Keeper of the Flame

by Stephanie Burke

  Raising both hands palms outward, a white-hot blast of fire exploded from Flame’s hands. It sought out then surrounded its target. It enveloped Grilla, illuminating her skeleton and causing her to rear up onto her toes as destructive energy flowed through her body. Her eyes widened until they looked as if they would pop from her head and her mouth opened convulsively. The powerful blast of energy disintegrated Grilla to ash before her panicked scream could escape her throat.

  Next he turned his sights on her accomplice, who begun firing just as wildly at the now energized shield that Flame had created just as Grilla had.

  Seeing that she had garnered his attention, the other woman took two steps back before turning to run towards the van. The children would make the perfect hostages for dealing with what appeared to be a very powerful madman. She took two running steps towards the minivan, before she too was hit with an identical beam. The force of the blow lifted her at least three feet into the air and exploded her into ash. Then even the ash disintegrated under the powerful force of the concentrated beam of fire.

  Raising both hands above him, Flame released a primal scream as he forced the power back under his control. Both of his hands, hands that had just unleashed the power of fire in death, slammed through and fisted in his unbound hair, as if it to settle down as his energy slowly began to abate.

  Slowly it receded and the moving barrier that protected them shrank and divided becoming invisible. Flashes of orange, blue, and white flame circled around his arms and legs, hungrily as if waiting for a chance to break free from their controlling master. The ground around them lay dark and scorched as his hair settled down around him like a red silken cloak. He once again mastered his power and called the energies home to rest within him. Slowly the flames seemed to sink into his body as he lowered his arms by degrees and turned to face Kendall.

  She had always had an idea of just what Flame was capable of but never had she thought to see the devastating full force of his power set free. Dazed, she could only look up at Flame as he turned to face her. While her first instinct was to run, the tears streaming down his grief-stricken face reminded her that this awesome being was essentially just a man.

  He was a man who had just broken all the rules that he had lived by for so long, that they had become a cloak of honor to him. Here was a man who had gone against everything he believed in, everything that he had been taught was right, in order to save his family.

  “Flame?”

  Without a hint of uncertainty, she raised her arms to him and he immediately pulled her to her feet and engulfed her in a crushing embrace. She felt the tormented shudders that racked his body and sought to offer a little comfort to his spirit. He had killed today, and for a peaceful man like Flame, a man who would rather avoid danger instead of searching for it, this was a difficult thing to accept.

  “I can never go home.” His ragged voice rasped in her soft hair as he pulled her tighter. “Not even for Ember can I go back to Testrios, not after this. I have gone against my father’s teachings and can no longer be considered one with the House of Fire.”

  Kendall had no words to express the deep regret that she felt. She also had to fight back a glimmer of selfish happiness. If he could never return home, then he would not leave her.

  “This is your home, baby,” Kendall softly murmured in Flame’s ear. She’d always wanted a man that would fight for her, that would protect her at all costs, and she had finally found him.

  She rained kisses, soft comforting kisses, across his face and finally his trembling mouth. She sipped each tear as if they were a precious elixir, and indeed they were. A man with a great conscience shed them, for acts he had committed to keep their small family safe and secure.

  Teeta groaned from her prone position on the ground and decided that she was not dead. She was in too much pain to be in that blissfully solemn condition. Her personal body shielding had protected her from serious injury, but could not spare her the minor problems that cropped up when hit with a laser cannon. She probably had a few broken ribs, but she would survive.

  She had never quite trusted her House of Ice cronies, and was now glad that she wore the protective armor beneath her uniform. She lain on the ground and watched her would-be assassins become smoldering Testrios ash piles with great amusement. Then she watched as her sibling embraced the argumentative woman of Earth.

  Teeta had managed to hold onto her weapon when she was hit by the blast and now had Flame easily within her sights. She raised the gun, trembling deep within her shaky arms, but she could not bring herself to pull the trigger.

  The body armor had saved her from fatal wounds, but it was her sibling who had, however unintentionally, saved her life. She plopped back to the ground with a small self-depreciating snicker.

  After taking a moment to compose herself, Teeta rose painfully to her feet and brushed the bits of loose green earth grass from her legs and back. She tucked away a stray lock of hair behind her ear and then turned to make her way to the area where she had camouflaged her ship.

  “Teeta!”

  She turned as Flame called her name. “You address me so discourteously, Flame?” Her imperious tone rang out over the eerily silent field.

  “What do you intend to do, My Sibling?”

  “I would have killed them all, Flame. I would have killed Grilla and her accomplice and I would have brought your children back to Testrios. I would have ruled in Ember’s name. It was never my intention to kill your offspring. After all, they are blood.”

  “By the time Ember had reached her adulthood, she would have gladly killed our own mother had I asked it of her. She would be completely under my power. Your son, Flame, he would have been raised as a proper Testrios male and then mated off to another Great House to bring me more power. I was going to present him to the House of Water and then, my dear sibling, I would have had more power than any other woman alive. The future of Testrios would be shaped in my glorious image! Nothing and no one could have stood in my way. I would have been a goddess.”

