Fires in the Darkness

by Nora Ash

  “Stay hidden!” he hissed at Kathryn as he practically shoved her down behind the anchors’ desk and out of sight. “I’ve got to help him!”

  At the other end of the studio, Bright aimed his gun at The Shade, who was crouched on the floor, clutching his stomach. Blood seeped from between his fingers.

  Lightning gritted his teeth and ran. Despite his body’s strained state, he crossed the short distance in the blink of an eye, coming up behind the corrupt mayor as Bright’s finger tensed against the trigger.

  Lightning didn’t pause to think before he put both hands around Bright’s neck an twisted hard. It broke between his fingers with a satisfying crack.

  Bright’s body slid to the floor, hand still wrapped around the infamous gun. His eyes were open and staring up at the ceiling, a look of shock permanently frozen onto his features.

  “Took you long enough.” The Shade wheezed. The effort made him cough, a bit of blood staining his lips in the effort.

  Lightning bent and grabbed Bright’s gun from his still-warm hand before giving The Shade a short look. “Are you dying?”

  “Nah.” Another cough. “Just need to heal a bit. Don’t suppose you want to give me a hand?”

  Lightning scoffed, then bent and grabbed Bright’s corpse with his free hand so he could sling it up over his shoulder. “Maybe later. I’m gonna go let our Brothers and Sisters know their beloved leader’s dead and see if they want to surrender. Keep Kathryn safe.”

  She was still huddled behind the desk, her head on her knees, and with all the fighting happening outside, Lightning deemed it safe enough to leave her behind in The Shade’s care, even if he was a bit battle worn.

  The streets below DNSA’s crumbling building were mayhem. Humans lay dying in droves, but Lightning spotted a couple of supes among them too. It would seem The Shade had been right in his assumption that modern weaponry could present a threat to supes, even if the costs were great.

  For several blocks around the plaza, St. Anthony was burning. Thick smoke billowed among the frequent flashes of offensive magic and weapon fire, and sounds of battle echoed through the streets.

  Lightning sucked in a deep breath, the stench of gunpowder and singed concrete filling his lungs as he infused his body with every ounce of magic he had left. With as much power as he could possibly muster, he roared.

  The sound wave was visible. It boomed across the plaza and hit the burning ruins surrounding it, shattering what little glass was still left. The humans—mainly police officers and agents—covered their ears and dropped to the ground, and every supe on the plaza and in the air above twisted around mid-fight to stare. The Call of the Dragon was impossible to ignore.

  “Bright is dead,” Lightning yelled once he was certain all eyes were on him. He tossed the corpse to the ground, where it landed with a visceral splat. “It’s over. Surrender now and you may be spared. Enough blood has been spilled tonight.”

  Nine

  Kathryn

  I’ve never felt such complete and utter exhaustion as I did after the battle for St. Anthony, but it was nothing compared to the relief flooding my body while I watched the aftermath, sagging between Lightning and Eliath. We had won.

  Bright’s body was still visible from where we were sitting on a chunk of concrete that had once been part of a major office building’s wall. Someone had made a half-hearted attempt at putting police tape up around where Lightning had dropped him to the ground, but no one had gotten around to covering his corpse. They were too busy with the surprising amount of supes who had surrendered.

  But our victory had come at a steep price.

  Bright’s corpse was far from the only body littering the plaza, and the destruction to the center of town was unlike anything the city had ever faced before. As thankful as I was that I and both the men I loved had made it through alive, it was hard to feel particularly victorious surrounded by so much death and destruction.

  “How did you convince the chief to come?” Lightning turned his head from the chaos in front of us to look at Eliath.

  Eliath grimaced. “Had to reveal my identity.”

  Lightning’s eyebrows shot up. “You sacrificed your identity to save the city?”

  “To save you,” Eliath sighed. He reached up and pulled off his mask. “This soulmate shit… it needs to be the three of us.”

  Lightning stared hard at his enemy, his eyes narrowed. “Elias Shaw. I assume you had an ulterior motive by befriending me?”

