A Curse of Flames

by Sophia Shade

  “I’m with Caleb, Erick,” I say. “And you guys are friends. I just need…I need…”

  I don’t know what I need. For him to go? Stay as a friend? Help me figure out how I really feel about him and Caleb? I’m not sure of anything.

  Erick spreads his hands. “What do you need from me? Tell me, Imogen, and that’s what I’ll do.”

  “I don’t know!”

  For a moment, he stands frozen, his gaze set on me. But then he steps closer. Just one step at first, and then another. I don’t back away. Don’t put more distance between us. Even as his body comes inches from mine, his hands slip down to clasp my own, and his face tilts closer to my lips.

  I tremble, but I don’t back away.

  And then, slowly, as if trying to give me every chance to pull away, his lips brush against mine.

  The heat from his kiss surges through me. Rational thoughts flee, and I lean into him as he wraps his arms around me, pressing my body against his. He opens his mouth, his tongue sliding against mine. He tastes so good, and tingles explode throughout my body.

  I want this man. I don’t know why I’ve been running from this feeling for so long, but now my emotions are spilling out of me and I can’t stuff them back in. This is a passion I crave. I need. This is everything I really feel, even if it’s everything I didn’t want to.

  “Imogen?”

  I pull away from Erick quickly, shooting a horrified look down the bridge at Caleb.

  “What’s going on here?” Caleb asks as he sends accusatory glances at Erick.

  “It’s nothing,” I lie. This is terrible. I need to break things off with Caleb. He could have any girl in the school, and he deserves better than me, better than what I just did. But I can’t break up with him here, like this. “I was just feeling a little overwhelmed at the dance, so I came out here.”

  “And he just happened to follow you?” he asks. A couple of Caleb’s friends followed him out here, but they silently slink away.

  “Well, you weren’t there for her,” Erick says, turning toward him and stepping in front of me. “So someone had to be.”

  I clench my teeth, feeling the tension in the air pressing in from every side. What I wouldn’t give for a rewind button.

  Caleb stomps up the bridge and shoves Erick. “Hey, man, she was just fine when I left.”

  “Well, she wasn’t when I found her,” Erick says, balling his fists.

  I wave my hand, trying to get their attention. “Hey, guys, I’m standing right here. I can speak for myself.”

  “Oh, we’ll talk later, Imogen,” Caleb says, but his glower doesn’t move from Erick. “Trust me.”

  I cross my arms. “Is that so?”

  But even as I challenge his threatening tone, I’m plagued with guilt. Caleb is right to feel mad. Erick didn’t just kiss me; I kissed him back. I’d be mad and hurt if I were in his shoes. I screwed up.

  “Right after I deal with this punk-ass,” he says, gesturing to Erick.

  “I’m the punk-ass?” Erick scoffs, shaking his head. “You’ve got it backward.”

  Caleb shoves Erick again. “You’re the one who can’t keep your hands off other people’s property.”

  “Wait, what?” I nearly stumble back at that. When I get my bearings, I stomp my foot. “I’m not anyone’s property! What is wrong with you? With both of you?”

  As if I hadn’t said anything, Caleb pushes Erick for a third time. This time, Erick shoves him back.

  “Hey,” I yell, louder this time. “Stop it!”

  As I try to get between them, Caleb lunges toward Eric. Instead, he knocks into me, toppling me to the side. My arm hits the side of the bridge, sending a shooting pain all the way up to my shoulder.

  I grip my arm at the impact point—my elbow—and try to hold back the tears. The pain just took my carefully bottled-up guilt and embarrassment and unleashed it all.

  “You guys are both assholes,” I say through my tears. I shoot a fireball, knocking them on their asses before I stomp off the bridge. They groan and cough as they try to get up.

  “Imogen,” Caleb call as he scrambles down the bridge after me.

  I’m too mad to deal with either of them right now, but more than that, I’m angry at myself. I shouldn’t have let Erick break past my boundaries. And more than that, I shouldn’t have spent the last year ignoring how I feel about him. Now we’re all going to get hurt because I couldn’t be honest with myself any more than I’ve been honest with my friends.

