Heirs of Avalon

by Alica Mckenna Johnson

  “I don’t know, he didn’t say anything about your mom to me. And he didn’t use the word ‘parents’ just ‘father’.”

  “We know he wants a unicorn, badly, we learned that in Argentina.” Taliesin stood and began to pace. “And now he’s seen us. He’s going to trace us, eventually he’ll find my bio and my last name, my mom’s last name, and that I grew up in San Francisco.”

  Crap, crap, crap. “Wait here.” I ran upstairs and knocked on the bedroom door. Gavin answered squinting in the light. “We have a problem.”

  Gavin yawned. “What’s up?”

  “Our bios for Cirque du Feu Magique, has last names and where we grew up,” I said.

  Gavin frowned. “Yes.”

  “And now he’s seen us and we’ve hurt him, and he wants a unicorn. Not to mention he has Melusine,” I added. “And she knows we’re with the circus.”

  “Shit,” he turned and went to get his phone. Anali followed him out of the room.

  “Philip, sorry, but we have another situation I need your help with,” Gavin explained everything that happened as we walked back to the parlor.

  “Are you okay?” Taliesin placed his hand on my shoulder. The heat went right through my pajama top. “Sapphire, you’re shaking.”

  “I’m cold.” Why was I cold? The room wasn’t cold—Gavin and Taliesin both wore tee shirts and pajama bottoms. I looked at Taliesin. “Why am I so cold?”

  Taliesin scooped me up and sat on the couch keeping me on his lap with his arms wrapped around me. “She needs a blanket.”

  I hadn’t meant to cause a fuss. “Sorry, I’m so sorry,” I whispered.

  “Hush, you’re fine. Everything is fine,” Taliesin said. “I think she’s in shock.”

  A spoon clinked. “Here, sweetheart, I want you to drink this.”

  Anali pressed a warm cup of tea against my lips. I took a sip. Oh, God, too sweet. I turned my head and hid my face against Taliesin’s chest.

  Anali tucked the blanket under my feet. At least I assume it was Anali as Taliesin still held me and Gavin was on the other side of the room talking to Philip trying to fix this mess. The mess I caused. The mess I could stop from ever happening again. I began to shake and grabbed onto Taliesin shirt as tears poured from my eyes. Images from the fight flashed through my head. My friends being grabbed and hit, magical creatures being hurt. The bodies lying on the ground. I didn’t even check to see if they needed help or if it was too late.

  Shouldn’t I have checked on them? Isn’t that part of my job, my destiny?

  Murdock’s lifeless face would haunt me forever. His dead black eyes seemed to accuse me of failing him, of not saving him. My body shuddered as I sobbed.

  “That’s right,” Anali said rubbing my leg. “Let it go. Don’t hold onto all of this.”

  Taliesin lay his cheek on top of my head and tightened his arms around me as I cried—okay, sobbed hysterically.

  Once I calmed down, my breath fell in sync with Taliesin’s as he exhaled and surrounded me with his energy. Cool moonlight flowed around me, and forgave me. Forgave me for all the things I had no control over and forgave me for the things that were in my control. I wasn’t sure I deserved forgiveness, but I breathed it in allowing his energy to sooth my heart.

  “Go ahead and go to sleep. Everything is fine,” Taliesin whispered.

  “Hmmm,” I answered as relaxed into his arms and faded into sleep.

  * * *

  I scrunched my toes in the cold sand, and looked around. I’d never visited this part of Akasha in my dreams. I turned as something barked at me. A dark brown seal bobbed in the blue gray sea. “Ramsey?”

  The seal nodded and swam towards the beach.

  “Ramsey,” I yelled running into the cold water. I fell to my knees and wrapped my arms around him. “Thank goodness you’re alright. I am so sorry.”

  He snorted.

  “I should have known, I should have stopped it. It’s all my fault. I hurt Cartazonon and he needed to steal more power to heal himself and Lee. I didn’t even think about checking in with your brother.”

  Ramsey whined.

  God, I suck at this. Tears filled my eyes. “Cartazonon killed your brother and the rest of the band, in order to heal after the fight.”

