by Dawn, Autumn
She sighed. “Leave it alone, okay? I can’t deal with this now.” She was upset at leaving her stuff, at the reason why she couldn’t take it with her. She wanted her old life back; she wanted to be normal.
She wanted to think she was the same person, but could she say she was still human?
They pulled out of the fire stream, solidifying in a vast, fire-lit cavern. Raze touched her shoulder and placed a finger on his lips, signaling silence. He nodded at the scene below.
Curious, she searched the lake of fire and the shores beyond. A gigantic shape moved in the shadows, a hulking being of living lava with bull’s horns. He took a step and the ground trembled beneath a giant hoof. “Is that a demon?” she whispered, horrified.
Raze shook his head. “The Bible describes demons and angels. That is a fire dweller, one of the perils of the fire lands. That’s only one of the reasons why you should never attempt to travel here alone.” Before she could comment, he whisked them into the fire stream.
Though she couldn’t speak as spark, Kira was bursting with questions. As soon as they exited the fire stream in Hana, she asked, “Are there a lot of fire dwellers? What else lives in the fire?”
He snorted, but relented at her scowl. “You’re tired. Come and rest on the deck and we’ll talk.”
Now that he mentioned it, she was exhausted, but too curious to admit it. “Obviously the fire dweller is dangerous, but why? Is it personal?”
He settled her in a lounge chair before answering. “Their one goal is to flood the world with fire, and they encourage volcanic eruptions to achieve that goal. Fire elementals have traditionally stood in the way. We are guardians of our element; we were created to keep the balance.”
She frowned. “Then what was Pompeii?”
His expression darkened. “They did not deserve life.”
“Would you tell me what happened? I’d like to understand.” When he remained silent, she prodded, “You don’t sound as if you approve of random volcanic eruptions.”
“There was a young prophetess named Cyra. Her father gave her to the temple as a prostitute when she was thirteen. When she was fourteen, her gift of prophecy was discovered and she was elevated to the position of priestess. Her clientele became more exclusive, and when she predicted the coming volcanic eruption, they paid attention.
“Unfortunately, the followers of her temple decided the best way to prevent the eruption was to sacrifice 100 virgins to the volcano. Cyra was appalled. We’d met, and she knew I wouldn’t condone what their actions, but no one listened.
“I was traveling, and she couldn’t get word to me in time. I felt the girls die as they were tossed in the crater.” His expression hardened. Though he said nothing else, it was clear his anger had been beyond all bounds. “The volcano erupted shortly after that.”
She didn’t know what to say. Could she blame him? Still, four cities died.
He drew a breath. “Cyra fled before she could be buried in ash. At her request, I visited her. I didn’t realize how she felt about me until she begged me to take her with me, to make her my consort. I refused gently and she began to shout, threatening me. While I didn’t take her seriously, it was clear she was unhinged. I felt it best to refuse further contact. I left her with a reward for her efforts to stop the murders and never saw her again.” His jaw tightened. “She never forgave me and her children were taught to hate elementals. They are bound to the service of the cult she founded and trained to hunt us.”
Kira blinked. “You have stalkers?”
“We have stalkers.” He stood. “You are tired, and I wish to begin your training in the morning. The sooner you are independent, the better.”
Okay. It was like that, was it? “Sounds good: I’m an independent girl. See you tomorrow.” It was good they agreed about something, she thought as she prepared for bed. Raze was spooky, with more mood swings than a teen girl. She didn’t need to be tied to him any longer than necessary. She grumpily touched the nose ring as she snuggled under the covers. If she studied hard, maybe she could find a way to rid herself of his jewelry. She didn’t need reminders of how alien she’d become.
Swallowing hard, she closed her eyes. Maybe, if she got it off, she could find a way to become human again.
As soon as she’d breakfasted on lava, Raze began the first lesson. “This morning you’ll meet the spirit of Kilauea. You’ll bond with me as you do when we travel as spark, though you’ll remain in your human body.” He cupped her face in his hands. “Look.”
