by Fiore, L. A.
“She can’t take him. He’s too strong. You need to summon the fire.”
“I don’t know that I can.”
“You have to try.”
Trying to concentrate when I was terrified was difficult. I kept losing focus when I heard the sounds coming from Aine. He was hurting her, killing her. Every time I felt that pulse inside me like I had that night in my room, another sound from Aine had me losing my focus. “I can’t. Tristan, he’s killing her.”
I felt them before I saw them. Two crows came flying down the hall. Aine went sailing, hitting the wall hard as she slumped down it. Bart turned to the newcomers. Tristan and I ran to her, but her attention was on the crows. She actually smiled. “It’s about time.”
I didn’t understand until the crows shifted into huge black beasts.
“What are they?” I was awed and terrified at the same time.
“They are hellhounds.”
“But what the hell is he?” Tristan asked, but it was the shaking in his voice that turned my attention. He looked like he’d just seen a ghost. No pun intended.
Within seconds, the hellhounds had ripped Bart apart. The sounds he made as he died had my blood turning to ice in my veins.
“We have to go. Ellis will be right behind him.”
“We still don’t know how to open the door,” Tristan reminded us as we helped Aine to her feet.
I didn’t know what it was, determination, hope, maybe it was just rage but that spark ignited then grew. I felt the fire racing through my veins, like a cleansing…a baptism. Aine stepped back, so did Tristan. I reached the door and curled my hand around the lock. I concentrated the burn that raced through me to my hand, it heated, grew smoldering…the iron of the lock gave, melted, and dripped between my fingers to the floor. I’d done that before, or had I? It wasn’t a surprise I started to shake. What was happening to me?
“Holy shit.” There was a touch of reverence in Aine’s voice. “Fire is definitely your signature. Let’s see what’s in there.”
She stepped in front of me; I sensed caution in her, sensed she was shielding me. Before I could ask her about her odd behavior, it hit and so hard I was almost brought to my knees.
This ward wasn’t devoid of emotion. It was overflowing with it, and all of it, every bit of it belonged to me. My eyes burned as tears rolled down my cheeks. This place wasn’t a hospital; it was a home. My home.
I couldn’t remember the life the pictures on the walls told, but I remembered the chair by the fireplace, the crack in the tile of the mantel. I could see the wallpaper, the dark blue damask that had once covered these walls. I could smell the scent of the summer grass as the breeze blew through the windows. My heart ached; I had lived here, I had loved here, and I had lost here. I walked to the pictures, but like in my dream, I couldn’t see him. His image was blurred, just like my memories, but I knew he had been real. This had once been real.
“This was my home a very long, long time ago,” I whispered. Like in my dream, I kissed my finger and pressed it to his image.
“I really wish you hadn’t done that.” Dr. Ellis appeared in the doorway, looking sinister.
Rage erupted in me staring at my captor. “Why did you lock me away?”
“To take you out of the game.”
“What game?”
He laughed, but it wasn’t a pleasant sound. “I’m not telling you.”
“Who were those people when I was a kid? Why did they try to kill me?”
Surprise came from him before he said, “You still haven’t remembered. Good.”
“Tell me!”
His eyes turned yellow. “No.”
“What are you?” I demanded.
He waved that off. “Not important.” He tried for nonchalance, but he was scared. I read him and understood why.
“The sheriff is part of this, and you let him in.” Holy shit, it really was all linked. Dr. Ellis’ expression shifted, that fear came through now. “You messed up. Your arrogance got in the way.” I couldn’t help studying him because this was not the jovial man I had come to know. I had to give it to him. He was an outstanding actor. “The one you serve is not happy.”
I could smell his fear now.
As Aine had done, right before my eyes, Dr. Ellis changed, shifting into one of the grotesque beings like Bart.
“It really was all an illusion, meant to mess with my head.”
“Why fight to keep you here when your own mind could do that for us.” It was so bizarre to hear Dr. Ellis’ voice coming from the mouth of the hideous creature before me. “My whole existence I have spent navigating through the human mind. It’s a fascinating thing, more powerful than people even know, capable of fantastic things. My life’s work will change everything. I’m not letting anything get in the way of that and certainly not you.”
What the hell was he talking about?
“It was a risk holding you. I told them this place wouldn’t, even with the enchantments. You are too strong, but they didn’t listen. Believed a bird in the hand was worth two in the bush.”
It was shocking to realize that my doctor wasn’t just supernatural, but also as mad as the hatter.
“I wanted to kill you the night of the fire.”
A chill slithered through me hearing a man I’ve known most of my life talking so carelessly about killing me. “They did try to kill me.”
His head snapped to me, and there was that surprise again. “We can’t. As much as it pains me, you are part of the equation.”
“What equation?” The idea that I was in anyway connected to him made me sick.
Some of his arrogance returned. “You don’t know, well of course not, or you wouldn’t be standing here.” He sounded irritated by the whole subject.
“What does that mean?”
He dismissed that and started for the door. “We’re leaving.”
“I am leaving, but not with you.”
“Don’t make this harder than it needs to be, Ivy.”
I didn’t hear his threat because I felt him. I didn’t know if it was real, but I willed it to be real, willed him to be real.
