The Burns Fire

by N M Thorn

  She remained silent for a few moments. Then her eyes met his and she nodded. “You’re probably right. I will read her diaries and everything else there. Well, almost everything else.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “There is one ancient book there that looks like a book of spells. A Book of Shadows or a Grimoire. I couldn’t understand anything that was written there. Even the letters didn’t look like the English alphabet.”

  “Oh,” said Gunz, “it’s probably written in Dragon tongue – the original language of magic.”

  “Can you read it?”

  “Unfortunately, no,” replied Gunz. “I learned a few spells and words in Dragon tongue, just enough to be dangerous. But I had no time to learn the actual language. I’m too new to all that. But if you’ll need to read it, I can always ask someone who’s fluent in Dragon tongue. I know a few people.”

  “Okay, tomorrow morning, as soon as I get back home, I’ll go to my mom’s secret cave and start with light reading.” Tessa smiled shyly. “You don’t mind me hiding out one more night in your house, do you?”

  Gunz rubbed his forehead tiredly but shook his head no. He still felt that it was wrong for her to be here at night, but he couldn’t send her away either.

  “Just one more night, Tessa, and then you do the right thing.”

  “Scout's honor!” she said, raising one hand up, three fingers extended. “Now your turn to keep your word. Show me what you are.”

  “Not yet,” objected Gunz. “There is one more thing we need to discuss.”

  “What else?” whined Tessa, sounding disappointed.

  “Aidan,” said Gunz straight. “You must talk to him and tell him the truth. You said that he’s your only friend. We do not lie to friends, Tessa. Lies have a bad habit of coming back and biting you on your butt. They always do. No matter how long you twist and spin the lie, sooner or later the truth will come out and you’ll be the one facing the consequences.”

  “I can’t, Zane,” whispered Tessa, gazing at him pleadingly. “Aidan is so normal. He’ll think I’m crazy and I’ll lose him forever. You understand? I can’t lose him! Not Aidan. Please don’t make me tell him about all this…”

  Gunz suppressed a sigh. He didn’t like the way this conversation was going, and he was afraid that if he would push Tessa more, she would start crying. He wasn’t very comfortable dealing with tears.

  “Tessa, I can’t make you do anything. I can only recommend. Think what would happen if Aidan finds out about all this some other way? Then you would definitely lose him. At least give him a chance. If he really is your true friend, he’ll understand, and he won’t judge. He’ll support you no matter what. Give him a chance, Tessa. Don’t lie to him.”

  “Okay,” she said so softly that he could hardly hear her. “I’ll talk to Aidan, but not today. I need to read everything in my mom’s room first. Once I know and understand a little more about all this magic stuff, I promise, I’ll talk to Aidan.”

  Gunz exhaled a sigh of relief. Now that he knew that a Slavic deity Svyatobor was working with Aidan, he was more than ever positive that Aidan McGrath wasn’t your every-day wizard. Who knows, he could be some kind of ancient god himself. Hopefully, Aidan knew more about the Guardians and he could protect Tessa better than he ever could.

  “Now my turn,” he said, and Tessa finally looked up at him, curiosity back in her giant brown eyes. “I’m a Fire Salamander, Tessa. I can wield the elemental power of the Fire. I also have magic, so I can cast spells and enchantments, but I’m not very experienced with all that. It has been only two years since I discovered the fire in me.”

  “Fire Salamander?” asked Tessa, staring at him in awe. “You’re a lizard?”

  “Do I look like a lizard?” he asked, laughing. “I’m an essence of Fire.”

  He got up, standing in front of her, and directed some fire toward his hands. A small flame ignited in his palm. Tessa stood up and moved her hand close to the fire but quickly pulled it back, recoiling from the heat.

  “Wow, the fire is real,” she mumbled.

  “Of course, it is.” He channeled more power allowing the small flames to start running up and down his arms. “I’m the fire.”

  “Amazing…” she whispered, gazing at him intently. “You are—"

  “A lizard?” he asked with a smirk. “I can take the shape of a lizard too – a fire salamander to be precise.”

  “Really?” Now she definitely looked like a ten-year old girl, her eyes twinkling with expectation of something new and amazing. “Can you show me?”

