Fearless (The Blue Fire Saga)

by Scott Prussing

  “It’s usually even hotter,” Leesa said. “The first time we held hands, he kept his gloves on so I wouldn’t feel the heat. He’s learned some control since then, so he can shake hands now when necessary without giving himself away. The biggest downside of his fire is that kissing him could kill me, so we’ve only been able to do it for five seconds at a time, with his volkaane friend watching.” Her face lit up into a big grin. “Until today, that is.”

  Bradley extended his hand in a stop position. “That’s enough,” he said. “You’re my baby sister. I don’t need to hear any details about your love life.”

  Leesa laughed. “Sorry. I won’t say anything more. If I need an audience, I can always tell Cali. She eats this stuff up.”

  “I bet she does,” Bradley said. He turned to Rave. “As long as you make my sister happy, I’m good with all of this. And I’ve never seen her happier, believe me.”

  Rave smiled. “I’ve never felt this good, either.” He looked toward Leesa. “I have to get going. Balin and the others will be waiting.”

  “I know.” Leesa rose up onto her toes and kissed him on the lips. “Good-bye, my love. Come back as soon as you can.”

  “I will,” Rave promised. “Count on it.”

  He turned and raced away up the narrow roadway. In seconds, he had disappeared around a bend.

  “Wow, he is fast,” Bradley said.

  “Yep.” Leesa smiled. “He’s pretty amazing, in so many ways.” She turned toward the car. “Let’s get going. I still have lots to tell you.”

  27. DEAD AND ALIVE

  Thousands of miles away, the Necromancer pushed his heavy body away from his magical table and leaned back in his favorite chair. Unlike Leesa, he was having no unusual problems with his magic, but he was just as frustrated and impatient. Sensing his mood, the four novitiates watched him closely, hoping he would not take his discontent out on them. Each had felt his wrath before, and it was never pleasant.

  The Necromancer had just listened to his black waziri lieutenants report that although they remained on Dominic’s trail, the wizard was still managing to elude them. Apparently, a hundred years on the run had taught Dominic a number of tricks that the black waziri had so far been unable to overcome.

  The Necromancer decided it was time to make an adjustment in his plans. He turned to two of the novitiates, Makenzi and Matthew.

  “You two will be joining your masters in America,” he said. “I am bringing Viktor back here, to help me with my work.” His empty eyes bored into the two apprentice wizards, making their blood run even colder than normal. “Two waziri and their disciples ought to be enough to deal with Dominic, should your masters ever manage to find him.”

  “Yes, my lord,” Makenzi said.

  “Go now,” the Necromancer ordered. “Gather your things and leave immediately. At present, your masters are somewhere in the middle of the country. Fly into Chicago. It’s near the center of the country and has as more flights than almost any other city. You should have no trouble booking immediate passage. Once you arrive, your bonds with your masters will allow you to find them without trouble.”

  The two novitiates nodded and rose from their seats. They glided silently from the room. Rafael and Jordan watched them go, each wishing he could be one of the ones leaving the Necromancer’s castle. Jordan was at least happy to know he would soon be reunited with Viktor. There would be no such solace for Rafael.

  Having put his new plan into motion, the Necromancer pushed his departing servants from his mind. He clapped his hands twice. A buxom peasant girl dressed in a black corset materialized from the shadows in the corner of the room. Her blond hair was fashioned into a long braid that hung down her back. The Necromancer watched as she shuffled across the floor toward him. Her face was pretty but plain, and her blue eyes, which had once sparkled with joy, were dull and lifeless, the result of all the things she had seen and been forced to do in the year since she had been taken into the castle. Her name was Petra, but if he had ever known it, he did not remember it now. He didn’t expect her to last much longer, but that was no matter—the countryside was filled with similar girls. And sometime soon, he hoped, when the seal was at last broken for good, she could be just as much use to him dead as alive.

  She stopped a few feet from the Necromancer’s chair, her eyes glued to the floor. No one met the Necromancer’s disconcerting eyes if they could help it.

