Forged in Fire

by J. A. Pitts

  “Gee, and how’d you figure that?”

  He looked hurt. “Hey, I know stuff. I don’t just sit on my ass all the time. Since my parents left, I’ve read a bunch of stuff, you know…” He blushed. “Spell books.”

  “Something else you never told Katie?”

  His face got stony. “I can’t use magic,” he said. “I also can’t build airplanes, but I know how they work.”

  I laughed. “Don’t get your knickers in a twist. I was just commenting.”

  The rest of the place was without magical residue, at least as far as we could tell. I didn’t like the fact that someone had been up here, because I thought I had a pretty good idea who.

  “You don’t think Justin and his evil minions could get onto the farm, do you?”

  “Nope,” he said, confident. “That’s what the barrier is for. No one gets in and out without me knowing it. Perimeter sets off an alarm. Loud thing, sounds like an air-raid siren.”

  We scouted the place for another hour but, in the end, had to give it up. Jimmy was satisfied and promised to send a squad back up here to secure the place—whatever that entailed. And then we trudged back down the mountain.

  So Jimmy was studying magic. But he couldn’t do any himself. That was good to know.

  We got back to the fence and wrapped the last seven posts just after dark. I was relieved to hike the final quarter mile back to the farmstead. When we crossed that last rise and saw the house I had to take a minute to enjoy the view. From up here, near the road east of the place, I could see the big house with smoke pouring out of both chimneys. The barn and barracks also hung heavy with wood smoke. The fields on all sides glowed white with the snow. It was beautiful. Not because we’d just donated a lot of blood—and sore digits—to secure the perimeter, but because that’s where our families were. Those we loved.

  A wave of grief rose in me, and I coughed to cover the sob that had burst out of me. God I missed my family. My eyes burned, and the scene before me blurred as tears betrayed me to the cold day.

  Jimmy made himself busy retying his boots, but I wasn’t convinced. I let out a deep sigh and scrubbed my face.

  “You still miss your parents?” I asked when I could breathe without crying.

  “Every day,” he said, standing. He kept his hands in his jacket pockets and watched the homestead. “I wake up some nights sure they’ve come home. But they never do.”

  “So you think they’re alive?”

  He shrugged. “No one knows. I believe it, though. Katie seems to have accepted that they’re gone. I can still feel my father’s hands on my shoulders when things get tough.” He sniffed loudly and cleared his throat. “When Deidre was in the hospital and I was alone in the house for the first time since they’d gone, I woke up thinking I smelled mom’s perfume. I know it’s crazy, but I was so damn sure of it.” He scuffed the snow with his boots. “What about you?”

  I pulled off my wool hat (that I knitted) and ran my hand through my hair. “All the crap that’s been going down lately has got me thinking I need to reconnect, learn to forgive some, ya know?”

  He looked up at me, his face set. “I’d cross heaven and hell to find them,” he said. “If they were just in another town, no matter how boneheaded I thought they were being, I’d be there with them. And don’t you have a little sister?”

  I nodded, feeling the heat rise in me. He’d sacrificed everything for Katie. I knew his answers there. “Megan,” I said. “She’s fifteen. I miss her the most, I think.”

  “Well, best you’re not close to them now, not with that crazy bastard out there. They’re probably safer for it.”

  He was right. They were better off with me not in their life, and that hurt. I put my hat back on, adjusted my pack, and cleared my throat.

  “Let’s go back now, huh?”

  “Oh, yeah,” he said, pulling his pack tight and heading down the hill. “Duty is critical, but I want to see my woman.”

  “Me, too.” Both of my girls were waiting for me. I knew Jai Li was going to break my heart someday. But for now, I could share my life with her.

  Sixty

  Everyone was thrilled when we got home. Bub even hugged me. Frick and Frack just loved all the excitement. Jai Li had gone suddenly shy. Katie gave me a shrug when Jai Li stood off, arms crossed over her chest.

  I went to her and knelt down. “Hey, kiddo. You miss me?”

