by Emma Hamm
“Why?”
She wished she had an answer. “People are afraid of what they don’t understand. This was back when we had no idea what the creatures inside of us were. I remember the day I wasn’t alone in my head. People were frightened. There were some who swore that it was the apocalypse. Or worse.”
A flash of white brightened the shadows of his beard as he grinned at her. “You remember not having anyone else in your head?”
“Faintly. I don’t remember a lot anymore. But I remember being only human. I was going to go to school to be a med student.”
“A what?”
“A healer.” She had forgotten that many of the old terms had been lost when magic replaced the jobs. “But Ignes was so young when we joined together. He didn’t know how to control his powers, and neither did I. We weren’t prepared for what was expected of us.”
“He was young?” Jasper shifted. “He doesn’t seem young.”
She snorted. “Yeah, he comes across like he’s mature. But Ignes is very young for a Phoenix. He’s the same age I am, and they aren’t considered adults until they are over a thousand.”
“Wow. That must have been difficult to be saddled with a baby at that age. How old were you?”
“I don’t remember,” she told him. “I don’t even remember my old name. Ignes named me once I started to forget my old life. I never thought something so important as my name would be the first thing to drift away. But it did.”
Jasper sat up and braced himself on his knees. “So what happened then? What caused them to be afraid of you?”
“Other than not being able to control my magic? Phoenixes are supposed to spend the beginning of their lives swimming in lakes of lava. The only lava lakes we have here are deep inside volcanoes or in the core of the earth. You can imagine they’re not very easy to find.”
She took a deep breath and continued, “Ignes tried to make his own lake. It took more out of me than I had anticipated, because to use his power, he has to use my lifeforce. We were in the lava before I could say anything. I thought for certain I would die. The other people who were possessed weren’t physically changed that much.
“But I lived. We were in that lake for hours before I finally dragged myself out of it. The lava should have stuck to me. It should have cooled like a crust and killed me. But it didn’t. I didn’t have an explanation for how I survived or what Ignes had done to me. A few people in my town saw me coming out of the lake and, to them, it was confirmation that we were possessed by demons.”
Jasper winced. “Backwards country types, huh?”
“They were afraid. I don’t blame them for what they did. I blame them for how they did it.” She shuddered. “They tried burning me. I don’t know why they thought that would work after what they saw. When I survived that, too, my own brother dragged me through these woods and stuck me in the roots of the World Tree. I still don’t know what magic they used to convince it to hold me until now.”
“The mark on the tree. That was your handprint,” he murmured. “Maybe you really are part of the prophecy.”
“Excuse me?”
“Nothing.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry that happened to you. But you’re free now.”
She rubbed at her chest. A warmth had bloomed there that had nothing to do with Ignes. “Thank you. For what it’s worth, I do appreciate you getting me out of there.”
A flash of bright teeth answered her. “Prettiest treasure I’ve ever been sent to collect.”
She rolled her eyes and watched him sink back down onto the moss. This time, Mercy heard his breathing change as he fell asleep. All the while, her heart ached with a gentler heat than she had ever experienced before.
9
The sun rose sooner than Jasper expected. He groaned as the weak morning light hit his closed eyes. He didn’t want to wake up because he knew he wasn’t back in Haven. He wasn’t in his cell. He was with the most confusing woman he had ever met in his life.
Bluebell giggled in his head. “She brought us home! I like her.”
Mercy was all intriguing secrets and fiery temper. Jasper wanted to figure her out nearly as much as he wanted to go home. But, if he was completely honest, he wasn’t sure if he liked her. She was a broken thing, missing too many pieces.
Her own people had locked her up. Jasper immediately wanted to go back in time and force them to regret their actions. If he couldn’t find a way to do that, he would find all of their descendents and make them pay.
But these weren’t logical thoughts. He was a Fairy, he wasn’t cruel, and he certainly didn’t hurt people just because he could.
And still he wanted to harm people for harming her.
Which was ridiculous. He didn’t know her very well, and she had made it clear she was a loner. Hell, he would have been, too. The people she trusted most had condemned her to a fate worse than death.
Rolling to his side, he groaned and blinked his eyes. The fire was still going. Of course it was. And now, he realized he was lying in a pool of his own sweat.
“It was too warm to have a fire,” he grumbled.
“Too bad.”
Mercy was already awake. In fact, she was alert and already radiating an aura of anger. He frowned at her. It was too early in the morning for anyone to be completely aware of their surroundings. Maybe the lack of sleep made her angry. Dark circles under her eyes suggested she had been awake all night. He wasn’t surprised. She had said she would keep an eye out, and he trusted her to do that.
Bluebell had insisted there was no need to worry. No one would dare harm anyone when they were in the circle’s protection. Fairy rings were sacred. Jasper doubted Malachi cared about that at all. Culturally, it was rude, but that wouldn’t stop a murderous Void bent on destroying the world.
He slowly stood up and stretched to ease the ache in his spine. His stomach growled. If only they had a chance to grab provisions before they ran. At the very least, they should have teleported to a place where food would have been an option.
He rubbed his abdomen. “Are you hungry?”