  She tossed her black hair behind her as prideful as a cat, then turned to Kendall.

  “I would have taken great pleasure in your demise, woman of Earth. You have brought me nothing but trouble.”

  “The feeling is mutual, woman of Testrios,” Kendall replied standing tall beside her only true love.

  She had felt his shoulders tighten with tension at Teeta’s cutting words and knew even though the woman had caused great pain to him, Flame was more hurt by her plans for her imagined future with his children. She was no better than a modern day slaver, although it seemed that these practices were quite common on Testrios.

  “You are fortunate, my sibling,” Teeta replied in all honesty, observing the look of love on Kendall’s face. No one had ever looked at her like that in her whole life, and she doubted that anyone would now. Bah! Let others bask in the sickening sweet sentiment of love, she wanted the looks of awe and fear that power brought.

  “Stay here with her, Flame. And remember, if you return, I will take great pleasure in killing you.”

  “And my children?” he asked. He would harm even his sibling if it meant keeping his children safe and away from that planet.

  “They are dead.”

  At the flaring of his eyes and his aggressive stance, she laughed and added, “You were all dead when I found you. It seems that the grudge against the House of Ice runs deep and our unknown assailant had struck again, despite our sire’s best efforts to prevent it. Mother knew who gave you your escape ship, Flame. It was she who told our sire of the Execution Squad and that they were after you.

  “It seems I was a little too late in arriving here to protect all of you, losing both of my soldiers in the process. I will still present your lock of hair, Flame, as proof.” Then almost as an afterthought, “You need retraining in respecting a Mistress as a proper Testrios male.”

  “But he is already a most proper man, Teeta. For me.” Kendall bristled at the woman. No
one made disparaging remarks about her man without expecting a big fight.

  With an almost-respectful nod in Kendall’s, direction, Teeta turned and limped away, disappearing into the trees. A moment later a low rumbling was heard, then a nearly invisible ship shot straight up, off into the sky.

  “It’s over.” Relief tinted Flame’s voice as he looked at his brave mistress beside him, but she had already turned her back to him and was racing for the van.

  “I want my babies!” she cried as she leapt into the van to check on the infants waiting quietly inside. Slowly, Flame followed.

  He paused to look over the field and vowed that he would try to put the past in the past where it belonged. He had saved his family and that was all that mattered, except for maybe Kendall's reaction to him now. Would she love him now that she had truly seen the effects of his strange energies, and seen the monster that he had become?

  “Come on, Daddy!” she cried as he dragged his feet, slowing down his walk to the minivan.

  “Mistress, I must speak with you.” He spoke in a calm, low voice to show the seriousness of his thoughts.

  “If you are worried about that little fire-throwing exhibition, don’t be. I already know that you won’t French fry me if you get angry. So stop worrying about it.”

  “But do I not frighten you?” he asked. “Do you trust enough in my love to protect you from even me?”

  Flame’s voice had risen with his uncertainty as he stood, arms akimbo, at the side door to the van.

  Kendall looked up from where she was closely examining the now awake children. Both were alert and seemed none the worse for wear after their ordeal. It was their father who seemed to need reassurance.

  “Flame, do you not know that you are truly the keeper of my heart?”

  His eyes flashed red for a moment at her simple statement of love before he could get his emotions under control, then he began to smile that slow sexy smile.

  “Don’t you know that my home is wherever you choose to be? Don’t you know that you will always have a home with me?” Her brown eyes flashed at him from under her dark lashes as she returned his smile with a lusty grin of her own.

  She understood his uncertainty and with a few words knew how to alleviate all of his fears. Though she would probably have nightmares about the whole affair, she knew that she would always find strength and safety within Flame’s loving arms.

  Flame opened his arms wide and embraced the warm bundle of feminine flesh that was his Mistress, his love, his Kendall. He’d finally found a place where he belonged, where he was accepted, where he was safe. Wherever Kendall was was his home. Life with his Kendall would be a continuing learning experience. Look at all the changes that she had made in his life thus far. He now had a flower-strewn house, a potential business, safety for his children, driving, her crazy sister, daytime television, and triple chocolate cherry ecstasy ice cream! His life had changed so much and in such a short span of time.

  And it was good!

  Chapter Sixteen

  The click of heels against the hard marble floor of the Great Hall caused a hushed silence to fill the crowded room. Large pillars of rare Tarcus stones graced the entrance of the long room while fountains of cool bubbling water separated each massive brown column.

  Muscular male servants rushed through the throng of women who had arrived since word of Tessa's return had spread.

  Dressed in loose ankle-length tunics and flowing pants of white, the golden-skinned, dark-haired men carried golden trays of cool refreshing drinks to the guests sitting at the long tables that flanked a large silk draped throne situated in the center of the room. Behind the throne sat a large golden brassier where a perpetual conflagration blazed at all times, proving the power of the ancestor who’d first lit the fire there as this house was created.

  This was the most powerful house to ever exist and the woman who ruled it governed it with an iron fist.

  Tessla sat on her throne dressed in her red and gold sarong-styled dress and watched her dark-haired daughter approach. With her long brown hair styled in an elaborate twist on top of her head, the golden- skinned woman looked beautiful and strong, a fit leader for a powerful house.