“Let them in,” Aine whispered.
It was then I felt the others. I didn’t know how I did it, perhaps the part of me that remembered, the part of me linked to him, but I did let them in; power flared and reality shifted.
Ellis felt it too, and if a creature like him could smile, that was what the hideous expression was on his grotesque face before he sneered, “Let the game begin.”
Creatures appeared, coming from out of the woodwork, creatures that looked just like Dr. Ellis…a scene I had foreseen in one of my dreams.
Aine put herself in front of me and surprisingly so did Tristan. The hair at my nape stood on end seconds before I was surrounded. There were at least fifty of them, the biggest, scariest dudes I’d ever seen, but I only had eyes for him. Our gazes collided; storm gray eyes looked out of a face that I knew; even not remembering, I knew him. Tears welled, emotion so strong had me fighting back a sob. He was real. I almost dropped to my knees, weak with the realization that he was real. My mouth opened, though I didn’t know what I intended to say. I almost threw myself into his arms, desperate to feel them around me again. My heart twisted in agony when I realized there was no recognition in his gaze. I had dreamt of him my whole life, had a connection to him I didn’t understand, but he didn’t remember me. It was like taking a knife to the heart, twisting it to draw out the pain. I closed my eyes and took that hit, suffered the loss of him again as I accepted we weren’t those people; their story, their love had been once upon a time, a very long time ago.
He curled his lips around teeth that looked unusually sharp before his focus turned to Dr. Ellis and his band of creatures. He didn’t say a word, but his crew charged. More of Dr. Ellis’ minions appeared, jumping into the fray and trying to battle through the newcomers to get to me.
“They’re going to keep coming. You can stop it,” Tristan encouraged.
“Summon the fire.”
Just then he roared when one of the creatures sliced him across the chest.
It wasn’t rage, but love that sparked in me. Their story was over, but for all those love stories yet to be written, for all the dreams yet to be dreamed, I closed my eyes, used those emotions, and felt the stirring in my gut and that door in my mind opened a bit more.
Bain
Standing in the overrun courtyard, it looked exactly as I knew it would. I’d been here before, but I had no memories of it. Magic pulsed around me, something was here, and yet looking around, it was abandoned.
I was turning to leave when I felt the punch of magic, so strong it almost forced me to shift. That was when I felt it; the signature that called us here; the air sizzled with power. I wasn’t surprised when my crew appeared. Shifting as they jumped from the walls of the courtyard.
“It’s here,” Brock said, coming to my side.
“Yes, it is.”
The air hummed, snapped with power, the veil lifted, and we were no longer in a courtyard, but in a room. I didn’t recognize the creatures; we had never fought their kind before, but it was the woman who had my full attention. What brought us here was a woman.
“Who is she?” Brock voiced my thoughts.
“I don’t know. We’ll ask that later.”
Her eyes turned to me. Purple eyes that were oddly familiar. The air zapped again for an entirely different reason. The beast in me demanded out; it wanted to kill, but we didn’t need to shift for this. My lips curled into a grin. We took out the first wave easily, but the more we killed, the more appeared. Why? What was she? Why did it want her?
“They’re going to keep coming,” Brock shouted as he twisted the neck of the one he fought.
He was right. Distracted, I didn’t see one of the creatures sneak up behind me, its razor sharp talons slicing across my ribs. Pivoting, I grabbed it and punched a hole in its chest and ripped out the organ that sustained its life.
I felt the change before I heard her. “Stop this.” Some of the creatures we fought scurried back, fear in their eyes. She stood in a pillar of fire, untouched, as it grew brighter and hotter around her. I’d seen that before. “Stop it, Ellis, or I’m letting this loose.”
Ellis? Who the fuck was that? One of the creatures spoke. “You wouldn’t.”
Her head tilted. “No?”
“You can’t control it.”
“Maybe, but I can tell from the fear in your eyes you aren’t so sure of that. Stop this and live to fight another day, or let’s see what happens when I let loose a power you’ve suppressed for the last two decades.”
Two decades? She’d been bound here for two decades. Why?
She closed her eyes; the fire grew hotter. When her eyes opened, there were flames dancing in her irises. I’d never seen anything like it and yet somewhere buried deep a whisper said otherwise. Her hand lifted and it shot from her fingers, the creature next to the one she spoke to turned to ash. Another left her finger and stopped just short of her mark’s throat. “Last chance, walk away,” she offered.
“Kill him,” the demon demanded. I was of the same mindset.
The woman never took her eyes from the creature. His minions disappeared; he followed, but not before he said, “And so it begins.”
She stood so still, her strength drained. She stumbled; I caught her. Those eyes looked into mine, and something sharp and potent cut through me. Recognition. She moved from my hold, her hand shook as she pulled her hair from her face. She was young, but there was something about her…something timeless. Exhaustion had her posture not quite straight, her shoulders slightly slumped, even her eyes were heavy, but she rallied, her focus shifting to me. “Your name?”
“Bain.”
“Ivy.”
She glanced over at Brock, being addressed by her he stood a bit taller. “Brock,” he replied.
