Strange Fire

by Trina M. Lee

  “Back off, asshole. Spike doesn’t owe you shit.” Arrow hovered close, making every effort to shove between Koda and me.

  Koda’s sinister chuckle preceded the shove he gave Arrow. “Do not fuck with me today, you little shit. I have no qualms with killing you, and your brother will be next.”

  I shot Arrow a warning look, willing him to back off. Koda was my problem. For now. No need to piss him off and have him take it out on Rowen. “I gave it to Cinder.” The lie rolled easily off my lips. “He asked for it. I’m sorry. I had to.”

  “Oh yeah? Why don’t I believe you?” Koda blocked my escape with a hand on either side of my head, pinning me to the wall.

  Gritting my teeth, I tried to keep a level head. We were in public. Koda could only do so much here. “I don’t give a shit what you believe, Koda. I’m sorry, but Cinder has the key. What do you want it for anyway? You don’t seem like the type to visit prisoners.”

  Koda stroked a hand over the side of my face. Ignoring my shudder, he slid his hand down to my throat. Slowly the pressure increased until stars danced in my vision. “I have a few things to say to Rhine myself before I kill his sons,” he snarled. “So get me that fucking key.” He released me with a shove that bounced my head off the wall.

  My hand went to my throat, and I sucked in a deep breath. Arrow pushed in front of me with shadows seeping from his hands. I grabbed his arm to keep him from making a bad move in public. It wouldn’t be the first time.

  Koda backed off, having gotten his message across. “I’m out of patience with you, white lighter. Twenty-four hours. Get. Me. That. Key.” We watched him disappear into the crowd.

  Arrow turned to me, confused. “What does that mean?”

  I rubbed the bruise I could feel forming on my neck. Fucking demon. “It means we have to go tonight so I can give Koda the key. Or else Rowen dies tomorrow night.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “You’re not going without me. Someone has to have your back.” There was no arguing with Jett and winning. The woman could argue circles around me.

  Arrow scoffed. “I’ll have her back.”

  Jett gave him a skeptical once over. “Sure you will. What else would you like to have, Arrow?”

  “Guys, chill out,” I broke in. “We’re supposed to be a team. Remember?”

  Grudgingly they both shut up, but that didn’t stop them from slinging venomous glares across my kitchen table.

  “We’re missing one,” Jett said. “I guess it’s just the three of us then.”

  I nodded. “It’s better if Rowen doesn’t know what we’re doing. He’s too close to Dash and Koda right now.”

  “Agreed.” Arrow leaned back in his chair, doing his best not to make eye contact with me. “I don’t want him meeting Rhine anyway. Nothing good can come of that.”

  Since the kiss, he’d done all he could to avoid the subject. Jett’s wolfish observance made me nervous. She eyed us each in turn, trying to put together the pieces of the tension she no doubt easily sensed.

  Needless to say, I was confused as all get out. Much as I’d like to have some alone time to ponder the kiss and how I felt about it, that wasn’t an option. Arrow and I had formed a fragile acquaintanceship, though I’d hardly consider it more than that. I wondered at what point it had become more to him.

  Shoving that line of thought aside, I poked the Scorpio Key. It sat in the center of the table, awaiting further instruction. “So, are we all ready? Anyone need a bathroom break or a shot of vodka first?” I wasn’t kidding about the vodka. I’d taken a shot myself a few minutes prior. It had done nothing to make this any easier.

  “Can anyone possibly be ready for what we’re about to do? It doesn’t feel real.” Grabbing the vodka bottle next to the scorpion, Jett bypassed the glass and took a swig from the bottle. “Ready.”

  Arrow stood up with a jingle of the chain that attached his wallet to his jeans. “Well, I sure hope we don’t die. Let’s get this over with.”

  I grabbed a hair tie from the bathroom and pulled my hair into a ponytail. After securing the Midnight Star on my back, I was as ready as I could get. Jett was right. This didn’t feel real.

  I held out the small silver dagger I carried in my boot. My hand trembled. “Cinder said it takes a few drops of blood from each person passing through.” Without giving myself a chance to chicken out, I slid the blade across my palm. Holding the Scorpio Key in my unblemished hand, I let three perfect drops hit the surface of the glass case.