His eyes sparked, became pools of deep lava. She traveled into his eyes, rushing down a trail of fire. It was unexpectedly intimate. When they traveled as spark, she couldn’t hear his thoughts. He seemed to be shielding them, but she felt warmth, an interest in her that went deeper than she’d realized.
“Look,” he said in her mind, directing her attention beyond him. They were in a red-lit cavern the size of a stadium. Raze held a slender thread of fire that stretched across the cavern. With a gentle tug, a creature the size of rhino walked toward them. Muscular, blocky, it reminded her of a prehistoric cross between a longhorn and a boar goat. Multiple sets of horns sprouted from its head and nose, and massive boar tusks dripped fire. Made of living flame, the beast stopped a body length from them and snorted smoke.
“This is the creature you know as Kilauea. I govern him, allow him to vent into the sea so he doesn’t harm the island. You may pet him if you like.”
She gulped. “Uh, no. No way.”
Raze took her hand and led her to the beast, ignoring her dragging steps. “Be respectful, but know that my control is real. He will not harm you.”
She gulped, but stroked a shaky hand over Kilauea’s neck. He stretched his neck and bellowed.
Raze chuckled. “How will you learn to control him if you are afraid?”
“Control him? I’m really not interested, thanks.” At the moment, all she wanted to do was escape. She wasn’t good with large animals.
Raze sighed and scratched around the horns on the beast’s nose. “This will take time, I see. “We will tour the volcano, then. You may as well learn your way around.” He guided her through the lava streams and cooled tubes, confusing her with the many twists and turns. Assuring her that she’d eventually learn her way around, he taught her how to orient herself when she got lost and then brought her to a cooled tube near the surface. “Now I’ll show you how to safely draw fire to the surface so that you may feed or travel the fire stream.” Still merged with her mind, he showed her how bring the lava to the surface in a controlled stream and how to send it away. She felt what he did, felt it embed into her memory and knew that she’d never forget, never go hungry again. Gratitude welled, made her soften dangerously toward him. Twined with her thoughts, he couldn’t help but notice. His features softened as he sent the lava away, sealing it off. Cupping her jaw, he leaned closer…
Kira opened her eyes to find she was kissing Raze for real. She gasped and drew back, but he drew her closer and kissed her hungrily, like fire licking wood. Like the wood, she ignited, helpless before the sweeping heat. She didn’t mean to respond, but her body wasn’t listening. She melted and burned, the blood like molten metal in her veins. Threading her hands through his hair, she attacked him with unexpected passion. Their teeth clashed, and Raze made a sound, lifting his head.
Kira gasped, and it was long moment before her sense returned. The moment it did, she put distance between them. “That’s…not good,” she managed.
He didn’t say anything, simply watched her with a hot burn. It was as if all the feelings he kept under tight control were in the open, naked to her view.
“I’m going to take a walk,” she said, her voice strangled. Her skin prickled and her body felt wooden. She’d never encountered such a powerful surge of lust and wasn’t sure what to do with it. She needed to learn to survive on her own, not get romantically involved with Raze.
Somehow he was behind her, his fingers trailing over her spine. That f
ast, she was on fire for him, unable to move.
He gently drew her hips to his, pressing along her back as his arms encircled her. He nuzzled her ear. “You feel it too. I want this as much as you do.”
She tried to pull away, ignoring the way her body begged for him. “Not a good idea.”
“Why?”
Arguing with him was beyond her when she forgot the reasons. “I’m not willing.”
“Then step away.” His lips trailed along her throat, her shoulder, driving her mad. His hands were wandering, but he held her loosely. She could escape if she liked.
His thumb grazed the underside of her breast. She would have stepped away, but his mouth closed over her neck, sucking gently. It was like an alien took over her body. She arched, moaning helplessly, wanting his hands on her.
