Warring of Fire

by Holly Hook

  "There are a lot of files on this thing," Dirk said, moving the mouse cursor over the icons. Many were the usual you saw on every computer. "It might take me a while to look. The C drive is full of business stuff. I'll search for any mention of a treasure stash. Geez, does the Wiglaf Society own half the world? They even have a list of judges in here. People they can buy off."

  "That's why my cousin didn't care about trying to slay a dragon shifter in public," Sven said, shaking his head. "He knew he could get away with it. The guy was reckless. Had a great sense of humor, but Jens was how Sofia is."

  My stomach turned over. No matter how much I tried to push it back, my killing of his cousin wouldn't go away. Ever. Even torching the Manager's House was nothing compared to that. I had killed no one, had I? All the Slayers were outside, firing at us. They must know when facing a dragon, their best chances of survival were not to be inside wooden structures. And some of the house was made of brick.

  Sven wasn't angry at me for torching the house by mistake. Would he be angry about Jens?

  He pulled away from me and headed to the couch, which had pillows thrown all over it from people sitting on it in awkward positions all night. Sven flopped down. "Let's let Dirk take care of sifting through the computer."

  Exhaustion pulled at my limbs. The Machers turned the kitchen light off. "Do you think they'll know where I live?" I ask.

  "I shouldn't have said your name. But with Adler in the area, they might have no time to search for you in any databases. The Water Company's still without power and with the fire, my—the Wiglaf Society leader won't focus on that right away, even if he has his phone. We've bought time."

  "Sven, I'm sorry. Don't beat yourself up." I'd taken most of his family from him.

  "If it weren't for you, I might have become one of them," Sven said. He turned his head on the pillow to peek at me. He lifted his eyebrow. "You wouldn't have liked me as a full Wiglaf Society member."

  "I like you as Sven."

  "And I love you the way you are. Even if you get scary sometimes."

  Warmth filled me. I was glad that Dirk had found purpose looking through Mr. Olsen's files. We kept our words low so he wouldn't hear. Sven sat up and stretched his arms over the top of the couch, inviting me to sit beside him.

  I should tell him now, tell him the full truth. I had to defend myself and I hadn't meant to kill Jens even though that primal part of me had. Sven yawned. So did I. We both needed to sleep and clear our heads or we'd never survive what was to come.

  So I sat beside him. "Were you close to your cousin?"

  "We used to hang out," Sven said. "But he tried to emulate Father after too long. Jens was the son of my father's brother, who died a long time ago. We were meant to become full members of the Society. It was his dream and as his time was running out and he couldn't find a shifter, he was getting scared. Jens pushed me away towards the end. The stress was messing with his mind."

  "I'm sorry," I say. Only then did I realize that I had apologized for my deed even if Sven didn't know.

  "It's okay," Sven said. "It's part of being a Slayer. Many don't live long. I'm glad I will not join them. Ever." He snuggled closer, caressing my neck with the tip of his nose and breathing into the soft skin there. My heart raced as he wrapped an arm around me and pulled me close. We fit together like a pair of puzzle pieces despite our different natures. "Let's rest. We'll get my sister tomorrow. Steve's keeping her safe. He seems like a nice guy and we know Adler is somewhere on the surface."

  That made me feel better, too. She had tried to kill me, but something other than greed drove Sofia. It was something I understood.

  The Slayers on the surface just wanted that treasure even if they'd convinced themselves otherwise.

  So as I drifted to sleep with my head on Sven's shoulder, I listened to the outside world, but heard no sirens. We were in a town ruled by the Wiglaf Society and we were the rats hiding underground.

  * * * * *

  "One Slayer's dead."

  "The police have left town. Adler saw them go."

  "Says she erased a couple people's memories."

  The Machers spoke to us from the entryway of the house as I woke, chin still pressing against Sven's shoulder. Our cheeks touched as I opened my eyes to find his blue one close to mine, so close that our eyelashes almost met. Light poured through the windows and I could tell it was around seven thirty in the morning. I'd woken up enough on weekends to help my parents with the farm to know.

