by Ashley Meira
I wasn’t skinny. Well, I was, but not in the way you’d expect someone who’d been held in a dungeon for months to be. I had muscle. My biceps and calves were toned.
I had been well cared for. Recently.
I hadn’t been imprisoned long, then. But based on the state of my brand, I’d been with the Boss for at least six months. None of this made sense.
I shoved that thought into the deepest part of my mind and continued my quest. Escape first, questions later. The hall was empty when I peered out the door, but I waited another minute before stepping out.
I was a nervous wreck as I wandered the halls. Hair clung to my sweat-drenched forehead, and I was legitimately worried about leaving wet footprints behind me. At least they would mark my path. This place was a castle, littered with twists and turns.
The scent of freshly baked bread wafted down the hallway. I moved on instinct, running like a woman possessed. My bare feet made no sound, which I attributed to any past training I may have had than my desire to go unnoticed. The only thing I cared about right now was food.
Magic was present in the kitchen, but the room was empty. I chalked it up to residue left behind by whoever had been here. The magic was light and sweet, like cotton candy. It chased away the taste of the evil magic.
My stomach roared when I caught sight of the pyramid of freshly baked bread in the corner. A few loaves had been disturbed, but they still looked delicious. I grabbed a loaf and shoved it into my mouth, devouring it before looking around the room for something to drink. The kitchen was old-fashioned, with a wood-fired oven in the corner. I found a pitcher of water and chugged it.
I held my hands in front of the wood oven. The flames danced before my fingertips. I was supposed to be fireproof, right? It was a crazy thought. Based on the injuries I had, however, I could handle a little pain. Reaching forward, I felt the flame’s heat nip at my fingers. But it didn’t feel as hot as it should have. I stuck my hand further into the flames until it was completely engulfed.
“Whoa.”
My hand was unblemished when I pulled it back. As cool as that was, it didn’t help me figure anything out. It hadn’t brought back any memories about who, or what, I was. No details about my life popped into my head. I still didn’t know my last name or if my parents were alive or….
When I dug, all I saw was darkness, like I was gazing into the abyss.
It felt like my memories were gone forever.
I pressed my back to the oven and rested my head against my knees. A sob escaped my lips, followed by another until I was bawling my eyes out. The cries echoed against the stone walls, and I bit into my knee to muffle the sound.
What if my memories were gone forever?
The sweet, warm magic from before flared, enveloping me like a hug. Its comforting nature reminding me how alone I was, making me cry harder.
I was never going to escape. The guards were going to find me, and I was going to die here.
Alone.
Once I was all cried out, I walked toward the sink and washed my face. Now that I was calm, I noticed the sweet magic had died down once more. Was someone else here? How? The room was empty. But I couldn’t shake the feeling.
The cotton candy tasted like it’d been mixed with tears, jittery and fearful. The magic grew stronger as I approached the large ingredient shelf across from the wood oven.
All the ingredients looked normal. Even if they weren’t, they wouldn’t give off the same feel as a living person’s magic. Carefully, I pushed a jar of sugar aside.
Nothing.
I started moving a few other jars out of the way. My heart beat faster with each jar. I was expecting something to leap out at me. Maybe I was wrong—
A bright pink light slammed into my face.
I staggered back. A pair of fluttering wings appeared before my eyes, followed by another blast of pink. The wings disappeared as the person they were attached to grew back to her original size, landing on her butt.
A fairy.
Some had the ability to shrink themselves down. They could also make their magic oscillate around them, allowing them to fly. The smaller they were, the higher they could go, because the waves of magic could push them farther. That visible magic created the illusion of wings. Some fairies could also create portals that allowed them to travel, though the maximum distance was determined by how powerful they were.
“Ouch,” she muttered.
I should be wondering what a fairy was doing here — or if she was going to alert the guards — but all I could focus on was how good I was feeling. It was like someone had jabbed adrenaline directly into my chest. Her Fairy Bolt should have knocked me out — or down. But all it did was make me want to run a five-minute mile.