It didn’t stop there. She asked for every name of every person in my crew. Smiling and engaging them, most didn’t know what to do with her demonstration. Only after she met everyone did she glance my way again, twisting her fingers together in a nervous gesture. “Thank you.” Her eyes turned bright before she whispered again, “Thank you.”
She stepped away from us, taking in the room; her hand touched the crumbling wall reverently, like it was a priceless work of art. Her fingers lovingly brushed along the mantel, taking a moment to play with the crack in the tile. Her posture changed, pain and grief weighing her down. “I don’t remember, but there’s a part of me that never forgot.” She wiped at her eyes and moved to the French doors. “I think I’d like to see outside.”
My crew moved first, even they knew we needed to protect her, scanning and securing the scene. She seemed to understand and waited until I dipped my chin. She stopped in the doorway, took a deep breath, and then stepped out into the sunlight. Her hand lifted to block the sun, but she dropped it at her side and closed her eyes. Happy. Content. Peaceful. If possible, she appeared to grow stronger, like she was pulling strength from that which surrounded her. Two crows appeared; one landed on her shoulder the other flew ahead toward the hill. A fox came out of the high grass; she glanced down when it reached her side, but she didn’t look particularly surprised to see it. She started toward the hill, lifted her hand, and with no more than a flick of her wrist, the black wrought iron fence that kept her prisoner turned to ash.
Brock’s voice held reverence when he whispered, “Who the hell is she?”
“I don’t know, but she’s the reason we’re here.”
She hesitated, the significance of stepping beyond the fence giving her pause and then she stepped right over that invisible line. There was an innocence about her, a naivety as she looked around in awe, like it was the first time she was seeing the world. Maybe it was.
She turned to look behind her, and I thought she was talking to the demon, but she addressed someone else. Tristan.
“Did it work?” she asked. Her smile was answer enough before she said, “Good.”
At the top of the hill was what remained of an old tree, just the stump that was rotten and decayed. She dropped to her knees, right next to the stump, her hands curled into the grass, her head lowered and her shoulders shook. I didn’t know how long she mourned or what she mourned, but even I felt a burning behind my eyes at the depth of her pain.
She stood. It took effort, but she turned from that piece of her past. She looked up and breathed deeply. Her eyes closed and a breeze started, one that grew until the branches on the nearby trees bent and shook. Her eyes opened and fire danced in them again. “Something is coming. We need to be ready.”
“So what happens now?” the demon asked.
“I wait for the sheriff.”
“You’re sure he will come?” The demon sounded skeptical.
“Yes.”
“How will you explain this?” Brock asked.
“I won’t. He’s a part of it.”
“Who are you?” Brock queried.
She didn’t immediately answer, like she was searching inwardly for it. “I don’t know. Dr. Ellis kept me from remembering.” Her eyes moved to the demon, and she smiled. “It’s coming back though. This…” She looked around. “This was my home.”
“Where will you live now?” the demon asked. “I have a hovel.”
“She’ll stay with us.” The words were out before I knew I meant to say them, but everything in me knew with absolute certainty that I was here, my crew was here, to protect her. I glanced at the demon. “You should be at the house too. It’s cloaked.”
“Okay, but the sheriff will need to bring her somewhere and dropping her off at a house with a bunch of badasses who just rode into town, a part of this or not, won’t sit right with him.”
“But living with a demon will?” Brock challenged.
The demon glared at Brock. “He doesn’t know that, does he? As far as he’s concerned, I’m the daughter of a nurse who worked at the hospital. One who encouraged Ivy
to look me up after she got out.”
Brock opened his mouth to speak then shut it again. “That’s actually a good story.”
“I know.”
Ivy’s attention shifted. “He’s coming.”
My crew moved, and Ivy’s head snapped to me. “We’re not leaving, just moving out of sight.”
She noticeably relaxed.
“I’m out. I’ll see you soon,” the demon said before she disappeared.
Ivy walked to the door, her head turning to me when she reached it, before she disappeared inside.
No way were we leaving her side. Whoever she was, her power summoned us here. I was sure we weren’t the only ones.
Ivy
My fingers ran along the walls, the enchantment broken. Aged and old, neglected and forgotten, but there was beauty here. It lingered, in the tapestries and the floors; even the stones were saturated by what once had been. I walked to the pictures. They were just moments, simple moments…a day at the beach, horseback riding, dancing. A life lived. He grew older in the pictures, the signs of life showing on his face, the graying and thinning of his hair, the bending of his tall frame and the crippling of his hands. I didn’t remember, and still, I ached. She had had the honor of being there for all of it.
I walked down the hall to the makeshift library I had visited daily. It really was a library. The old leather books were worn, the dust so thick you couldn’t make out the titles. Shelves lined the walls, floor to ceiling. Had they read these books, had they sat on the small sofa by the fireplace? Had she rested her head on his lap, had he stroked her hair? My eyes burned. How long ago had it been? What had happened to this place? What had happened to her? Was I human? I aged, and I bled. I wasn’t the same woman in the photos, but she lingered too, buried deep. If I closed my eyes, I could feel them, their joy, their laughter, their pain, but most of all, their love.