  “I can try, I’m not very good at it yet and I hardly ever do it,” he said, awkwardly pulling his shirt off and taking his shoes and socks off. “Sorry, the less clothes I have on me the easier it is for me to transform.”

  Gunz channeled more power, allowing the fire to run freely inside his body and spun in place, transforming into a fire salamander. Tessa gasped and squatted down, to see him better.

  “I’ve never seen anything like this,” she said stretching her hands to touch him. “What would happen if I pull on your tail?”

  “I don’t recommend doing it-s-s-s,” hissed Gunz, backing away from her. “I have no idea-s-s-s what would happen-s-s-s, but I’m s-s-s-ure, it won’t be pleas-s-s-ant.”

  “You’re so cute, when you’re a lizard,” said Tessa, giggling, gently running her finger over his back. “And you have this hissing s-s-s-s when you speak.”

  Gunz spun in place again, taking back his human form. He stood, breathing hard. The process of shifting into the salamander form was still taking a lot out of him. Tessa straightened up and carefully touched his unclothed chest with her fingers.

  “I think you’re a lot cuter when you’re a man,” she whispered breathlessly, taking in his appearance. “A perfectly proportional… well-shaped… mini-man…”

  “I’m not that small, Tessa,” he said, taking her hands off his chest. “I’m five-foot-six-inches, a lot taller than you are.”

  “A pocket-sized man. Very convenient.” He heard Mishka’s voice snickering in his head and ignored him.

  “No, you are not small…” she whispered, her eyes gliding up and down his muscled body.

  Gunz caught her eyes and bent down to pick up his shirt, but she stopped him, gently taking the shirt out of his hands, putting it on the couch. She ran her hands over his shoulders to his neck and slowly moved her fingers down. It had been a while since he felt the touch of a woman’s hand and everything inside him awakened with need. He sucked in a sharp breath, not expecting her to be so forward and froze under her touch.

  “Oh yeah, ah-ha,” sung Mishka’s voice in his head, “you work it, loverboy. Show her who’s the teacup man here.”

  “Tessa, don’t,” he said, putting his hand over hers to stop her.

  “Why?” she asked absentmindedly.

  She took a half-step forward, closing the space between them. Her firm breasts pressed against his chest, teasing him and his breath caught. She stretched up a little and pressed her lips against his. His lips parted, and he answered her kiss, before he realized what he was doing.

  No, stop! I need to stop her. I can’t do it. His mind was shouting and fighting. This girl was a child compared to him, and Aidan was obviously in love with her. He couldn’t do it to her and he shouldn’t be doing it to Aidan. It wasn’t right.

  Yes! His body was screaming, making summersaults of joy. About time!

  “You go, boy!” Mishka was cheering in his head. “Show her the fire!”

  Gunz seized Tessa’s shoulders with his hands and pushed her away. She stood, her lips slightly opened, shock staring at him from her fogged eyes.

  “Tessa, no,” he growled, his voice deep and heavy, his body still not quite complying with his mind’s demands. “I can’t do it. I’m sorry.”

  “You can’t?” she asked, her eyebrows rising. “I’m sorry… Are you… Do you prefer boys?”

  “What? No, I’m not gay,” he replied
, his mind slowly getting in control. “But it doesn’t change anything. I can’t do it with you.”

  “Why, Zane? What’s wrong with me? Not your type?”

  “Tessa, please,” he said, taking another step back. “You’re a wonderful girl, but—”

  “A girl?” She interrupted him, throwing her hands in the air. “Is that what you see when you look at me? An innocent needy girl, who begs for your help and protection? A little virgin in distress?”

  “Tessa, please listen to me—”

  “Hell no! Now you listen to me! I’m not a virgin and I’m definitely not a damsel in distress that needs a big strong man to save her ass on a daily basis. I make my own choices. Am I clear, you moron?”

  “Tessa, I don’t care about all that. But I still can’t offer anything except my friendship and support,” said Gunz firmly. “If you need my help to learn more about the Guardians and who you are, I’m here for you. You call me at three in the morning and I’ll come over, no questions asked. But don’t ask for anything more than friendship. Please.”

  He stepped back to the couch and picked up his shirt. All of a sudden, a strange wave rushed through him and he stiffened, probing his wards. Everything seemed to be in place and functioning, but something was still off. He probed the area around the house and held his breath. His whole house was surrounded with a thick cloud of magical energy the likes of which he had never sensed before. Channeling his fire, he got ready to fight and turned to Tessa.

