Blaze Ignites (Scourge Survivor Series Book 1)

by J. L. Madore

  "Verily, it was a pinnacle moment in my life. Besides," he opened his eyes and gave me a look so endearing it rivalled Lexi's best, "I am blessed to have you heal me."

  "I'm not a safety net so you can risk your life." I re-knit Aust's ribs, ignoring the testosterone babble between the men. "You're lucky you didn't puncture anything vital." When he was back to pre-Mahogany bear health I sat him up. "You'll be sore for today, so take it—"

  "Jade? You might want to break that up." Lexi pointed to a standoff by the rock face.

  Galan and Samuel were glowering at one another. Fan-fucking-tastic.

  I didn't care what this pissing match was about. The tension was so thick I might need to quarantine everyone for testosterone poisoning. "Enough. Samuel, can you take care of the—"

  In one sweeping move Samuel crushed me against his chest and claimed my mouth. His kiss was passionate, possessive . . . completely unexpected. When I drew back he winked. Beneath that Scottish bravado, though, the anguish in his expression was palpable. "I'm on it."

  Galan stalked off to check on Aust.

  Pushing off Samuel's chest, I shot him a glare. He was the one who dumped me months ago and left me snotting in my suite. I wouldn't be a pawn in a game of King of Dragon's Peak.

  Sitting at the base of a stump I closed my eyes. Aust's healing had my head spinning and I needed time to recover. When the world stopped turning I watched Samuel work. Regardless of the past few months, he was an exceptional wizard, thus his Talon title—Merlin.

  He addressed the wall, unravelling the enchantment which had been in place for eight thousand years. As his lips moved with quiet utterings, my annoyance faded. A soft smile curved his mouth as he worked. To him, a well-executed spell was one of the greatest tributes to his craft. From his expression, the original Highbornes had been beyond good at what they did—they'd been excellent.

  His wand waved side to side, dipping up and down like a symphony conductor's. The mountain cracked and then groaned as a hair-line fissure snaked its way up from the mossy ground. Gradually it widened. Without warning, deafening screams pierced the air around us.

  I covered my ears. The jungle swam around me.

  A tidal wave of fur cascaded from the crevice, pooling around Samuel's feet. Rats. Dozens and dozens of rats screamed at a pitch that had my head ringing.

  Aust was on it. Within moments the rodents scurried into the forest and the world quieted. He touched his fingers to his ears and came away with blood. "Fash not. I am well."

  Samuel continued as if nothing had happened.

  My equilibrium stabilized once I healed my own eardrums, then I helped the others. A thunderous crack signalled the coming rush of creepy crawlies: tarantulas, scorpions, black widows, fire ants and snakes. Lexi squeaked as legs, stingers and scales slithered and sludged down the rock face. The hideous army of evil seemed united in their target.

  Samuel.

  Aust went back to it. When the mass didn't disband like the rats, he lowered to his knees. An ear-splitting crack signalled the collapse of the enchantment and the insect sentries vanished into nothingness. With the dragon's mouth pried open we advanced into its belly.

  "Are we there yet?" Lexi asked after an hour of winding through a maze of tunnels.

  Thankfully my headache had downgraded from corkscrew-through-your-eye sockets pain to rubber-mallet-to-the-temple ache. The ambient lighting was helping though. Twenty minutes in, we'd extinguished the torches because the deeper we sank into the dormant volcano the more brilliant the phosphorescent mushrooms and fungi glowed—aqua blue, grass green, mustard yellow, bubblegum pink. Magical.

  The narrow-tube passageway opened into a spacious cavern of molten rock. Forty feet around, it was filled with hot, stale air and the pungent stench of sulphur. By the colorful glow of mushroom light, an altar was visible in the middle of the cavern.

  I relit a couple torches to get a better look.

  "The Altar of the Ancients," Tham said, running his hand over the relief. "It has the same proportions ornamented with the same etched vine work as the altar at our ruin site."

  Bingo. Lying on the centre of the altar stone was an oversized, leather-bound book. Well preserved beneath a layer of sediment, it was hard to believe it had been left here over eight-thousand years before. Drawing closer I looked at the carved figurines standing on the altar along the spine of the book. Twice the size of chess pieces the two carnelian idols—Shalana, Goddess of the Woodlands and a fierce tiger at her side—seemed to be keeping watch.

