J.R. Rain's Vampire for Hire World_Fire Warrior

by H. T. Night

  I nodded my head and said, “When we’re done making the potion, we need to take the potion one mile up on my running trail and bury it.”

  “Are you kidding me?” He looked more confused than normal.

  “Look, I can’t explain why. Just trust me when I tell you that I was told by someone important that I needed to do this.”

  “And you’re not going to tell me who this person is?”

  “Not today, I’m not.”

  Barry paused and thought about all I was asking him to do. He nodded. “I need some reading material. This might take a while.” Barry said. Barry grabbed a gamer magazine from his desk. “One of these days, Anthony. If we are to fully trust each other, we need to come clean with all of the secrets.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “You would think they wouldn’t leave a window cracked open with all this expensive equipment around.”

  “Thank the Lord for warm October nights,” I said, trying to push Barry’s big butt through the window. The window was six feet off the ground. To deal with it, Barry had to run and jump and after that, it was all me. He was light by my standards, but I couldn’t let him know that. “Damn, Barry you had one burrito too many tonight.”

  “Shut up and help me through. This whole thing is your damn idea.”

  He was right. Luckily, Barry didn’t fall on the other side and was able to guide himself to the floor using a cabinet, then a desk.

  I thought my turn going through the window would be a good time to perform a little kinetic manipulation. I took ten steps back. I wanted to see if I could land my feet on the windowsill. I had jumped this high before, but I was usually out of control when I did it. This would show precise control to land my feet on the two-foot-wide sill.

  I took a deep breath. Then I ran a couple feet and jumped in the air. I floated manically until I was able to regain control of my legs. I used all my focus and landed one leg on the window sill and the other slammed into the wall beside it. That didn’t feel good. I regained my balance and made my way to the window.

  Once inside, Barry and I moved quickly. We grabbed the six ingredients and two giant glass flasks that could hold up to a gallon of potion each. There were seventeen of these flasks and I was hoping nobody would notice or care where two went.

  Barry and I began mixing the potions.

  “How did you come up with your fire potion anyway?” Barry asked me in a whispered voice.

  “I had help from an outside source,” I whispered back.

  Barry shot me a perplexed look. “But nobody had ever come up with that potion before. It’s an odd potion, the more you consume the longer you have the ability to do what exactly?”

  “Shoot fire from my hands,” I answered, holding up my hands and wiggling my fingers.

  “Does it burn your hands?” Barry asked.

  I shook my head. “Nope, the fire releases away from your hands.”

  It took us over an hour to fill both flasks to the top. When we finished mixing the last drop of potion, we stuffed two rubber stoppers down into the flasks. I grabbed two tablecloths from the supply closet and I carefully wrapped the flasks in the cloths. Then I deposited them gently into the box. It was a tight fit as it needed to be. I would be the one holding the metal chest as we walked the trail. I could not let Barry’s clumsy butt anywhere near it when it was time to walk.

  I went to the equipment closet that was inside the classroom and found it was unlocked. That was a minor miracle. Or was it? Something was telling me Maximus might have made this a little easier for us tonight. I grabbed two shovels.

  Barry and I hit the trail and began walking. I was holding the giant chest and carefully balancing it on the top of my head. Barry was having a hard time holding the two shovels and trying to walk at the same time.

  “I can’t believe your ass has me walking out here in the middle of the night.”

  “You need the exercise.”

  “I already walked seven miles today, asshole.”

  “You’re a good friend, Barry.”

  “Yeah, whatever. You owe me big.”

  It took almost fifteen minutes to make it to the spot I considered one mile to be. I took out my phone and opened the flashlight app. I saw a good spot around ten feet off the trail near a giant rock. The rock was so large it definitely caught my eye. It was either the best or worst place to bury it. I was going with the best.

  Barry and I started digging.

  After about four minutes of digging, Barry came out and said, “This potion would give you an ‘A’ in the advanced potions class we have now. Why did you waste it on Potions 1?”

  I grinned at Barry, “Maybe I have something even better up my sleeve.”

  Barry scoffed in disbelief. “Better than shooting fire from your hands?”

  “Well, call it an improvement on that.”

  “Will you be receiving help from your outside source?”

  “His idea,” I said, nodding my head.

  “Any chance you’ll tell me his name?” Barry asked.

  “Nope. Not a chance.” Seeing as the person who was helping me was none other than the dean of the school, Archibald Maximus, I had to keep this quiet, as I did many other things.

  “Look Barry,” I said, feeling a tad guilty, “I’ll help you with your final.”

  “You’re going to help me?” Barry laughed. “Are you going to bring in your mystery helper? He seems to be the star of the class.”

  Barry had never seen me become the Fire Warrior. He had no idea of the relevance of fire in my life. To be honest, fire was becoming a part of my identity. Understanding the magnitude of fire in a fight was a humongous game changer. It is better than any punch, bite or strike whatsoever.

  Fire was the greatest weapon anyone can wield. I knew from experience, because I had fought as the Fire Warrior at least a dozen times now. Even the devil respected my abilities.

  “Let me ask you a question, Barry,” I said as I continued to dig. “What do you want from all of this?”