  Immediately the atmosphere shifted. It seemed to tighten, sucking the air from the room. A black doorway appeared right where the door to my bedroom should be. Like a rift in the fabric of reality, the portal swirled with darkness. Whatever lay on the other side could not yet be seen.

  “Holy fuck me,” Jett gasped.

  I handed the dagger to Arrow who quickly slid it across his hand. His blood fell to mix with mine on the scorpion. Jett didn’t wait for the dagger. She used a claw to slice a perfect little gash in her thumb.

  When the scorpion was effectively soaked in our blood, I held it tight and approached the doorway. My inner survival instinct shouted at me to forget this whole insane idea. For just a second I hesitated.

  Arrow strode by me and disappeared into the black swirling mass.

  I gaped after him.

  “What a badass,” Jett sneered sarcastically.

  We looked at one another and nodded. Holding hands, we followed Arrow through.

  Right away the muggy heat struck me. The air felt damp, sticky almost. The blackness cleared to reveal that we stood in a forest. Or a twisted mockery of a forest anyway. Blackened trees lined a narrow path. Barren and void of any leaves or other sign of life, the trees stood there like gnarled props in a horror movie. They stank of sulfur and rot.

  A pale blue moon served as the only source of light. Or was it a sun? In the colorless forest under an overcast sky, it was hard to tell.

  “Fuck, it stinks.” Jett’s voice echoed, bouncing back to us. “I expected more of an actual prison.”

  A glance behind us revealed nothing at all. Just black. No choice but to follow the path as far as I could tell.

  “I don’t think we can expect anything. This isn’t our world.” Arrow boldly stepped forward, veering away from the path to investigate the trees up close.

  His foot hit the edge of the path, and a crack like thunder broke the quiet. Arrow was flung back like he’d been struck by lightning. He hit the ground and rolled before pushing to his feet. Grimacing, he wiped his hands on his pants.

  “Ok,” he said, “I guess we don’t get to leave the path.”

  I tucked the Scorpio Key into my pocket. Not knowing what to anticipate, I wanted to keep my hands free.

  “Shall we?” Extending a hand, Jett gestured for Arrow to go ahead.

  “Ladies first,” he countered.

  “Bite me, jackass.”

  I pushed in front of them to lead the way. Starting this little journey off bickering didn’t strike me as helpful. I hoped ignoring them would be more effective than joining in with a scolding.

  Jett had never cared much for Arrow. When he put up a fight for the song Rowen and I had written, her general dislike had turned into full-blown resentment. Working as a team might be a challenge. I hoped they could set aside petty differences when it mattered most. Like right now.

  They fell into step behind me. Jett stuck close, literally having my back, while Arrow hung back to bring up the rear without crowding us. The narrow path didn’t allow for side-by-side travel.

  A loud screech overhead grabbed my attention. A pair of large, bald vultures sat in one of the trees, scowling down at us. They were hideous. From where we stood I could see the bloodstains smeared around their beaks and running across their heads.

  “Dear God,” I muttered, suppressing a shudder.

  Like a reflex Jett extended claws. “Think those things can die?”

  I swiped a hand over my forehead. The heat
seemed to gradually increase. “I don’t want to have to find out.”

  We could only see so far ahead. The shred of blue light gave us just enough of a glow to keep moving. Despite our inability to stray off the path, something lurked in the trees. Every so often a rustling in the bush made my skin crawl. It grew ever closer and louder.

  “Ok, that is starting to get fucking creepy,” Arrow muttered. Shadows ebbed and flowed around him. He too kept a defense stance, ready for anything.

  Except what we saw when we rounded a bend in the path.

  A demon stood on the side of the road. Not a demon with a humanoid appearance like most in the human realm, this was a grotesque creature. Its vulture head sat atop a brawny, squat body. From beneath dark robes protruded a snake-like tail complete with rattle. The robe’s hood had been pulled, revealing only its sharp beak and beady eyes.

  My hands itched, and both palms burst into flame. I couldn’t shake out the fire or will it away. An inner need to protect myself overruled my attempts.

