Life Beyond the Temple

by Nikolai Joslin

  “I don’t bite unless I’m asked to,” Cam said with a wicked grin. I understood that one, but I ignored it.

  “Regan, please, she’s like me. I can’t just let her do this alone. I’ll be careful. I’ll have Cinder with me and everything.”

  “Yeah, don’t worry, Regan, we’ll be safe.” Cam’s grin grew wider, and Regan seemed a little angrier.

  “Fine. Cinder is with you at all times, do you understand? I don’t care if he mopes through the whole thing, he’s there.” Regan didn’t look at me; instead she kept looking at Cam. I had no idea what was going on between the two of them, but it was weird.

  I smiled and put a hand on Regan’s arm, and I felt her relax a little. “Thanks, Regan.” I smiled up at her, and she finally looked back at me.

  “I honestly don’t know what it is with you and attracting the unsavory types to us. A dark elf, a cinderwolf, and now a thief?” She shook her head and then said, “What’s next? A demon?”

  I shrugged and said, “Maybe. I hear they’re fascinating.” And then grinned playfully.

  She just shook her head again and sighed. “Of course they are. Come on, let’s go have lunch.” She glared back to Cam. “You’re not invited.”

  I rolled my eyes and turned to Cam. I gave her the address of the hotel and told her to meet me there around two tomorrow. Cam smirked wickedly at Regan and promised to be there before slipping her arm off my shoulder and walking off.

  I hoped this whole thing with Regan and Cam wouldn’t be too much for them to handle, because Cam would probably want more than just those three days. There was a lot she didn’t know, more than I could cover in three days. Probably more than I could cover in a year.

  “I don’t like her,” Regan said as she watched her leave.

  She doesn’t seem so bad. Cinder seemed just as confused as I was.

  “Well, Cinder and I like her. She’s a lot nicer when she’s not around you,” I said and playfully elbowed her in the ribs.

  “I’m sure she is,” Regan said coldly and then turned to me with a warm smile. “I guess we should go eat, then. You can tell me about the rest of your day, and I can tell you about mine.”

  REGAN INSISTED on spending the rest of the day with me, and after dinner we walked back to our hotel. After we settled Cinder upstairs, Regan convinced me to stay in the lobby with her for a while. She told me about her adventures as a knight in the Temple. A lot of them were funny, nothing like I expected a knight to behave. They were all so stoic. We were sitting in two chairs facing the fire, and as she began another tale, someone leaned on the back of my plush chair.

  I looked up to see Cam’s ice blue eyes looking down and a broad smile crossing her face. “Nice to see you again,” she said to me, then looked over to Regan and said, “Hello to you too.”

  “What do you want?” Regan looked angry that Cam was here.

  “Well, you told me about this place, so I thought I would check it out. It’s nice and not too expensive. It’s a lot better than staying at the place I was at.” She shrugged. “I checked in for a few nights.”

  “Where were you staying?” I asked, unable to hold back my curiosity, which Regan probably would have preferred.

  “There’s a bridge not too far from here that I stayed under with some other guys. We had a few tents. I was saving money up to buy back my parents’ house.”

  “Why not get a real job?” Regan growled, focusing on the fireplace.

  “I’ve been doing this since I was thirteen.” She shrugged and looked back at me. “I don’t know anything else.”

  Regan looked down at her watch and said, “It’s getting late, Case, do you want to head up now?”

  I stood up and smiled at Cam. “I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”

  “Sure, I’ll be there.” Cam was still leaning on the back of the chair with that same smirk.

  I followed Regan up the stairs, feeling Cam’s blue eyes on us the entire way up.

  Cinder was already snoring softly on my bed, taking up the entire thing yet again. I sighed and went to wake him up so Regan wouldn’t have to sleep with me again, but I felt her touch my arm.

  “Sleep with me. It’ll be easier to wake you up if you have another nightmare and you don’t have to try and get Cinder to move again. I don’t mind, really.” She smiled softly, and I felt a chill run through me.

  “Alright, if you’re sure.”

  “I am.” She grabbed her clothes and disappeared into the bathroom to change, and I just changed there.

