Keeper of the Flame

by Stephanie Burke

  Teeta forced a sad look on her face even though inside she cackled with glee. She hung her head in feigned sadness as she continued her story.

  “Flame had detected the assassin’s ship, My Mother, almost as soon as we tracked him to his location, but we were too late to offer much assistance. I lost both members of my crew in the ensuing battle to drive them away from my sibling and the wreckage of his vehicle. With his dying breath, Flame pleaded with me to return his children home, to your protection, Mother, before he severed this lock of hair as proof of his death. I believe he wanted to return to the benevolent care and protection offered at the hands of your house, My Mother.”

  “And what of my son’s children, Teeta. Where are they?” The children had been the main issue all along. They were of both the House of Fire and the House of Ice and possessed great power by virtue of their heritage alone.

  “In accordance with your wishes, Mother, the female was named Ember and the male, Spark. Both were born with red hair and possessing the energies of a Keeper.”

  There was an amazed outcry at her announcement. Three generations who possessed the energies alive at the same time! What power the House of Fire possessed!

  “So where are these little Keepers, Teeta?” Tessla wanted the issue of her wayward son here, where she could protect them until they were of a useful age. No one must have the power to use these children against her or her house.

  “They sustained too much damage in the fight, My Mother, and expired shortly after their sire’s life force escaped his body.”

  Teeta had to fight hard not to laugh at that point, knowing that both children could never be used to usurp her power. Let her mother and sire bemoan their loss. Teeta relished their absence and that of their precious Flame!

  Alonzid studied his daughter’s face. She was hiding something. Then it struck him. All of the inconsistencies in his daughter’s tale, previously hidden by his guilt and anguish, came together to tell him something remarkable.

  “Where are their bodies?” Tessla was aware of something happening with her life-mate, but dismissed his sudden tension as a reaction to his grief. She would deal with him later. Right now she wanted proof of the children’s destruction so that she could lay her own doubts to rest.

  This was the tricky part, Teeta thought as her quick mind came up with a way to explain the lack of the children’s bodies.

  “Their bodies are gone, destroyed as the assassins returned for another attack. Their hatred of the House of Ice runs deep Mother. I barely escaped with my life and the proof that Flame had perished. They wanted even this small piece of his energies as a trophy and only because of my body armor was my life spared so that I might return this to you, Mother.” Teeta gestured to the singed whole blasted into her uniform by the deceitful Grilla and silently thanked the dead woman for her small treacherous deed. It seemed that she was good for something after all.

  Everyone in the room gawked at the burnt hole, almost unnoticeable against the deep black of Teeta’s uniform, but proof of a near fatal blast lay right before their eyes.

  Teeta felt her heartrate speed up as her mother eyed her stained and damaged uniform. She knew that if she had stopped and had her injuries checked and took the time to wash before this meeting, her plan would have failed. As it was, she let a small sliver of true pain cross her face before quickly hiding it behind a mask of indifference. She was in great pain from the blast; she suspected broken ribs, but now used the pain to collaborate her story.

  “Are you hurt, My Daughter?” Tessla was instantly concerned for her heir. If something should befall Teeta, there was no telling what would happen in the ensuing battle for control of her dynasty.

  “I will live, Mother. I wanted to personally deliver this news to you and place Flame’s final tribute to you in your hands.”

  As much as she would have loved to make it sound like Flame had died cowering like the lowest of desert worms, that would not be believed after the courage he displayed in dealing with Catla. While she had the pleasure of seeing her sibling dead in the eyes of their people, she did not have the satisfaction of seeing his reputation torn and lying in shreds beneath her feet. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but the taste of ultimate power would wipe out any sour taste from her mouth. Besides, there could be no blot on the honor of the House of Fire. After all, she would one day rule this house as well as the House of Ice.

  She allowed her steps to falter a little as she walked closer to the great woman seated in front of her. In true ceremonial form, she dropped to her knees in front of her, dropped her chin to her chest in a display of proper grief and offered up the lock of hair in both of her opened palms.

  “A final tribute to the male of your line who was born a true Keeper, My Mother.” She fought to hold back giggles of delight as her mother slowly grasped the lock of auburn hair and bade her daughter to rise.

  Teeta took the traditional place, at her mother’s left, and ignored the looks Alonzid was giving her. Her sire would be harder to fool, and because he had her mother’s ear, she had to be meticulous in the way that she presented herself. He would be watching her closely, searching for anything that she knew and did not tell of his precious son.

  Tessla had no choice but to accept her daughter’s word. With the proof she had been presented, she had no choice but to make the announcement of her son’s death and the demise of his offspring.

  Sharp as ever, Tessla noticed her daughter’s reaction to the death of her womb-mate, but kept any worries she felt to herself. If there were something going on with her daughter, she would handle it her way and in her own time. As for now, her people needed reassurances that their position in life would not change, and that a leader for the House of Ice, now under her jurisdiction, would be named, least all out war develop in a quest for power.

  “Hear me, My People.” Tessla spoke as she stood, releasing her life-mate’s hand and the room calmed once again. Their leader would know what to do.