  “From what? Our friendship?”

  “No, wolf-boy, from this school. Becoming an alchemist. You have made it clear you are not interested in ascending to immortality. But instead, what?” I asked.

  “I want to protect people from the bad guys. I’m not interested in glory or might. I just want to protect those who cannot protect themselves.”

  “Where do you think that comes from?” I asked.

  “Where are all of these questions coming from?” Barry asked back.

  “I just want to know a little more about you. This is our final year here. I barely know why my roommate is at the school.”

  “So, why are you asking now?” Barry finished the last of the digging.

  “I got this,” I said to Barry, referring to just me lifting the chest into the hole.

  “By yourself? Are you kidding? The chest weighs over a hundred pounds and you’re on your knees. Superman couldn’t balance a chest that heavy just using his fingers.”

  I raised my voice to Barry. “I said, I got this.”

  I grabbed the metal chest, would have been extremely heavy to most, but not to me. I gently guided the metal chest into the hole. Barry helped by holding my feet so I wouldn’t fall in. It took a lot of strength and focus for me to act in a manner that wouldn’t break the flasks. With precise strength, I placed it perfectly in the hole. Barry was thoroughly amazed at my unusual strength. He stared at me with wonder. “Thanks for holding my feet,” I said, ignoring his amazement.

  For the first time, I nearly told Barry I was the Fire Warrior. The Fire Warrior was only an urban legend. I was like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster. Only a few people had said they had seen the great warrior. Most people thought those people were full of shit.

  I thought about telling Barry more about me, but I didn’t. I trusted Barry as much as anyone except my mom and Maximus. Barry would soon know all about me, but not yet. I was glad to hear revenge wasn’t driving him to be an alchemi
st. Revenge makes you sometimes not see clearly.

  I thought about myself as we patched up the hole with dirt and mud. Was I here for revenge like Katherine was? Maybe. I was also here for those who could not help themselves.

  When we were completely finished, we walked back to campus. We had a problem. We needed to return those shovels to the equipment closet in the potions lab.

  I tried my chances and walked to the lab’s front door. I turned the doorknob. It was unlocked.

  “Don’t these doors lock automatically behind you when you close them?” Barry asked.

  “Not tonight, they don’t.”

  Now, I was sure Archibald Maximus fingerprints were all over this night. How much magic had he used? I had no idea.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I woke up craving something sweet, so I decided I would go down and grabbed some breakfast. They served a decent morning meal at the Academy’s cafeteria. Usually, it was pancakes and eggs but there was always a gigantic basket next to the coffee that had a variety of muffins to choose from. Sometimes, they would sneak donuts in there. That was what I was craving. A powdered-sugar donut.

  Barry was still sleeping. I put on a black t-shirt and a pair of white board shorts. I headed down to breakfast and stood in a small line.

  When it was my turn to pick my food, I took one plate and put some eggs and bacon on it. There were no donuts in the muffin basket. So, I snagged the next best thing: a blueberry muffin.

  There were two benches on the right side of the courtyard. I headed over to one of them. There was no one out there. I was either the first one or the only one.

  I placed my plates beside me and began working on my muffin. I realized I didn’t have anything to drink, so I headed back into the kitchen. To my surprise, Katherine was in line, making herself a plate of food.

  “Hey, there,” I said.

  She looked up and was surprised to see me. “Oh, hi.”

  “What are you getting?” I said, referring to her breakfast.

  “A little of everything.”

  “Sounds like my type of breakfast. Want to eat with me out in the courtyard?” I grabbed a water from the cooler at the front of the kitchen. I looked at Kat and said, “Do you want one?”

  “Yes, I will eat with you in the courtyard and no on the water. I’m actually going to have some coffee. I need to wake up.”

  “Let me get it for you,” I offered.

  “You don’t have to...”

  I had already grabbed a Styrofoam cup that was beside the coffee machine. There was only one size. Sixteen ounces. I filled it up with the coffee marked caffeinated. “How do you like your coffee?”

  “Black,” she answered, a tad embarrassed that I was pouring her the coffee.

  “Cool, I will meet you in the courtyard.” I turned around and headed out. I set the drinks on the bench next to my food. I pulled out my phone and noted that there was one full hour before our first class.

  Katherine walked over to the benches and she looked adorable in her pink sundress. The morning sun reflected off her long, golden locks.

  I made room so she could sit next to me without any food between us.

  “How are you?” It was a good way for me to begin the conversation.

  “I’m good. How are you?” she answered.

  “I’m doing great.”

  “My morbid tale of truth didn’t scare you off?”

  I looked at Katherine and said, “You will find everyone here has a dark story to tell. Probably not as painful or as personal as yours, but you would be surprised at what makes the average person want to learn a skill like this.”

  “You believe science can beat immortals?” Katherine inquired.

  “Maybe not beat them. At least, not yet. But we damn well can do things that no other humans can. As alchemists, we can make their lives miserable and cause a lot of damage if need be.”

  Katherine’s eyes widened. “I’m excited.”

  “Easy, young grasshopper, this is just your second day.”

  “I’m excited to learn what it takes.”