She kicked herself into the corner. Unlike me, she was wearing a ragged white dress. It lifted when she brought her long legs up in front of her, revealing a giant brand on her thigh.
Just like mine.
Her red-rimmed eyes were wide with terror when they met mine, her voice less than a whisper. “Fireborn.”
The word shattered my consciousness, and the memories came rushing in.
Fireborns were abominations — declared by the Council of Magic as public enemy number one.
Fireborns were mages descended from dragons. What made people fear them was their gift for absorbing magic. It wasn’t an activated ability nor could they turn it off. They just naturally absorbed any active magic that touched their body. When Fireborns absorbed magic, it permanently strengthened their own magic and temporarily boosted their stamina. The overload of magic provided a euphoric high and gave them a sense of godhood. They craved the sensation and would do anything to get more magic, to get that high, again.
The way the Council of Magic — the supernatural world’s governing body — laid it out, Fireborns inevitably ended up raving, magic-hungry psychopaths hell-bent on destroying everything and everyone around them. They wove tales of depraved monsters who locked up innocent mages, absorbed their magic, then waited for that magic to replenish before sapping it again and again. Magic was part of a mage’s soul, so the experience was torture for the victims. Council Inquisitors chased rumors of Fireborns. They hunted them down and either executed or locked them up in the Black Citadel — the prison where all supernatural criminals were kept.
“Are we in the Black Citadel?” I whispered, fear chilling me in a way no winter could.
“No,” the fairy said. Her red hair was even dirtier than mine. She looked my age, but you couldn’t really tell with fairies. “It’s a castle. A big castle. Not a place to hold evil creatures.” The accusation in her green eyes burned.
“I’m not evil!” I cried.
“You attacked me!” she hissed.
“No, I didn’t. You attacked me.”
“Well,” she sputtered, “you absorbed my magic! Only Fireborns can do that!”
“I’m not Fireborn!” I couldn’t be. I wasn’t evil. I wasn’t a monster. I was a sixteen-year-old girl.
A sixteen-year-old girl who knew the best way to kill two men. A sixteen-year-old girl who only wanted to keep them alive so she could find a way to take their magic.
“I’m not Fireborn,” I repeated. “I can’t be.”
“You sensed me!” She was getting hysterical. “Not even the guards noticed I was here, but you did!”
“I’m a tracker mage.”
“You absorbed my magic!”
“I blocked it.” At this point, I was trying to convince myself more than her. “I’m a barrier mage, too. A hybrid.”
“No, you’re not! The magic vanished!”
“That’s what barriers do. The magic hits it and gets dispelled.”
“It wasn’t dispelled! You absorbed it!” She shoved an accusatory finger in my face.
“No! I’m not Fireborn. I’m not a monster! I’m not evil!” I fell to the ground, my tears coming back in full force.
It was impossible. Fireborns were bad. They were hunted a
nd thrown down deep, dark holes. They went crazy and killed innocent people. I didn’t do that. I couldn’t. I wouldn’t.
The fairy’s magic flared like it had before, and this time, the hug enveloping me was real. I looked down and saw her tiny, bare toes curled next to mine. Her cold nose pressed against my ear, and I felt her scoot closer to me.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I was scared. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
I shook my head. “What if you’re right? What if I am Fireborn? What if I am evil like the Council says?”
“I don’t think so,” she said softly. “You don’t feel like a bad person. I’m a fairy — we can sense these things.”
I looked at her. Even with tears blurring my vision, I could tell she meant what she said. I hugged her back, crying out all I had left. “Why are we here? Who took us?”
“I don’t know,” she said, shivering. “You’re warm.”
Fireborns ran hotter than regular people. They were also immune to fire and temperature. Just like I was. My tears came back with renewed vigor.
“How did you escape?” I asked.