“Yes.”
Her tone was blistering. For a couple moments there he had thought they were getting along. Obviously he was wrong.
“I might be able to catch us something.”
She raised a brow. “I doubt that, city boy. We’ll only go hungry for a few more miles, anyway. There should be a town near here.”
“There aren’t any towns left in any enchanted forests.”
“You know this to be a fact?”
He nodded.
“Good,” she grumbled, but her voice shuddered and her fists clenched. “Then my hometown doesn’t exist anymore. At least they got what they deserved.”
“Probably. But there’s still the issue of food.”
Instead of answering, she leaned forward and put her hand in the fire.
He lurched forward to stop her before he remembered that fire wasn’t going to hurt her. He wasn’t going to get used to that any time soon. Everything in him wanted to prevent her from doing something stupid.
“I’ll get some water to put out the campfire.” He turned away, wondering where he was going to find any water.
“No need.”
He glanced at her and saw the lizard crawl out of the fire. Ignes. Just as strange as his owner, the creature was enough to send Jasper’s mind spinning. As it climbed up her arm, the fire died. Coals that were burning red hot suddenly dulled to black as the Phoenix left them.
“That’s useful,” he muttered.
She did not reply because apparently she wasn’t talking to him. Jasper wanted to snap his fingers in her face to get her attention. Logically, he understood that was a bad idea. But, damn, she had that blank expression on her face again that he was coming to hate.
He was used to Lyra. That woman was an open book. She told it how it was and said whatever she was thinking, often before she realized her mouth was open and words were spilling out. It made figuring out what s
he wanted a hell of a lot easier than Mercy.
Sighing, he licked his lips. An ice breaker couldn’t hurt. “So does Ignes not exist in your head at all?”
“Not in the traditional sense. If he wants to speak to me privately, he can. He prefers not to.”
“Seems more like a buddy than a creature using your body to stay alive.”
The question had been burning into him since last night. Sure, Mercy and Ignes had an unusual relationship, but she might have embellished or lied. Ignes could be an illusion created with her powers, and she might be something else entirely.
“I told you. My body is not human.”
“And that explains this…how?”
She was still kneeling on the ground next to the fire. Her eyes flicked up, gaze making him lose his breath again. “I don’t have a heart anymore. Every Phoenix has an endless well of heat we call an Ember. The stone from when they were created that holds their flame. Without it, they die.”
He shook his head. “I still don’t understand.”
“Ignes was a newborn when the dimensions collided. His people gave their lives to ensure his survival. When he and I joined, it was not just to share a space. My body, my DNA, changed so that he could live inside me.” She tapped a finger against her breastbone. “His Ember exists in place of my heart. My body is a vessel for his power, his soul.”
Jasper’s lungs froze and pressure built in his chest. She wasn’t normal. Hell, he could argue she wasn’t human. Mercy was proof that magic was not going to stop changing human bodies. She was contrary to everything people thought they knew about this world
Now he was certain she was part of the prophecy. Wren was one of a kind. Wolfgang should not exist. And Mercy? She was a miracle.
Some of these thoughts must have shown on his face as she stood up and growled at him. Her deep voice was a balm to his aching soul. Jasper found that the more she tried to make him dislike her, the more endearing she became.
He couldn’t explain his change of heart. Just hours ago, he thought she was the most annoying person on the planet. She was dangerous, irredeemable. Yet now he was beginning to see her in a different light.
This person he could deal with. This wounded soul who needed guidance.
“Let me find us some food. We shouldn’t be walking on an empty stomach,” he said.
She started to argue with him but snapped her mouth shut. She narrowed her eyes, but they were no longer on him. He worried.
“Mercy, what—”
She raised a hand to silence him.
Anger spread across her face like a match striking into flame. Her lips curled into a snarl, and flames bloomed on her arms.
“Ignes,” she said hoarsely, “go find them.”
Wolves made of fire sprang from her hands. They bounded away, scorching the ground and singeing the trees they passed. Black oozing sap fell in streams in their wake.
“What are you doing?” he asked. “That could be anyone.”
“Not anyone. This is Malachi’s doing.”
Her eyes glowed. They were no longer a sunrise, but an endless pool of power. He was looking into flames again. Yet, this time, they were buried deep in the recesses of her eyes.
“Mercy.” He stepped towards her. “Where are you?”
“I can see through them,” she answered. Her eyes did not track his movements. “I can see what they see.”
He was afraid of her and not for the first time. He had never known such a creature as this. She could do far more than he had expected. More than any other he had met could do.
Now, he understood why they had locked her up.
“You need to come back here.” His hands hovered over her arms. She radiated heat. “If it is Malachi, we need to run.”
“I will destroy him and his men.”
“No you won’t.” He stared down at her skin and wondered if he was being a fool. “We need to go. That’s the only way to stay safe.”
“Jasper, I don’t think she’s listening,” Bluebell muttered.
Mercy’s eyes were completely glazed over. There wasn’t much he could do, although he did attempt to snap his fingers in front of her face.
