The Burns Fire

by N M Thorn

  Gunz raised his hands, getting into the guarding stance. “Fine. No power, no magic,” he growled, staring at Aidan over his fists. “But don’t you think it’s kind of unfair that you know what I am, but I don’t know what you are, Master?”

  “It’s above your pay grade.” Aidan laughed and moved forward, starting the fight with a quick roundhouse. Gunz stepped to the side, blocking the kick and redirected his body into a powerful hook, connecting his fist with Aidan’s side.

  “Not bad, lizard,” hissed Aidan, quickly regrouping and returning the favor.

  As much as Gunz disliked Aidan at this point, he had to admit that he was an expert fighter. Light on his feet, he was moving fast and fluid, and Gunz had to employ all his skills to stay on his feet. He was moving around Aidan, carefully avoiding his kicks and punches, waiting for the right moment to attack.

  Aidan checked, making Gunz step back. Using the opportunity, Aidan stepped forward, and moved into a back spin hook kick. Gunz didn’t react fast enough, and Aidan’s heel caught him in the side of his head. Gunz fell back, but quickly hopped to his feet, breathing hard.

  “It hasn’t been three minutes yet, but your ass already landed on the floor, little man,” muttered Aidan, quickly advancing at him.

  “It’s not the size—,” breathed out Gunz, breaking through Aidan’s defense and punching him in his jaw.

  Aidan staggered back, looking furious. “If you say, ‘it’s how you use it’, I’ll turn you into a tiny lizard and put you into my aquarium,” he mumbled, quickly switching into an open stance and crushing Gunz’s chest with his roundhouse. “I always wanted to have a pet lizard.”

  “It’s not what I was going to say, Master McGrath. But I like your train of thought.” Gunz chuckled, dancing around Aidan and carefully probing his defense.

  Furious, Aidan lost his concentration for just a moment. He threw another round kick, but Gunz anticipated it. At the moment of the kick, he stepped forward, quickly closing the distance, and sent Aidan flying backward with a powerful uppercut. Aidan fell on his back, his chest rising and falling with laborious breaths. Gunz approached him and extended his hand to help him up.

  “I was going to say – it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog,” he said smirking down at Aidan.

  “Who would think, eh? An educated little lizard, aren’t you? Quoting Mark Twain,” muttered Aidan.

  Ignoring Gunz’s hand, he twirled on the floor, swiping his long legs and tripped Gunz down. In a split-second the situation had changed, as Aidan locked Gunz in a kneebar, applying severe pressure on his Achilles tendon.

  “Submit, lizard. If you know anything about martial arts, you know that you are done for. Tap out, or I swear, I’ll break your leg!”

  Aidan applied a little more pressure and Gunz cried out, tapping his hand on the floor. Even though Gunz tapped out, Aidan didn’t release him, keeping the pressure on.

  “You won,” groaned Gunz. He was in considerable pain, but he refused to use his power, keeping true to his original promise to fight as a man. “I submit. Please stop.”

  Aidan exhaled and released the pressure a little, still holding Gunz’s leg in a lock. “Tell me why you are here, Fire Salamander,” he demanded, his fingers readjusting, ready to apply the pressure again.

  “I told you the truth,” said Gunz quietly. “I was looking for a martial arts instructor who was better than I am. I think I found what I was looking for, Master McGrath.”

  “How old are you?” asked Aidan.

  “Twenty-eight.”

  Aidan stared at him in wonderment and finally released his leg completely. “You’re very young for a Fire Salamander. How long has it been since you discovered the Fire in you?”

  “Couple of years,” replied Gunz, sitting up and massaging his ankle. “Give or take.”

  “Who trained you, boy?” asked Aidan. “I was driving you crazy, but you didn’t lose your control even once.”

  “Kal,” replied Gunz, unwillingly.

  “Kal?” asked Aidan, incredulous. “The Fire Elemental? The Great Salamander himself was your mentor?”

  “Yes, sir,” said Gunz, sighing. “Are you done with your questions yet? I had a very long day.” He leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees tiredly.