  "Huh?" Sven asked, shifting.

  Snuggle time was over. While we slept, the Machers had checked out downtown. We had to know what was going on.

  "Wakey wakey," I said, pinching Sven on the cheek.

  "Hey!"

  "I think my parents are still asleep. I don't hear them," I said. "Up. New developments." My body ached to stay with Sven on the couch even if I was still in farmer overalls and plaid. The Machers spoke to each other in low voices where I expected to find them.

  Sven and I collected ourselves. Mrs. Macher suggested that everyone shower (though she glared at Sven when I mentioned that I needed one) before discussing things further. Without him, I went upstairs, grabbed another tank top and a pair of jeans with a hole in the knee, and took care of business. At least I had never followed Tasha's advice about improving my style. At the rate things were going, I'd destroy every outfit I owned in no time. With the Slayers in town, there would be no dressing nice until further notice.

  But I also wasn't walking around in overalls. Not in front of Sven. I felt he deserved better.

  Sven smiled when I walked back down the steps in my form-fitting top and jeans. "That's an improvement," he said. "I'm sorry about the overalls."

  "What choice did you have?" I asked.

  Sven showered next. I found Dirk passed out at the kitchen table from exhaustion, and he had his hand on the mouse still. Some time during the night, he had pulled up a map of the country, and there was a red dot right in the middle of the Sierra mountain range.

  I moved Dirk's hand off the mouse as he snored. The poor guy had been slaving away at this all night. Leaning closer, I checked out the map, a satellite image, and zoomed in on a mountain that looked no different from the others. The dot wasn't labeled, but I minimized the image and saw the filename down in the bottom bar when I hovered the mouse over it.

  MainStashLoc.png

  My breath caught as someone walked up behind me. "How has Dirk been doing?" Mrs. Macher asked.

  "I think he found something while the two of you were gone," I said.

  Mrs. Macher leaned close to the screen. "Main stash," she read. "Location."

  "Do you think that's where the Society keeps all the stolen dragon treasure?" I asked.

  "It could be." Her eyes shined as they filled with emotion. "If we could get it back, our kind could have children again. We could regain magic. We won't go extinct."

  I could hear how much she longed for that. No one wanted to die out. "And if we vanish?" I asked, dreading the answer. That was one thing I hadn't heard yet.

  "I don't know what will happen," Mrs. Macher said, pacing to the stove like she was thinking of making breakfast. "But it won't be good. Since dragons have a tie to the earth and nature, I fear our disappearance will mean catastrophe for everyone. Look at the drought that existed in Olivia before you matured. Look at the state of the world's climate. We don't know for sure if our decline is changing things for the worse, but it looks suspicious."

  My stomach turned over. "It's possible," I said.

  Mrs. Macher eyed her son for a moment before opening the fridge. Meanwhile, the shower ran in the downstairs bathroom as Sven washed off. "Getting a good majority of our treasure back will change things," she said. "Dirk wouldn't have to stay in this small town his whole life, helping to guard it so we can stay alive. It's no life, remaining in the same place all the time. There's a world out there and with his long life, I want Dirk to see it."

  Mrs. Macher's words floored
me. "But Dirk wants to stay here," I said.

  "He thinks he does," she said. "But he doesn't know what he's missing. With our full power returned, the world will open for all of us. It will be possible to return treasure to our old caves. We won't have to huddle around this hoard anymore."

  A strange expanding feeling filled my chest as I listened. Mrs. Macher got out four pans and placed them on the burners. My stomach roared. Food would have to come before taking any action today. My limbs trembled and dizziness swept over me.

  "How long has the den been here?"

  "Seventy-five years."

  "Wow." The Machers must have changed identities more than once, pretended to be their own children, or assumed more than one disguise over that time to make the local people think nothing of them not aging. "You must be sick of Olivia."

  "Very." She placed a carton of eggs on the counter along with a large package of bacon. It seemed my parents had gone grocery shopping before getting taken underground. Now the Machers would cook for all of us.