  Taking a move from Erick’s playbook, I throw up a wall of fire behind me to stop them. To make extra sure they don’t follow me, I take the long, roundabout way back to my room.

  It takes me back through the main building past Headmistress Shadowburn’s office. As I pass by, I notice the sealed door I’d been looking for has reappeared.

  I stop and rub my eyes, not sure at first if it’s really there. But when I open them again, it’s still visible. My entire world slows down in that moment. Everything back there with Erick and Caleb seems unimportant now.

  I step toward the door and run my hands over it. I can feel it. The pulsing, the deepness that is calling me, is still there, too. I need to get inside before it disappears again.

  I run my hand over the keyhole. My paperclip is gone. Suddenly, tiny sparks start falling around the door. I realize they are tiny phoenixes on the cusp of vanishing.

  Erick’s magical signature. He must have hidden the door from me, and now it’s wearing off. Asshole! I’ve been such an idiot.

  I place my hand on the doorknob and turn.

  And to my surprise, the door opens.

  Chapter 16

  I step into the room, and the door closes behind me. At first, it’s so dark I can’t see anything, but as my eyes adjust, objects begin to take form.

  It looks like a museum. Shelves with random items placed on them haphazardly line walls, alongside glass cases that house larger, more precious-looking objects. The room smells nice, though—not dusty or musty, but clean and sweet. Sort of like lily of the valley. I remember that smell because it’s one of my mom’s favorites. She always had bath soaps and perfume with that scent.

  My heart shudders. Part of me can’t wait until this nightmare year ends and I can see her again. I can’t believe I’d been in such a rush to get away from her.

  As I step deeper into the room, I’m overcome by the sudden chill. I rub my arms for warmth and walk around, observing the contents of the cases. In one of them, there’s a large book, kind of like the one Ella and I looked at with the goddesses in it. It’s old and leathery with gilt edges and a dragon on the cover, studded with jewels.

  It must be special to be locked in this room…but why?

  I continue to the next case, which holds a gold ring resting on a royal-blue velvet cushion. The ring itself looks plain—just a gold band—but the casing suggests there’s more to it.

  On the farthest wall, the case holds a stunning necklace, with gold that flows around like flames around several rubies. It’s the most beautiful necklace I’ve ever seen. I touch the necklace I am wearing and almost want to rip it off and replace it with this one. It wouldn’t match my dress, though.

  I shake my head. That would be stealing anyway. What had come over me?

  I force myself to look away, but as I do, the necklace’s flames seem to flicker in the edge of my vision. I snap my attention back to the piece of jewelry, but it’s still. No movement. It hadn’t been my imagination, though. It must have been crafted by a master artisan—a magical one.

  I don’t like the feeling of envy that comes over me when I look at it, so I continue to the next case, which houses a sheathed dagger. The hilt is ornately carved, matching the sheath. The dagger is long and curved at the end. While we have been training to use weapons in Elemental Application, they’re not the preferred way of fighting for a Fae. Most prefer to use their elements. I wonder if the dagger is more ceremonial than functional.

  As I step away from t
he case, a pulse ripples through the room—the same one I felt when I was on the other side of the door. The one that has been beckoning me here.

  I turn around to see an orb on a pedestal in the middle of the room. A beam of moonlight is shining in through a window in the ceiling, right onto the orb. Tiny specks of glitter seem to be falling around it like snowflakes.

  A whisper echoes in my ear: Come closer…come closer…come closer…

  The voice is faint, and I can barely make it out. I look around, but no one else is here.

  The orb pulses again. Listen…listen…listen…

  Is the orb talking to me? Calling me?

  The rational part of my brain tells me this is either crazy…or just a bad idea. The room was locked for a reason. And why should I listen to some random orb?

  But I felt such a draw to this room. I’m supposed to be here—I know it. This is where I’ll find answers.

