Playing With Fire

by Jordan Mendez

  “You can all have separate rooms upstairs, and there a change of clothes that each of you can change into if you wish,” the woman went on to say as she got out her check-in book. She took out a long quill pen and a vial of black ink. “Names, please?” They each gave her their names and she scratched them onto the page hastily. Vaze poked his head over casually and snuck a peek at the book. All the names of past residents were crossed out in red ink, and he assumed that they had checked out not too long ago judging by the dates. The woman snapped the book closed, and Vaze thought he saw a flash of anger on her face, but she was smiling warmly a second later.

  “You can take Miss Kyra up to her room. It will be the last door on the right at the end of the hall,” she said kindly. “I will bring her some supper when she awakens, but for now I want you all to freshen up before you eat. If you need me, just call for Matilda, alright?” After that they all went to their rooms. Gidian put Kyra into her bed without changing her into night clothes, leaving Kyra in her tough leather gear. It made him nervous to be around women who were close to his age, so he couldn’t bear changing one.

  Vaze didn’t spend a single minute alone in his room without looking over his shoulder. He wouldn’t even dare to slip into the white puffy shirt and comfortable black trousers that he found in the drawers until he was absolutely sure that they weren’t laced with poison. He kept his hooded cloak, and concealed a dagger beneath its folds. Vaze almost jumped out of his skin as his door opened behind him.

  Drawing his dagger, Vaze whipped around and held it defensively. His intruder looked at him unfazed. Vaze let out a relieved sigh as he put his dagger back in its sheath and faced the wolf girl Yuki.

  “I’m not looking to be skewered anytime soon,” she said straight forwardly. “I just need to talk to you.”

  “What is it?” Vaze’s heart was still racing. He thought his fears were only due to his five years of solitude when he was always running and hiding, never knowing if he was going to see the light of day when he went to sleep.

  “Something’s off about this place, and that inn keeper, Matilda,” Yuki stated, and Vaze’s heart almost skipped a beat. So he wasn’t the only one who noticed something was wrong. “The minute she walked outside the birds stopped chirping as if they were afraid of her. That’s never a good sign.”

  “I know, I noticed that too,” Vaze said. “She also got angry for a split second when I looked into the guest book. Isn’t it also strange that no one else would be here? We haven’t even seen any other people working in the inn.”

  “I wouldn’t doubt other people being here,” Yuki contemplated. “I checked out my window the second I got into my room. There was a perfect view of where we left our horse and cart, but neither was there.” Vaze didn’t answer for a minute since he was deep in thought.

  “Just watch your back,” Vaze finally replied. “We can’t be sure about anything without solid proof, but that doesn’t mean we should get comfortable.” Yuki nodded and left Vaze to himself.

  “I can’t let my guard down,” he said quietly to himself. “Not when Scarlet is still in danger.” The thought of her shot pain throughout his body as if longing had become a knife. Vaze hadn’t realized how attached he become to Scarlet. It had gotten to the point of a fierce protective sense coming about him when he wondered about her wellbeing. Shaking away his thoughts, he went down to join the others for a meal.

  It was short and quick, and the food was nothing special: unsalted veil with slightly stale bread and water. None the less, the tired group thanked Matilda for the meal and went back to their rooms for some long overdue sleep, despite the fact it had just became midday.

  Before Vaze let himself be claimed by exhaustion, he hid a sharp jagged dagger beneath his pillow, and other assorted weapons in the rest of his room. Yuki kept herself in a mid-transformation, not entirely wolf but with the abilities of one such as strength, hearing, and sense of smell. Almost everyone was taking precaution—everyone except Al. He felt very safe in his bed, and drifted off almost right away.

  Gidian laid an excessive amount of protective spells on Kyra’s room, for she had not yet woken up. The energy the spells took from him began to make Gidian drowsy. Before he knew it, he was asleep on the floor, just barely finishing his final prayers to the Healer asking protection against demons. The prayers did not seem necessary to some people, but Gidian had always thought of them as necessary, for who could answer and help him but the mighty Healer? Gidian did not use evil black magic like almost every other magic user in the world. He was not a warlock or a wizard. He could only use his Guardian’s power to protect, or to overpower evil. Often confused with sorcerers, Gidian was one of the last remaining Lumens, as was Al—though he didn’t know that was the proper name for what he was called.