  I was leaning against the wall by the door so I could brush my teeth before I went to bed when Regan came out. She was standing in the doorway, and I pushed off the wall so I could go in. Instead of moving, she just smiled at me and chuckled quietly. She finally shook her head and walked toward the bed.

  “What is it?” I asked, watching her pull the covers over her.

  “You,” she said with a small smile that didn’t look like most of her smiles. She looked sad.

  I watched her lie on her back with her hands clasped behind her head. I shook away the thought as a trick of the light and went into the bathroom to brush my teeth.

  After finishing my nightly routine, I flipped off the light. My eyes hadn’t adjusted yet, and I wasn’t used to the setup of the room yet, so I ended up running into the dresser and yelping in pain. An arm wrapped around my waist, and I could feel Regan’s warm, minty breath. She must have been looking down at me with how much taller she was; there was no way I’d be able to feel her breath if she wasn’t. She stood incredibly close, and my breath hitched when her fingers touched my chin and tilted my head up.

  She didn’t let go. She just looked down at me with her hand holding me tightly against her. “Are you alright?” Her voice was quiet, like she was afraid to disturb the peaceful darkness that engulfed us.

  “Fine,” I whispered back, my heart pounding in my chest.

  She just looked at me for a moment before stepping away. I let out a shaky breath that I didn’t realize I was holding in. I felt cold now that she had pulled away from me; I almost pulled her back but decided against it. I would be warm again in a few moments when I got in bed and pulled the covers up.

  She took my hand and pulled me back to the bed. I didn’t tell her I could see better now. I just let her lead me back. She finally let go, and I was able to slip under the covers to regain some of that warmth I had lost. I felt her get back in bed, and I shivered involuntarily.

  “Are you cold?”

  “No,” I lied.

  She rolled her eyes and said, “Come here.” She held an arm out, and I chewed at my lip before moving over and resting my head on her chest. She wrapped an arm around me, and I listened to her heartbeat. It was just like her: strong, steady, and comforting.

  It didn’t take long for that heartbeat to lull me to sleep.

  I WAS running through the city again, Cinder by my side. He must have been full-grown, because he was as tall as I was now. He was tired, though. Exhausted. I could feel it as strongly as I could feel my own. And terror.

  “Casey!” Regan’s voice echoed, but I couldn’t tell where it was coming from. Cinder couldn’t either; there was too much going on. Children ran away from the chaos I ran toward. Screams came from tall buildings as people jumped to escape the green fire. I pulled on my leather gloves as I ran into the heart of the thing I feared most.

  I ran by an alleyway, looking for Regan and caught a glimpse of short blonde hair. “Case!” Cam’s voice called to me, forcing me to turn back and run to her aid. She battled an undead woman. I couldn’t leave her on her own.

  I ran to Cam and stood beside her; I took a deep breath and tried to calm my nerves. Magic is about control. Focus, dammit, I thought angrily before opening my eyes and holding both of my hands out in front of me. A fireball grew and grew, until finally I released it, letting flames engulf the woman.

  Cam panted heavily, and when I turned to her, she held my cheeks in her hands and pressed her fore
head against mine, causing my heart to soar and shrink away at the same time. “Casey, I—”

  I jerked away from her when I heard Regan’s voice in the distance. When I looked back at Cam, whose face had dirt smudges, she just smiled weakly. Her ice blue gaze dropped to the ground, and she whispered, “Go.” My heart ached, but I ignored the pain as I ran toward the sound of Regan’s voice. I had to help her.

  “CASEY, STOP,” I heard Regan growl in my ear.

  I finally stopped struggling in her arms and opened my eyes to see her short black hair hanging in her face. We were in the same position we were in that night, her straddling my hips and pinning my hands down. She was panting almost as hard as I was. I wondered if I had hurt her in these dreams, and I felt guilt run through me when I realized I probably did.

  She finally let go of me and rolled back to her side of the bed. She looked so tired. This was the second night I’d woken her up with these dreams. She looked at me and said, “Tell me about them.”

  “Regan—”

  “You’re supposed to trust me more than anyone else, Case. I’m here to help you. I want to help you. When will you realize that?” She looked hurt.