  Behind Tessla, dressed in his elaborate red and white tunic and pants, she could feel the tension radiate from Alonzid as his large charcoal gray eyes took in the sight of the child he had carried within his body for twelve long months. Even though not an expression crossed his handsome face and there was no pressure from the hand that gently clasped hers, she knew that he agonized over the fate of his only son, Flame.

  She glanced over her shoulder with her knowing golden eyes and examined her life-mate. Earlier this evening, he had once again proved why he was a master of the sensuous arts. She recalled the play of his long dark, silky hair against her naked body and had to fight to bring herself back to the present. She turned from the unusual and arousing sight of her Alonzid in his ceremonial clothes and brought herself back to the business at hand.

  As Teeta reached the front of the room, all of the servants snapped to attention and as one, bowed low and respectfully to the daughter of the house. Several of the men, although remaining in their proper positions, looked around anxiously to see if the man, one of their ranks who was being honored, followed his sister. But Mistress Teeta stood alone.

  “What news have you brought me, daughter?” Tessla’s royal voice, deep and commanding, rang out clear true and commanding in the quieted hall. She felt tension further tighten in Alonzid and felt him strive for control.

  “I bring sad news, My Mother,” was her formal response.

  “Tell us all of how you fared, My Daughter.” Tessla’s voice had tightened subtly and Alonzid, remembering his duty, put aside his own nagging questions and gently squeezed his life-mate’s hand. Tessla did not like her wishes being thwarted by anyone, including her wayward son or her daughter and heir.

  “I was sent too late to retrieve my womb mate, the man named Flame.” Teeta managed to add the correct amount of remorse for this situation.

  A shocked gasp filled the room at her words. Flame was gone? Impossible! He was this generation’s Keeper of the Flame! There had to be some good explanation for this.

  Alonzid felt the jolt of his daughter’s words and the room began to spin. Only with the greatest of control was he able to withstand the urge to pounce on his daughter and demand answers from her to all of the questions that flooded his mind.

  Tessla reclaimed command of the room by lifting up her left hand. Again all eyes were on the powerful ruler of the House of Fire.

  “Tell me, My Daughter. Do we go to war with this primitive planet over the death of my son?”

  Again there was an amazed silence. War with a whole planet over the demise of one male? Then again, some people concluded, the powerful ruler could not let this insult go unpunished. Flame was the son of not any Great House...he was Keeper to the House of Fire.

  “No, My Mother. Flame was racing away from the assassins when they managed to destroy the land vehicle that he had acquired.”

  “How did...” Alonzid broke off his impassioned question and knelt on one knee to apologize to his life-mate.

  His outburst bewildered many. Alonzid was the supreme example of Testrios manhood and it was unlike him, even in the face of this tragedy, to forget himself.

  Tessla nodded her acceptance of Alonzid’s apology. She felt proud that he had lasted this long before attempting to get his own questions answered. Foremost in his mind had to be a question about how the assassins found his much-loved son on the small blue planet.

  “How was it that the assassins found your womb-mate, Teeta?” she asked as Alonzid resumed his proper position behind her. She knew that this is what her life-mate wanted to know and she would have his question answered. It was a small comfort to the man who had so loved his son that he placed his own life in jeopardy trying to protect him, and she would give him the answers he sought.

  “I beli
eve he was attempting to send us a plea for assistance, My Mother. You may check my flight computer to find the actual coordinates that he sent to me. I believe that the assassins intercepted his message and it led them straight to his position.”

  Alonzid studied his daughter. No one could read her body language better then he, and he sensed some inaccuracy in her story. Her features were ever so slightly tightened and she stood in a slightly defensive manner, as if she expected her words to be doubted. Still underneath that, was a small glimmer of...triumph?

  Teeta tensed under her sire’s scrutiny. The ever-astute Alonzid could easily ruin all of her plans with his suspicious and observant nature.

  Ever since walking into this familiar hall she had been bombarded with feelings of inadequacy. She should feel proud that one day all of this greatness, all of this power would be hers, but instead she felt like a little girl, fighting for approval from her stern perfectionist mother. She felt her self-doubts spring to the surface and struggled not to let them escape her control.

  Not this time! Throughout her life she had been besieged with stories of her unusual brother, and how his very existence would change the beliefs of her people and alter their way of life. No one spoke of her great accomplishments, of her skills in logic and strategy or about how she was undefeated and unsurpassed in warrior skills both ancient and new. All anyone could ever speak of was her useless and strange womb-mate.

  But not today, for this day Teeta would have her glory. She would be triumphant as all of her careful planning came to fruition. She pulled out her final telling proof, filling the hall with stark quiet.

  “Flame lingered for a few moments, My Mother. Long enough to sever this lock of hair from his own head.”

  With true showmanship, Teeta whipped out the writhing twining lock of auburn hair.

  There was dead silence in the room. Tessla felt waves of grief ripple through her life-mate, even though his outward appearance remained calm. The only evidence of his great pain was a single tear, hastily wiped away, that escaped despite his iron will.