  “We have been delivered a punishing blow by the fates, the loss of The Keeper of the Flame and his children who also possessed his energies.” There was sad murmuring and whispers, but Tessla calmed them by raising her hands in a “be still” motion.

  “But the power of our Great House will not be affected by our loss. This is proof that my son lived,” she held up the twisting lock of hair, “that my son fought, that my son died in an attempt to keep his house, the House of Fire, safe and protected. His death will not go in vain or unpunished. No one challenges the House of Fire and lives!”

  The people began to nod in agreement with their leader. Flame had proven his bravery and courage by withstanding what Catla had done to him, his cunning by escaping the assassins originally, and his loyalty by contacting his sister to get his children and future heirs to safety. The House of Fire produced an excellent caliber of male and they would seek revenge for the unnecessary destruction on one of their own!

  “My daughter,” Tessla continued, “will now lead the House of Ice and a special taskforce to find these assassins and eliminate them will be formed by her! They carried their vendetta too far when they touched a member of my family in their quest to Destroy the House of Ice! Justice will be ours and death to all who oppose us!”

  Her words were met with a roaring cheer. The women demanded recompense for the damage done to their Great House. No one who dared to dishonor the House of Fire and lived! The Matriarch would ban together to seek out and destroy the parties responsible. No one flaunted the peace bringing rules of the Matriarch and lived!

  In the midst of their cheering, Tessla turned and motioned to her life-mate that it was time to leave. She had movements to plan and strategies to employ, but first she would see to Alonzid. All of this talk of the death of his son had to be painful for him and she would try to alleviate his sadness. Truthfully, although Tessla had cared for her son, she’d never really developed a bond for the strange male her egg had produced. She felt more for his missing daughte
r Ember, but understood Alonzid’s pain. If her daughter had been senselessly murdered, she would burn with a need for revenge greater than the desire she felt for it now.

  Death to the assassins.

  The true assassin strove to control her laughter as she watched her mother exit the room. How quickly her plan came to fruition. She almost felt pity for those who would oppose her, for they could easily be marked as a part of the conspiracy to destroy the power of the House of Ice. Maybe she could do away with the Brotherhood too! They were the ones who had taught that simpering fool, Flame, to think independently from the rest of the male cattle.

  Having so much power within her grasp was enough to stir desires within her body that she believed long dead. She pointed to an attractive brown-haired servant with a particularly massive chest carrying a cool pitcher of water and motioned him to stand before her.

  “Attend me,” she snapped and motioned him to follow her from the noise and excitement of the women in the room to her own private quarters.

  “Power is an arousing thing,” she spoke softly to the handsome male and he nodded his agreement.

  Having served in this house his whole life, he had heard stories about Mistress Teeta and her depravities. He braced himself and followed the bewitchingly beautiful woman from the room. He knew he would have to use all of the skills he possessed to satisfy this one and it still might not be enough. He pitied the men of the House of Ice. When this ravenous monster with its deceptively beautiful face descended upon their ranks, all would be made to suffer. No matter how depraved Mistress Catla had been, she was no match for the extremely intelligent and twisted mind of Mistress Teeta.

  * * * * *

  In their private sleeping chamber, Tessla stripped off her dress to lie down unashamedly naked across the white silk of her bed. Tessla detested clothing of any kind against her golden skin and refused to wear garments in the comforts of her private chamber. She motioned to her life-mate to do the same.

  Poor Alonzid. He had been struggling to hold back something ever since he saw that lock of red hair twisting in Teeta’s hands. She now watched him pad barefoot across the white marbled floor to retrieve her clothes before he began to remove his own.

  “Something troubles you, My Pet?” she asked as he pulled his tunic from his body to reveal his wide muscular chest, toasted the color of sand from exposure to the Fire continent’s punishing sun.

  Dark-haired Alonzid was originally of the House of Wind, chosen by Tessla’s mother to ensure continued good relations between the two houses. Even though his straight hair stood out amongst the wavy-haired people of this continent, he was accepted as one of them and often emulated by the younger men of the house. His keen intelligence and the quick way he processed information made him a vital asset to Tessla. If she had missed anything during the audience with her daughter, Alonzid was sure to pick up on it.

  “Yes, My Mistress.” He spoke quietly as he approached her bed, still wearing his low slung ceremonial pants. The only thing that kept them from falling to his ankles was the small drawstring that fastened below his navel and held the light material around the small span of his hips.

  Alonzid was blessed with the body of a god and the knowledge of how to use it to his advantage.

  “Well, what is troubling you, My Pet?” Tessla asked as her fingers found and toyed with the knot that held the drawstring taunt.

  Alonzid didn’t appear to be affected by the crippling sorrow that had consumed him back in the great hall. In fact he seemed to be holding some great and pleasing secret. He was not the type of man to expunge his grief in the sex act, so for him to deliberately approach her in a way that was sure to enflame her senses meant that she had missed something important. Her life toy was celebrating something and she knew that it had to something to do with Flame.

  His pants dropped to his ankles as a grin spread across his handsome face. “That lock of hair, My Mistress.”