  "Astounding," Tham said, as he caressed the cover of the book. "It is the most incredible leather-working I have ever seen. Iadon will go mad—Aughhh!"

  Tham snatched his hand back. The air sizzled with the stench of burnt flesh as a brilliant silver explosion lit the cavern. When it faded, an iridescent barrier appeared over the altar. Resembling a harmless glass cake cover, it gave off a pulsing glow and a low crackling hiss.

  I grabbed Tham's curled fingers and forced open his blackened palm. The sight of the charred digits and the putrid stench made us both gag. "Tham do you object to me healing you?"

  He shook his head. "No . . . please do." Reaching into the injury, I soothed the sting of the burn. In minutes his flesh was milky white, soft and healed. "Gratitude, Jade." Tham flexed his fingers in and out, staring at his palm. "Verily, Jade, you are a marvel."

  "Check it out," Lexi said, pointing to an intricate scrollwork etching itself into the top of the case. As we watched, a design of vines and leaves danced along the surface and then a handprint appeared, five fingers splayed and glowing in an inlaid design.

  "All right," Lexi said, "who’s to be the next crispy critter?"

  "Mayhap we might apply logic before another of us attempts to touch it," Aust said.

  "I am in no hurry." Tham cradled his hand. "Reign, would you have any insight on this? You look as though none of this has surprised you."

  Tham was right. Reign was leaning against the stone wall at the mouth of the cavern, arms and ankles crossed. The expression he wore may have been new to the Highbornes, however, it was SOP for us. Standard Operating Procedure.

  "Give it up, Tham," Lexi sighed. "Reign doesn't shed light on situations once he gets that look. He insists it's better for us to stumble in the dark bumping into furniture."

  "Not stumble in the dark, Princess," Reign said. "Work through it. It does you no good to be lead through life. The answer is here. This is your quest. Apply what you already know."

  "Okay, what do we know," I asked. "Protective measures were put into play eight-thousand years ago by your ancestors. They didn't want the book to fall into the hands of their enemies and they didn't want to be able to access it for themselves, so they entombed it."

  "They left it for someone to find though." Lexi pointed to the altar. "The figurines, the way the book has been left on display. It's respectful . . . a tribute. To who? To what?"

  "To Elven magic?" Aust offered.

  "To the power of their Elven magic," I said. "That's possible. Who would they trust to reclaim the book and be responsible for safeguarding it?"

  "Obviously not Tham," Lexi giggled.

  Samuel rolled his eyes. "Come on people. I know ye were raised in the land of merry-fuckin-sunshine, but if Castian wanted the girls to bring the three of ye here, there's a reason. If Aust was to find the cave opening and it's not Tham who can touch it," He turned to Galan. "I think the tinsel-haired twit is next up for the barbeque."

  Like it or not, I couldn't argue with Samuel's logic. I just didn't want Galan hurt. What if this was Samuel's creative excuse to cause Galan pain? Would he do that? Judging by the expectant smirk on Samuel's face, I'd say yes. Yes he would.

  "Wait," I said. "Maybe we should talk this out—"

  "Fash not, Jade," Galan said, stepping up to the altar. "All is well."

  As my heart started to hammer and my gut knotted, he laid his palm on the cover.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

 
The explosion lit the entire cavern. Streams of light burst from the altar, encircling Galan's athletic frame in a vast wave. It built in intensity, sparking around him like fireworks, lighting him from every angle until his silhouette was lost within the white-hot flames.

  "Galan!" I lunged toward the wall of fire. The blazing heat stung my skin and burned my eyes. Strong hands grabbed my shoulders. The treacle scent of old magic and the stench of sulphur made my head spin. A stream of blue energy spewed from Samuel's wand and from one heartbeat to the next, the cavern fell into darkness. When my eyes adjusted, Galan was standing with his hand flat on the cover of the Elven spellbook.

  I scanned him, top to bottom—from his beautiful battered face down every inch of his definition. He seemed unharmed. I resisted the urge to reach out and examine him, certain he would reject my evil magic tainting his life.

  "You okay," I choked. "Are you burned? Hurt? Are you dizzy?"

