Ivory Inferno

by LeAnn Mason

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, bringing myself back to my initial stance and readying to strike.

  “I wanted to make sure you were all right. Keep an eye on you,” Nick said quickly, lunging with the knife extended and poised to pierce my liver. With a speed I didn’t realize I possessed, I pulled Birdie free from her saya, or scabbard, unable to do a full, clean extension because there was a very large Shifter bursting into my personal bubble. The metals of our weapons sparked and clashed as they met in mock battle.

  Stepping my weight backward, in a lunge-like position, I continued upward with my arms, seamlessly flipping my wrists to change the direction of Birdie’s cutting edge as I brought my left hand to join the right in an arc over my head. Without another thought, I stepped forward, toward Nick’s imposing body and the knife angled toward my ribs with his new strike, twitching my wrists to start Birdie’s blade heading on a downward arc. Fully extended, Birdie’s curved edge contacted Nick’s exposed right wrist.

  “Holy, ow!” He’d lunged again, dominant hand holding the knife, but the weapon fell to the ground with a cloud of forest dirt billowing in its wake. I’d been close enough to make full contact with his arm, meaning it wouldn’t have just been a surface slice that made gripping his weapon difficult, or impossible. “Shit, that hurt like hell!” That strike would have severed said wrist from his beefed-up body.

  “I didn’t say it wouldn’t hurt, just that the blades wouldn’t cut. Now, are you ready to try again, you big Teddy bear?” Emest barked, quirking a challenging eyebrow, hands akimbo at his leather-clad waist as he awaited Nick’s response.

  I, too, wondered how he’d take being struck by a girl. Would this further affect our relationship? If we could ever mend our heads from the trauma, would this be a new blockade?

  “You’re gonna get it now, Firebird,” Nick quipped, retrieving his lost blade from the dirt. The sound of the nickname my guardians had given me long ago falling from those full, soft lips was enough to do me in.

  “Ow,” I cried. The prick in my belly pulling my head from their sinful thoughts. I looked down to see Nick retreating to stand neutrally, his bear blade held firmly in his massive paw. The impish grin he wore was reminiscent of his former self.

  “Best pay attention. I’m a wily one.” He winked, tossing the knife from hand to hand, which had the metal and bone glinting in the sparse light filtering through the tree branches. “I’ll use whatever I can to get one in on you.”

  “As I’ve just realized.” No more distractions. It didn’t matter how pretty this guy was, he was going down. I would take him down. Just like I would Circe when her shiny self strutted back into town. There was no alternative. “Come at me, pretty boy,” I cooed, beckoning him forward with a hinged crook of my fingers. “I’m ready for you.”

  CHAPTER 25

  A nd so it went. For a week. At school, my Magical Applications class performed without me. Jasper had decided to take that time for one-on-one Mage training. Then, I waitressed at the diner until after the dinner rush and made my way back out to the woods to practice swordplay with my Sentinel friends, of which Nick had begun attending. At the end of the day, I would crash in a heap of bruised flesh atop my covers and let sleep claim me.

  Apparently, Circe hadn’t gone straight back to Andersenville when she left Grimm Hollow but had moved to another of the country’s supernatural towns to proclaim her status of Elder. We should have known she wouldn’t settle for anything less than fanfare from all towns within her grasp.

  Had she attempted to kill anyone else? Was there a trail of bodies being left in her wake? I didn’t know if I could forgive myself if that were the case. Not that I’d been in much of a position to do anything about it when she’d been here. Such was the case with dying and all, but she would not escape unscathed forever.

  So, I trained. School definitely took a backseat, my attention unable to focus on my academics while my life, and that of who knew how many others, hung in the balance. The only good to come from my forays into the school were my lessons with Jasper and my being able to look out for Sasha. Thankfully, something outside of my knowledge seemed to have claimed the Witches’ attention of late, leaving Sasha to her own devices much more than was normal.

  I didn’t question it; one less thing for me to worry over was welcome.