  I nodded at Kat. “Look, most students in my group haven’t experienced their breakthroughs yet. And this is the final year. You can say I’m a freak to have it happen so soon.”

  “Well, maybe I’m a freak, too.”

  “Maybe you are,” I said, smiling.

  “Maybe I am.”

  “Are we still talking about breakthroughs?”

  “We sure are, silly boy.” Kat winked at me, showing her fun, playful nature. “Who else in your class has had a breakthrough?”

  “One other. My roommate, Barry.”

  “That big guy that I have seen you with.”

  “He is on the bigger side these days.” I laughed. “We both had our breakthroughs at the same time. Actually, I don’t think it would have happened if we hadn’t been working together.”

  “What happened, exactly?”

  I grinned. “Probably not a good idea for me to tell you. That kind of stuff is confidential around here. I probably already said too much.”

  “Seriously, are they that secretive around here?” Kat was now feeling curious.

  “Actually, most everything that goes on in the gym is a complete secret to anyone who isn’t present at the classes. This place is no joke. We’re fighting the paranormal and the supernatural. We need to keep all the secrets we can.”

  “That is so fascinating,” Kat said. She had a weird way about her. I stared at her to get a read on her. After a moment of feeling my weird stare, she said, “What?”

  “You are a complex individual...”

  “And...” She grinned.

  “And, I’m trying to figure you out.”

  “Trying to figure me out?” Kat laughed.

  “What so funny?” I asked.

  “I’m not that complex, Anthony. I shared my biggest secret with you the second time we spoke.”

  “That’s a rare occurrence?” I asked.

  “Put it this way. Only three people know my version of what happened to my mom from me. The other either read about or heard about it.”

  I didn’t know how to take that. So, I asked, “Why did you trust me so fast?”

  “Trust?” Kat took a bite of eggs and swallowed. “Trust is a powerful thing. It was more a leap of faith. I felt an urge to tell you. Maybe, if you knew, your mother might help.”

  “Why do you need my mother’s help?”

  “She’s a top investigator, in addition to being a bad-ass vampire.”

  “She’s not that bad-ass. She’s pretty regular to me.”

  Katherine laughed. We both took drinks of our given beverages. I looked Katherine in her eyes and came to a conclusion. “I’m going to help you. I understand most of the things my mother does with the detective side of her work. I need a second job and taking this on will be great for me. It’ll show me if I have what it takes to do this kind of work.”

  Kat looked at me skeptically. “I don’t know, Anthony. Don’t you have to be like an ex-cop or something?”

  “Look, I have seen things and experienced a world most police cannot even fathom. I have life experiences, and at the end of the day, that’s the person you want on your case. The person that has gotten dirty and frankly, loved it.” I paused and looked intently at Katherine. “I’ll tell you what. If I can’t solve this case by Thanksgiving, I will personally see that my mom takes this case on.”

  Katherine stared at me for a good twenty seconds and simply said, “Okay. That actually sounds like a great deal.”

  Anthony Moon for Hire. Case one.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The next week went by reasonably fast. Kat and I were now talking regularly on the phone. It was driving Barry nuts because I was choosing to talk to her and not play video games with him.

  I was able to slip in a couple of jogs after dark, but I hadn’t had a good run for over a week now. I needed a mental cleansing.

  Kat and I were spending a lot
of time together. We hadn’t kissed, held hands or even sat next to each other with our knees resting against each other. I was becoming more and more crazy about her, but she wasn’t giving me the type of signs that would have told me that we were more than just friends.

  I wasn’t worrying about the lack of affection because we were becoming so close as friends, confiding in one another on just about every issue. There were still a couple things we were holding back on. Only time would tell if we would cross that bridge and have no secrets.

  It was Friday and my last class had ended for the week. Now, I just wanted to go to my dorm and collapse for a couple of hours. I opened my dorm room door. Barry was lying on his bed. That dude was either in class or on his bed.

  “You kicked ass in our last class. Kinetic manipulation agrees with you,” Barry said, sitting up.

  “You are progressing nicely yourself—” I started before he broke in.

  “Don’t bullshit me; I’m not trying to pull compliments from you. I’m telling you, you are doing things that aren’t written in books. You were almost fucking flying.”

  “No alchemist could ever fly. We need the energy of our physical surroundings to be able to do anything. At best, I can float.”

  “Still, no one can float like you.”

  “I don’t have the type of control that is needed for battle.”

  “That will come in time. Brother, I’m proud of you.”

  That was a lot of love coming from one of the most self-centered people I had ever known and it felt pretty nice to hear. “Thanks, Barry,” I said. I remembered the moment we both had our breakthroughs. It was intoxicating for the both of us. We rode that high for three days.

  I sat on my bed and my phone vibrated in my pocket. I looked and saw it was Kat. I looked at Barry before I answered. He shook his head, lay down and faced the wall.

  “Hey,” I said. I kept my voice down for Barry’s sake.

  “Hey, yourself,” Kat said. “What are your plans for tonight?”

  “Not much. No car.”

  “Well, I have my car. Would you like to head into town and see a movie or have dinner? Or do both?”