  I step closer to the orb. At first, it seems only black, but then I notice a movement deep inside, like swirling dark water. Little sparks of light, like stars, wink into existence. They spin around, starting from the middle, then spreading out into an ever-larger circular pattern. It’s like I’m looking into the depths of the universe.

  The truth…

  “You will tell me the truth?” I ask the orb.

  Three truths…

  Three truths. It must have three things to tell me. I take a deep breath.

  “Tell me,” I say.

  Touch…touch…touch…

  I hesitate for a moment. I have a feeling that once I take this step, there will be no going back.

  Trust…trust…trust…

  Trust?

  I purse my lips. There’s no one at Callador I can trust the way I want to. People I could trust last year are suspects this year. Friends I can confide in may not remain friends if I tell them my own secrets. That’s why I’ve been so miserable. I have had to keep my Dark Blessed powers secret. My ability to see magical signatures. Erick has been lying about his involvement with Professor Crowsfly. Damon is less than useless as a mentor.

  I need to trust someone. I need help. And if a creepy sentient orb in a forbidden room is going to offer that help, then damn it, I’m going to take it where I can get it.

  Gritting my teeth, I slam my hand down on the orb. I’m transported to my house back in the human realm. The one on the beach in SoCal. But I don’t feel happy to be back. I’m scared. Anxious.

  Something is wrong.

  “Mom?” I call out.

  She doesn’t respond. I run from room to room looking for her. I throw open the doors, run up the stairs.

  “Mom,” I yell.

  She’s not here. She’s gone. No. It’s worse than that. She’s missing. Someone—something—has taken her.

  I have to find her!

  I throw open the door to run back outside, but now I’m in the woods.

  Turning, I see Professor Crowsfly. She’s pacing. Worried about something. She looks up. I follow her gaze, and someone approaches.

  It’s Erick.

  At first her face looks hopeful. She smiles when she sees him. “Erick,” she says. “I’m so glad…what are you…stop!”

  He has an angry, determined look on his face. He stomps toward her, and then grabs her around the neck. She tries to fight him off. She screams as he drags her behind a tree where I can’t see. I try to chase them. Try to stop him.

  When I round the tree, I’m somewhere else. Somewhere I haven’t been before. There are many people here, and they are all dressed beautifully. They are all surrounding someone and clapping.

  I move closer to get a better look. As the crowd thins, I see Caleb. He turns, and there is a beautiful girl on his arm.

  “I wish to congratulate my nephew on a brilliant match,” a voice says.

  It’s a man I’ve only seen a drawing of once in one of my books—the Unseelie king. I must be at the Unseelie Court, at the Winter’s End Ball Caleb said he couldn’t take me to.

  “Thank you, Uncle,” Caleb says. He gazes into the eyes of the girl on his arm. “I’ve never been happier.”

  I gasp as I find myself back in the forbidden room with my hand on the orb. After I rip my hand away, I rub it like I’ve been burned.

  What. The. Hell.

  I don’t know which vision to be upset over first…or most.

  Wait. Mom is missing! That’s the worst thing. She wasn’t just not home; it was much more serious than that. She’s missing.

  I need to find her. Everything else can wait.

  I run out of the room and slam the door behind me.

  I don’t know what I’m doing, so I head back to the party. Everyone is there.

  The party has taken a turn. The lights are dark. The music has changed to a heavy drumming. Everyone is dancing and drinking. It’s more like Dark Hollow. I finally catch sight of Dannika in the middle of the dance floor, her tall frame and hair visible even from far away.

  She’s dancing with Ella and some other friends.

  “Imogen,” she calls out when she sees me. She takes my hand. “Where have you been? The party’s just getting started!”

  Shit. I can’t tell her what happened. I can’t tell her I went into a forbidden room and had visions. And I can’t ask her for help. My mom is missing, and Erick is a murderer. Those could both be dangerous situations. I can’t risk her getting hurt.

  I just shrug like I can’t hear her before slowly trying to make my way to the edge of the dance floor. The need to get out of here pulses through me. I have to get back to the house. I need to find Mom.