  “For now,” said Aidan rising and offering his hand to Gunz. “Get out of my dojang, Salamander. We’re done for today. Come back tomorrow after all the children are gone. Elite team’s training starts at 7 PM sharp. Don’t be late.”

  “Yes, sir,” said Gunz, bowing to him.

  “And take this white belt off,” added Aidan smirking. “Doesn’t suit you.”

  Gunz headed toward the exit but stopped at the door. “Hey, Master McGrath,” he said turning around, “you may want to know that those four morons that Tessa was fighting on the back of your school were demons.”

  “Are you sure?” asked Aidan, suddenly alert.

  “Yes, sir,” answered Gunz. “I killed one and expelled one. The human inside the body was still alive. But I had to let the other two go. I couldn’t use my power in front of Tessa.”

  “It’s been a bit hectic lately. All the creatures of the dark came out of their closets and are walking freely in the daylight like they belong there,” said Aidan, shaking his head. “Including the little Fire reptile.”

  “Interesting,” murmured Gunz. “That’s what I’ve heard. Any idea why they feel so fearless?”

  “No,” replied Aidan, “but I intend to find out.”

  “Count me in, if you need help, Master McGrath,” said Gunz, putting his hand on the door handle.

  Aidan chuckled, raking his fingers through his golden-blond hair. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, lizard. I’m still not sure about your place in all this,” he said. “But thank you for helping Tessa. I’m sure she didn’t show you any gratitude.”

  Gunz nodded to him and walked out of the dojang.

  ~ Zane Burns, a.k.a. Gunz ~

  On the way home, Gunz stopped at Publix and picked up everything he needed to take care of his kitten. It was late and the only thing he wanted was to get home and fall on his bed. He didn’t even feel hungry. His whole body was buzzing with exhaustion and his ankle was painfully sore after the sparring with Aidan. Of course, he could easily heal himself, but to do it, he needed to get into his natural state. The natural state of a Fire Salamander was deadly to humans. The blast of the fire energy originated by the process would instantly obliterate any human within a few hundred yards around him into ashes.

  Living surrounded by humans, the only place he could allow himself to relax to a degree was inside his house. The house was made impervious to fire by a Master of Power. The walls and everything inside the house were infused with magic to contain his fierce natural state. Also a few complicated wards, seals and protection spells were placed around the house and the backyard not only to contain his natural state but also to make sure that no one could break into his house, catching him off guard. But even inside his house, he could never fully relax, always keeping in the back of his mind the possibility of what could happen if his wards would fail.

  Gunz parked his car in the driveway and shut it down. He grabbed the few Publix shopping bags off the passenger seat and opened the door. The loud ring of his cell phone split the silence of the evening. Gunz flinched and pulled the vibrating device out of his back pocket. He looked at the display and cringed. Jim. He forgot to call him with the report.

  He clicked the green button, answering the call. “Hello, Agent Andrews,” he said bracing himself for Jim’s wrath.

  “Hey, Gunz,” said Jim. He didn’t sound upset or angry. “How did your visit to the martial arts school go?”

  “It was fine. I think I’m in,” replied Gunz, giving Jim a quick overview of everything that he found out by examining the bodies of the victims and then everything that happened in the dojang. Jim was listening to him silently, and Gunz could almost see him sitting
in his office, clicking his pen on and off, and nodding at everything he was saying.

  “That’s good. We need to move quickly,” said Jim with a sigh, sounding tired and upset. “We have one more death that fits our case. So, six now.”

  “When did it happen?” asked Gunz, his sleepiness instantly evaporating like from a shot of a double-expresso.

  “Just a few hours ago, in some small dental office,” replied Jim. Gunz heard something clicking on Jim’s side. “I just emailed you all the information on the new victim. Take a look. This victim’s background and associations may present a problem.”

  Gunz switched his cell to a speaker and opened his email. He stared at the photo of the victim, thinking that this man’s face looked oddly familiar. “Dmitry Koval,” he read aloud, scratching his head. “Isn’t he the right-hand man of —”

  “One and the same,” interrupted Jim. “So, you understand why we need to move fast, before Mr. Koval’s boss would start searching for the killer himself. His methods of investigation could be less than savory, if you know what I mean.”