  “I want you to counter my water with your flame again today, Bianca. Try to dial in just how much effort you need to use to achieve your goal.” Jasper swirled his hands in the air as if they rubbed the surface of some invisible crystal ball and he the clairvoyant peering into its cloudy depths. I watched as a sphere took shape, clear, just like crystal, swelling with each pass of his deft fingers until a perfect ball of undulating liquid hovered between his open palms. “Begin,” he commanded, jade eyes daring me to best him.

  Jasper was a formidable Mage, his element being water, a rare one. His control was masterful, and as I recalled, it had been his water to douse the flames the Lupo Coven had attempted to raze town with. He was the Mage Elder of Grimm Hollow, his power, his control unparalleled. It was an honor to be taught by him directly at this point in my life but also intimidating.

  He’d certainly never taken a personal interest in me before. I mean, he was the have-all-end-all of Mages in Grimm Hollow. Much like my father had been for Andersenville. Circe now claimed that title.

  “Focus,” Jasper ordered. I really liked him now that I’d gotten to know him a bit better. He was powerful without being magnanimous even if his stuffy exterior would appear to the contrary. Always perfectly groomed and often in suits, Jasper was one of the few in town who looked as powerful as he was. His dark circle of a beard was always neatly trimmed so as not to impede his lips or look unkempt around the jaw.

  He reminded me of my father in that way. Maybe it was a Mage-Elder thing. Maybe just an Elder thing in general. I mean, both Gloria and Circe boasted the female equivalent though they looked more ready for the ballroom than a board room. That may just be the difference between women and men though.

  Elsie, on the other hand, was down-to-earth, dressing plainly. Comfortably. With more of a Native type of flair about her, what with the braids, feather earrings, and looser clothes. That appeared to be true of Shaman. They seemed to be a bit more grounded than the other magic-wielders.

  I liked them best, and maybe that attitude had something to do with it.

  Focusing on Jasper’s water orb several paces from me, I struck my lighter, the newest one I’d begun carrying seeing as the things didn’t survive my fiery rebirths, unlike my necklace. At this rate, I’d need to stock up on fire starters. It made me even more acutely aware that I couldn’t produce a flame myself, once again calling bullshit on Circe’s rant about me being some kind of powerful.

  “If you cannot focus, you will surely die. Again.” Jasper’s succinctly delivered words yanked me back to the task at hand like a slap to the face. Since he’d been informed of my status as a phoenix, he’d been gracious enough to not pry and likewise hadn’t brought attention to the fact. I appreciated it more than I could express, so it threw me for a loop when he did, on occasion, reference the uniqueness of my being. Especially when done so bluntly.

  “You’re usually suaver than that. Something bothering you?”

  “Bianca, you are a mythical being with untold power and a whole lot of questions. We must ensure your ability to take care of yourself. Especially if you want to keep it quiet. You can either be an accomplished fire Mage, or you can die and be known for being consumed by those flames. Your choice.”

  Well, when he put it like that.

  I struck the flint again, and this time, when the small teardrop-shaped flame appeared, I called it away from the lighter to watch it hover above my upturned palm. Without hesitation, I thrust the small ball toward Jasper’s water sphere, which he also pushed forward, growing the flame in flight until it was the same size as its opposite. With a splash and sizzle, the water ball consumed the flame, sn
uffing out the power and retreating toward Jasper as if a loyal pet coming to heel. “Again.”

  Flicking the lighter to life again, I repeated the previous steps, except this time, I asked the fire to grow bigger than the water sphere. Same result. Jasper’s sphere ate the fire like a good meal, leaving steam rising in triumph, making the air that much heavier. A scent of impending rain assaulted my nose.

  “Again.”

  This time, after repeating the same steps to create and send my fireball, I directed it to split into two matching balls and diverge around the water on its intercept path. As the liquid sailed through my orbs, I had them swell in size so that each matched that of the water, then pushed them inward, coming at the liquid from each side to crush the orb from its flanks. Sizzling and hissing, the water fought to douse the converging flames. I, too, pressed harder until, with a final death rattle, the water evaporated beneath the fire’s oppressive heat.

  “Very good!” Jasper praised. “Very well done, indeed. Now, we must make sure you can repeat the outcome, especially when there is more force thrust upon you. It will take work, but you will prevail.”