  Ramsey howled. Magic shifted around him.

  “No, you can’t shift yet. There’s nothing you can do anyway,” I said tears running down my cheeks.

  Ramsey snapped at me, then barked and whined as he swam away. Guilt, anger, and sorrow surrounded him.

  “I’m sorry,” I said as a group of seals surrounded him, offering comfort.

  “It wasn’t your fault, and Ramsey knows that. He’s just upset right now,” Shamash said, standing next to me.

  I watched Ramsey swim away. Maybe I could visit him in another dream and he’d forgive me, or at least realize I wasn’t able to do anything to save his brother. Sighing, I turned to my many times great grandparents.

  “He looks better. Thank you for taking care of him,” I said.

  “Of course. He saved you. He has earned the best treatment, and in a year or so, once his body has been able to transmute the Akashic magic into his own selkie magic, he can go home.”

  I wrapped my arms around myself. “Good. I’m glad he’ll get to go back to his mom and sisters.”

  Aya hugged me. “I’m sorry. It breaks my heart you must deal with so much.”

  “How are the others?” I asked relaxing into her warmth.

  “Fine, a few injuries, but they are all healed now,” Aya said. “And your family?”

  “Miu healed everyone.” I stepped back. “Cartazonon says he can tap into the energy of Akasha through the portal and then he won’t hurt anyone else.”

  Shamash took my hand. “Sapphire, you are not responsible for his choices. Beings who are willing to warp their nature to such an extent certainty will go back on their word. He isn’t safe. And…” He looked at our clasped hands, then at me, his gold eyes serious. “I won’t allow him to take energy from here. I will stop him, and I always know when and where you open a portal.”

  I nodded. Of course Shamash would defend his world and his people.

  Aya cupped her hand along my jaw. “We will do what we can to help you. You’re one of ours, and we will protect you and your family to the best of our ability.”

  “Thank you,” I said as Nessy jumped out of the sea splashing us with cold water.

  I woke gasping for air, dry and warm in my own bed. I slid my feet into slippers and walked to the window and looked at the rows of white Georgian houses that lined the street. Christmas lights glowed in the fog.

  I walked down the stairs, running my hand over the polished wood banister. The lights on the tree were left on so Santa could find his way, and apparently to help me too. The living room glowed under the white fairy lights. Shante left a plate of cookies and a glass of milk on the table. She had added carrots for the reindeer, too. Once she went to bed, Gavin ate several cookies leaving crumbs all over the plate and table.

  Cordelia made Taliesin bite each of the carrots. He pouted. She demanded. He turned into his unicorn form to make realistic teeth marks. I smiled at the memory. Cordelia had teared up at the sight of her son and petted him the whole time.

  Shante had left her program from the circus on the couch. A year ago, when I lived in the group home, I followed Shante around the theater lobby as she got autographs from the San Francisco Center for the Circus Arts Christmas Eve performance. This year Cordelia followed her around, and I signed programs.

  Michael and Gavin gave tickets to the Christmas Eve show away to group homes and foster families around London. The joy and excitement the kids felt from the show and the sadness at not being at home with their families mingled, giving me a headache. I’d held Kayin’s hand to ground me.

  Flipping through the program, I smiled at all of the notes the performers left for Shante. I had no idea how Gavin and Philip had managed to change the programs in less
than twenty-four hours, but all our bios had been changed. Last names and where we grew up and studied were gone. Michael told the group that here had been some stalker behavior and threats so this was done for everyone’s protection.

  I tiptoed past the tree. The presents ‘Santa’ brought spilled out from under the evergreen branches. Gavin, Anali, and Cordelia made sure to use a different wrapping paper for Santa gifts. I wonder if my parents wrapped gifts in Santa paper when I was little.

  Grabbing the throw off the back of a chair, I curled up and stared at the picture-perfect living room. My first family Christmas, at least the first I would remember. Would we have to eat before we opened gifts? Could we wake the adults early, or would they send us away saying we should open our stockings and to be quiet until they came down? I looked at the stockings, each one a different color of satin with our names embroidered across the top.