  Jett sucked in a breath, and I could almost hear the obscenity-laden tirade that had to be going on inside her head. My gait slowed, and Arrow slipped between Jett and me to take the lead.

  “My hero,” she muttered at his back.

  If he heard he gave no indication. His wary gaze was locked on the demon.

  It watched us approach with a detached curiosity. I wondered how often visitors wandered through here. Its eerie stare passed over Arrow and me before settling on Jett. The way it watched her gave me the creeps right to the tips of my toes.

  We had no choice but to pass the thing and hope it didn’t try anything. I wasn’t holding my breath on that.

  The sound of my own heart pounding reverberated in my ears. I strained to hear beyond it. Behind us I could hear scratching from whatever had been following us in the trees. Overhead the vultures squawked. They too shadowed us. But the demon that shared their countenance dominated my attention.

  “Just keep moving.” Voice low, Arrow trailed serpentine tendrils of shadow.

  As we passed the demon my lungs seized. I couldn’t breathe. Slowly it extended a bony hand with claws long enough to rival Jett’s. Clutched in its grasp was a metal cup, held out like a beggar.

  “The fuck?” Jett asked what we were all thinking.

  Arrow glanced back at me, a brow raised in question. I shook my head, unable to offer any guidance. Clearly feeling bolder than I, Arrow leaned toward the demon, just close enough to peer into the cup. I didn’t want to know what the cup held, and yet, I did.

  He held up a hand and stepped back. “Oh, no man. Sorry. We can’t help you.”

  The demon thrust the cup toward Arrow, a demand in the motion. When nobody contributed to the cup, the demon thrust it again. This time he flung it too hard, and something small and white fell out. With a plop it hit the dusty ground.

  An eyeball. It was a fucking eyeball.

  Quickly the demon scooped the eyeball back into the cup before shoving it at us again. Did it really think we’d pluck out one of our own and hand it over? Like a bizarre bodily donation?

  “Let’s get the fuck out of here. Screw this guy.” Eyes solid wolf brown, Jett spoke through bared fangs.

  The thing stared straight at her as it continued to hold the cup out. Though I didn’t know whose eyeballs were in there, the demon wanted to add Jett’s to the bunch. I couldn’t imagine why. Didn’t want to know.

  We hurried past, refusing to interact further. The thing gave an irate screech but never moved from its spot. The vultures overhead however were happy to rush us on its behalf.

  Having no idea where we were going or what lay ahead, we broke into a run.

  The vultures caught up. They circled above us, dropping down closer with each rotation. Descending talons first, I figured out how the eyeballs might have been obtained from those unlucky enough to come this way.

  A fireball erupted from my hand. It lit up the bleak sky and drove the birds back long enough for me to pull the Midnight Star from its sheath.

  They circled before diving in for another attack.

  Jett speared one with a clawed hand and flung it to the ground. It hopped up and lunged at her. I intercepted with the sword, but the damn thing was ready and avoided the blow with a sudden flap of wings that took it just out of reach.

  The second bird ended up twisted in a rope of shadow. Arrow dragged the vulture to the ground and held it pinned while I lopped off its head.

  Jett snarled as she fended off an attack that was all talons and screeching. Throwing her arms up to protect her face, the vulture’s talons sank into her flesh. A shadow wrapped around the creature’s throat. The bird flailed about as it choked. With an angry shout Jett slashed at it. A second vulture head slapped the ground.

  “Are you ok?” Carefully I examined Jett’s arm, wary of her fangs and claws. Though she’d never given me a reason to fear her, one shouldn’t let their guard down around a predator in attack mode.

  “Yeah, it’s fine. Let’s keep going.” She tried to pull away, playing off the deep gouges.

  Blood dripped from the wounds. She’d heal relatively fast, but that didn’t negate the exposure of muscle that flexed as she pulled away. Arrow untied the red bandana hanging from a belt loop on his jeans and, without asking, stepped close to wrap it around her bleeding arm.

  “Don’t tell me to fuck off,” he grumbled. “Just accept it so we can keep moving without you bleeding a trail for that thing in the trees to follow. Whatever it is.”