  "I shall do." Galan cast me a haunting smile. His deep blue eyes were dark in the mushroom light, but they locked on mine. His gaze was intense. It penetrated me, tightened in my chest and made me acutely aware of my body's more feminine wants.

  "Nicely done, brother mine." Tham patted Galan's shoulder and stepped between us.

  "Aye," Samuel muttered, waving his wand. "Takes real talent to rest your hand on a glass case once everyone else has paved your way."

  Galan turned his attention to the book and traced his fingers along the surface.

  The centre inlay of the cover depicted a scraggly, ancient Elven face surrounded by a tangle of hair. His wild mane encircled his features, evolving into twigs as it traveled outward. As it reached the edge of the cover, the twigs evolved again, into branches reaching to the top of the book and gnarled roots weaving into the ground below.

  Along the left spine ran an intricate vine carving punctured in regular intervals through the depth of the book. "Eight millennia past, leather cord would have bound it." Galan said.

  Samuel flicked his wand toward the book and the spine was newly bound.

  Tham raised the cover and the group closed in. It was majestic. Powerful. Even as an inanimate object, many Fae items emanated a huge amount of magical energy. This one held more than most. An electrical charge arced in the air and raised the hairs on my arms.

  A strange emotional vibration had me scanning the room. Samuel's focus on the book went far beyond reverent curiosity. His eyes were hooded and dark, his stare hungry. He drew closer, as if he were a magnet being drawn to its iron companion.

  Galan blocked his path. "Is there something I may aid you with?"

  Samuel shook his head and withdrew his hand. "No, but thanks for askin'."

  The two stared each other down. The fact that they sported almost identical shiners was kind of funny in a morbid, distracting sort of way.

  "Astounding," Tham muttered, turning pages. "Animal Mastery, Concealment, Empathic Links. . . . There are hundreds of spells and enchantments, everything laid out. Imagine the seduction of it, of commanding the power to change the realm and alter fate." He shook his head and closed the cover of the book.

  "Exactly why we need to wrap this up and offer the book to Castian," Reign said. "If Abaddon or the Scourge got hold of this we'll be up to our eyes in it."

  After sliding the book into his satchel, Aust tucked away the figurine of Shalana and reached for the tiger. That's when everything went to hell.

  The moment Aust's fingers closed around the idol a powerful rush surged through the cavern. Sweat broke out across his skin and he scrambled away from the group. Stumbling on shaky legs, he buckled to the stone floor and crawled backward until he hit the cave wall. Cornered like an animal he shuddered and began to convulse.

  "Jade, what is happening?" Galan asked.

  "He's having a seizure."

  Aust's eyes rolled back leaving only the white sclera visible. His body was rigid, thrashing wildly against the stone floor. Galan secured him on his side, holding his head until, after what seemed like ages, he fell still. The stillness was short lived.

  He curled in on himself, screaming through clenched teeth, the tendons on his neck standing out like cables.

  "Jade, do something," Galan said.

  My hands were on him, tracking what was happening. I leaned back and met Galan's frantic gaze. "I can't fix this. I heal injuries. He's not injured. I think it's his gift. He's—"

  "What?"

  "I think . . . it's his gift. It's surging through him like he's broken a dam and his body is flooding with magical energy."

  "To what end?"

  "It's the figurine," Lexi said. "It started as soon as he picked up the figurine."

  I grabbed his clenched fist, prying at his fingers. Aust's eyes flew wide. On a lunge, he knocked me on my back and bared his teeth.

  Before I could blink, Aust was thrown against the cave wall and Reign was crouched next to me, dagger drawn. "What the fuck was that? Did you see his eyes?"

  Aust's eyes were . . . well, they weren't Highborne blue. They were a cold, ice-blue and when he looked at me they reflected the torch light like an animal in the headlights of a car.

  Galan scrambled to check on him. "If you cannot heal him, what can be done?"

  Not a damned thing. I joined Galan where Reign had thrown Aust and tried to minimize his discomfort. "His vitals are strong. All we can do is ride this out."

  Connected as I was, I felt the wave of nausea coil. "Tham, back it up, he's gonna hurl." Tham's boots just cleared the detonation zone before Aust emptied his stomach onto the stone and blacked out for the second time that afternoon.

