forget what’s not in front of them. Out of sight, out of mind. Return to her. In the end, you know you must.”

  He winked, and a moment later ceased to exist. It was like he’d never been standing before me. I knew better. The frost from his appearance remained stuck to the tops of the leaves and mushrooms.

  My throat felt blocked, the air thick, refusing to pass the knot in my chest. Damn it, but Corb was right. I couldn’t stay away forever. I needed to let Shade know how much I loved her or risk losing her.

  But how could I do that when I was already forgotten?

  Chapter Ten

  Shade

  I made my way to the edge of the transparent dome surrounding our old house. To a normal person, it was completely undetectable. The invisible dome protected the home and our family’s magic—a Pyren filled with all the history of my family’s elemental powers and grimoires from every elemental witch who’d come before us. Normally I could walk right through it, but Benton had reinforced the dome for when he was absent and had set special charms upon it. Aversion charms to keep humans away made them avoid the place entirely. I turned toward my brother and gave him a firm nod. We both reached out and placed our fingers upon the dome and closed our eyes. It recognized us immediately, happy to see us once more.

  The dome receded, dropping its ward to allow our group to enter. It’d been a long time since I’d been back, and as I stared at my childhood home, my heart swelled as a myriad of memories came rushing back in. I stepped to one side of the entrance while Benton mirrored my position on the other side. James, Anna, Soap, and Isolde entered before we joined them.

  Behind us, the wards wove themselves together into a tight, impenetrable barrier, fading into the evening sky. They’d hold against almost anything and would probably even keep Kilara or any other Ancients out. We’d never tested it against her. Nevertheless, I wasn’t going to put it to that test. It had worked against Corb but failed against his telepathic abilities, allowing him to take control my human friend, Brisa. So many traumatic things had happened there, and yet it still felt like home.

  We made our way up to the door, and I unlocked it with the regular key. It felt so human, this mundane gesture, and it brought a smile to my lips. It was the small, simple things that made life a little bit easier to bear.

  “Welcome home, Shade,” Soap said, offering me a warm smile. I beamed up at him, feeling his joy seep into me like a heat spell. He always knew the words to say to bring me some happiness. It was part of his charm.

  Passing him, I took a whiff of the familiar yet stale air inside, and it did much to lift my spirits. I was home again. Finally.

  “Thank you, Soap. I think it’s more Benton’s home now than mine.”

  I felt a slap on my back as my brother sped past me, giving me a shove to the side in a playful manner and snickering as I almost lost my balance. “You’ll always be welcomed here, sis. I’m not the only one in this family, you know.”

  I shook my head as my brother dropped himself onto the large couch, settling down with his legs up, his grimy boots hanging over the edge of the armrest. He frowned at them then held out a finger and whispered a charm to clean them up. I grinned and sent some air magic which ripped them off and set them next to the door with the rest of the shoes.

  “Hey!” Benton sat up surprised at his boots flew off but quickly settled back onto the couch, grumbling to himself. His attempt to relax was interrupted again as James jumped on top of him.

  “You’re hogging the whole thing!”

  “That’s because it’s mine.” Benton began tickling his younger brother, wrestling with him until they rolled onto the floor, laughing to the point of tears.

  Anna shook her head as she crossed her arms. “Not a minute here and you guys are already wrecking the place. Hey, is my room still intact?” She rushed off into the hallway toward her old room. Benton crawled off the floor and peered around, smiling at the place, until his eyes landed on me. They drifted over to an amused-looking Isolde at my side.

  “It’s pretty much the same as you guys left it,” he said. “I couldn’t bring myself to clear anything out. Instead, I just sealed it up to keep the dust out. Seemed appropriate.”

  I nodded, relieved I wouldn’t be hearing screams of shock if the rooms had been changed, and I instead headed toward the kitchen. I had provisions to put into the fridge. I prayed Benton hadn’t left anything perishable in it. I preferred not to find a live specimen growing legs in there.

  “To be back here… it gives you a sense of normalcy, doesn’t it?” Soap said as he followed me. “It’s probably going to do you a lot of good.”

  “Yeah. I totally underestimated how I would feel coming back here. It brings back so many bittersweet memories of my childhood, my parents, all of us together… but on the other hand, it does feel good to be home. Help me fill the pantry and fridge; I brought some sandwiches and drinks.”

  We went to work as my siblings explored the house, unsealing their rooms and cozying into their old sanctuaries. I doubted my room had been left intact. I’d been gone too long, and I wouldn’t blame Benton for taking it as his own. Not much of my stuff was left there anyway. I’d pretty much moved it all to The Scren Palace. There wasn’t much of me left there, but I still felt the vibration of the Pyren calling out to me, filling my heart with a desperate need to head down there and take my fill of family magic.

  I returned to the living room and slid down into my favorite chair, an old, overstuffed recliner I’d always claimed as my own. My heart seemed to give a little shudder, and I lifted a hand and placed it on my chest.