“I woke up in a cell, but I have no idea how or why. I can’t remember anything.” She sniffed hard, and something wet hit my shoulder. “When the guard came in, I hit him with a Fairy Bolt. I got lost trying to find a way out. When I smelled the bread, I came here. The chef was still in the room baking, so I shrunk down before she could see me. I’ve been hiding here ever since.” Her tiny shoulders were trembling harder than mine at this point.
“I can’t remember anything either,” I told her.
“Really?” The hope shining in her eyes was heartbreaking. “I’m sorry. That’s terrible. I’m just— I’m glad I’m not the only one.”
I patted her hair, letting her get it all out. “My name’s Sophia.”
She pulled back, wiping her pink cheeks. “Fiona. I remember that much.”
“There’s nothing else?”
Fiona shook her head. “All I remember is fear, solitude, and sadness.”
I ran a hand through my hair. “Me too.”
“Where’d you get those rings?”
“I found a box with my name on it. These were inside.”
She took my hand in hers and turned it over. “This is a lightstone, but what does the other one do?”
“Nothing so far.”
“Shove that in someone’s eye and it’ll do something,” she said with a small smile.
I wanted to smile back, but all I could do was say, “Better than getting high on magic and killing people.”
“Maybe I was wrong,” Fiona said. “Maybe you’re not Fireborn. Do you know how to identify one? Besides having an Inquisitor check.”
“I don’t know. A powerful enough mage could sense my magic, I think.”
Footsteps came from outside. We moved instantly, holding each other’s hands as we ran through the halls. The moment we thought we were safe, we bumped into a pair of guards. Before I could react, a burst of green filled my vision, and I was laying in a thick pile of snow. Beautiful pine trees surrounded us, forming a wide circle around the clearing we were in. How did we get outside?
Fiona squeezed my hand. “Ouch.”
I helped her sit up. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” She shivered, leaning against me. “Freezing.”
“Did you open a portal?”
“I think so. We hit those guards, and I panicked. All I could think of was getting out of there.”
“I’m glad you thought that after we met.”
She chuckled weakly and stood up. “At least we’re out of that place. It was so creepy. It felt like being trapped in Dracula’s castle.”
“That would explain a lot.” I managed to catch a glimpse of what looked like a stone tower in the distance. That had to be it. I didn’t think Fiona had the strength to move us farther.
Fiona’s teeth were chattering as she rubbed her hands over her arms. “Aren’t you cold?”
“Fireborns don’t get cold.” A memory made me pause. “The Fire Within.”
“Fire Within?”
“That’s what it’s called.” The tiny Ember inside me. It was my Fire, fueled by magic. Someone had sapped my magic. That’s why I felt so empty — and why I wanted to steal the guards’ magic more than I wanted air. “The thing inside Fireborns that makes them special.”
She threw her arms around me. “It’s going to be okay. And I’m not just doing this because you’re like a furnace right now.”
I gave her a teary laugh.
“Fireborns are mages, right?” she said. “They’re hybrids.”
“That’s right, though their magic varies. Some can be barrier mages, sensory mages, or shifters….” I waved a hand. “All that stuff.”
“But they’re always elementals, aren’t they?”
I paused. That’s right. They were supposed to be elementals. Trackers, too — the better to chase magic. It was part of what made them so dangerous. “I think so. I was too tired to try using magic when I woke up.”
“What about now that you’ve absorbed some of my mine? Could you conjure some fire? I’m pretty drained, but I could probably hit you one more time if you need. Please?” She shivered. “I’m freezing.”
“Fireborns are supposed to be really strong.” I looked at the pine trees towering over us. They were so beautiful. The area was so peaceful. “What if I lose control and burn the forest down?”
“You girls lost?”
We whipped around. Two men approached us. They were wearing cargo pants and nothing else. Their black hair was spiked up with too much gel. The magic coming from them smelled like dried blood. It made my stomach churn.
Vampires. Maybe we were in Dracula’s castle.