  “Eliath. Might as well know my true name, since we’re sharing a woman. And of course I had an ulterior motive.” Eliath rubbed his shaved head and turned back to look at the police and medics rushing around. He did not deign to elaborate.

  I pressed in closer to Lightning to interrupt what was bound to be some form of an argument. I just didn’t have it in me to sit through the two of them bickering—not now. “Is your true name Nick? It doesn’t seem all that dragon-y.”

  Lightning looked down at me, his eyes softening considerably. “No. It’s Nicklaus.”

  “Nicklaus,” I repeated, testing his name on my tongue. “Nicklaus.”

  “I could get used to the sound of you saying that.” He bent to kiss the top of my head. “I want to be furious with you for putting yourself into the thick of this, but—”

  “But it would be pretty ridiculous, since I saved your life?” I interrupted. I was so not in the mood to be scolded like a child.

  Nicklaus grunted. “Yes. How are you doing with that? You seem better, but I know killing is hard for humans.”

  I shrugged. Maybe it was meant to be hard to kill, but I felt no remorse for what I’d done. Mirome was about to kill the man I loved, so I’d killed him instead. And when I thought back to what he’d done to me, a new but rather intense part of me relished the fact that I had been the one who ended his life.

  Right after I’d slit his throat, though… I don’t know what happened, but it had felt like my brain disconnected from my body, and a thousand images had flickered through my mind’s eye while I was floating somewhere above, watching as I cut Lightning loose and then huddled behind a desk, rocking back and forth. It hadn’t stopped until Eliath had teleported me down to the plaza sometime later. Perhaps the fresh air had done me good.

  Though even as I thought it, I knew it wasn’t the case. Something inside of me was different, somehow. Changed. Maybe Lightning was right, maybe killing Mirome was somehow messing with my mind, even if I didn’t feel it yet.

  “I’m okay,” I said when I realized both men were staring at me with concern, as if they were afraid I could break apart into a thousand pieces any minute now. “I don’t feel bad about what I did. I had to do it, and if anyone deserved it…” I trailed off, remembering that they might still be struggling with their old mentor’s betrayal.

  Eliath intertwined his fingers with mine, squeezing my hand. “Yes. If anyone deserved it, it was him. My only regret is that I didn’t get to see his face while he struggled for his last breath.”

  “You were extraordinary, Kittykat,” Nicklaus said. He grabbed my other hand and lifted it to his lips for a quick kiss. Then he turned his eyes back to the plaza in front of us. “Heads up”

  Both Eliath and I followed his gaze and saw the Chief of Police, now covered in soot and with blood trickling from a wound on his forehead, walk toward us grimly.

  I frowned and fidgeted, despite the calming warmth seeping into both my hands from my two protectors on each side. Surely, he wouldn’t try to arrest Eliath along with all the other supes? Not when he was the only reason most of the city was still standing. Right?

  “I see you made it through,” the chief said when he stopped in front of us. “I’m not sure if that’s a blessing or the opposite, but I guess it is what is is. You—” He looked at Nicklaus. “I appreciate all you’ve done for this city, both in your getup and as a reporter, Mr. Coleman. And I am sure there’ll be some form of exception made for you, but I’d recommend leaving St. Anthony for a
while. This incident won’t make the general populous too keen on you supes, even the ones we owe our lives to.”

  His lips pinched, as if he’d sucked on a lemon as he turned his attention on Eliath. “Which brings me to you, Mr. Shaw. I realize we have you to thank for the warning of what Mayor Wilkins was planning, and I’ll be sure to bring that up to the review board who’ll go over your past transgressions. However, I’m afraid that, for now, you can consider yourself under arrest.”

  Eliath opened his mouth, undoubtedly to say something very The Shade-ish, but Nicklaus cut him off.