  She shrugged and turned her head, but Bub nudged her from behind.

  “Did you have a good time while I was gone?” I asked.

  “Give it to her,” Bub said.

  I looked up, and Katie shook her head and shrugged, again.

  Jai Li ran into the living room and pulled a piece of paper out from under a stack of blankets and pillows; then she ran back and handed it to me.

  I unfolded a picture of Jai Li standing and holding both my hand and Katie’s. Around us was a big flowery heart.

  “It means she loves you,” Bub said, smug as can be. “She let me help.”

  There was a distinct difference in the work Bub had done and the work Jai Li had done. Together it looked like something a six-year-old Picasso would’ve done.

  I reached out and hugged her. “Thanks, kiddo.” Before he could get away, I pulled Bub in as well, hugging them both. “You’re both pretty amazing.”

  Frick and Frack toddled over and fell against us, and we all tumbled to the ground, laughing. Jai Li had a sweet laugh, which seemed to surprise her. I bet she didn’t laugh a lot at Nidhogg’s place. Not tolerated.

  Funny how quickly she’d found her way into my heart. If we didn’t end up keeping her, I wasn’t sure what I’d do. Move on, I guess. But I didn’t want to find out.

  Jimmy hit the showers first and then unpacked his gear while I showered. Katie didn’t join me, which was a relief and a disappointment. I’m not sure if I could’ve handled it with the kids in the house.

  By the time I was dressed in clean clothes, Katie had whipped up soup and sandwiches. I sat down with Jai Li on one side and Bub on the other. Deidre and Katie had Frick and Frack in high chairs pushed up against the table, and Jimmy carried a big pot of cheese and beer soup to the table. That and several loaves of homemade bread and a gallon of fresh coffee had me feeling warm again for the first time in days.

  “Good food,” Jimmy said, pushing back from the table. “Makes me want to take a nap.”

  “Go ahead,” Katie said. “We’ll take the kids out to play in the snow, let you get some shut-eye.”

  Deidre winked at Katie and faked a pretty big yawn.

  By the time we had the kids bundled up to go out, Deidre was practically shoving us out the door.

  “Keep your pants on,” I said as she nudged me with her wheelchair.

  “Not likely,” she said under her breath.

  Katie laughed, and we headed out into the snow.

  The troll babies had pretty thick skin and didn’t seem to mind the cold. Jai Li was hesitant at first, having likely never seen snow in real life. I wanted a full rundown from Qindra someday. I was willing to bet everything I had that Jai Li had never set foot out of that house before she ran away to find me and rescue Qindra.

  We managed to build a snowman and a snow fort before the kids began to flag. Bub entertained the kids by melting the snow in his hands, on his head, even with his feet. He didn’t actually burst into flame as I’d seen before, but he definitely was burning hotter than the rest of us.

  While the kids frolicked, Katie told me about Rolph’s call. No surprise that Jean-Paul had his talons in this necromancer bullshit. He had been a foul little dragon. Just made me want to kill Justin all the more. And I’d be damned if I was hiding from the bastard. He could have Gram when he could pry her from my cold, dead hands. Gram wasn’t made to be hidden. She was all action.

  After an hour and a half, Katie called a moratorium on snow and directed us all back into the house. “They’ve had enough time for a nap,” she said, stomping the snow off her
boots. “My ass is cold.”

  I know we had to sound like a herd of buffalo heading back into the house, but neither Jimmy nor Deidre stirred. We got the kids changed into dry clothes and plopped them down at the table with hot chocolate and cookies.

  “I’m kinda beat myself,” I said, yawning. “I could use a nap.”

  Katie looked at me, serious and sultry. “You’ll get your nap later.”

  “Okay.” I think I had a pretty good idea that Jimmy just wanted to sleep, but Katie and Deidre had changed the meaning of the word “nap” while I was gone. I’m sure it would be good for me, but I went and lay down on the couch anyway.

  Deidre woke me up a couple of hours later. The kids had all sacked out in front of the television, though it was off. Katie sat at the kitchen table with her head on her arms, fast asleep.