  “Tessa, something is coming, run…”

  The entrance door swung open with a loud bang and a blinding white light flooded the house.

  ~ Zane Burns, a.k.a. Gunz ~

  The walls trembled violently, and the windows on both floors imploded, flooding the house with splinters of broken glass. With an earsplitting bang, the wards collapsed, leaving the entry unprotected. The blinding white light slowly dimmed down and Gunz saw a dark outline of a tall man in the doorway.

  The magical energy was wrapping around him, flowing through him uninterrupted. Except for his eyes that were glowing with a brilliant white light, Gunz couldn’t see his features. As the remnants of the wards and protection spells crumbled, the man passed through the threshold and stopped.

  “Aidan,” exhaled Gunz, recognizing him.

  “Aidan?” mumbled Tessa, staring at the man, incredulous. She grabbed Gunz’s arm and he felt her fingers digging nervously into his bicep.

  Aidan was standing just a few feet away, his rage almost tangible. His chest was rising and falling with heavy breaths, his jaw set in a straight line. In his anger, he didn’t bother concealing his magical energy. Not only his eyes, his whole body was radiating a brilliant white light. He took one more step forward and the floor trembled like from an earthquake.

  This idiot, thought Gunz, fury flaring up in him, he just exposed himself as a creature of magic to Tessa… She had no idea.

  Gunz stepped forward, shielding Tessa with his body and let go of his power, raising his hands up. He wasn’t sure why Aidan was here and what drove him to this insane level of fury, but he would rather find out what was going on and resolve the situation peacefully than fight. Especially, he didn’t want to get into a confrontation with Aidan in front of Tessa. She already had enough of nasty surprises for one day and he didn’t want her to watch Aidan using his magic against him. But if push came to shove, he was ready to hold his ground and defend himself.

  “Aidan, tell me what’s going on,” said Gunz, keeping an eye on the fluctuations of magical energy around him. “I don’t want to fight you. Let’s talk.”

  “Who said anything about fighting, lizard?” thundered Aidan, his hands clenched into fists. “I’m not planning to fight you. I’ll just kill you right away.”

  The magical energy spiked around Aidan’s arms and a bright ray of white light erupted from his hands. Gunz was ready. In one move he channeled the fire and magic, raising a glowing power shield between them. The ray of light impacted the shield but didn’t penetrate it. Gunz grunted, straining to hold Aidan’s attack.

  “Aidan, please…” he hissed, sending more magic into his shield, as Aidan stepped closer, increasing the flow of his power. “Stop… you’ll hurt… Tessa.”

  Aidan stopped the flow of his power and narrowed his eyes. “Speaking of Tessa,” he snapped, and the magical energy spiked around him again. “What is she doing spending a night in your house, lizard, and why are you half naked?”

  “It’s not what you think, Aidan,” said Gunz, dropping the shield. “If you would stop trying to kill me for a moment, maybe I can explain. She needed my help —”

  “She needed your help? How dare you lie to me!” shouted Aidan. “If Tessa needed help, she would call me, not you! Why would she call a tiny man whom she knows for less than twenty-four hours?”

  In one fluid motion, he conjured an energy ball and threw it at Gunz. Gunz failed to raise the shield fast enough and the energy ball struck him in his side, burning through his flesh. Gunz cried out in pain, clasping his hand to his side. Aidan conjured another energy ball. It was twirling in the palm of his hands, crackling with electric discharges. As he was getting ready to send it flying, Tessa jumped in front of Gunz. She spread her arms wide, shielding Gunz with her slender body. Aidan grunted and got rid of the energy ball, in fear of hurting Tessa.

  “How dare you!” she yelled, fearlessly taking a step closer to Aidan. He was blazing with the energy of his magic, his eyes were burning with fury, but at this moment it seemed, Tessa couldn’t care less. “You lied to me for years! All this time, I thought that you were a normal human being. But you’re neither normal nor human. I called Zane for help because my problem was supernatural. That’s right – super-natural.” She pronounced the last word, breaking it into two parts. “He didn’t hide the truth from me. I knew what he was, and this is why I called him. If you didn’t lie to me about what you were, I would probably call you, jackass!”