  "Mom and Dad wanted to have me stay here."

  "They're not comfortable with anything that's different. Some people never venture far from their birthplace. It's a shame."

  "I know."

  The more I got to know the Machers, the more I liked them. She got a huge breakfast started as Sven came out of the shower and Dirk woke. His mother ordered him to clean up but told him he shouldn't go back to his house to get a different change of clothes. After the barn fire, the Slayers knew that it was a place of interest. Dirk didn't argue. He showered and Mr. Macher handed him some clothes that belonged to my dad. Meanwhile, we got breakfast all set out and ready, and by then Mom and Dad woke and emerged from their room.

  "Hey," I said, sitting down to a plate. The lines on their faces weren't as deep this morning as they had been last night.

  "Hey," Dad said. He had less tension in his voice than last night, too. Maybe he was coming around. "Morning."

  I also detected he didn't realize I'd gone out last night. Maybe that helped.

  Mom wouldn't say much as we ate. I wondered how much they'd try to stop me from trying to get that hoard back. It was everything they feared. It would free the whole den from having to hang around this town forever and rotting away. Until now, I hadn't realized that the den didn't want that. Now I realized that it wasn't a choice.

  After two huge helpings of food, I felt a lot better. More color came into Sven's face. He'd changed back into his chest plate, but no one seemed to mind. Once we'd finished, the Machers told us about what they'd seen downtown last night after everyone but them had fallen asleep.

  "The police have vanished," Mr. Macher said. "The Wiglaf Society must have dismissed them."

  "They're the police now," Mrs. Macher said. "Olivia is under their law."

  "Well, we saw how much they have their hands in everything," Dirk said. "Just look at the files in this computer. They own judges and lawyers everywhere. I don't even think the judges and lawyers know they're bought. It's not good."

  "So we have to hit them where it hurts, and that's their fortune," I said.

  "Yes," Mr. Macher said. He looked to his son with pride. "And now we know where to strike."

  "What about Adler? Where is she?" I asked.

  "She's alive. She got injured last night while ambushing that vehicle. One Slayer got away, but she killed the driver before he had much chance to react. She's recovered, but neither side can strike the other in broad daylight. The Normals in town are out and about and they realize nothing's gone wrong other than another freak storm last night. They're blaming a tornado for the downed power line. And the Water Company's still running on backup generators. Crews are out, trying to fix the line."

  "Makes sense," I said.

  Weeks ago, I hadn't wanted to fight.

  But now I knew what was at stake. My life. Our lives. Sven.

  And my freedom. To escape Olivia, I had to embrace it.

  "Exactly," Sven said. "If Wiglaf could see what his Society and descendants have become, he would grieve."

  My breakfast turned over in my stomach as I thought of what Adler had told me. I had to say it. "He would be proud of them," I said. "He's the one. It was Wiglaf that killed my mother after she decided she loved him and pursued him. Adler erased his memory, trying to break them apart before it happened, but my mother restored his memory and then he killed her." Then again, if Adler was right, my mother had also killed people to get me back. That was something I didn't want to think about.

  Or say out loud.

  Sven looked down at the table. "Then yes. He would be proud."

  "I'm sorry to tell you that."

  "It's okay." Sven spoke in a tone that told me it wasn't. His guilt was deepening.

  We cleaned up together. My parents didn't say much. Dad patted me on the back, which was progress. It was as if they sensed that I had grown up and it was time to let go, but they wouldn't loosen their grip quickly.

  And it made me sad.

  "We need to get my sister," Sven said. He faced the Machers. "How is she?"

  "Steve took her breakfast. He's wearing a disguise now for when he goes onto the surface."

  "It was only me and Sofia who noticed him at McDonald's," Sven said. "At least he's watching her. But I want her out of there. We can bring her up here and get her to come to our side."