  Once I get to the edge of the dance floor, I make a beeline back to the door. When I go to open it, though, my head spins and a flash of light startles me.

  A bright light nearly blinds me, and I hear screaming. There’s blood, and I see someone’s arm on the ground, but my vision is too zoomed in to see whose arm it is. A charm bracelet lays slack against the wrist. Thunder booms, and a strong wind knocks me off my feet. I fall to the ground.

  I open my eyes with a gasp. The vision! The Moon Festival! Whatever it is, it’s happening right now. A bright floating light in the middle of the room catches my attention. It’s sparking like a birthday candle. But it’s not.

  The light seems to pulse and grow, and a thought flashes through my mind.

  It’s a bomb.

  Not like the kind I’ve seen on TV in the human realm. This is different. Magical. And about to explode.

  “Get out,” I scream. I run to the middle of the dance floor and push Dannika away.

  “What?” she asks.

  “Run,” I scream.

  I turn to the bomb as the light gets the brightest it’s ever been. Now instead of pulsing, it’s vibrating, as if it’s going to burst at any moment. With all the energy I possess, I brace myself and throw up my hands. As it ignites, I will the heat from the energy bomb into my body.

  At first, the room goes dead silent, as if the bomb sucked all the sound out of the room. Or perhaps I’m pulling with my magic so hard I’m pulling that in, too—not just the fire, but the screams as well.

  It’s more intense than anything I have ever felt. I’m burning from the inside, but I don’t let go. It’s working. Instead of a hard explosion, the magic seems to stream out. Instead of being everywhere all at once, I can control those streams—pull them toward me, into me.

  Particles of magic are visible as they fracture, along with what looks like little diamonds. That’s probably the magical signature of whoever made this, but before I can commit the details to memory, the pain of absorbing the explosion becomes too much.

  Falling to my knees, I scream as I will more and more fire into me. In my peripheral vision, I can see people running to the far sides of the room. Why aren’t they leaving? I don’t think I can hold on much longer.

  But when I look to the doors, I see why. No one can open them.

  We are trapped in here with this bomb.

  Chapter 17
/>
  I’m not ready to brace for death. I have to keep fighting. Every student and teacher from Callador is supposed to be here right now, and someone needs to survive this.

  “Dannika,” I call, my body shaking with the effort to hold the bomb.

  As I expect, she comes running. Anyone else would have stayed back, but I knew I could count on her.

  She kneels beside me. “I’ll help!”

  I shake my head. “The windows. Check and see if any are open.”

  She sprints to the windows while I continue trying to absorb the magic. All I’m asking for is one person to make it out, but I’ll hold this as long as I can. The more who get out, the better.

  But the windows won’t open. They’re locked, too. Dannika’s panicked gaze darts to me with a lost expression. She slowly shakes her head.

  I refocus on the fire. I need more time. It’s amazing what a person can do when they have no choice. And letting all these people die is not an option.

  Moments later, Dannika is at my side again. She holds her arms out, same as me, and starts to pull some of the energy into herself. Unlike me, her skin starts to bubble with the effort. It’s too much for her.

  In those moments before what will be our death, I wonder what makes me different. We’re both Halflings. Why doesn’t fire affect me the same? And why isn’t whatever makes me different enough to save all these people? What good is such a gift if we all die in the end anyway?

  Is it because I’m on the cusp on the courts? I’d almost been Unseelie. I’d barely made it into the Seelie court.

  Was Unseelie magic different from Seelie magic? That’s not something I’d ever been taught, but perhaps it was something no one really noticed. Perhaps it was unimportant.

  But maybe right now it’s not.

  I pull in harder, trying to take the magic Dannika is directing into herself, too. Her control over magic is stronger than mine, though, and I can’t seem to pull it away from her. I may be able to take more of a beating, but she’s always been the more powerful Fae.

  Behind me, Ella and some of her friends from Ohdows hall are calling up roots through the floor. They’re creating a wall of woven tree trunks. If I can just hold out a little longer, maybe it will be enough to eliminate the damage.