  While it was nice to have his approval, I wasn’t sure how much better I could do, especially on repeat. I was sweaty already, and that had been an easy exercise once I’d grasped the best angle of approach. Was my stamina that low, or was Jasper’s water that hard to overpower? I really hoped it was the latter, though that meant Circe’s magic would probably be on par. At least.

  “Again,” I growled. A new determination igniting my veins with the revelation. She would not take me down, not again. Third time wasn’t a charm for that harpy, but it would be for me.

  With a decisive nod, Jasper began his ministrations again, but this time, I watched as he built and built the sphere until it was absolutely massive, as tall as he was. And twice as wide. Completely awed by his skill, I hadn’t done more than nurture a billiard-ball-sized orb into existence before he steadied his stance, pushing his immense energy away from him in an incredible imitation of a tsunami. Staring up, I watched as the wave crested, curling overtop where I stood dumbfounded and glued to the gym floor. Its massive size threatened to swallow me whole. The glaring fluorescent lights strung in the rafters, high above, twinkled with distorted flare through the undulating liquid as if they were stars in the sky illuminating the earth below.

  Not until the curl of the crest descended as if fingers reaching out to wrap around me did I realize just what I was in for. Water rained down on my upturned face, my shoulders pelted with stray droplets as reality crashed heavily to beat upon my person. Just as the wave was about to do.

  Snap out of it, B!

  With a tremendous burst of effort, I tried to expand my fireball, to make it big enough to make a difference… but it was no use. The flood descended, crashing over my body from head to toe, perfectly poised –aimed by the ever-efficient Jasper– to envelope me in a column of water that could sweep me away if deemed.

  Luckily, he seemed content with the lesson of just dousing me from top to toes. As the water reformed, I stood, gasping in shock and dripping along every inch of my now drenched body. I likened it to the climax of a water park ride, the part when you realize you had no idea what you were in for, but it was already too late because you were on the downhill and headed toward that inevitable sodden conclusion? Yep. The same.

  From many puddles, of which I was the epicenter, the liquid gathered. This time into several smaller spheres about the size of the orb I’d nurtured and subsequently allowed to be obliterated. Rising to my eye level, they began to rotate as if juggled by a fleet of jesters. A feat in itself, but the time to be awed was over. Allowing myself to be caught by the magnitude of power, stalling in my efforts of self-preservation, would be detrimental if someone meant harm.

  Jasper hadn’t, and yet he’d completely overtaken me. That was unacceptable. I needed to do better. To be better. Circe had been afraid my power could eclipse hers. Well, she was about to get her wish. I wouldn’t quit until I became the most badass, terrifying Mage that bitch had ever seen. I couldn’t hold back. I couldn’t play it safe or worry about what I could do.

  As of now, there were no limits. If it didn’t kill me, it was doable. That would be my only hope of living this latest life uninterrupted. Without starting the clock over again. And who knew how many of those I had in me. Without anyone to ask or anything to reference, the circumstances of my phoenixhood were anything but certain. Mae’s research hadn’t yet turned up anything in that department.

  Who knew, maybe I only got three chances at life, and the next time, I wouldn’t come back. The thought recalled my mother’s death, but I shut down that line of thought. I couldn’t afford those questions. I’d do just about anything to not discover exactly how many times a phoenix could be resurrected, even if the effort killed me.

  Ironic, I know. But, at least, it would have been on my terms. A form of suicide if you will, akin to falling on one’s sword like the samurai of old used to do.

  Yeah, from now on, I was encapsulating all that was the samurai. Sword, duty, and honor. The Samurai Phoenix. Now that sounded badass and was something I could totally get behind.

  I pulled my heavy weight up to stand straight and tall, squaring off against Jasper where he stood, unfazed and loose; ready.

  “Again.”

  CHAPTER 26

  M y bed shifted beneath my cheek, making my shoulder fall away, and I jerked to attention, pulling Birdie swiftly from her scabbard, which now accompanied me just about everywhere. Even to bed, it seemed.

