Crimson Hollow

by Andrea Pearson

  I cautiously stepped farther into the room, lowering my gun. My nerves were still on edge. “Is there anyone else in your house?”

  The man shook his head. “I don’t know how this one got in.”

  “The back door was open,” I said. “That’s probably how.” Hounds didn’t need to go through doors. I didn’t want to mention that.

  I motioned to the blood on his face. “Go clean yourself up. I’ll call the police.”

  “You’re not them?”

  I shook my head. “I work with them. I’m the state’s Fire Impeder.”

  “How did you know to come?”

  “Long story. Let’s get your house taken care of and we’ll deal with questions later.”

  I motioned toward the master bath, hoping he’d take the hint and leave. I didn’t want to destroy the hound in front of him. It would raise awkward questions that wouldn’t be easily answered.

  Even though the amulet was one-hundred-percent mine now, I had found that to snuff out fires, I did need to be relatively close to the person. At least the amulet’s other abilities—like helping me find these attacks—had a good radius.

  Good radius . . . The amulet repeated. Something’s wrong.

  What?

  The man left the room, pulling his phone out of his pocket to call the cops. As soon as he was gone, I dropped to my knees next to the hound and snuffed his flame.

  A gun went off in the hall.

  Chapter Sixteen

  I jumped to my feet, pointing my own weapon that way, and the amulet began screaming a warning in my mind before an intelligible word finally got through.

  Coming!

  I spun as the amulet gave me confusing directions. Smoke was building in every corner. Multiple shapes appeared, solidifying, distracting me. Before I had the chance to tackle the oncoming hounds or figure out what was going on in the hall, someone pounced me, knocking me to my stomach on the floor. Hands fumbled at the necklace around my neck.

  “Get it!” a man screamed.

  “I’m trying!” another responded.

  Before they could remove it, I snuffed out one, two, three flames. Still, hands kept yanking at my necklace, trying to take it off. I snuffed out yet another flame before one of them succeeded in getting the amulet from me.

  Curses.

  I rolled to a sitting position, surrounded by bodies, fumbling for my gun. I’d gotten to four hounds, but it hadn’t been enough. Five more had appeared while I’d been down. I saw my CZ in a woman’s hands and the amulet in the hands of a man I assumed was their leader, judging by how the others kept glancing at him.

  Omar had been right. They were testing me, drawing me out. Where was Abel when I needed him? Situations like this were the reason I’d hired him. If he’d been there, the hounds wouldn’t have been able to overpower me.

  The woman poked a dead body with the toe of her shoe. “So much sacrifice for just one person.”

  “Necessary sacrifice,” the leader said.

  He was staring at my amulet while two men bound me with cords.

  “Why not just kill me?”

  The leader glanced at me. “Conor wants you alive. It seems he has plans for you.”

  Conor. Great.

  I heard sirens approaching outside and wanted to scream. Yes, I’d wanted them there earlier, but now, cops would only mess things up more—they were helpless against hounds. And I needed my amulet back!

  The leader approached the window, but never made it there. Another gun went off—also from the hallway—and Alexander and Omar leaped into the room. They were followed by three others.

  A brief scuffle ensued—people fighting and punching everywhere. With my hands tied up, I was helpless to do anything.

  “Alexander,” the woman said, taunting the man. “I knew we shouldn’t have left you alive. Conor is not going to—”

  Alexander lunged for her and hit her on the back of the head with his gun. She dropped to the floor. Omar started undoing my knots as the other three hounds quickly took care of the remaining two evil hounds.

  Alexander glanced at me. “I would’ve shot her, too, but the gun is out of bullets.” He tossed it onto the king-sized bed and looked around the room at all the bodies there. “You’ve done a great job here, Lizzie.”

  “I would’ve been gone if you guys hadn’t come.”

  “Lucky Omar and I were both in the right mind, then.”