  “I think you should take her home,” she said, pointing to Katie. “She needs some loving.”

  I sat up, stretching and yawning. “Well, as tempting as that sounds, I can’t leave Jai Li overnight without being here myself. Besides, it’s safer here.”

  Deidre had her arms crossed and, I realized, was wearing Jimmy’s shirt.

  “The kids will be fine here. You and Katie need a night alone. She’s been missing you. Jai Li is fine here. She’s enjoying herself. Go home and rock Katie’s world. Make some noise, break some furniture. I have a feeling it may be awhile before you get this chance again.”

  She had a point, though I was hesitant to admit it. Still, all things being equal, I wanted some quality alone time with Katie.

  I got up, stepping over drooling troll babies, and squatted by Jai Li. I brushed her hair, and she rolled over, blinking up at me. “Hey,” I said, smiling at her. “Katie and I need to go to our apartment for a while. Do you want to go with me, or would you like to stay here with the other kids?”

  She reached up and touched the side of my face, then pointed to her chest and then to mine.

  “Yes, I love you,” I said. It was a powerful thing to say, but I realized it was as true as my love for Katie, if different on almost every level.

  She nodded, patted me on the arm, and rolled back over, pulling the blankets over her head.

  “There you go,” Deidre said. “Free and clear. Now please take Katie home and do things to her I don’t want to know about. She’s too wound up.”

  “What, are you her pimp now?”

  Deidre chuckled and rolled her chair back, turning it toward the kitchen. “Come on, sleepyhead,” she said, bumping into Katie’s chair. “Time to go.”

  Katie sat up and looked around, dazed. “What?”

  I walked into the kitchen and stroked her hair. “We’re leaving Jai Li here and heading home,” I said.

  “No,” she said, rubbing her face. “We have responsibilities.”

  “Yes,” I said, eyeing Deidre. “And tonight our responsibility is to go home and have some grown-up time.”

  “She’ll be fine here,” Deidre said. “Sarah already cleared it with her.”

  Katie looked at me, then looked into the living room, where the kids were all sacked out. “They’ll be up half the night at this rate.”

  “Don’t you worry about it,” Deidre said. “Go home.”

  I grabbed our overnight bags and headed out to the truck. When I got back in, Katie had her shoes on and was hugging Deidre. “Call if something comes up.”

  Deidre shooed her out of the house, and we ran to the truck through freshly falling snow.

  The long driveway already had a couple inches of snow from the night before, but the way the snow was blowing sideways, it looked to add a few more before long.

  We stopped on the way home. I picked up flowers, candles, and wine, while Katie picked up some bread, salami, olives, and cheese. The ride from Bellevue to Kent crawled by in a haze of anticipation and snow. The flurries were brutal, cutting visibility and turning the other drivers into complete idiots.

  Luckily, at this elevation, the snow wasn’t sticking. We got home long after dark, and we were both starving. Lunch had been way too long ago.

  We carried our supplies into the apartment and turned up the heat. We hadn’t been home for a few days, and the place had that abandoned feeling.

  Katie took the food into the kitchen and cut up the bread, salami, and cheese, while I cut the flowers down and placed them in these small vases Katie had. Soon I had a dozen bright points of flowers scattered around the room.

  Katie went through the bedroom and took a shower while I lit all the candles. It was the winter solstice—the longest night of the year—and I wanted to fill every dark moment with Katie.

  I put Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti on the stereo and poured two glasses of wine. She came out in nothing but a bathrobe. Her hair fell down over her shoulders, and she’d put on a touch of makeup. I handed her a glass of wine and sipped my own. She drained the glass in one long pull, sat the glass on the bar, and let her bathrobe fall to the floor.

  She reached out and took my glass of wine, dipped a finger in it, and traced it down her throat and across her left breast. I didn’t interrupt her, just watched her play. She dipped her finger in the wine again and drew dark swirls around her aureoles, then tipped the glass against her chest, dribbling it over her breasts and down her belly.