  “Ow! Firebird, you are lucky that blade has been blunted, or you might actually be upset with the outcome of slicing my hand off.”

  “Omigosh, Rune, I am so sorry!” I cursed myself for my sleepy impulsiveness. Maybe I needed to draw the line at Birdie being within grasp while my faculties were not firing on full cylinders…

  “I can’t be too mad if your heightened awareness keeps you alive, though I had always hoped it would never have been a worry for you. I am truly sorry that is not the case.” Rune’s large, dark eyes were shadowed. Purple bruise-like crescents stood out beneath the orbs where he sat at the edge of my bed. His cheeks seemed a little hollow as well. The poor man was worried sick about me. Literally. It was beginning to affect his visage.

  This waiting needed to end. Though not even two weeks, the waiting, worrying, was draining all of us. “Sorry, Rune. What’s up?” I asked, pushing up to sitting. Outside of my heavy covers, my short-sleeved nightshirt and shorts just weren’t cutting it. Snatching my fluffy lap blanket from where it lay at the foot of my bed, I wrapped its warmth around my shoulders, feeling instantly better. Coming into winter, I needed to revise my sleeping attire.

  “She’s on her way. We finally got a hold of her, and she will be here tonight.”

  “Tonight,” I repeated, the reality sinking in.

  Tonight.

  The bane of my existence, the murderer of my family, of me, would face judgment. All I could do was make sure she got what she deserved, no matter what it took. “I’m ready.” And I was. My attitude completely changed from that naive little girl who just wanted her place in the world. Now I claimed my right to live, to determine my own fate. To be happy in a long life that no one would snuff out before I was ready. I needed time to get right with a certain Shifter, then even more to explore it.

  “You can take the day off if you wish, I can cover for you at the diner. Elsie and Jasper will keep Circe… busy until the morning. Then she will reap what she’s sowed.” Being Friday morning, the diner would be quite busy, and Rune was not a fan of crowds so he was taking a proverbial bullet.

  “No, it’s fine, I’ll work my shift, but is it all right if my friends and I have another bonfire tonight? Like a last hurrah or something?” I worried that next time, I wouldn’t come back nearly as much as the thought that someone could make sport of my dying and coming back. A never-ending cycle of torture, if you will…

&
nbsp; “You don’t talk like that. Don’t think like that. You will be around for lifetimes to come, she will not take that from you, no one will. You are so much stronger than you know. And not because you are a phoenix. Because you are Bianca Katsumoto, daughter of Ayame.” Rune’s grip on my hand was crushing as if, through it, he willed his words to be heard. To be true.

  Patting his hand with my free one, I extricated my strangled appendage from his bruising grip. “Might need this,” I quipped playfully, to which Rune’s cheeks ruddied with the embarrassment he was known for.

  “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I love you too,” I said, leaning forward to place my lips to his forehead in a grateful kiss. They had done so much for me. Much more than they would ever know.

  “Oh, one more thing,” Rune said, clearing his throat as he stood from his spot on the edge of my bed. There was a diabolical glint in his eye that I’d never seen before. Something I’d more readily associate with Emest. “It’s time to take that dulling spell off Birdie. We’ll need her at her best come morning. Just in case.”

  “I feel like we should be dancing naked around a pyre or something,” Allya commented while stuffing an overly gooey s’more concoction into her mouth, using a peanut butter cup in substitute of plain chocolate. “Oh, man, that is good.” Her accompanying moan was the stuff of romance novels and had Mae blushing from where she sat atop Rory’s broad lap. Funny, considering her cozy seating position.

  “You’re sure you don’t know any spirit dances that would give us a leg up there, Shaman?” Jason teased, that crooked grin affixed to his chiseled but uncommonly scruffy jaw.

  “Pssh, if it’s something that can be learned, chances are that’s up Mae’s alley. I’m just a scrapper,” Allya quipped, tossing her shoulder-length, dark brown hair with a dramatic flourish that did not match the girl. It did get a gasp of mock outrage from the bookworm in question. Mae had to scrape at the ground from her elevated position atop the Shifter Prince Regent’s thighs to throw a handful of crispy, dead leaves at her friend in retaliation.