He grazed her nipple, then cupped her breasts, massaging, tweaking. By the time his hand slid down and gently stroked her throbbing flesh through her dress, she’d forgotten why she didn’t want this. It was good, it was awesome…and he’d destroyed four cities. He wanted nothing to do with her kind.
Trembling, she moved away, and held out a hand when he would have followed. “You hate humans, remember?”
His eyes narrowed shrewdly. “You’re not human.”
“My heart is. That will never change.”
“You were made for more.”
The way he said it made her weak. “Not for this. Not for you.” She fought for reason. “Sooner or later, you’ll lose your temper. How many people will die then?”
Raze’s jaw tightened. Cold anger hardened his expression, and he didn’t follow as she turned away.
Kira ran a hand over face, feeling terrible. She’d been honest in her fears, but not kind in the delivery. It had been the first excuse she could come up with to escape him.
She went up to the deck, feeling the need to escape: the house, the changes, him. She leapt off in a shower of sparks, drawn morbidly to the place where it all began. Hoping for clues, desperate to change what happened, she landed on the deserted beach and stared at the pile of burned wood and ashes that had been her funeral pyre. She shivered, remembering the fire and the pain, doubting she ever truly recovered from the shock. She’d burned and risen from the pyre as no human could. She was afraid of what she had become.
She put a hand over her face, trying to block the memories, and cried tears that hissed and sizzled. Startled, she wiped her eyes and watched the tears of fire flicker and wink out. Horrified, she stared at her hands, wondering what else was different. Spying a sharp shell fragment, she seized it and raked it over her forearm in a shallow, painful cut. Her skin parted, revealing a line of fire. She stared as the awful lava dripped, sizzling as it hit the ground. She screamed, slapping a hand over the wound as much to hide it as to staunch the flow.
Shaken, desperate, she burst into flame, needing to flee. Instead of spark, this time her body instinctively burst into a fiery bird. The phoenix flew high, and unlike the spark form, this body felt natural, powerful. She flew swiftly, surging over the islands until she found a small, lonely island just offshore. Nothing more than a large rock, it was big enough to support a shopping center if its craggy surface had been level.
Numb with horror, she still couldn’t ignore the hunger that beat at her. She opened a vein in the earth and drew up a ribbon of lava, allowing it to fill a shallow depression.
Even fed, she still felt terrible. She truly wasn’t human.
Raze found her shortly after. Descending in a shower of sparks, he stared at her as if determining her punishment. “At least you’ve fed.”
She showed him the cut on her arm, now healed to a thin red line. “I bleed fire.”
He cocked his head. “This is news?” When she flinched, he said more gently, “I see it is to you.”
“I’ve been so calm about this; I’ve been in denial. I am not human,” she said, anguished. “I don’t want this.”
“And yet here you are.”
She hung her head, breathing through her teeth. “I want to kill you! I want to kill the bitches who murdered me. They just stood there while I screamed, while my hair caught fire. I could smell my body burning, and I felt everything. Everything, Raze,” she cried, her eyes alive with fury. “They burned me for you.”
He looked away, his throat working.
“I don’t want to see you for a while. Maybe never.”
“You need time.”
“I need something.”
He nodded. “I’ll allow you to stay here for a few days. Perhaps if you understand how little you know of survival, you’ll be more sensible when I bring you home. I’ll send Losee, of course.”
How dare he make her sound like an erring child! “I don’t need Losee,” she ground out.
“You’re mad if you think I’ll leave you here unguarded,” he said, unmoved by her anger. “However it came about, you are my wife…”
“I’m not your wife!”
“That is something else we’ll resolve when you come home,” he promised darkly. “Meanwhile, you know where to find me.”
She wanted to scream, but it wouldn’t do any good. At least he’d left; the jerk. The last thing she needed was to give into the attraction between them. If the Fates wanted that, then Kira would make certain it never happened.
She wasn’t his wife.
