by Oxford, Rain
“If he gets even one key, he will have the power to overrun this world,” Langril said. “The longer the key is missing, the weaker the boundaries between the worlds will be and the better chance he has of breaking through even without a key. Possession is just a stepping stone.”
“I believe Gale was Krechea’s familiar. Like Ghost and Vincent.”
“It could have been a contract,” Vincent said.
Langril shook his head. “You can’t make a contract with more than one of us. The familiar idea makes sense; it would have given Krechea the connection he needed to Earth and Gale the power to kill whoever he wanted.”
“If so, then you weakened Krechea when you killed Gale, but he will recover quickly,” Hunt said. “We cannot be sure what he will try next or when.”
“We decided to work together to help you get the fourth key,” Vincent said.
Langril shrugged when I looked at him. “I would rather you have it than Krechea.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t choose Alpha Flagstone to get it.”
“I don’t want that responsibility,” the shifter said. “I’ve already paid my dues.”
“Yeah, that’s not cryptic or anything. If I get the key, I’ll be Krechea’s target, right?” I asked.
“He is after any key right now, but he will prioritize killing you if you get it because you are the least experienced,” Hunt said. “Most likely, he will try to convince you to work for him first. He will probably offer to return Astrid to you.”
“He’s a bigger conman than me,” Langril added.
“Before you agree to this, you need to know that in order to get the key, you will have to sacrifice what is most important to you,” Vincent said regretfully.
I nodded, remembering Hunt’s wife and my mother. “What did you sacrifice?” I asked Langril as he pulled the red ball out of his pocket.
“My favorite pair of reading glasses,” he lied.
“What happens to the key when I die?”
“We don’t know,” Vincent answered. “We also suggest that you do not call your familiar next year.”
He lost Star as well as his wife. “I think Henry is my familiar.”
“Then you definitely shouldn’t call him,” Flagstone said. “Even if he isn’t what’s most important to you, and even if he doesn’t die defending you from Krechea, his magic will be tied to yours if you call him. Your familiar will almost certainly die when you do.”
And my life was just shortened because of my heart. I would be shortening my familiar’s life. Even if it wasn’t Henry, I couldn’t do that. “But what about Ghost?”
“He is the only familiar any of us know to have survived the death of their wizard. That is why Vincent named him Ghost. The familiar’s old wizard always called him ‘cat.’”
“Also, I inherited him directly, so he was never without. You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. None of us will force you to get the key or blame you if you don’t want to. We’ll destroy the tower, so you would not be breaking your promise to the fire elementals. One of us can get it.”
“If you get the key, will you have to sacrifice something again?” I asked. He nodded. “It’s not like I have a long life ahead of me anymore anyway.”
Even as I said it, I didn’t believe it. I had fifteen to twenty years to figure out how to break the curse Gale inflicted on me. The best way to do that was to kill Krechea and take his power. Since that was also the best way to save Astrid, it seemed pretty obvious what I had to do. I was pretty sure knew what was most precious to me, but I would take a page from Langril’s book and manipulate the outcome to my benefit.
“I will get the key, save Astrid, and destroy the tower.”
Epilogue
“I saw what happened between you and my mother,” I said. Vincent sighed.
For the rest of the semester, nobody died and the council didn’t try anything else. Of course, they were preparing for their new rules and Krechea was probably licking his wounds, so I knew the peace wouldn’t last.
Vincent showed me much deeper magic than what I learned in class, especially magic I could use for protection. We continued my practice with visions and he taught me to protect my mind, even in the visions. What was odd was that since defeating Gale, I had no visions without inducing them using my ring.
Henry and I still had a long way to go with Darwin. He spoke as if his wolf was going to kill everyone, but he was willing to shift when we were in the middle of the forest. The first few times, he attacked Henry. After the fourth time, the wolf seemed to realize he wasn’t under attack. Addison suggested that Darwin try talking to the wolf inside him, and that helped tremendously. Sometimes, the wolf would just sit there and glare at us, while other times, he wanted to play.
Because the wolf’s nature was so different from Darwin’s, we all agreed he should never shift without both Henry and me with him. The true test would come in January, when he found out he was being enrolled in some of Flagstone’s classes. While the man was goofy and laid-back, his wolf was not going to settle for being at the bottom of the pack.
It was my first night back in my apartment after the end of the semester when Vincent dropped by to make sure I wasn’t stressing my heart. I had kept the knowledge that he was married to my mother to myself at school. Part of me hoped he would tell me about it. Then, in my own apartment, I had to know for sure.
“How long exactly did John ‘lend’ her to you before she had me?” I asked.
He sat on the couch with a sigh. “It isn’t what you think, Devon.”
“How long?”
“You are so stubborn. It was nine months.”
“Then…” I hesitated, not sure I could even get the question out.
“I wasn’t the only one John made her spend the night with.”
“They don’t matter. My psychic magic narrows it down to you or John. How do you know that evil bastard was my father? If you have any doubt at all, you need to tell me.”
His expression was disheartening. “John was your father.”
I sat down on my coffee table as the small glimmer of hope I had since I saw the vision started to die. “How do you know you’re not my father?”
Vincent finished his tea and set the cup down next to me, his eyes focusing on the mug rather than me. “Because then I would have lost you instead of your mother.” He stood up, walked into the dark kitchen, and let the shadows swallow him. My mother always wanted to talk things through with Joseph Sanders. Apparently, Vincent’s response was to walk away.
I stood up, pulled my phone out its harness on my belt, and called a number I had memorized.
“Hello, this is Hailey! You missed me, so leave a message.” The voice was overly girlish, which always made me laugh. I headed for the kitchen to grab a large ziplock bag.
“Sorry, wrong number,” I said when I heard the beep. Seconds after hanging up, my phone rang. If it wasn’t so necessary, I would have teased my friend about his over-the-top security measures.
“What’s up, brother?” Marcus asked as I returned to the living room.
I put the plastic bag around Vincent’s mug. “I need a paternity test, and I need it to be untraceable.”
About the Author
Rain Oxford is a teacher who has been writing for more than half of her life. The Asian-influenced cultures she creates were inspired by Japan, where she attended Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto. She does most of her writing in a secluded cabin in the woods with a four-pound Maltese as a companion. When she’s not teaching or creating worlds, she usually enjoys cooking, playing the piano, or photographing exotic wildlife.
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/pages/Rain-Oxford/705026086262892
Website: https://sites.google.com/site/rainoxfordauthor/
This book was made with 100% recycled electrons. Fire salamanders are powerful forces of nature and should not be handled. They are not pets and if they bite you, you will die. If you enjoyed this book, please leave a re
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Books by Rain Oxford
Elemental Book 1: Dark Waters
Elemental Book 2: Hungry Earth
Elemental Book 3: Furious Flames
The Guardian Book 1: The Guardian’s Grimoire
The Guardian Book 2: The Dragon’s Eyes
The Guardian Book 3: God of the Abyss
The Guardian Book 4: The Demon’s Game
The Guardian Book 5: The Wizard’s War
The Awakening