  Siren, instead of sleeping at all, sat on the bed with her long sword gripped in her hands. She was itching for a fight, and hoped she wouldn’t be disappointed. The aggressive quality the Healer gave Scarlet was also apparent in Siren, and it was much harder to control when in the form of a child. As an adult, she had been able to subside it with a compassionate and caring quality, but as a child she had yet to gain it back.

  And so the exhausted group slept into the night until the moon hung high in the sky. They had all relaxed a bit, but no one besides Al could shake their uneasy feeling that something was wrong.

  Outside their doors, Matilda, no longer wearing the disguise of a wench, stalked down their hallway. She could sense that they were all asleep now; even the little Guardian brat had decided to rest her eyes for a moment.

  “Arizule, come my pets,” Matilda said hardly above a whisper. Black smoke arose from the floorboards and licked at the witch’s face. She giggled and ran a hand through it, and it purred in response. “Show them their heart’s deepest desires my pets, and when they are most vulnerable, kill them. But, for the Guardian, make her fears a reality.”

  The black smoke growled in delight, and began to drift back to the floor. It spread out across the hall, and then dispersed, a bit going under each door way. The smoke at the end of the hall tried to disappear under the door, but recoiled shrieking. It fled back to the witch in fear, and she bit her lip in frustration.

  “So the famous Gidian wants to protect his precious flower, Kyra?” Matilda’s lip twitched in disgust. “Fine. I can just take care of her the old fashion way.” Matilda made her way slowly to Kyra’s door, imagining what the rest of her prey would wake up to. She smiled at how stupid mortals could be. Letting oneself too close to things was how all of her past prey met their undoing. She had a long list, and each person on it was crossed off it in their own blood. She couldn’t wait to cross these six off of it as well.

  Vaze still had a hand on the dagger under his pillow even though he had drifted off hours before. He started to fidget as the hairs on the back of his neck began to stand up and his breathing started to become shallower. He was having a nightmare about fighting Enzio, and he was losing. His heart began to beat faster and sweat began to gather on his brow.

  “Vaze?” a small voice whispered in his ear and he immediately burst out of sleep panting hard, holding a dagger to his intruder’s neck. He gasped in disbelief as his eyes met the surprised grey ones of his intruder.

  “Scarlet?” he gasped, but didn’t lower the dagger, but only because he was so shocked he forgot he was holding it to her throat. She smiled at him and he could feel himself melt inside as he stared at her through wide eyes.

  “This sure does seem familiar,” Scarlet joked as she observed the dagger. Scarlet put her hands up for him to see, as if he could ever think she was a threat. “Except last time you looked a little bit more intimidating.” Vaze suddenly realized he was still holding the dagger up to her neck, and he immediately threw it back under his pillow.

  “How did you get here?” he asked as he sat up. The bare skin of his torso gleamed with sweat as the white moonlight touched it from outside his window. It made him a little b
it colder since he wasn’t wearing a shirt but he didn’t notice. “Velkire kidnapped you.”

  “I escaped,” she said as if it were no big deal at all. The familiar cockiness of her attitude put Vaze’s longing heart at ease. He didn’t even think of asking how.

  “Being there was torture Vaze, I couldn’t stand it.”

  “Did he hurt you?” A sudden flare of anger built up in his chest and he tensed, thinking of what he’d do to Velkire if he had even laid a finger on Scarlet. Scarlet shook her head and looked up at him with her gorgeous grey eyes. Something about her mood had changed, but Vaze could not see what it was. He had never seen her like this.

  “He didn’t touch me,” she said. “No one did. But I couldn’t stand staying there, being all alone. I couldn’t stand being away.” She placed a hand on his, and his heart almost stopped.

  “What?” His words came out as a breathless whisper as Scarlet sat down next to him, never letting go of his hand.