She did not respond, leaving him with no choice. He touched her. He clasped his hands down on Mercy’s arms and squeezed just enough to gain her attention. Heat bled through his palms as though he had stuck them into an open fire. It was not enjoyable, but it was necessary.
His wings flexed, fluttering as though to pull him away from her. But he wouldn’t flee from the pain. Not now. Not when her magic stuttered, and the flames in her hands extinguished.
She blinked up at him.
“Why are you touching me?” she asked.
He didn’t have an answer. His heart beat rapidly. “I don’t know.”
Her chest rose and fell as she drew in a long breath. He felt it too. Around her, he could barely breathe.
Just as he was leaning down towards her, Mercy’s hair caught fire. The long red strands floated around her head and her eyes filled with rage.
“He has sent many soldiers,” she said. “Many to capture me again.”
He released her, his hands already blistering. “Then we need to run. How close are they?”
The flames disappeared from her gaze. The wolves ran through the trees, illuminating the dark forest around them. Shadows chased behind them. Jasper knew what they were.
Men.
He reached out and grabbed Mercy’s hand. “Scratch that, we need to run now.”
For once, she didn’t argue. Mercy bolted with him as the wolves caught up to them. They coiled along her body, disappearing once they touched her skin. Together, Mercy and Jasper bounded over fallen limbs and ducked under branches. They twisted around trees, so they could keep ahold of each other.
They stomped through creeks, Mercy blasted branches out of their way with her magic. And every chance Jasper had, he teleported them as far ahead as he could.
Jasper glanced at her as they ran. “I can teleport us out of this forest!”
“No!” she shouted back. “We keep running!”
“Where are we going?”
A wicked grin spread across her face and she pulled away from his grasp. In some twisted way, they were enjoying themselves. He shouldn’t be. Armed men were chasing them down, he should be taking this situation seriously.
But she had started to laugh as they ran. The trail of her burbling chuckles had kept him running for a different reason. He didn’t care that they were being chased. He didn’t think about what would happen if they were caught.
All he wanted was to catch her.
Her long legs kept her away from him. She was a natural in the forest, whereas he had lost his tricks. His wings helped. They would spread and bank when they made a sharp turn. He grabbed larger branches and swung himself ahead of her.
Her grin was enough to quicken his blood. She was beautiful in a feral, untamable way. He wasn’t certain she could ever be caught, not truly.
Jasper could hear the water rushing before he saw the great divide. A ravine awaited them. He jumped without thought, feet catching the crumbling edges and propelling him to safety.
She hesitated behind him.
When he turned, she gave him a rueful smile. “Phoenixes still can’t fly.”
“You’re tall enough!”
“My height has nothing to do with this.”
“Use those long legs!”
She snarled and backed up. Her bare toes dug into the ground as she sprinted towards him. No hesitation made her pause as her body flew over jagged rocks and raging water. Her teeth bared, she seemed fearless. Feral indeed.
He watched her with fascination. She was fearless as no woman he had ever seen, but then, she wasn’t exactly a woman. She wasn’t made of flesh and bone, but fire and ash.
Her feet hit the edge of the ravine, and he reached for her, snaking his arm around her waist as she teetered on the edge. Her palms hit his chest as he yanked her
against him.
She was warmer than normal humans. Feverish hot, his hands burned where he touched her. His hand on her waist shifted, seeking some part of her that was cool. He could feel the soft swell of her hip. He could feel her ribs expanding in tune to his.
She was still in nothing but a button down shirt. And he wasn’t wearing a shirt at all.
He grinned. “Between us, we make one fully clothed person.”
“Are you saying you’re cold and would like my shirt?”
“Would you give it to me if I asked?
She cocked her head to the side. “There are better ways to warm up, Fairy.”
When she leaned closer, he thought all his fantasies were about to come true. Instead, just before they touched, she gently blew a spark from her mouth. It landed on his lip, singeing his skin with a bone-deep sting that made him stumble backwards.
Her laughter would have made him smile if his lip didn’t hurt so much. He rubbed at it. “If you burned the beard—”
“Oh hush,” she interrupted. “It’s your own fault for leaning too close to the fire. If you need to ice it, there’s water at the bottom of the ravine.”
She took off again. He shook his head and ran after her. Forget the chase, forget the rebellion of the Five, when he caught up with her, he was going to teleport her directly to Haven.
Then he would clean himself and show her what he knew about fanning flames.
Or something like that. His head just wasn’t working right anymore.
Suddenly, the lush greenery gave way to rocky terrain. Bare granite and stone jutted up from the ground ahead. They were cresting the top of a mountain.
This wasn’t what Jasper had expected. He had only a few moments to pause and consider the abrupt change before Mercy clambered over the stones. A sinking feeling in his gut warned him they were traveling towards a dead end.
“Mercy!” he called after her. She did not pause, nor did she even look back at him.
Her long legs carried her farther away. Frustrated, he rushed after her. He followed her bloody steps when she slid down the edge of a rise and disappeared from his sight. The stones bit into his flesh.
In that moment, he realized how much he relied on her. They needed each other. Or, at least, he needed her. She was guiding him away from his cell and away from dark thoughts.