  “You okay, Shade?” Benton asked gently as he leaned forward on the couch and watched me.

  “Yeah, I’m okay. It’s the magic beneath us, in the Pyren. It calls out to me, and I feel a pull to it like never before.”

  Benton jumped to his feet and held out his hand, looking excited and mischievous at the same time. “Come on, sis. It’s a whole new world downstairs. The Pyren awaits, and it’s about darn time you come back to get a refill. You’re gonna love it. Trust me.”

  I shook my head, grinning ear to ear at my little brother. He’d always taken the role of man of house even though I was older, and h
e made me feel like a younger sister at times. My heart burst with love, being near all my siblings once more. Taking his hand, I jumped to my feet.

  “After you, Your Majesty.” He made an overt bow, snickering.

  I rolled my eyes, happy to see him cheerful. He was usually the sullen one. Now it was my turn. Isolde nodded as she swung her eyes back to the TV, engrossed in the reality show flashing across the screen. After gathering Anna and James, we made our way to the basement door which led to our family’s Pyren.

  It greeted us with a warm, welcoming squeeze. I gasped, surprised at the magic encircling us, before it began flowing right into us at full speed. It jolted me into hyperawareness, feeling every bit of magic as it caressed my soul, but it eased every ache I hadn’t even known I’d had. Like Benton had mentioned, it filled up an emptiness I wasn’t aware of, and for the first time in a long time, I felt whole.

  “Wow, what was that?” I asked, stunned by the elation I felt. “I feel drunk.”

  “Drunk on magic.” Anna laughed, enjoying the euphoric power surge too.

  James remained planted with his eyes wide and his mouth gaping. He was just beginning to get a grasp of his magical powers, but they were budding, and this power was more than he’d ever been exposed to before.

  “It feels funny,” he muttered, rubbing his arms as it made him shudder. “Like when you’ve touched those electrical glass balls at the kid’s museum.”

  I chuckled and ran my hand over his head. “Don’t worry, kid, you’ll get used to it.”

  He rubbed his lips together, unsure of whether to frown or smile. I could feel his apprehension and pulled him in for a hug. He swatted me away and returned to his usual state of curiosity, exploring the Pyren and sifting through some of the old tomes.

  “What are all these?”

  “Grimoires. Historic journals from all our ancestors, filled with magical incantations, charms, spells, and anything, really. A record for the following generations to study and learn from.”

  James’s eyes brightened at this. “Can I write in my own grimoire too?”

  I laughed as Benton knelt next to James and gave him a nod. “Of course, little bro. You’re expected to. You’re as magical as any of us. We are all gifted with elemental powers.”

  “Wicked!”

  He continued to explore as the rest of us began the arduous task of sifting through the grimoires, scrolls, and artifacts to find anything that mentioned The Heart of Fire and Ice, where Brendan had hidden the magic Kilara wanted. I had no idea how we’d find it in the mess. I decided that when I had the chance, I’d ask Ilarial to send an archivist to catalogue it all. It’d save an unimaginable amount of time in the future.

  But that was a plan for another day. At that moment, we had no choice but to go through everything item by item, and it was going to be a long night.

  Chapter Eleven

  Soap

  Sitting on the porch of Shade’s family home, I listened to the wind howling through the trees, beckoning me back to the Land of Faerie. While they searched the Pyren for the answer to Kilara’s riddle, I enjoyed the serenity of the night air. There, things appeared much simpler. There, the problems we all faced seemed miles away.

  Shade was preoccupied with her mission, and her mood had stabilized without much nudging, a huge relief to me. Dylan’s absence was harder on her than I’d imagined, and it had proved to be a maddening frustration for me as well.

  Nevertheless, I was patient. I could wait out anyone, even Shade’s husband. He’d come around. I’d make him if I had to, even if it broke me. I needed her happy, and if it took convincing that stubborn Teleen to submit to Shade’s desires, then so be it. I wasn’t going anywhere.

  “Hey, Soap, what’s up?”

  Isolde slid down onto the step next to me and held out a can of soda. I promptly took it and thanked her as I snapped the top open. I swallowed a large swig of the fizzy drink and sighed happily.

  There were so many things I missed from the human world. I’d nearly forgotten some of them. It was good to get out of Faerie now and then.

  “This whole elemental power thing is kind of weird.” Isolde placed her can of soda between her feet and leaned on her knees, staring out into the dark forest surrounding us. Her long dark hair fell like a curtain over her face and shoulders. She was svelte, but not so much that her bones stuck out. I wondered how her magic kept her wings hidden. If elemental magic was baffling, Nephilim magic was even more so.

  “Yeah, it can be off-putting if you don’t know much about it. Fire is one of my own powers, so it’s not such a stretch to understand it. Your powers are… new to you, right? Nephilim?”