  “Yeah, that’s not happening, Chief.” Nicklaus wiggled the gun he’d been casually pointing toward the kneeling and unmasked supes the police were busy with, ensuring they stay put. “Mr. Shaw is the only reason that I am not dead and the entire city isn’t enslaved, and as such, he’s not going to jail. In fact, he’s not being charged with anything, or I will take your good advice and leave the city. Right now. And then I’m not entirely sure what you’ll do with the pretty grumpy lot of supes you’ve got kneeling on the floor, there, but I doubt they’ll want to stay around and thank you for the fight.”

  “That’s blackmail, Coleman.” The chief frowned, causing his wound to leak a fresh trickle of blood. “And, may I add, not very in tune with your hero status.”

  Nicklaus shrugged. “I’m fresh out of fucks to give about my status and all the other bullshit that’s been built up about us supes over the years. Yeah, Shaw’s a grade-A asshole, but ask yourself this—would a man who lived up to The Shade’s reputation risk his own life to save the people in the city? I don’t think so. I’m sure he’s robbed a bank or two, and maybe even killed a few scumbags along the way, but in the grand scheme of things… I’d suggest you ensure he won’t be prosecuted, so all this hassle he’s had with rounding up these criminal elements for you won’t go to waste. What do you say, Chief? Wanna make a deal?”

  The chief glared at the city’s hero for a long while. Then he sighed and spat at the ground next to his worn boots. “Fine, since you’re leaving me no choice. I’ll pull whatever strings I need to to keep the sonofabitch out of the courtroom. But be warned—the City will likely demand your valuables in return. That goes for both of you. Consider your assets seized. St. Anthony thanks you for your contribution toward its rebuild.”

  Eliath narrowed his eyes in obvious displeasure, but once again, Nicklaus intervened.

  “Happy to do our part. And speaking of… what have you got planned for those guys?” Nicklaus nodded toward the captured supes. “I’m not planning on hanging around pointing this thing at them forever.”

  For the first time since I’d met him, the chief looked uncertain, as if he regretted what he was about to say. “I don’t really see that we have an option. We don’t have jail cells that can hold them.”

  The loaded silence that followed made me realize what he meant.

  “You can’t kill them!” I squeaked and jumped down from the block of concrete, too shocked to sit still. “They surrendered!”

  “And what else do you suggest we do with them, Miss Smith? Set them free?”

  “Of course not. They need to be secured in leaden cells. As long as they’re completely surrounded by pure lead, they won’t be able to use their… powers.” My voice died down when I realized what I’d said. Where the hell did that come from?

  “Lead?” The chief stared at me as if I’d grown two heads. “What on earth are you talking about, girl?”

  “I’m… I’m not sure how I know, but I’m certain,” I said, frowning as my mind’s eye was assaulted by swirling masses of images, all adding pieces of information to my conscious thought process faster than I could comprehend. “Lead itself doesn’t hurt them, but if they’re completely surrounded by it, their powers are cut off.”

  Just then, I caught Nicklaus staring at me out of the corner of my eye, and turned to look at him. “I… how do I know this?”

  “You killed Mirome.” His voice was only just above a whisper.

  “You’re the new Secret Keeper.” Eliath sounded as astounded from my other side. When I whirled around to look at him, there was awe in his eyes.

  “I… but… how?” I stuttered, at the same time as the Chief asked, “She’s the what now?”

  “She is the Secret Keeper,” Nicklaus repeated. This time, his voice carried its usual assurance and authority, though his face still had a look of wonder. “She is the only living link between humans and superhumans. If you kill these supes, there is every chance that others will come to the city and seek revenge. It could easily spiral out of control and turn into a global repeat of what we’ve seen here tonight. How many lives would be lost?

  “Maybe, if you work with Kathryn, we can find a new way to coexist. She is the only one who has a chance at bringing peace to our city.”

  Ten

  Kathryn

  In truth, it hadn’t been that long since I was in my apartment last, but as I collapsed on the couch, it felt like it had been years. Everything had changed, and the loft that had been the only place I’d ever felt safe was now like walking into a stranger’s home.