  “Your wish, my lord?” she asked in a flat, toneless voice.

  “Open the wall,” the Necromancer commanded.

  Petra crossed to the edge of large wooden bookcase and pulled a hidden lever. The bookcase slid soundlessly to the side, revealing a small stone cell ten feet wide and six feet deep. Chained to the back wall by their ankles and wrists were three still, dark forms.

  As the dim light from the main chamber illuminated the cell, the figure in the middle pulled against his chains. His efforts seemed perfunctory, without strain or much effort, as if he was trying to move forward and did not understand why he could not. The other two remained motionless, sagging against their chains.

  The Necromancer rubbed his hairless head as he studied his captives. All three were men, but that was the only similarity in their appearance. The one on the left was a rotting corpse that looked like he had been imprisoned in the cell for years, if not longer. His clothes were torn and rotting, and in places on his skull and arms the skin had decayed enough that white bone showed through. Both eye sockets looked empty, black holes in a gruesome mask.

  In contrast, the captive on the right looked as if he had come to the cell within the last day or so. His clothes were still clean and intact. He looked fresh and alive, except for the way he hung against his chains and the gaping hole in his chest right above his heart.

  The man who pulled diffidently against his chains was somewhere between his two fellows in terms of condition. His tattered shirt had begun to fall from his body, revealing skin covered with what looked like festering sores, but were in fact the first stages of decay. No bone showed through as yet, but the skin of his face was thin and pulled tight across his skull, giving him a confused, frightened look.

  The one similarity the three captives shared was that they were all dead.

  The Necromancer was running an experiment. All three of the men had been recently reanimated. He was trying to determine the optimum amount of time a body should be dead for the easiest and longest lasting reanimation. The most decayed corpse had been dead and buried for well over a year; the most recent had been killed here at the castle just two days before. The one that was still showing signs of “life” had been buried two months ago—it seemed a certain amount of seasoning in the ground produced the best zombies, at least until the Necromancer figured out how to completely shatter the seal between the world of the living and the world of the dead. Once that happened, he wouldn’t care how long a body had been dead—he would simply call forth as many undead minions as he needed.

  The thought of seasoning made him hungry. He turned to Petra.

  “Bring me the newest one.”

  Petra unfastened the chains around the guy’s wrists and draped his arm around her shoulders. Ten months ago, the gruesome task would have disgusted her. Now, it produced no reaction whatsoever in her empty eyes. She “walked” the body across to the Necromancer with little trouble—she was a sturdy peasant girl used to heavy chores. When she reached the table, she flopped the man’s upper body onto the table’s black surface, leaving her hand on its lower back to keep it balanced there.

  Already thinking ahead to what his next test should be, the Necromancer lifted the corpse’s fleshy arm from the table. Rafael and Jordan watched expressionlessly as their master began to eat.

  28. A NEW FRIEND

  Sunday evening, Leesa was alone in her room, studying her psychology book. She wondered if there was anything inside that would tell her why she was missing Rave so fiercely already, when she had just seen him the day before. She was used t
o going days without seeing him, but guessed that her feelings had something to do with having no idea how long it might be until she saw him again.

  A soft knock sounded at her door. She wondered who it might be—she wasn’t expecting anyone. She knew it wasn’t Cali, because Cali’s knock was louder and faster, as if the door was an obstacle that needed to be removed as soon as possible. Leesa closed her book and crossed to the door. When she pulled it open, she found herself staring into an unfamiliar face.

  The woman was a few inches shorter than Leesa, with long, wavy silver hair cascading down across her shoulders. She was wearing a knee-length, dark red knit sweater jacket over black pants. Her unlined face was pretty and seemed ageless, but she was certainly older than most college kids. Maybe she was someone in the dorm’s mother, Leesa thought, looking for her daughter. The woman extended her hand. The skin seemed almost as unlined as her face.

  “I’m Jenna,” she said. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know your name.”

  “Leesa.” Leesa took the proffered hand and shook it. The woman’s hand was not as soft as Leesa had expected.