  She shook her head. “Not exactly. But they were suppressed. I ran from my powers for a long time. My old friend Ciaran kind of forced me to face them when he knew I was hiding something, though he could’ve had more tact about it.”

  “You getting used to them now?”

  She shrugged. “Somewhat. I don’t exactly advertise my powers. I hear Nephilim are supposed to be extinct. Showing my true nature can be off-putting to other fey.”

  I pondered this, wondering what it must be like to not be in sync with one’s powers. It couldn’t have been easy for Isolde, and it made me think of Zena and her brother, Xyon. One had been living as a human, the other a prisoner. I couldn’t imagine how hard it’d been for them to wrangle the magic they’d suddenly acquired after Xyon had been freed. Twin powers. It must have been overwhelming.

  “It can’t be easy, that’s for sure.”

  “So this thing between you and Shade… how does that work, with her husband part of the puzzle too? Isn’t it weird?”

  I tilted my head toward Benton’s girlfriend. Her wide blue eyes gleamed mischievously. She was just curious. That was fine, but I hoped my answer wasn’t too disappointing.

  “I fell in love with Shade the first time I met her. I couldn’t lose her. If it takes sharing her, so be it. Dylan isn’t as open to it as I’d hoped, but it’s not me who’s asking him. Shade has asked him to accept too. It’s not uncommon in our culture, but Dylan hasn’t quite warmed up to it.”

  She snorted, apologizing as she laughed. I shifted, feeling somewhat foolish. I knew it probably sounded crazy to everyone but Teleen people, who practiced polyamorous relations, but it was what it was.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “I can’t say I blame Dylan. I mean, he was married to her first. Why couldn’t you leave it be?”

  I sighed, staring out across the lawn and then up into the night sky above the tree line.

  “When you’re a faery and you give away your heart, it’s usually a forever kind of thing.”

  Isolde scratched the tip of her nose pensively. “I see. I guess that’s reasonable. Maybe he will come around, especially if he sees how much you mean to Shade.”

  “I hope so.”

  “Chin up. Things never turn out the way you think they will, but it usually ends up better than you expected. Take Benton and me. I fell in love with him in high school and never thought I would see him after the Faerie war began and we both left. But here we are again. Full circle.”

  She reached out, squeezed my shoulder, and smiled. Her warmth made me feel better, and I continued staring out into the quiet night as she got up and went back into the house, leaving only the screen door shut to allow the night breeze to continue to air out the stale house. I listened to her switch on the TV again and flip channels, but I remained on the porch, letting the cool air keep me awake. I wasn’t tired, but I was emotionally drained. I wished I could be renewed by the Pyren like Shade and her siblings.

  But I wasn’t elemental, and I was far from being human. They had advantages over faeries, and their hearts were not as fragile. Sometimes I thought they were superior in that department, for when their hearts broke, they were not left completely in pieces like faeries were. It could mean death to someone like me.

  Shade had saved me when she’d accepted my marriage prop
osal, but would it break Dylan? It was far too big a price to pay. I pressed my fingers into my palms, digging the nails in.

  I touched the ring on my finger. It was connected to the other two souls wearing the same binding metallic bands. I closed my eyes and let my power roll out across the land and past the city, back to Teleen, deep into the stone caverns. I was hoping to find Dylan, but the stone was dense, and my connection to him thin and frail. The moment I reached him, I felt him turn away from the magic and snap the line, cutting me off.

  I flicked my eyes open, feeling a jolt of pain at the separation. I gulped as the pain subsided. He knew how agonizing it would be for me to be cut off from his magic like that. I wondered if Shade had felt it too. Probably not, for it was I who had sought him out, and he’d directed the gesture toward me alone.

  There were consequences to us all if Dylan didn’t accept the situation. It was a price I doubted any of us wanted to pay, and it was safe to say that none of us really knew what the true cost might be.

  Chapter Twelve

  Benton

  Flipping through the grimoires brought back memories of reading my Uncle Brendan’s journals. He was the most interesting of all my ancestors, but his journals had never mentioned anything about The Heart of Fire and Ice. How would we find anything when I’d read all he had to say about his life already? After scouring nearly all the grimoires and scrolls, it was starting to feel as futile as resurrecting an incinerated faery.

  I tapped furiously on the ancient desk before me, the current volume of spells useless to me. “This is a waste of time. I’m telling you, I’ve been through all these already. There’s nothing we can use here.”

  Shade sighed. “It’s here. It must be. Where else would we find anything related to Uncle Brendan and his excursions with the Land of Faerie?”

  I muttered my protest and kept looking, afraid that if Brendan had hidden it so well, it wasn’t a place that should be found. My gut was telling me so when my sword lit up on the desk before me. It had felt strangely heavy on my hip, so I’d taken it out of its scabbard. Luckily, I hadn’t placed it on anything flammable. Fire ignited along the blade, crackling and snapping in the cool air of the Pyren.