  “You heard me Vaze.” The way she said his name made him have butterflies in his stomach. “I can’t stand being away from you. I realized it when I was locked away all by myself. Vaze, I love you.” Her hand touched his cheek as she leaned closer to him, her eyes drifting closed. As if on instinct, he tensed up. Vaze’s heart felt as if it were going to burst out of his chest as their lips touched lightly at first. Her lips were soft and gentle as they melded onto his, and the touch made him melt inside.

  He expected her to pull away like the last time, but to his surprise, she kissed him again, this time pulling him closer, sliding her hand into his hair. As if it were a reflex, Vaze put both arms around her. Scarlet’s kisses made his head feel light and giddy. His desires were becoming a reality, and it made him the happiest he had been in a long time as he stroked her hair with one of his hands lovingly.

  Across the hall in Yuki’s bedroom, a little chubby hand touched her face, and she jolted awake snarling. A baby boy with raven black hair and brown almond shaped eyes sat on her torso sucking his toes in his toothless mouth. When he saw her he clapped his tiny hands and laughed. His nose crinkled as his mouth opened in a happy giggling smile. Yuki’s anger and hatred melted away, along with her half transformation. She stared at the little baby with her own large brown almond eyes in disbelief. He held his chubby arms out to her with his fingers grasping at the air. He bounced up and down on his bottom as he made the noises babies usually make, until one sound came out as a word.

  “Yucky,” he drooled as he continued to bounce up and down. Tears filled in Yuki’s eyes. Her baby brother had never been able to say her name right, but it was the first word he learned to say. He hadn’t even learned how to say mama or papa, no matter how hard their parents tried to get him to. She remembered the first day he had ever spoken, when she walked through the door and saw her parents trying desperately to get him to say something. Before, she had hated him because once he was born, no one paid attention to her. She tried to walk past her little brother without so much as making eye contact, but the minute she walked through the door he held out his arms towards her and started bouncing up and down. She only looked at him quietly, until he said her name. In that moment, all of her disdain towards her little brother was washed away, and was replaced with love, and the urge to protect. Even though she had hated him, he wanted her more than his own parents.

  “Elijah!” Yuki picked up her baby brother with tears streaming down her face and held him close. He started sucking on his hand as she cradled him in her arms. “Oh Elijah, I’ve missed you so much.” Yuki’s voice started to choke up, and the emotions she had been keeping locked up inside came out. She started crying tears of joy, and little Elijah looked up at her and stroked her face with his little soft hand. She smiled at him, and he smiled back.

  In her room, Siren felt something was happening, even in her unconscious state. She forced her eyes to open and scowled at herself for falling asleep for so long. She was in the same exact position she had been in when she had gotten into the bed and was still clutching her long sword as well. Without moving, she let her eyes scan the room through cracked eyes. Seeing nothing suspicious she decided to stretch out her sore body. She stopped cold as she felt something snake up her arm.

  Looking down, she saw vines wrapped around her entire body, and she jumped. The minute she moved the vines tightened and held her in place. She opened her mouth to scream, but more vines shot out from under her bed and covered her mouth like a gag. She struggled against them, but they were too strong.

  The closet across from her burst open, and blank, glassy, grey eyes stared into Siren’s. Siren’s scream was muffled by the vines as she stared horrified at the dead body that was hanging from a noose in her closet. Blood soaked its body as it swung gently from a ghastly slit across its throat. A look of horror and fear that was frozen on its face was only partially covered by the dead girl’s long dark brown blood matted hair.

  Siren jerked and thrashed violently against the vines, desperate to move, desperate to get to the dead girl. Her efforts though, only caused the vines to hold tighter and slowing Siren could start to feel it squeezing on her bones, threatening to snap them like twigs. She didn’t care. All Siren could think about was the body. She had to get to the girl.

  She had to get to Scarlet.