  “May I come in, Leesa? I have something to ask you that should be asked in private.”

  Leesa was a bit leery about inviting a stranger into her room, even one as harmless looking as Jenna. Leesa stuck her head out the doorway and looked down the hallway. There was no one else visible.

  “Can you tell me what it’s about? There’s no one who could hear you.”

  Jenna nodded. “Of course. You are right to be careful.” Jenna leaned closer and spoke in a low voice. “It’s about your magic.”

  Leesa faltered backward into her room, her heart racing. Who was this woman? How did she know about her magic? Only Dominic and a few volkaanes knew, and surely Rave and his friends wouldn’t have told anyone, at least not without letting her know. Could Dominic have told Jenna sometime since his last phone call? She found that hard to believe, and if he had, why? The only other person who had seen Leesa do magic was the black wizard Josef, and Rave had fried him to ashes, and then Dominic had disintegrated the ashes. None of this made any sense at all.

  Jenna remained standing just outside the door.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’ve startled you. I should have known your magic”—she almost whispered the word—“was a secret. I should have been more tactful. But really I do need to talk to you. May I come in?”

  Leesa eased herself down onto her bed. Her heartbeat began to slow. If Jenna meant her harm, she could have followed Leesa into the room when she had stumbled backward.

  “Yes, come in. And pull the door closed behind you.”

  Jenna closed the door and moved slowly into the room, taking care not to seem threatening in any way. She pulled the chair out from under the desk and set it opposite Leesa before sitting down.

  Leesa pulled her knees up against her chest and wrapped her arms around her shins.

  “What makes you think I have magic?” she asked, still not ready to admit the fact to this stranger.

  “I saw you, with a wizard and volkaane, battling another wizard. Your magic was nowhere near as powerful as theirs, yet even so, you managed to turn the tide of the contest.”

  Leesa was stunned. She couldn’t believe anyone had witnessed the battle. Closing her eyes for a moment, she tried to picture the scene, but saw nowhere a person could have hidden. And how did Jenna know where she lived? Rave had carried her away from the place at volkaane speed, at least while they were in the woods. No one could have followed them—but obviously Jenna had.

  “Where were you?” Leesa asked. “Surely one of us would have seen you if you were anywhere near.”

  Jenna smiled. Her smile seemed friendly and open.

  “I was up in the trees.” She recognized Leesa’s puzzled frown. “You wouldn’t have noticed me. I didn’t look anything like this.”

  Leesa shook her head in confusion. “I don’t think I understand.”

  “No, you couldn’t understand. Not yet.” Jenna ran her hands through her thick hair, pushing it back off her shoulders. “Which brings us back to the reason I’m here—to ask you something about your magic. You see, I have magic, too.”

  Leesa dropped her legs to the floor and slid forward to the edge of her bed. This was the most surprising thing Jenna had said yet. Knowing another person with magic was important—Leesa hoped in a good way.

  “You have magic? What kind?”

  Jenna smiled. “I’m not quite sure how to answer that. I cannot shoot bolts of magic energy from my hands, like your two wizards did, nor can I cause things to move, as you apparently did with that log.” She paused for a moment. “I’m a witch, if that helps you any.”

  Leesa shook her head. “Not really. I’m pretty new to this magic stuff. The only kind I know is basic wizard magic. That’s what I’m trying to learn—wizard magic. I didn’t even know I had it inside me until just a few months ago.”

  “I see. You did very well for someone so new. Was the wizard you were fighting alongside your mentor?”

  “Yes. He imparted his magic to me before I was born, but then he had to go away, so I never knew anything about it.”

  “Where is he now? Perhaps he is the one I should be seeking answers from.”

  Leesa thought for a moment. Jenna seemed friendly enough, but Leesa didn’t feel comfortable sharing too much about Dominic.

  “He’s away for a bit,” she said finally. “I’m afraid you’re stuck with me. I don’t know how much help I can be, but I’ll help you if I can. What kind of answers are you seeking?”