  The moment my hands were free, I jumped to where the leader was starting to stir. He held the amulet loosely in his hands. I grabbed it before he could wake up all the way and snuffed his flame as soon as the device was in my hands again.

  “I thought if a hound killed a hound, they were dead for good.”

  Alexander nodded. “Yes, but killing them this way isn’t how it’s done.” He motioned to the bad hounds that were starting to come to. “If you would.”

  I complied immediately, finishing off just before we heard the cops burst in downstairs. “How do we explain this?”

  Alexander shrugged, obviously unconcerned. “Tell them we’re colleagues of yours. You’re a Fire Impeder. Pretty much all the cops know who you are.”

  Good point.

  The questions were more intense this time than the previous. Maybe it’s because we were closer to Salt Lake, but more likely it was because there were so many dead bodies. Including the homeowner, who’d been shot in the hallway, there were eleven. I couldn’t believe it.

  I hadn’t seen any pictures of family, wife, or kids, but that didn’t mean that the man’s death wouldn’t be mourned. I wished I could’ve done more for him.

  Two hours later, once it was established that those who were dead had done the illegal things—breaking and entering, attacking, and killing first—the officers relaxed and gave us permission to leave. Again, they would call if they had any further questions.

  Alexander pulled me aside. “Where is your accomplice?”

  I shook my head. “I have no idea. I’ve tried calling him, but he hasn’t responded.”

  Alexander looked troubled at this, but he didn’t say anything.

  We parted ways, me heading to my car and Alexander and his buddies disappearing through random corners of the house when the cops weren’t watching. I glanced at my clothes. They were splattered with blood from the people who had died around me. There was no way I could return to Walmart looking like this. Besides, I didn’t want to—I was emotionally exhausted and still shaking from the encounter. I drove straight home and called in for takeout instead, arranging to have it delivered.

  After I’d had time to clean up and get some food in me, I sat at my computer and composed an email to Abel. I wasn’t harsh, but I was blunt. I needed to know if he was planning on helping me out or not. This afternoon had been way too close. I didn’t know what I would have done if Alexander and Omar hadn’t shown up.

  My next goal was to figure out how to keep my amulet safe. Wearing it around my neck was the most convenient, but, as it was turning out, it was convenient for my enemies too. Perhaps I could wear it around my waist, under my clothes, as a sort of belt. I dismissed that idea, though—the amulet was spherical and would give me a weird bulge if I wore it in the front or to the side, or it would be uncomfortable if I kept it in the back and leaned up against it while sitting.

  Sigh. Yet another thing to add to my growing to-do list.

  I shot off the message, then sent Abel a text, asking him to check his email. Yes, I was getting desperate. At least it wasn’t because I missed him or was trying to get attention, though. He’d agreed to help me, and I needed him to commit to the job or let me know if I should find someone else.

  Memories of my earlier conversation with Chief O’Hare flitted into my brain, and I put my face in my hands. I knew what it felt like to be told to recommit. I hated that Abel was giving me a reason to have that sort of conversation with him, and I felt hypocritical for feeling that way.

  I still hadn’t made much headway into hiring a
n assistant. It would come—things needed to calm down a bit before I could jet set across the country.

  After several minutes of catching up on email and waiting for Abel to respond, I finally shut the machine down and began cleaning the house.

  I’d just gotten out my rags to mop the floor when a phone call interrupted me. I dashed into the living room where the device was plugged in and eagerly picked it up. It wasn’t a number I had saved. Disappointment flooded me when I realized it wasn’t Abel. Unless he was calling on a different phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Miss Ashton?” a woman said.

  Definitely not Abel. “Yes?”

  “This is the Spanish Fork Fire Department calling. We’ve got a helicopter en route right now to pick you up. We need your help fighting a wildfire on the mountain.”

  That would be the third in only a few days. I knew the summer was a hot and dry one, but this was a bit unusual.

  “I’m ready now.”

  “Are you home?”

