“I just want you to take my hand.”
David looked at her outstretched palm, confusion written in his gaze. “That’s it?”
“That’s it,” she confirmed. “Just come here and hold my hand.”
His eyes narrowed in suspicion but David crept forward placing his hand against Sara’s. Heat flooded her arm, moving to rest in her hand and she waited expectantly for it to dissipate, to fade as it had the previous night but it didn’t happen.
David pulled his hand back quickly, scowling and cursing. “What’s wrong with you? If you wanted to burn me then there was no need to go through with this farce about needing help.”
His words fell on deaf ears as Sara continued to examine her hot hand, confused by what had just gone wrong. Moving past David, she pressed her palm against both of his companions’ and got the same reaction. The heat didn’t fade and the vampires pulled away from her quickly, nursing their scorched flesh.
What went wrong? she mused, walking away from the vampires and out into the bright light of day. They were vampires, they should have been able to make the fire die down. I found the one who could cool the flame and now it doesn’t work! Realisation dawned quickly. The one…There’s only one who can help me. It can’t be any vampire, it has to be him. She scanned the crowded street, watching as people rushed past her, a smile forming on her face. He’s here. I’ve met him. I know what he looks like. How hard can it be to find him again?
*****
After two days of searching, Sara concluded that in a city of this size it was very hard indeed to find someone you’d only met once. She had nothing to aid her search but a very clear image of what he looked like and as she’d quickly concluded looking for a tall, dark haired, pale skinned vampire was akin to looking for an off yellow piece of straw in a very large haystack. The description was apparently very common for vampires though she was sure it was more her inability to accurately describe the stranger that made him seem so much like everyone else, there was nothing common about him.
Her search was only hindered further by what she called ‘Seraphina’s episodes’. The spirit had courteously took it upon itself to warn her of the impending destruction it was going to cause, giving her time to get out of the city but it also seemed intent on having these episodes at night, a distinct problem when she was looking for a single, nocturnal vampire. When Sara had questioned the spirit about her motive for having the episodes at night, Seraphina had childishly replied that there could only be one sun in the sky at a time. Sara had rolled her eyes at her words, it only made sense that the vengeful spirit would want its flame to outshine the power of the sun. To protect the citizens of the city, Sara had taken to fleeing into the nearby forest at night, warning the few drunkards she passed that she wanted none of them to be in the woods. Thus far she had only damaged trees but her time was running out.
As she’d walked the streets in search of information on her mysterious vampire, she’d overheard others speaking of fire elementals entering the city in search of one of their own. How long her fire had burned around New Kennington Castle she didn’t know but it had to have lasted for a few days, the city wasn’t more than a days ride from the castle. It was amazing that she had made it this long without them coming after her. Sara had known instantly that they were talking about her, who else would they be looking for? It had been easy enough to convince those around her that she’d been sent on ahead of the main search party but there was no doubt in her mind that the lie wouldn’t last long. A lone fire elemental was a rare thing and no one had ever seen her with another of her kind, she was going to get found out soon enough. If she had found out so easily that others were looking for her, the same could happen in reverse.
If her imminent discovery by her people wasn’t enough to contend with, her forest sanctuary wouldn’t last much longer. Each night, Seraphina’s episodes seemed to get worse, the fire blazing hotter and consuming more of the woods with each trip into unconsciousness she took. One more episode and the forest would be all but gone, two more and the city would be in danger. Tonight was her last chance and she was prepared to resort to desperate measures. Her own attempts to locate the vampire had proved fruitless; it was now time to go straight to the top.
Her shoulders thrown back and her head held high, Sara rode Lance towards the dilapidated tavern that David and his two companions called home. Though internally she was unsure of the merits of her plan, she didn’t let it show and fearless, she threw the door open wide, shocking its inhabitant. With the short amount of time allotted to her, manners were something she couldn’t afford to indulge in.
“What on earth?” David cursed, springing to his feet and baring his fangs at the intruder.
“Calm yourself David, it’s me.” Her eyes scanned the dark room for heat, finding only one area where it was absent. David was alone.
“Why are you here?” His eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Never mind, whatever it is, I’m sure I want no part of it.”
“And just as it was the other day, you don’t have a choice. The sun might not be out but that doesn’t mean you can’t be burned.” Sighing, he stood and offered her his hand. “That isn’t what I need this time around.”
“Then what do you want? My foot?”
“No. Vampires have a leader correct?”
“Yes, Lord Lucian.”
“Good, I want you to take me to him. That’s all I want from you today.”
“Why?”
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to try and kill him and then blame you. I only want to talk to him. As for what I want to talk to him about, you don’t really need to know.” David still looked reluctant and though it prodded at her conscience, she decided to push him a little further to get his compliance. “Look,” she sighed, “you either help me or I deal with you. Harshly. It’s up to you really.”
“I don’t see why people have such a grudge against us vampires when you fire elementals are on the loose,” he grumbled but he was moving.
Once they were outside, he looked at Lance, a frown appearing on his face. “Is that your horse?”
“Yes.”