  The only little imperfection in the picture was no roaring fire. The fireplace was prepped and ready to go—too bad I didn’t know where they kept the matches. Sighing, I looked longingly at the cold fireplace. Sapphire, you are such a dork. I tapped into Kayin’s energy. Deep asleep, I tugged enough of the gift of fire to light the tip of my finger, careful not to wake him. The old newspapers and kindling started to crackle and burn. I watched as the flames teased the larger logs until they began to consume them. There, a roaring fire—now the image was perfect.

  The room, the house looked beautiful, perfect, and cold except for the fire. I wish we had decorated. Last year I helped Shante and the other little girls make paper chains which we draped over the tree and ornaments the girls coated in glitter sparkled in the multicolored lights. My first family Christmas but I didn’t feel at home. Not that I knew what home felt like.

  The fire made half of the ornaments glow a golden yellow. The white, crystal, and silver decoration seemed warmer now that the fire lit the room, there were crystal snowflakes, silver balls, and porcelain bells that chimed when I touched them. A small faerie danced through the branches. I smiled at him. I’d felt the brownies living in the walls, but not the fairies, although I hadn’t gone out to the garden yet.

  “Hey little one, you look like a frost faerie. What are you doing inside?”

  Pale blue lips curled into a smile. He fluttered his crystal clear wings and landed on a round ornament, tiny veins of frost emanating from where his feet touched the silver.

  “What is this?” I turned the ornament. A silver holly wreath framed a photograph. Engraved on the bottom were the words “Sapphire’s First Christmas.” Tears blurred the picture of my smiling parents holding me. Warmth radiated from the ornament. Every year Simmons and Mr. Parker would decorate the tree and hang this ornament. They would pray for my parents, grandparents, and for me, hoping that someday I would come home.

  The faerie kissed my cheek, turning one of my tears into ice.

  “Thank you, little one, this is a lovely Christmas gift. May I give you something?”

  He squealed and a vision of a plate of cookies and a bowl of warm milk being left outside slid into my head.

  “That I can do.” I went to the kitchen, only getting lost once, well okay, twice, but the second time the faerie led me astray. I let him pick from the platter of cookies Mr. Parker baked for us while I warmed up some milk on the stove. Faeries don’t like microwaves. Shivering, I opened the back door and set the treats on the steps.

  The faerie whistled and dozens of delicate blue and white faeries flew over on their crystal clear wings. They devoured the milk and cookies and then began to glow. They flew and danced, leaving beautiful frost patterns on everything they touched.

  I shivered again and closed the door. The boy faerie waved at me through the window and then danced along the edges leaving frost leaves to mark his path.

  I didn’t get lost on my way back to the living room, and curled in the window seat to watch the faeries at work in the front yard. A shadow flowed over the ground. Looking up I saw a dragon, a large white and ice blue dragon. The faeries cheered and grasped hands dancing in joyous circles. I smiled and watched the dragon fly through the clouds, which got bigger and puffier with every flap of his wings.

  The dragon stopped.

  The faeries stopped.

  I held my breath.

  The dragon blew a white mist into the clouds. Snow began to fall. I almost joined the faeries in their loud cries of joy, but I didn’t want to wake anyone. Fat snowflakes landed on the ground, and stuck without melting. A white Christmas.

  The grandfather clock chimed five times. Upstairs my family slept—Miu, Sasha, Taliesin, Kayin, Gavin, Anali, Cordelia, Shante, and now Shin. Shante would wake up within an hour I’d bet, what with the time difference. The stairs creaked.

  Smiling, I turned to watch the doorway. My first family Christmas was about to begin.

  A Dragon’s Clutch

  Book four in the Children of Fire series

  Chapter One

  The ancestral guardian of the Ryokan did not like me and didn’t want me to enter. Truthfully, he hadn’t liked any of us with Phoenix ancestry, but the others weren’t strong enough for him to speak to. Stepping through the torii gate and into the front garden I let the other performers of Cirque du Magique Fue pass me and go into the traditional Japanese hotel. Leaning against the garden wall I checked the color of the crystal bead on my bracelet, it glowed the color of a sword's blade, protective and strong.