There was a cave of sorts on the rock. Knowing she couldn’t survive a storm without protection, she used the lava to deepen and shape a small, protected space. It was exhausting, but now that she was no longer in denial, she found many things were instinctive. She used the fire to melt and shape stone, but weaving cloth was beyond her. She didn’t have the energy to experiment with something that delicate, so she settled for sleeping on black sand, which was the best she could manage to soften the stone floor.
She dreamed that Raze was checking up on her, and when she woke she found the cave expanded enough to accommodate a stone basin full of perpetually hissing water. He’d thoughtfully left her electronics, a pretty sari of fireproof silk, and a bank card for “Kira Fire”. The accompanying note said, “For what you can’t make.”
She snorted. Devious man. He knew the lure of modern technology. She’d want to visit a coffee shop and surf the web, buy new music and ebooks. It was hard to play hermit when she was tempted to venture out.
Not today, though. She washed off the sand and studied her clothes. She’d woven paper in grade school art, but that was about it. Obviously Raze knew how it was done, but she refused to ask him. You Tube would be helpful, but unless she carried things as a bird in a fireproof sack, she wasn’t sure how to transport them intact. Besides, she didn’t have a sack.
She did have a sari, though she was reluctant to use it as a tote. Even if she did, she was back to the problem of flying into a populous area as a big flaming bird.
She figured Raze had shown her how to travel as spark because it was easier to explain than a firebird. Hopefully not too many people had noticed her yesterday, but she didn’t want to press her luck. The last thing she needed was paranormal investigators pestering her.
She needed a bed, too. Camping had never been cool, and she hadn’t enjoyed sleeping on cool, gritty sand. Unfortunately, her efforts to produce thread and weave it wasted hours and resulted in a massive headache. She managed an awkward ribbon, and by the end of the day she had a pile of varying widths (she’d been going for one standard size) that cushioned her from the sand, but no one would mistake for a bed. Groaning, she lay on the nest with her hand over her brow, wishing she had some of Raze’s medicine. Unfortunately, she didn’t even know what was in it.
After a while, she ate and went out to stare at the sea. It tossed moodily, and she wondered if any water elementals were out there, and if they were friendly. She used to believe many things were myths; now she wondered what might lurk in the sea.
She worried about her future. She needed something meaningful to occupy her time. Even if she lived with Raze (not that
she planned on it), she needed a hobby, if nothing else. She liked designing jewelry, but didn’t think she could make a living at it. Raze probably knew how to find gems in the earth’s depths; he’d already shown her how to recognize the taste of gold in the lava stream. She didn’t know how to separate it out yet, but she could learn.
Her hair blew into her face, and she snarled. At least there was something she could do about that. Fetching her mini Leatherman that Raze left in his care package, she sawed off a chunk of her hair and tossed it into the sea.
The sea boiled.
Kira stared, horrified that she’d done something unforgivable. Suddenly her hair flew at her in a wet mess. It landed at her feet with a splat as she stared, dumbfounded.
“Watch it, will you?” A man rose from the sea, his top half as blue as the ocean, his waist covered in water. His wet blue hair was slicked back from his brow and his body flickered with light like a sunlit brook. “I don’t time to clean up after you, newborn.”
He disappeared as suddenly as he’d appeared.
Kira backed away from the water, bemused. Obviously he wasn’t interested in chitchat, and he definitely wasn’t human. Was he a water elemental? And was he naturally unfriendly, or had she deeply offended him? Did Raze know about him?
Feeling unsettled, but not alarmed enough to vacate her rock, she went inside as the sun sank and listened to music until she fell asleep.
Kira dreamed she was a flower and a gardener was pouring fertilizer on her head. Groaning, she woke and ran a hand through her hair, only to find it grew during the night. If anything, it was longer.
It took her a minute to figure out what happened, then her eyes narrowed. Raze. This was his doing.
She fetched the knife and hacked the hair again. It was her hair and he needed to respect that, but this time she buried it in the sand. She didn’t want to see how her watery neighbor would react to a second hank of hair in his pool.
She never did spot Losee. If he was around, he was discreet, blasted cat.