“It’s very rude to ignore someone when they ask you a question.” The vampire on the right sauntered toward us with a predatory gleam in his eyes. “Especially when they’re trying to help you.”
Fiona’s hand tightened around mine.“We’re fine. Thank you.”
The other vampire cackled. “Are the little babies scared?”
Righty grinned. “They should be.”
He lunged at us. We broke apart, but the snow was too high for us to get far. A pair of strong arms grabbed me from behind. Lefty had nabbed Fiona and was standing a few feet away. I struggled, kicking my legs and butting my head back. Righty grabbed my forehead and clamped his other arm around my waist.
“I love fresh meat,” he breathed against my neck.
“Sophia!” Fiona cried as sharp fangs pierced my skin.
I barely got out a scream before I hit the ground. A bright light shone over my shoulder, and I turned to see a glowing red figure. It burst into sparks a moment later, the pieces floating toward the pure white snow. The vampire had burst into flames the moment he bit me.
“Fireborn,” Lefty said, his tone equal parts disgust and fear.
I covered my bleeding neck. “I’m not—”
“Don’t lie to me. Only people with dragon blood can do that to us, and I don’t see any scales. You’re one of those abominations. Shit, you’re a fucking freak. I should kill you right now. Do the world a favor—” A knowing smile cracked his face when he looked at my thigh. He pulled up Fiona’s skirt, her struggles barely fazing him. “You’re the Boss’ kids, aren’t you? He is going to be so pissed when he finds out you escaped.”
Fiona started to cry. “Please don’t take us back there.”
Lefty’s face twisted into a mockery of sadness. “Is the baby scared? Maybe I should turn you both over to the Council instead. People who harbor Fireborns are punished just as severely as the Fireborns themselves. Could make a pretty penny off you girls. But don’t worry—” he threw Fiona to the ground “—I’m not going to do that. I’m not stupid enough to piss off the Boss.” He stalked toward me. “Come on, sweetheart, time to go back to your cage.”
I pushed myself back, fear freezing my thoughts.
Magic. Vamp
ires were susceptible to fire, so all I had to do was use magic. I held my hand up, and closed my eyes, thinking of fire — of the Ember within me lighting up into a bright orange light. I opened my eyes.
My palm was empty.
Why wasn’t it working?
The vampire charged toward me, his hand clamping around my neck. “Game over.”
An explosion of pink knocked him away. Fiona rushed over and grabbed my bloodied hand, shoving it into the vampire’s mouth. My look of disgust vanished when Lefty burst into flame before my eyes.
“Are you okay?” Fiona asked.
I couldn’t look away from the sparks. “I killed him.”
“No, I killed him. He was going to take us back there.”
“You killed him using my blood.” I turned to her, my stomach clawing at itself. “I’m poison. My very essence kills people!”
“That’s not true.” Fiona put her hands on my shoulders. “Sophia, you’re exhausted. Your brain isn’t working properly. You need rest.”
“No.” I shook my head, the world swimming as I did so.
“Listen,” she said firmly. “When Fireborns absorb magic from mages, does it kill the mage?”
“No, the mage’s magic will replenish the way it normally does.”
“So—”
“I still wanted them dead,” I breathed. “There were guards in my cell, and all I wanted was to take their magic and kill them.”
“That doesn’t—”
“Fireborns all go crazy, remember? It’s only a matter of time. I wanted to kill, Fiona. I’m evil. I’m a freak. A mon—”
“Stop! You’re not any of those things.”
“Yes, I am!” I screamed. “I’m—”
“You’re my family!” Fiona pulled me to her, and I stared blindly at the trees, shocked. “Family. That’s what we are. We’re sisters. We suffered at the hands of the same man, and we escaped. We survived.” She looked into my eyes, running a thumb across my damp cheeks. “And we’re going to keep surviving. Together.”
“I’m Fireborn,” I sobbed. “What if the Council finds out?”