  “I did not lie to you, Tessa!” yelled Aidan, anger spiking the magical energy around him with unbelievable strength. “I didn’t want to expose you to the world of magic. I was trying to protect you. You didn’t even give me a chance! At the first opportunity, you jumped into his bed.”

  “Whoa… Stop right there, Aidan,” said Gunz stepping forward. “Nothing like that happened or could ever happen between me and Tessa.”

  “Silence, lizard!” snarled Aidan. He snapped his fingers and Gunz felt an invisible collar wrapping around his neck, squeezing his windpipe. “I wasn’t talking to you.”

  Automatically, his hands moved to his neck as he struggled to breathe. He channeled as much fire through his body as he could without reverting to his natural state, obliterating the restraints of Aidan’s magic.

  Tessa jumped forward, stomping her foot angrily. “No, you shut up!” she yelled, punching Aidan in his chest. “Who the hell are you to tell me who I can or cannot sleep with? You’re not my father. It’s none of your business, you jerk. Unlike you, Zane doesn’t lie to me. He is exactly what he says he is.”

  Aidan grabbed Tessa’s wrists, pulling her closer. “Is he now? Are you sure he told you everything?” he hissed, staring at her with his unnerving white eyes. Then he glanced at Gunz and smirked. “Do you want to tell her what you are, Gunz, or should I?”

  “God knows what you are, but I know exactly what he is, Aidan. He’s a Fire Salamander!” shouted Tessa, twisting her hands, trying to get free from Aidan’s grip. Then Aidan’s words dawned on her and she stared at Gunz over her shoulder. “Wait… Gunz? Why did he call you that, Zane?”

  “Because it’s my nickname,” said Gunz with a sigh. “That what my friends used to call me back in Belarus.”

  “Tell her about your daytime job, Gunz,” suggested Aidan snidely.

  “How is that relevant to anything?” asked Gunz, fighting a losing battle with anger.

  “Let me do the honors.” Aidan laughed, his face remaining cold. “Tessa, your reptilian pet here is an
FBI agent. He was undercover, investigating all of us, including you.” Aidan let go of Tessa’s wrists and she slowly turned around to face Gunz.

  “Tessa, I’m not an FBI agent. I’m a consultant, working with the paranormal division of the FBI,” explained Gunz.

  He reached in the pocket of his pants and showed her his FBI consultant badge. She glanced at the badge and lowered her eyes, shaking her head. The disappointment was exuding from her every move. With regret Gunz realized, that no matter what he was going to say, his relationship with Tessa was most likely ruined and the person who would suffer the most, was Tessa.

  “Yes, I was undercover, but I wasn’t investigating any of you,” said Gunz, stepping closer to her, but she staggered back, away from him and held her hand up to stop him. “Not you, Master McGrath, not you, Tessa. I was investigating five paranormal homicides that were committed in the area… As of today, it’s already seven homicides… I’m sorry, I didn’t tell you about that. But the work I do with FBI is classified.”

  Tessa backed away toward the door, her eyes darting from Gunz to Aidan, a pained expression on her face.

  “Gunz… or whatever your name is… You’re an FBI consultant,” she whispered, gazing at him reproachfully.

  “Tessa—,” started Gunz, but she didn’t listen to him. Slowly she turned to Aidan, tears silently running down her pale face.

  “Aidan, I don’t even know what you are… You were my only friend, my stronghold, my safe place… You were my everything, Aidan… But now, I don’t know you anymore…” She shook her head, her lips quivering. “I don’t want to see either of you.” Tessa pivoted on her heels and stormed out of the house.

  “Tessa, wait,” said Gunz, taking a step forward.

  “Stay still,” commanded Aidan frostily and the energy of his magic wrapped around Gunz’s body, pinning him in place. “I’m not done with you.”

  “But I’m done with you!” growled Gunz.

  The fire rose in him, burning out the chains of Aidan’s magic. He pulled the fire into his hands and redirected a smoldering stream of flames at his opponent. Aidan laughed and blasted Gunz with the blazing ray of his magic. The red beam of fire collided with the white ray of pure magical energy with a thunderous bang. Gunz reached for more fire, now his whole body ablaze.