  Taliesin gave me this bracelet three months ago for my sixteenth birthday. He used hair from the mane of his Unicorn form. It showed people’s energy, the way he saw them, kind of like a mood ring for those around me. I’d never seen silver before.

  “Who are you? Why do you come to this home?” said a voice in my head.

  I froze and looked around me. I didn’t see anyone or anything. Wait, one of the stone guardians near the door, it looked kind of like a lion, was staring at me. I focused on the statue. “My name is Sapphire Rayner. My friend’s family owns this inn and has allowed me to stay here.”

  “I allow people to stay here,” the voice roared. “And few magical beings are ever allowed past these gates. Your family have already entered, but I couldn’t communicate with any of them.”

  “There is a unicorn, has he come, he can talk with you too.”

  “I let the unicorn enter, he has my blessing, you do not. I ask again, who are you?”

  Power surged around me, hot and thick. “I am a Child of Fire, a descendant of the Phoenix King Shamash and his Queen Aya.”

  “And why are you here?”

  “My family and I are here to open a portal to Akasha so magical beings can return home, if they wish too.”

  The power eased. “I will see. But know if I deem you and your family unworthy I shall cast you out.”

  “There will be no need. If you do not want us here simply tell me and we will leave peacefully.”

  “For now, since the Muta family has offered their hospitality I shall grant you permission to enter.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I am watching, Child of Fire.”

  The energy faded and the crystal became a soft periwinkle color, that meant peace and contentment, with a tiny silver flecks letting me know the guardian was still present. Well, that was a lovely welcome to Tokyo.

  Looking up at the inn I sighed. Yeah, me in a building over five hundred years old that was magically protected, not a good plan. The front porch was covered in shoes, a testament to the uniqueness of our troupe. Doc Martins, Birkenstocks, Converse, sequins ballet slippers, penny loafers, neon bright Nikes, and more where heaped together. One of the staff was straightening them into pairs and lining them up neatly.

  Stepping onto the gray stone path, I strengthened my protective shield, in my mind it looked like a big soap bubble, and hoping I could block out all the emotions the building had stored, I stepped forward. Being empathic had its up and downs, and I feared their centuries old hotel would be a major down.

  “Sapp
hire,” Miu said standing on the porch her hands on her hips. Her peridot green eyes were narrowed. “Come on, I promise it’ll be okay.”

  “I’m just admiring their garden,” I said not wanting to offend Miu. Even with several of the large trees bare the garden was lovely. Dark green pine trees with long needles curved in windswept shapes. Boulders covered in fuzzy moss and stone lanterns had been placed with care. While I didn’t understand the how or the why, I could feel the deliberate intentions left behind by the gardeners.

  Toeing off my Keds, I placed them neatly along the wall so the staff wouldn’t have to. I wiggled my toes to loosen my socks then slipped on the fancy wooden flip flop style sandals provided by the inn. Taking a breath, I stepped onto the polished wood floor.

  “I am Muto, welcome to my inn.” An older Japanese woman bowed, her black hair done up in a bun and she wore a light blue kimono with white and silver cranes on it.

  I bowed as Mui had taught me and prayed my pronunciation would be all right. “Arigato Gozaimasu Muto-san, your Ryokan is lovely. I know I will enjoy my stay here.”

  “My niece speaks so fondly of all of you. I am honored to meet you and be able to provide a place for you to stay during your visit. Come, I will show you to your room.”

  I followed Muto down the hall, our wooden sandals echoing with each step. The outside walls were beige with sections of shoji screens which opened letting in light and fresh air and allowing people to take in the beauty of the grounds. We climbed the narrow worn stairs to the fourth floor.

  “Auntie has put you in the smallest room since you’re the only one staying alone. Normally, they don’t allow single guests but since the circus has rented the entire Ryokan, she’s making an exception for you,” Miu said.

  “Where are you staying?” We always roomed together. True Miu was a messy roommate, but she kept her clutter to her side.