“It might take us a little longer to get to where we need to go if we have to take him. It’s much quicker to cut through the back streets but they’re too narrow for him.”
She glanced at the loyal horse, Seraphina’s countdown floating to the front of her mind. In a little over two hours an episode would be upon her. “No, Lance stays with me. His staying isn’t a topic that’s up for debate.” I need him to get out of the city quickly.
“Fine.”
They walked the dark streets, David leading and Sara following. Despite David’s fears they were making good time, the city’s human inhabitants moved quickly out of their way, fearful of the damage a fire elemental and a vampire could do. But time was running out for Sara.
“How long until we get there?”
“It shouldn’t take us too much longer to reach him. Lord Lucian is in the city tonight, there’s a tavern–”
“A working one?” she interrupted amicably.
“Yes. Lord Lucian would never be seen in one like the one you found me in. We’re only there as a stop gap anyway. We’ll be moving on soon. The Malachites frequent the particular tavern we’re looking for and Lord Lucian is on the warpath. There’s been something strange about his behaviour for a few days now. Normally, he would try to convince the Malachites that it’s for the best that they accept his leadership but for the last few nights, he’s been finding them and convincing them with the skill of his sword. Those who aren’t convinced quickly find themselves dead.”
“He doesn’t sound like a very nice man,” Sara grumbled to herself. The air around her suddenly got warmer and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end in warning. Something was about to happen.
“Sara!”
She turned around slowly at the sound of Abigail’s voice, a frisson of fear running through her. Even though she had been expecting it, the
sight of her friend leading a hunting party straight towards her, made her heart drop. “Abi,” she whispered sadly.
“It’s so good to see you.” Her smile was warm, genuine and all the more hurtful for it. “We’ve been looking all over for you,” she laughed cheerfully. “I didn’t expect it to take this long to find you but we have now. Come back with me Sara.”
“You know I can’t. I found him Abi, I found the one who can help me, but I lost him,” she explained. “I don’t have to die, I can live. I’m on my way to find him right now. By morning I might have this whole thing figured out.”
“Sara, you’re being selfish.” Abigail pouted as she recited words that could have very easily come straight from Geoffrey’s mouth. “You know very well that you have a duty to your people. Your sacrifice will ensure that we’re the strongest of the elementals, maybe even the strongest of all people. We’ll be unbeatable. Everyone will fear us.”
“What’s going on?” David asked curiously, his bright eyes landing on each of the seven newcomers in turn before turning back to Sara.
Sara ignored his question. “Abi, you can’t do this. Power can’t be that important and besides the fire elementals are already feared by all, how do you think I managed to last so long with no prior knowledge of how cities work? You don’t need more power Abi. Don’t you want me to live?”
“Of course I do and if you manage to survive after destroying our enemies then I’ll take you on a great holiday. I’m sure you’ll be allowed to leave the village after all that you’ve done. In fact, I’ll take you even if they don’t give you permission to leave the village again.”
“Abi, the fire that will destroy your enemies will kill me. Seraphina already leaves me exhausted as is. The hotter and more powerful she burns, the more drained I feel. She’s already killing me, every time she makes an appearance I feel weaker.”
“What are you talking about Sara? They aren’t ‘my enemies’, they’re your enemies as well.”
“These people have never done anything to me and I’m not going to do anything to them.”
She needed to find her vampire; her time was up. She wouldn’t find sanctuary in this city now that Abi had found her. More fire elementals would be called if she wasn’t returned and the longer she stayed out of their grasps, the more that would be called until the city was overflowing with them. Summoning the flame within her, Sara created a wall of fire around the hunting party, sealing them within its fiery walls. There was no time to wrestle with Seraphina to make the fire do more than simply burn until it was out of fuel but there was also no time to regret her lack of care. Throwing herself into Lance’s saddle, she reached for David and pulled him onto the horse before spurring the horse into a wild gallop.
“Where are we going David?” she demanded, running blind. People jumped out of the way, terrified of Lance’s powerful hooves and the scenery blurred as she ran past it.
“What’s going on?”
“I asked you a question David, where are we going?”
Realising that he wasn’t going to get answers to his questions and wanting to get out of whatever dangerous situation Sara had dragged him into, David directed her to the nearby tavern. They dismounted quickly, Sara pulling David by his cold hand into the building. The inside was well lit, with boisterous men proceeding to become increasingly inebriated as they threw back pint after pint of rich ale.
Feast. Hungry. Ten minutes.
What? She cursed. You told me that I had at least two hours! What happened?
Want more fire. More flames. Burn everything.
Sara groaned, cursing her rash actions. The fire she had started to give her time to escape had backfired, slashing away at the time she had left to search. With only ten minutes until another episode was upon her, she would have to find Lucian and hope he could fly her out of the city. She knew older vampires had the ability to fly and quickly reasoned that as the leader Lucian had to be the oldest of them all. No more fire then. “Do you see him?” she demanded, her heart racing.
“Yes, over there.” David raised a hand, pointing to a tall figure in the distance, surrounded by many others.