  “What troubles you about my son’s final tribute to his mother and leader? I found it most appropriate.”

  She grasped his hands and pulled him down beside her on the bed. She knew that he would tell her of his thoughts, but she could have a little fun while he found the words to express himself.

  “It moves, My Mistress. It vibrates with his life’s energy.” He bit back a groan of pleasure as her delicate hands began to tickle over his stomach. A true leader, Tessla knew how to get directly to the point of any topic and her hands were now focusing in on what she desired from him.

  “I can see that, My Pet,” she replied as she peppered kisses down the thin trail of hair that lead to his throbbing manhood. “It moves with the energy of a Keeper even now, locked up in the vault to protect it from those who would attempt to destroy the final power of the Keeper.”

  “Yes, My Mistress,” he gasped as her hot mouth closed over the tip of his hardness. His agile fingers quickly and gently undid the pins that held her great mass of brown hair in its elaborate style.

  “But if my son’s life force had left his body, would not all of the energies he possessed on this plane dissipate? My son is dead, yet his hair resonates with life.”

  That brought Tessla’s head up in a flash. “What do you say, Alonzid? Is Flame alive?”

  “Upon this, I can only speculate, My Mistress, though I believe there is a good chance that my son survives and is well.”

  Instantly the ramifications of that thought coursed through Tessla. If Flame was still alive, that meant her daughter had lied, or that he had somehow tricked her into believing him dead.

  “This requires great thought, My Pet.” Tessla lay back amongst the tangled sheets of her bed, all thought of slaking her lust gone. If her daughter and heir had lied to her this would mean that she was party to a deception that would give her great power and influence while manipulating her own mother to achieve it. If she had been fooled by her sibling, it would mean that she had missed some important details and was not quite ready for control of a great house.

  “I shall have to watch and wait carefully, My Pet. If there is deceit and deception developing in my house, I will put a stop to it before it causes any damage. If my daughter is participating in it, she will be handled personally by me. No one must think that there is any division of power from within my house. That, My Dear, would cause a civil war that I do not wish to see. I cannot have my people fighting amongst themselves for scraps of power. That would surely take us back to the old days before the Matriarch gained power and we would lose all that we have gained. We must appear united to Testrios. I will not have my house lose face.”

  I will have my son and his offspring safe, Alonzid thought to himself as he began to massage the tension from his Mistress’s forehead. “We will watch together, My Mistress.”

  Alonzid would protect those he cared for at any cost. His daughter Teeta would bear watching.

  Epilogue

  The small family sat on the hillside in the late August sunshine sharing a blanket and a picnic basket filled with treats, specially prepared by their loving father. The tall auburn-hared man sat in front of a smaller version of himself. His son had a shocking shade of red-gold hair and a few solid silver streaks that ran down the side of his hairline. Those platinum locks blended with his fiery red hair that was contained in a neat tail near its ends with a small leather thong. The boy loved anything made out of leather, but required most of his leather things to be brown.

  The solemn faced little boy looked up in concentration at his father as he nodded at what the big man had to say. The miniature replica of the man shot a telling glance at his sister and they both rolled their eyes as if what the man said was funny.

  Beside them sat a little girl filled with uncommon beauty and hair the basic shade of her brother’s. She turned to the woman who sat behind her and giggled at something the brown-haired woman, her mother, said. The girl’s unusual hair was streaked liberally with silver strands that only added to her beauty, and tied back in a loose po
nytail almost identical to her brother’s, except for the curly ringlets that framed her face.

  The brown-eyed mother shushed the girl as her brother’s hands began to dance in the air. His red-gold hair stood up on end and swirled around his small body as his eyes flared brilliant red. After a moment of straining, a small rose appeared in the air before him.

  The boy smiled as it glimmered and turned in the afternoon sun, in shades of red and gold. He turned his proud little face to his father and was met with a brilliant smile in return.

  With a sly glance at his mother, the boy focused in again on the rose and watched as it began to melt and then expand. With a small flash of white light that showed shaky control of the energy, the boy closed his eyes, gritted his teeth and forced the energies back into his command. As he did, the melted rose began to glimmer and stretch. When he opened his eyes again, a small milky white MoonFlower shimmered before him.

  He smiled at his mother’s gasp of amazement and grinned up at his father, showing off his new control of the talent.

  With a giggle, the little girl reached over and touched the bloom of fire and almost instantly, it crystallized into a solid crystal Moonflower. The little boy reached out and plucked it from mid-air as his sister’s hair settled around her shoulders.

  The father shook his head and looked up as if searching for strength, before he too broke out into a devastatingly sexy grin of his own.

  The little boy presented the crystallized flower to his mother and giggled when she smothered his face with little kisses. His giggle was so enchanting that soon everyone on the blanket was laughing with him.

  “What does that mean, Flame?” Kendall asked as she included her mischievously grinning daughter in the affectionate embraces and smooches.

  “It means that I am in for a whole lot of training,” he replied. He spoke as if he was resigned to do some task which he had no idea how to complete.