  Dirk moved back to the computer and looked through more files as we got ready to go. We'd enter the cave again through the quarry entrance now that I knew how to find it. He didn't find directions to the main stash as the Slayers called it. Why would Mr. Olsen need written directions to a place he knew well? We only had the satellite image, so Dirk wrote down nearby highways and hiking trails to the mountain. Meanwhile, Sven stood by, a question burning in his gaze.

  "Did you see anything about my mother?" he asked. "The Wiglaf Society leader refused to tell me a thing about her. He painted her as—what is that term?—a gold miner?"

  "Gold digger," I said. "How ironic."

  "I've seen nothing," Dirk said. "No divorce records. This is a business computer."

  "But there has to be something," Sven said. "I can't even remember her face." Then he turned away and stepped out of the room, trying to escape from Dirk.

  I followed him outside. Sven sat on the back deck, looking towards the weeds that choked the river. It was flowing once again, giving life to everything around it.

  "We'll find her," I said. "I'll help you and we won't stop until we do."

  Sven said nothing at first. "Maybe Father killed her," he said at last. "Or she left and didn't care."

  I couldn't decide which possibility was worse for Sven. "He could have taken you two away from her," I said. "Don't jump to conclusions until you know. Maybe the answer can be found in that stash we're going to raid."

  "Maybe," he said, not sounding sure. "Or the answer could only be in his head. In that case, we'll never get it."

  "Are you sure?" I asked. "I brought your memories back and I still don't know all I can do, exactly. Maybe I could extract them, too."

  "I doubt you want to see what that monster has."

  "But we have to know or this is going to bother you for the rest of your life. I think about my birth parents every day. I'll never meet them." Had my mother only killed to try to save me? Had Adler? Or had there been something more? Were they any better than the Society? That scared me. "By the way, we need to go down and get your sister before it's too late."

  Sven rose. He looked at me with sadness. "I agree," he said. "We don't know what the Society—"

  A distant explosion sounded.

  And then another.

  The back door flew open a few seconds later and Mr. Macher leaned out. "The Society," he said. "They might be up to something, and I fear it's blasting their way down to our hoard."

  Chapter Nine

  Everyone in the house scrambled, getting shoes on and grabbing the keys to vehicles. The Machers had, like us, parked aroun
d back.

  "Don't go!" Mom shouted out the front door at me.

  "I have to," I said. "They need me."

  She moved her lips, hugging the door frame and helpless. Mom and Dad couldn't stop me and they both knew. They were helpless to watch as we all climbed into the Machers' SUV to get to the cave entrance in the quarry. It broke my heart to see them this worried, but what choice did I have? Everyone needed me.

  If the Slayers reached the hoard under town, it would mean disaster. I'd felt how much magic that treasure provided. Without it—

  They'd kill us. We might all become easy prey.

  The Machers squealed out of the driveway, leaving my parents behind to guard the information we'd stolen. More blasts sounded in the distance. The Society had brought in explosives. With the electrical repairs going on, the people in town might think it had to do with that or the damage caused by the storm last night. They owned the Water Company. Everyone expected a place like that to have access to heavy equipment. They drove past their property without slowing and pulled into the quarry yard. I thought of Steve down there, with no magic other than being able to shift. He would never stand up to almost a dozen Slayers.

  A dozen Slayers who knew there was mind magic guarding the hoard, and that the best way to get around it was by plain old force. They knew the caves were confusing. Mr. Olsen had already tried to explore them and must have realized that. I imagined a big hole in the middle of the hoard that led to the sky. Even Adler's mind powers couldn't confuse the Slayers if they had direct access to the chamber.

  The Machers sped into the quarry, driving around the closed gate to get inside. Gravel kicked as they pulled up to the open pit. We got out. Dirk cringed as he remembered his near-fight with Sven. We stood in silence for a minute, listening. No sound came from the bottom of the pit, but the explosions in the distance continued. It sounded as if a Civil War battle were happening on the other side of town.

  "We need to get down there. Now," Mr. Macher said. "I don't know if the Society will reach the hoard, but we need to rescue as much of it as possible. I'll call the others and get them mobilized. Adler will probably join us."