  “Yes.”

  “Thank you. See you soon.”

  She ended the call, and I went outside to wait in the stifling heat.

  Two helicopter rides in the same week. I didn’t mind—they saved time.

  Yet again, I felt like this fire was different. There was something off. But not in the same way as the last fire. What was I missing? I needed more information. But from where? Or from whom? Eleanora? Possibly. Probably.

  It only took a couple of hours to get this one under control, as they’d caught it relatively quickly and had called me the moment they found out about it.

  During the helicopter ride back, I got a phone call from Mrs. Russell. Weird. The elderly woman very, very rarely called me.

  “Mrs. Russell?” I shouted over the sound of the helicopter. “Are you okay?”

  I heard a chuckle on the other end of the line and relaxed.

  “Yes, I’m fine. Listen, Lizzie, Mr. Russell and I have been talking . . . And . . .”

  She paused, and I tensed, hoping and expecting her to say that they’d reconsidered my request and wanted to go somewhere safe.

  “Remember how a while back, you and Abel were talking about vampires who use flame to devour their victims?”

  I couldn’t believe she remembered that—I thought we’d kept that part quiet. Where was this leading? A sick feeling dropped my stomach to somewhere around my knees.

  “Well, we’d like to accompany you next time you have a problem with them.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  My jaw fell, landing near where my stomach had gone. I spluttered, trying to figure out what to say.

  “Are you . . . You can’t be serious. No! No way. There’s no way I’d put you in that much danger. Besides, I very rarely know when they’re about to attack. The last one was in Orem two weeks ago while I was out of the country.”

  Apparently, Mrs. Russell handed the phone to Mr. Russell because his voice boomed over the speaker. He wasn’t used to newer technology and usually spoke louder than he needed to. For once, as the helicopter blades roared in my ears, I appreciated it.

  “We’re totally serious, Lizzie. Take us with. We want to join in, to see what’s going on. Maybe we can help.”

  I shook my head. These people were insane. I was not going to get them involved, especially since there was nothing supernatural about them. I’d been living next to them for several years. Believe me, I would’ve known. And besides, the amulet would have told me if there was something off with them.

  I was so lost in thought that I didn’t realize Mr. Russell had ended the call. Oh, boy. Had I said something to let him think I was okay with taking them? I racked my brain, trying to remember, but couldn’t. What had he said when I’d gone off into my thoughts?

  Lowering my phone, I stared at the screen, mulling over the conversation. Nothing good could come of them getting involved. I knew they were adventurous—Mrs. Russell loved action movies even more than Mr. Russell did, and he was quite addicted to them. They were constantly seeking ways to broaden their horizons and explore the world . . . but always safely from their house.

  Going with me to stop fire vampires was way out of the question.

  Later that evening, I got a phone call from the Springville fire chief about another wildfire.

  So soon? This was unusual. I couldn’t help but notice that the wildfires were hopping mountains northward. My first thought was that it was arson—some idiot teenager trying to pull a prank. But the last two fires hadn’t felt right, and officials hadn’t found out what started them in the first place.

  The whole time I fought the Springville fire, I absolutely knew there was something wrong with the flames. They were the same color as regular ones, but they behaved radically. Like flames on steroids or fast forwarded. They jumped quicker, spread faster, and burned hotter.

  And this time, I noticed almost immediately that strange feeling again. It was as if magic was involved, but it wasn’t any I’d ever felt before.

  Arete fires don’t feel magical unless the power is active. Not only that, but I knew it wasn’t an Arete who started this, since their fires burn exactly like any others do. This was different. Something told me it wasn’t just random pranks or acts of nuisance. But who or what was starting them?

  We got the fire under control, and the firefighters returned me to my house. On the way in, I marveled at the fact that even while using my powers under high stakes and stress, for once, I didn’t reach my magic threshold. Was it possible I was getting stronger? I really hoped so. I’d been forced to use my magic a lot more lately. Eleanora had said getting stronger would happen.