  “Yes, sir, I understand,” replied Gunz, closing the email and switching his phone off speaker. “I think I developed a bit of a toothache after our last conversation. I’ll go to that dental office in the morning and see if I can get an emergency appointment. Since the man was killed just a few hours ago, I hope to sense some traces of magic that did him in. I want to see if I can recognize what killed Mr. Koval.”

  “Thank you. Get in touch with me tomorrow as soon as you get out of the dental office.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “And Gunz… listen…” said Jim. He took a pause and Gunz could feel the air of discomfort on the other side of the line. “Listen… I wanted to apologize…”

  “You don’t have to, Agent Andrews,” said Gunz flatly. “Actually, I prefer to know where I’m standing.”

  “It’s Jim… And listen… I am sorry.” Jim sighed.

  “Apologies accepted, Jim. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Gunz hung up the phone and got out of his car.

  He walked up to the front door, holding the shopping bags in his hand, but froze as soon as he touched the door handle. The wards around his house were down and all the protection spells were gone. He put the bags on the steps in front of the door and turned up his senses, scanning the area around the house. He felt an unfamiliar human presence in his backyard. The question was, how a pure-blood human could disarm the complicated wards a Master of Power had placed on his house.

  Gunz walked down the steps, but instead of following the fence around the house, he hopped over the shrubbery and quietly walked toward the backdoor, hiding in the shadows. The backyard was dark, but with his sharp vision of the Fire Salamander, he could see a man sitting on the steps.

  Leaning at the wall, with his empty hands folded on his lap, he looked relaxed, almost bored. And since Gunz couldn’t sense any magical energy in him, he was sure that the man wasn’t a creature of magic. The man seemed to be unarmed. While no mortal weapon could kill a Fire Salamander, in his human form Gunz still could get hurt. Cut with a knife or shot with a bullet, he was bleeding red – hence he could feel the pain like any other person.

  Things like decapitation or being shot in the head or in the heart would be extremely painful, but it wouldn’t kill him. In the state of human death, his fire power would run free, instantly restoring his body and obliterating every human around him within visible distance. So, attempting to kill a Fire Salamander in his human form, for a mortal person was like committing suicide.

  Gunz walked out of the shadows and headed toward the man, secretly hoping that the uninvited visitor didn’t bring any firearms with him. As soon as he saw Gunz walking toward him, the man got up. He wasn’t tall and had a slight build. In his late fifties, he had a full head of gray hair and attentive dark eyes behind thin prescription glasses. He was dressed in plain blue jeans and despite the warm weather, he wore a light jacket over his shirt. By looking at him no one ever could guess how rich, powerful and dangerous he was.

  Gunz stopped a few steps away from the man and shoved his hands into his pockets. He didn’t need an introduction. The man in front of him was Anatoly Karpenko, the head of the local Russian mob. Gunz heard enough about him to know that this man was holding in his hands the strings to many shady underground operations that were going on all over the country. Seeing him in his own backyard wasn’t giving Gunz a warm and fuzzy feeling.

  “Good evening, Mr. Burns,” said Anatoly, smiling like he was greeting his best friend. “I hope you’re doing well.”

  “I was doing well before I found you in my backyard,” replied Gunz calmly, displaying his complete indifference to Anatoly’s influence and status. “What are you doing here, Mr. Karpenko?” While Gunz wasn’t scared of the Russian mobster, he didn’t like the idea that this dangerous man was able to bring down his wards and invade his territory uninvited.

  “You know who I am, eh? Wonderful, wonderful.” He smiled, rubbing his hands together. “That should make our conversation so much easier and hopefully pleasant for both of us.”

  “A conversation?” huffed Gunz, folding his arms over his chest. “I have nothing to talk to you about. Please leave, Mr. Karpenko, you’re trespassing.”

  “I see. I was hoping that it wouldn’t come to that. I prefer peaceful resolutions and mutually-beneficial business agreements to violence and intimidation. But we’ll do it your way.”

  Anatoly moved his hand up and slid it into the inside pocket of his jacket. Gunz tensed, expecting to see a gun. The mobster noticed his reaction and smirked.