  Still, after everything I’d been through, it felt great to finally be able to sit down and know that my life wasn’t in any immediate danger. At least, not as long as no other supe knew about my new position in their hierarchy.

  “Is there any other incident of a human gaining dragon powers in that new encyclopedia you’ve got lodged in your pretty head?”

  I shot Eliath a glare as he dropped his brown leather weekend bag next to my coffee table and fell onto the couch by my side, making me bounce from the impact. “It’s not exactly like looking something up in an encyclopedia, you know. Information just pops up like it pleases, and apart from the incident with the lead… nothing’s turned up so far.”

  “You’ll need to work on that. Find a way to search through all the knowledge, if you’re going to be the Superhuman Ambassador who ensures peace between our races,” Nicklaus said as he flopped down next to me after parking his hardshell suitcase next to my bed, stretching both arms out along the backrest with a groan. We had made short pit stops at both supes’ homes to grab a few personal items before the City Council made good on the threat to seize their assets. “Ugh, I’ve never been this exhausted in my entire goddamn life.”

  “You are the one who volunteered me for that job!” I snapped my head around to glare at my other superhuman lover. “You could be more helpful.”

  “Nah, you got this, Kittykat.” Nicklaus curled an arm around my shoulders, but didn’t open his eyes. From the lines on both their faces, it was obvious he wasn’t joking about the exhaustion. “I’ve got no idea how you got all our race’s history transferred when you’re as human as they come, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned from this whole, fucked up experience, it is that if anyone can use the title of Secret Keeper for good, it’s you.”

  A swirl of images made it to the forefront of my mind. “It’s the soulmate-thing. Dragon mates infuse some of their power into each other, which must be why I… Oh.”

  Eliath smiled lazily and reached down to squeeze my thigh before leaning his head back so he could let his eyelids flutter shut. “Yeah, you’re gonna do just fine, Kitten.”

  We sat in silence for a while, both Nicklaus and Eliath seemingly resting, though I could tell from their breathing they weren’t asleep. And I… I thought about who I was now. I knew I still looked the same, that I physically was still the same—a short and chubby girl with no particularly outstanding features. But on the inside… yeah, there were changes. I had been tortured and beaten and kidnapped, I had witnessed more murders than I cared to recall, and I had even killed a man myself. Yet somehow, all the violence carried the least impact when I thought about the past few weeks in the company of superhumans—in the company of dragon descendants.

  All my life I had been shy and timid, and to be very honest, my self-confidence had been pretty shaky at the best of times
. I had listened every time I’d been told I was nothing special, that I should never think my opinion, my voice, mattered. And yet here I was, the Secret Keeper of every Superhuman on the planet and the only person who could ensure peace among our two races, if Nicklaus was to be believed.

  I think the old me would have run away and hid at such responsibility. I wouldn’t have believed I had the strength or the capability to see it through, but now, I knew I could—and would. I’d survived everything Bright had thrown at me, and I had come out stronger on the other side. Nicklaus and Eliath were right—I had this. Or at least, I would, once I got the hang of how this Secret Keeper business worked.

  And that was the other thing that had changed…

  Nicklaus and Eliath.

  Thinking back, I found it almost laughable that I’d angsted so much about what I felt for them, and how hung up I’d been on my perception of what they would and wouldn’t want. It was really quite simple, in the end, because it didn’t matter what any of us wanted—we belonged together. Three parts of the same unity, tied together by fate.

  The images in my head whirling to explain the concept to me were not perfectly clear as to why some dragon descendants found a life partner among the humans, while most never did. Decades of speculation over generations of Secret Keepers was layered with what little knowledge there actually was, but it didn’t matter. I knew in my bones I belonged with them, with both of them, and the closest word in existence to describe our connection was soulmates.

  Sadly, that didn’t mean it was all smooth sailing for us. We still knew very little about each other, and while I’d found surprising depths to both men’s personalities in our short time together, I wasn’t kidding myself. They were both supremely dominant and downright bossy—traits I didn’t particularly care to be on the receiving end of.