  Speaking of Eleanora, she was the person I needed to talk to. She knew a lot more about supernatural creatures than I did, and she’d probably heard of something that created fire like this. At least I hoped so.

  As soon as I’d settled in at home, I gave her a call. “Eleanora, it’s Lizzie. I need your help with a dilemma.”

  “What’s going on?”

  I explained to her everything that happened with the fires—starting at Payson and moving north. She listened patiently, asking a couple of questions here and there, then fell silent for several moments when I finished.

  “Lizzie, dear,” she said. “I honestly have no idea what’s going on. I need to be there, need to feel and fight them myself.”

  I cringed. “I was afraid you’d say that. Is there any way we can avoid that?”

  Eleanora chuckled. “I’m not as fragile as you think, honey.”

  I got to my feet and started pacing. I remembered how she was when I first came to work in Utah. She’d been recovering from a broken hip and could barely hobble around. I absolutely could not picture her hiking up on the mountain, fighting fire beside me. “I’m not convinced.”

  Eleanora chuckled. “Trust me, I’ll be fine. Besides, I have a couple of young men—Corben and Garrison—who help me get around occasionally. I’ll call them and have them on standby for whenever the next fire happens.”

  “They don’t normally have much time for me to get there. How am I going to explain that we need to wait for you?”

  “You wouldn’t need to wait, of course. You can get to work right away.” She hesitated for a moment, then said, her voice thoughtful, “What if I come stay with you for a couple of days?”

  I halted in my tracks. The thought of Eleanora living with me made my brain stutter. Don’t get me wrong—I love Eleanora. She’s absolutely amazing. I didn’t know how I felt about having her as my roommate, though.

  “What?”

  She chuckled, obviously sensing my hesitation. “It’s honestly the best and most practical way to get me to the mountain in time. And it’s just for couple of days. Besides, you shouldn’t be alone right now. If I’m not mistaken, you were supposed to hire an assistant, weren’t you?”

  I grumbled to myself. “Yes. I’m going to do it. I just haven’t gotten around to it yet.”

  “And what about Abe
l? Where is he?”

  “I haven’t been able to get a hold of him.” I pushed away the desire to defend him, knowing that I had no reason to do so.

  “Well, give me a couple of hours, then come pick me up, if you can.”

  I promised I would, and she hung up. I hadn’t been off the phone for long, though, when I got a call from the Provo Fire Department.

  “You’ve gotta be kidding me,” I muttered before answering.

  “Miss Ashton, Assistant Chief of the Provo Fire Department here. We’re holding a meeting with Orem, Payson, Pleasant Grove, and basically every city along the Wasatch Front. We want you to be at that meeting.”

  “When is it?” I asked, grabbing my calendar and pulling it toward myself.

  “Right now. Sorry, it’s an impromptu meeting—an emergency.”

  “Okay. On my way.”

  It gave me something to do while waiting for Eleanora to get herself together, and I was grateful for that. I arrived at the correct building, and a receptionist told me which room to go to. I entered and took a seat, noticing a map right away on a bulletin board that showed they’d also recognized the pattern—how the fires had started at Mount Nebo and were slowly making their way northward. We’d had around one fire a day lately. That meant the Provo fire would probably be happening that night.

  Chapter Eighteen

  At that moment, the firefighters were discussing how the fires were different from regular ones.

  I nodded, then raised my hand and said, “There’s magic. It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I’ve already enlisted the help of the previous Fire Impeder, Eleanora, who will be coming to fight the next one with me.”

  The Provo fire chief thought that was a great idea. “Everyone, if you haven’t already met Miss Ashton, she’s our local Fire Impeder who took Eleanora’s place. She’s very good at what she does—as I’ve heard, if it hadn’t been for her, the previous fires this week would have done considerable damage.” He glanced at me again. “And you’ve never sensed this type of magic?”