  Jenna drew in a deep breath, as if she was hesitant to ask. Leesa wasn’t sure why, but she had the feeling the witch was concerned about perhaps revealing too much.

  “You can trust me, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Leesa said.

  Jenna nodded. “Yes, I think I can.” She stood up and turned her back to Leesa for a moment, pacing a few short steps before turning back around. “Has anything happened to your magic in the last day or two?” she asked quietly.

  Leesa looked up at the witch. Things were beginning to fall into place. She thought she knew now why Jenna was here. Still, Leesa felt it best to proceed carefully.

  “Why do ask? Has something happened to yours?”

  Jenna grinned. “You are cautious. I like that. I’m quite cautious by nature myself.” She sat back down. “One of us has to begin. Since I came to you, I guess it should be me.”

  She sucked in another deep breath and blew it out slowly. “For some reason, my magic has suddenly weakened greatly. I have no idea why. So I wanted to know if something similar has befallen you, to reassure myself this is not some hidden attack directed at me.”

  “I don’t think it’s directed at you,” Leesa assured her. “The same thing has happened to my magic.” She almost told Jenna about the volkaanes’ fire, but decided such information was not hers to share, at least not so soon. “It started yesterday morning.”

  Jenna nodded. “Yes, that fits. I first noticed it yesterday as well.”

  “Where were you when it happened?” Leesa asked, seizing the chance to learn more about how widespread this impairment of magic might be.

  Jenna thought for a moment. “Perhaps thirty miles from here, to the east and south.”

  Leesa pictured a map of Connecticut in her head. Jenna’s location would put her within twenty miles or so of the volkaane settlement, not too much different from Middletown. The knowledge wasn’t much, but it was another piece pointing to the Noises being at the center of things.

  “Can I ask what magic you were attempting? And what happened when you tried?”

  Jenna hesitated briefly, and then smiled. “Since I seek your trust, I guess I must trust you.” She stood up. “One of my powers is shape-shifting. My favorite form is an owl—I love the feeling of freedom that flying gives me. I was as an owl when I watched your battle from the treetops, and that’s how I followed you afterwards.” Her smile widened.
“Your volkaane friend is fast. I was barely able to keep up with him. If he’d gone much farther I would have lost him, but from on high, I managed to keep him in view.

  “Anyhow, on Saturday I attempted to assume my owl form, as usual. But it didn’t work. I’ve tried since, but this is as far as I get.”

  Leesa watched as Jenna closed her eyes. For a moment, nothing happened, and then a soft silver light began to glow around Jenna’s feet. Slowly, the glow began to rise up to her ankles, revealing a pair of taloned feet in its place. Leesa was astonished. She wondered if waziri magic could do anything like that. Dominic had never mentioned it, so she guessed not.

  Suddenly, the glow around Jenna’s ankles winked out and the bird feet reverted to her ordinary black shoes. She opened her eyes. They bore a sad, resigned look.

  “That’s amazing,” Leesa said.

  “Not so amazing,” Jenna said. “Just different. Witch magic is different from wizard magic, that’s all.” She sighed. “Anyhow, that’s as far as I can get now. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before, and I’ve been doing it for many, many years.”

  Jenna’s failure provoked a mixed reaction in Leesa. She felt badly about Jenna’s inability to perform what seemed to be her favorite magic, but was a bit glad to see that someone so proficient and experienced had been able to complete only such a small part of her spell. Leesa thought back to how tiny and dim her magic light had been on Saturday morning and again on Saturday night, when she tried to practice it. She felt a little better now.

  “Yeah, that’s what happens to me, too,” she said. “I can get only a small bit of my magic to work. Watch.”

  Standing up, she held her hand out and uttered the illumination spell. The marble sized sphere of pale yellow light that appeared above her palm was barely visible.

  “I’m new at this magic stuff, but before yesterday I could create a ball the size of a grapefruit. It was ten times brighter than this, too.” Leesa closed her fist and the light disappeared. “Now, that’s all the light I can summon.”