  Making her way past her door, Matilda could faintly hear Siren’s muffled screams. The witch grinned. Her pets were all she had taught them to be and so much more. She could tell by Siren’s screams of agony and horror that they had penetrated her mind with ease, and were making her darkest fears a reality. Fear was easy to conjure, but penetrating a Guardian’s mind was not. The fact at least one of her pets had succeeded meant that the rest would accomplish their tasks. The dagger Matilda held in her hand brushed her skirt lightly as she walked past Siren’s room and stopped in front of Kyra’s door. With a devilish smile, she slipped a hand on the doorknob and twisted slowly. It opened as easily and quietly as if there was no door at all, and Matilda slinked in like a cat stalking a mouse. She closed the door gently behind her and laid her eyes on the sleeping woman.

  Kyra’s long black hair was spread across the pillow like a veil, and made her look much younger than she was. Her gentle features as she slept would have never suggested she could kill anyone without a moment’s hesitation. Her slightly golden skin seemed to shine in the faint moon light that made her the only visible thing in the room. Though she was still wearing her light leather battle gear, even Matilda had to admit she was beautiful. The witch snarled with loathing and disgust. Matilda hated anyone who could match her looks, especially if they were human. The fact that Kyra was a warrior made Matilda despise her even more. Though the witch could feel the bubbling hatred inside her, she did not know why she hated this woman.

  Meanwhile, in the room next to Yuki’s, Al was sleeping soundly. The black smoke drifted over him slowly, trying to find which desire of his would be best. The boy had so many, and yet none seemed to rise over the others significantly enough. The boy’s mind was a puzzling one, but the creature was determined to find the perfect desire.

  Frantically assessing the situation and trying to find a solution, Al’s Guardian raised her sword over Al protectively, though neither he nor the creature of smoke could see her. She could not cast away the creature, for it was not a true demon. It was an Arizule, a shape changer, a creature summoned by a witch or warlock to rid them of their enemies by either their prey’s deepest fears, or deepest desires. She knew it was only a matter of time until they found what Al desired most, though she was hiding it desperately in the very back of his mind. She knew there was only one thing she could do, but it would mean putting Al on the front lines of a fight he may not have been prepared for. Not finding any other way, Al’s Guardian gave into the only solution she had.

  “Awaken, my child, and fight.” The beautiful Guardian pressed a hand on his face and pulsed energy into him, surging his body with so much adrenaline he could not possibly stay asleep.


  Only slightly reacting to the adrenaline racing his body awake, Al’s eyes fluttered open slowly. A second of drowsiness still hovered in his mind, and he stared at the black smoke with a sleepy look on his face. That second ended when the smoke shrieked at him.

  Fully awake now, Al jumped back out of the covers and sat straight up clutching his bed frame but never turning his body away from the hissing smoke. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest, as though it was threatening to burst right out. The smoke drifted to the edge of his bed opposite to him, and began to take shape. The whole time Al was trying to think of ways of escape, or spells that might help him, but all of his plans were drowned out by the recurring foul phrase that he would have never said aloud, nor have thought it if he hadn’t been in that situation. The smoke began to rise, and started to take the shape of a massive serpent, who even when coiled tightly still grazed the surface of the ceiling with its head. Its skin looked solid, but like smoke it drifted with black wisps as it moved. It hissed at Al, opened its large mouth that could have held a fat goat with ease and revealed its pointy rows of fangs. Everything about the snake was black like the smoke, except for its eyes. But instead of actual eyes, the sockets glowed red like a dying flame in a lantern. ‘If shadows could have a substance, it would be exactly like the smoke was, and create things just as horrifying’ Al thought to himself, and then suddenly he had an idea. There was only a slight chance it would work, but it was the only thing he could think of. The giant snake hissed at Al as it sized him up, getting ready to strike. Al’s palms began to grow damp as he struggled to remember the prayer to ask the Healer to use his Guardian’s power.

  “Ego in misericordia tua cara Medicum patiaris animam meam tecum, custodes, ita ut mala tristis tueri populum rursus ad tres animae debeo et obediet unam!” Al could feel power from his Guardian rushing through him as he finished the prayer and the snake reared up to strike. Baring its fangs, the beast struck out at him. Al threw his arms up over his face and shouted the ancient words that were his only hope. “Da mihi lumen!”