  The glower she shot him made me flinch. Grudgingly she allowed him to wrap her wounds. Without a word she turned on a heel and pressed forward, taking the lead.

  A screech behind us from the now healed and whole vultures increased my pace. They took to the air and circled but didn’t follow or attack again. Fucking demon birds.

  The dirt path soon began to widen. Several twists and curves led us out of the blackened forest without further incident. We never did see what had been stalking us in the trees, and I was cool with that.

  As we reached the edge of the forest, ominous music began to play. Carnival music. It seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once.

  The three of us exchanged a look. Arrow’s hazel eyes widened. I recognized his expression as one of alarm, something I couldn’t recall seeing on Arrow.

  The forest gave way to a parched dirt field occupied by the creepiest friggin’ carnival I’d ever laid eyes on. The classic red-and-white striped tent sat in the middle. It was huge. To one side a large building bearing a worn Theatre sign glowered at us. A House of Mirrors sat on the other side. Behind these structures sprawled various rides and games, each in some state of ruinous disrepair. Though nobody rode any of the rides, they were all in motion. Unsettling, to say the least.

  A skeletal figure in a black suit complete with a ringmaster’s top hat occupied a ticket booth at the front gate. Above the ticket booth hung a tattered banner. Carnival of Lost Souls.

  “What in the ever-loving fuck?” Arrow muttered.

  “Right there with ya.” I studied the skeleton-man who now waved us over with a bony hand. His giant grin gave me a massive nope sensation.

  Still fired up from the vultures, Jett didn’t slow or stop. She continued right on up to the ticket booth, purple waves bouncing along her shoulders.

  I started to follow, until I noticed Arrow had stopped. “Arrow? You coming?”

  He sucked in a deep breath of muggy air and pulled the hat off his head to run a hand through his hair. “I fucking hate carnivals.”

  Was Arrow afraid? I’d never witnessed it before. It felt strange, like I shouldn’t be seeing it.

  “I’m not loving this either. Let’s just get it over with.” When he didn’t budge, I reached to grab his arm.

  He jerked out of reach and sprang into motion. Shoving the hat into his back pocket, he rushed after Jett.

  Alright then.

  Skeleton dude couldn’t contain his ov
erjoyed laughter. Tipping his hat to us, he cackled, “Welcome to the Carnival of Lost Souls.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  “It’s lovely to have you. If you’ll kindly give me your names, I can jot you down in the registry and allow you inside.”

  “Registry?” I repeated, unable to stop gawking at the twin hollows where his eyes should be.

  “Yes, of course. All visitors must register.” He held a quill poised over a large book.

  Jett’s gaze slid over him, sizing him up. She waved a hand at the circus tent. “What’s this all about? I thought this was some kind of prison world.”

  “Oh, yes, it is. One of you has dictated its form today. The prison takes on various forms driven by fear, usually that of the occupants but, in this case, the fear of a visitor. Can’t make it too easy on you, you know.” Another lipless cackle. “Our last visitor absolutely dreaded deserted islands after being banished to one for several centuries. That was an entertaining visit. He was a demon, of course. We don’t get many mortal types through here.”

  For a guy with no actual voice box, he sure was chatty. And happy. Too happy for anyone in a demonic prison realm. He stared expectantly at us, pen held ready.

  I offered up my name first.

  Without comment or question he jotted it down before turning to Arrow. He took each of our names in turn, all the while chatting and laughing. I didn’t know what to make of the guy.

  Arrow seemed to be feeling the same way. Looking as suspicious as I felt, he blurted, “Why the hell are you so happy? I mean, this is supposed to be a place of torment, right?”

  “That it is.” The skeleton nodded with such enthusiasm, I half expected his head to detach from his spine. “For the prisoners. And sometimes for the visitors. Neither of which I am. There are perks to being the gatekeeper.”

  “Gatekeeper?” Jett repeated. “So you let us in and out?”

  “Yes, of course. There are rules, you know. I can’t trap you here, but there will be a price to pay for a safe exit.” He turned back to the book before him, seeing something we could not. “Now I’m obligated to tell you that the prison will try to find ways to keep you. Many a visitor has entered, never to leave. Do be careful.”