  I leaned forward and licked the side of her neck, tracing the path of the wine. She grabbed the back of my head as I licked my way across her breasts, taking first one, then the other in my mouth, nibbling and suckling until her nipples were hard as stones.

  Her breathing was coming in shorter gasps as I kissed my way down her stomach and swirled my tongue in her navel to get all the wine. Finally, I trailed my kisses lower, thrilling at the smoothness, tasting the way the tang of the wine mingled with the slick wet heat of her.

  She leaned back against the bar as I grabbed her with both hands, pulling her tight against me until she filled the apartment with the guttural cries of release.

  Afterward, we danced to “Kashmir” and made out like teenagers. She pulled my clothes from me as the song’s rhythmic pulse bore into us, driving us to the next round of passion.

  I surrendered to her need, letting her drive the show. We made love with a fevered urgency that spoke of both fear and release. We finished a second bottle of wine, fed each other to keep up our strength, and filled the world with our exaltations.

  The long black of the world slid away to the light of passion and love. I didn’t care that a predator hunted me. I was safe with the woman I loved, naked and satiated. At least until the food was gone and the passions flared into the next inferno.

  Sixty-one

  Trisha sat up, the memory of passion echoing from her dream. Justin sat before her, dressed in leather and pain.

  “Are you ready for the power?” he asked, tapping a thin bladed dagger against his naked thigh. “Ready to embrace the raw strength you so crave?”

  She hesitated, caught between the feeling of utter helplessness and the intoxicating allure of power. “I’ll be strong?” she asked, eagerly. “Strong enough to protect them, protect the children?”

  Justin grinned at her. “Stronger than you can imagine.”

  She looked down at her naked body, the ropes criss-crossing her most intimate points. He had given her so much already, passion and love. And she’d seen him bring the doves back to life, seen him work the blood magic. She knew he reveled in giving pain, but she didn’t care. At least when he cut her she could feel something.

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I can’t hear you.”

  She straightened as far as the ropes would allow and spoke with a surety of purpose that she’d lacked since Bob and Chloe had been killed by the giants.

  “I need the power,” she said, her voice growing firmer. “I want it; I deserve it.”

  He rose, bringing the blade to her. “Yes, I think it is time.”

  “We must do one more thing,” he said, cutting t
he binding from her hands. “One more step on your path to transformation.” He held his hand out, helping her to stand. “Will you take that next step with me?”

  “Of course,” she said, smiling. “Lead me to glory.”

  They tended her cuts and dressed. He grabbed a pack from behind his bed while she tied her shoes. “This will be a night beyond your wildest dreams, this much I promise you.”

  She felt the thrill of the unknown rush through her.

  They left his apartment in Sultan and got in her car. “Where to?” she asked him.

  “Take me to your home,” he said, patting her on the thigh. “The most powerful magic can be found there.”

  At his touch a wave of warmth flooded her, easing the last of the worry. He’d take care of things.

  Deidre had the twins for the weekend and the rest of her crew was out of town. The other units would either be on duty or in transition. She could sneak him into her place easily enough.

  The drive from Sultan to Black Briar wasn’t really that far. The roads were getting bad, though, so she took it slow and careful. He seemed impatient, frustrated by the delay. She wanted to please him—for him to be happy. Something niggled the edges of her brain. Why did they have to sneak into Black Briar? Why were her thoughts sliding out of focus?

  She breathed a sigh of relief when the long drive to Black Briar came into view. She turned onto it, slowing on the gravel. They’d gone about thirty yards down the long drive when Justin spasmed.

  He beat the dashboard with fists. “Stop!”

  She slammed on the brakes and the car sluiced to the side, skidding on the snow. Justin rolled out of the car and stumbled back up the drive. He fell to his knees and vomited.

  Trisha threw the car in park and ran to him, leaving the doors open and the car running.

  “Justin?” she called to him over the bitter wind. She fell to her knees at his side, placing her arm over his heaving shoulders.

  “Protected,” he gasped, pushing himself up onto his hands and knees. She helped him stand, and he regained a bit of composure.