  “Relax, Mr. Burns,” he said, pulling a cell phone out of his pocket and showing it to Gunz. “I was reaching for my phone. Like I said, I came here to talk. Not to fight. Besides, killing you would be equivalent to killing myself, and I’m not in a rush to see what’s behind the veil, Mr. Fire Salamander.”

  Gunz held his breath for a moment. It wasn’t common for humans to know or even believe in the existence of the supernatural, but this man knew what he was, and it didn’t seem to worry him in the slightest. How did he find out? How was it possible? Gunz was sure that until his visit to the martial arts school a few hours ago, besides himself, Jim and Angelique, no one knew about his existence.

  Anatoly pressed the home button, unlocking his phone and shuffled through the photos until he found the picture he was looking for. He waved at Gunz to come closer and offered the phone to him. Without taking his eyes off Anatoly, Gunz took the phone out of his hands. Slowly he lowered his eyes and peered at the screen. His chest tightened with fear.

  On the photo, he saw his two best friends, Sergei and Sasha. They were sitting outside of some small restaurant. Their surroundings suggested that the photo was taken somewhere in Russia, probably recently. Sergei and Sasha were not just his friends, they were more like brothers to him, the only family he had. They served and fought together for years, trusting each other with their lives.

  Gunz’s hand shook and he squeezed the phone, raising his eyes at Anatoly. The fear and anger boiled up in him before he could suppress them. Responding to his emotions, the fire flared up in his chest and dancing red flames went up in the depth of his eyes. Anatoly met his burning gaze without blinking, scarlet flares of fire reflecting in his glasses.

  “Cool down, Mr. Burns,” said Anatoly, taking the phone out of his hands. “Or shall I call you Gunz?” Gunz stiffened, small flames running up and down his arms. Anatoly chuckled, putting away his cell phone. “You didn’t think that I would come to a meeting with you without doing my homework first? I know what you and your friends did a few years ago in Belarus. Destroying a full branch of my organization in a matter of a few hours? Not too many people could pull it off. I received a full report and I must tell you, I was impressed. I wish the three of you were working for me.”

  “What do you want?” asked Gunz quietly, his voice hoarse.

  “Oh, good, I see you’re ready to talk now,
” said Anatoly and waved at the door. “Would you like to invite me in?”

  “No, not really. I don’t have a cross and holy water readily available to invite in a blood-sucking creature like you,” muttered Gunz dryly, reaching for the keys. “But it seems you left me no choice.” He opened the door and allowed Anatoly to pass through into his kitchen.

  Anatoly sat down at the kitchen table and waved at the chair across from him, inviting Gunz to join him. Gunz sighed but sat down.

  “Tell me what you want from me, Anatoly.”

  “Yes, of course, Mr. Burns.”

  He reached in his jacket pocket again and pulled out a photo. Gunz took the photo out of his hands and frowned. It was a photo of a young woman. She had long blond hair that was running down to her chest and back in soft waves. With her large blue eyes, high cheekbones, and coral-red lips, she was undeniably beautiful. But at the same time, her face had some unexpected hardness that was making her expression look almost sinister. Gunz didn’t know this woman. He threw the photo on the table and it slid back into Anatoly’s hands.

  “Keep it,” said Anatoly, moving the photo back to Gunz. “After all, you should know how the person you are going to kill looks like.”

  “Excuse me?” asked Gunz shocked, slowly rising. “I’m not an assassin. I’m sure you can find someone who is more qualified for this job in your own organization.”

  “Sit down,” barked Anatoly, slamming his hand on the table. “Remember, your friends are alive only for as long as I want them to be alive. And don’t get any bright ideas. If I don’t call my people in an hour, your friends are dead.” He ripped his glasses off, sharply pulled a clean handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped his glasses before placing them back on the bridge of his nose. Then he sighed and switched to his normal soft and polite way of speaking. “You’re a sharpshooter trained by Belorussian special forces and a Fire Salamander, Mr. Burns. And since this woman is not human, there is no one in my organization who is qualified for this job more than you.”