  It took considerably longer to make our way back to Dragon's Peak than it had to get into its belly. Aust was as pale as the undead, yet insisted on shuffling along under his own steam. When we finally made it to the brilliance of the afternoon sun, I was rendered momentarily blind. The Elves didn't seem disoriented, maybe because of their advanced vision. I was still blinking away the moisture in my eyes when I felt the change.

  Faolan growled low in her belly as the Elves stiffened and the keening of metal being unsheathed sliced the air.

  "Ambush," Reign bellowed.

  Lunging into formation, Lexi, Samuel, Reign and I formed an outer circle around the Highbornes. Galan, Tham and Faolan closed in around Aust and the spellbook. After tossing me his short sword, Samuel stretched his neck side to side and drew his wand, grinning like the Scot he was. Reign and Lexi were amped too, rocking on the balls of their feet as they unsheathed a fricken armory.

  A dozen Scourge raiders tightened around the half-acre clearing, gauging our group. No doubt there were others lurking in the trees. There was nothing to be done about that. They seemed surprised to be facing opposition, so maybe this was an unlucky case of wrong-place-wrong-time. Scouting party? Maybe. Otherwise we might've been impaled by sniper fire by now.

  I could make out traces of what these men had been before they gave themselves over to be Scourge. Beneath the reek of their mutations were the long, pointed ears and spiking eyebrows of Dark Elves, the rippling muscles of human barbarians, the beaked faces of Orcs, the drooling obliviousness of a Goblin and the boxy, no neck, barrel body of Trolls.

  The Highbornes stared at the group and must have recognized the features of the Dark Elves because Galan took a tentative step forward. "Merry meet cousins. Many lifetimes have passed since the parting of our people. Might we reunite amicably?"

  Cue the cackle of evil laughter.

  I cringed. Aust was a weak link at the moment and other than sparring with Galan we hadn't assessed any of their fighting abilities. They were hunters and trackers. How would they measure up in battle? Damn. It was a rookie oversight and now we were going into this blind.

  Easing off the death grip I had on the hilt of my sword, I twisted my wrist and started windmilling. "Aust, are you up to calling a few friends?"

  Aust's strange new gaze cast to the forest. "Consider it done."

  Gods I loved that lo
ok.

  In one of those slow-mo moments in life, both sides assessed the other. Galan and Tham dropped their cloaks and strung their bows in one graceful motion.

  Lexi craned her neck to meet the empty gaze of one of the orcs. Yellow saliva dripped in chunks from a scraggly beard as he curled his finger to coax her closer. "Wanna dance, child?"

  "Thought you'd never ask." Lexi crinkled her nose, widened her stance and then sank into a crouch. His crooked sneer was wiped from his face as she swept his legs and pounced, daggers spinning. The snap of bone and a burst of blood left the first Scourge dispatched into a sinewy puddle of tar.

  "One for you, Princess." Reign advanced on his own opponent. "Shall we keep score?"

  "You bet your ornery ass." Lexi grinned and spun to the fight.

  A booming battle cry roared through the clearing and the fight broke free.

  "Blaze." The Scourge facing me raised his axe. "I was hoping to run into you."

  I searched passed the stretched, shiny flesh, the distorted sneer and the blotchy complexion. It was the scar from his mouth to his eye that gave his identity away. "Bloodvine?"

  "Still picking up strays I see," he said, swinging his blade.

  I jumped beyond his reach, then jabbed forward and angled left, right, a solid upper block. "You didn't complain when you were the road-kill I scooped from the gutter."

  His breath reeked of rot and his sneer tugged at the gnarly scar at the corner of his mouth. "Times change."

  I grunted, pushing against his strike. Arms and legs and weapons connected as we got our game on. The piercing clang of metal rang in my ears. Three wolves raced out of the forest, releasing a flash of teeth as they passed. Aust swayed and took a knee. What would happen if he lost consciousness again? How would we control the wolves?

  "Castian, come to me." Power surged in the air around me, arching to my fingertips. I raised my hands, breathing in the bergamot breeze.

  Another disfigured grin stretched across Bloodvine's puss. "Won't do you much good, Jade. I've learned to block bard powers since my transformation."