Abandoning her guide, she walked towards him realising with every step that she took that there was something familiar about the man. He turned to look at one of the people that surrounded him and his face became visible. Her heart stopped as she gasped. She had come looking for the leader of the vampires to help her find the one that was destined to help her. She had never for even a second realised that they were one and the same. The doors flew open and Abigail’s hunting party poured inside, Sara’s flaming red hair giving away her location instantly. Her eyes flickered between her friend and her saviour. This could get tricky, she sighed dejectedly.
Chapter Six – The Problems a Bride Brings
Lucian had known the instant his bride had stepped into the tavern. The blood coursing through her veins sang out to him, urging him to sink his teeth into her neck with each beat of her heart. It was a struggle to keep his mind on the words that were floating around him, his fangs practically salivating at the prospect of the taste of her exotic blood on his tongue. He couldn’t afford for anyone here to know who she truly was to him. He suspected that the tavern was a meeting ground for Malachites and a bride was a weakness they would exploit to the fullest. The conversation around him faded as she approached him, the ache in his fangs multiplying. He let his head turn slightly, watching her progress, she was headed directly for him and he briefly considered the notion that she knew just what she was to him. The idea was dismissed quickly, no one but he knew that she was his bride, not even his closest friends were aware of her existence.
The large bar seemed drastically smaller when a group of fire elementals poured in, blocking the exit. They approached his bride, a heavy set man placing a beefy hand on her shoulder and stopping her progress. For a moment Lucian contemplated putting the meeting on hold temporarily so that he could tear the man’s head from his shoulders. No one had the right to touch what belonged to him. His bride saved him the trouble of a messy clean up, spinning so quickly she was like a blur before stabbing the man in his hand with a small dagger. He howled, staggering away from her and clutching his bleeding hand in agony. His cries quickly attracted the attention of the bar’s patrons who stared at Sara as though she had suddenly sprouted multiple heads. Fire elementals may have been a vicious and dangerous people but they never hurt one of their own, one of the hard and fast rules of their existence had just been broken.
“Sara, what do you think you’re doing?” Abigail screeched.
“I think you should ask yourself that question. We’re friends Abi, friends don’t try to kill each other.”
“I’m not trying to kill you,” she complained.
“By trying to take me back that’s exactly what you’re doing. I found him Abi, he’s right there.” She pointed at Lucian's tall frame. “He’s standing right there, he can save me Abi, just let me go.”
“I can’t.”
Sara shook her head in disappointment but her sword was already out of its sheath, the solid weight pressed against her palm. I can’t afford to use my fire anymore, it’ll only bring on an episode faster. “You’re my friend Abi so I don’t want to hurt you but my good will doesn’t extend to the rest of them.”
Her sword gripped firmly in her hand, Sara sprung forth, wielding the large sword gracefully as she swung for the nearest fire elemental to her. The tip of her blade made contact with his torso and she pulled down hard, slicing open his flesh before moving on. His companions had learned from the man’s mistake and were no longer underestimating her, wary now of the sword she carried. Trying to keep their distance, they let their fire rein down on her. She tried to avoid the flames wary of coming into contact with anything that could encourage Seraphina to begin her episode early.
The tavern around her was beginning to burn and the terrified patrons ran towards the exit, pushing wildly at each other in an attempt t
o escape. Sara’s heart thudded within her chest. Had he left too? She pulled her mind away from her fight to search for him, turning away from Abigail and her compatriots to look for his face in the crowd. He was still talking to those that surrounded him, acting as though their meeting ground weren’t burning around them. What’s wrong with them? Can’t they see that this place isn’t going to last much longer? The momentary distraction cost her dearly as fire struck her, the heat seeping into her skin to fuel the fire that was in her veins.
Now, Seraphina purred.
Fire sprung forth from her, pouring from her skin and burning all that it came into contact with. She glanced at the exit, but her heart fell when she saw it was still crammed with people, there was no way for her to leave. As she frantically searched for another exit, Abigail and her search party began to surround her, enclosing her within a circle made of their bodies.
“You all remember what elder Geoffrey said? It will be just like absorbing the flame of the ever-fire. Once we have done that, we’ll take her home and fulfil the prophecy.”
Tears began to fall from Sara’s eyes at Abigail’s words, Seraphina was nothing like the ever-fire. They would all be consumed by her much too powerful flame. The fire racing along her skin, reached forward, licking along the skin of those surrounding her. Sara felt her strength increase even as she watched Abigail and the others fall to the ground as weakness overcame them, the essence of their flame being absorbed into Sara’s being to further fuel Seraphina’s episode.
“Sara?” Abigail pled. “Stop this.”
“I can’t Abi, I told you to leave me alone. I warned you.” She turned tear-filled eyes onto Lucian, using the last of her strength to move towards him. “Please,” she begged. “Please help me.”
“Lord Lucian,” Gareth began, “do you know this woman?”
“Please Lucian, please help me.” She extended a hand towards him, desperate for him to touch her and stop the fire that was sapping her strength.
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