  I chewed my lip again; it was starting to become a nervous habit. “You’re right,” I whispered and then told her about both dreams. I told her everything about them except for how Cam acted after I helped her. That felt private, something between Cam and me, even if it hadn’t really happened.

  She nodded and said, “We’ll get through it. Whatever it is, we’ll get through it.” She pulled me against her, and I closed my eyes and drank in the sound of her heart. Strong and steady. How could we not get through this together?

  THE SUN woke me, the bright light shining through a gap in the curtains at the perfect angle to land right on my face. I opened my eyes expecting to see Regan, but she was nowhere around. I instead saw a little white envelope on the pillow next to me with my name scrawled on it. She had boyish handwriting, but I liked it. It seemed like Regan. It was unwavering and straight. I smiled and opened the envelope and read the little note she had placed inside.

  Casey,

  I’m sorry I left so early. My friend Meghan called me this morning and asked to see me. I will be back for lunch. If you go anywhere, take Cinder and keep him with you. Don’t do anything stupid. Don’t chase down any criminals and don’t run after strangers. Be safe.

  Regan

  I laughed quietly and looked up to see Cinder sitting by the window and watching the outside world with that excited-puppy look he always seemed to have. I stood up and grabbed clothes before going into the bathroom to shower and get ready to start the day.

  I was just spitting the toothpaste out when there was a knock on the door. After rinsing my mouth, I walked to the door and opened it without a second thought.

  Cam leaned on the wall opposite the door, and she smiled broadly when she saw me. “You should’ve told me you were going to shower. I would’ve offered to help.”

  I rolled my eyes and tried to stop the heat from rising to my cheeks. “Regan isn’t here. You don’t need to try and make her angry.”

  She just shrugged and said, “Even better, now I don’t have to make up an excuse as to why I’m here early.”

  “Why are you here early?” I asked as I stepped away from the door and walked to Cinder, who was now standing by the bed watching us curiously.

  What is she here for? he asked as he stepped up to her and sniffed the hand she held out to him.

  “What is he?” she asked. She didn’t seem afraid really, just suspicious.

  “A cinderwolf.” She gave me a confused look, and I explained they were large wolves who were said to have been created from the lava of active volcanoes, and some believed they used to have a limited use of fire because of it, but the art had been lost centuries ago along with 90 percent of the wolf population, probably hunted by the humans.

  “And you keep him around for fun? If everyone thinks they’re dangerous, shouldn’t you try and keep them away?” She shifted uncomfortably away from Cinder, who walked back to me and lay down at my feet.

  “He’s my spirit animal.”

  “And what’s that?”

  I sighed. Her father must have taught her nothing. “A spirit animal is like a guide in a way. Everyone has one; mages have the easiest time discovering them, though, because of the natural strength of our Life Force. They usually just appear in dreams and give you advice and try and help you through whatever it is you’re dealing with, but sometimes people are able to meet their spirit animal. Usually after you meet them, they stay with you until either you or it dies. Some people have a strong enough connection to their spirit animal that they can communicate with their tangible form. Like Cinder and I have a thought connection. He tends to talk a lot, though.” I smiled and looked down at him.

  “Well shit. That’s… weird.” She shook her head at us.

  “So, you never answered the question. What are you doing here so early?” I asked again while I bent down to rub Cinder.

  “Well,” she said, rubbing the back of her neck like she suddenly felt awkward or something, “I was wondering if I could show you around. I’ve lived here all my life, and seeing as it’s your first time even out of the Temple, I thought I could show you some really cool places.”

  I smiled and stood up. I grabbed my jacket from the back of the chair and tucked my gloves into my back pocket like I always did. “Sure, I’d love that.”

  She gave me a genuine smile, which was something I hadn’t seen from her yet. It was nice. “I have the perfect place.”

  I followed her out with Cinder loyally at my side. We walked for about twenty minutes before we found ourselves at the back of what looked like an abandoned building. She gave me that smile again and twisted the rusty door handle to show an empty warehouse. It was dark, and the only light came from the many broken windows at the top of the building. Dust and dirt and spider webs covered everything, but I did find it strangely beautiful. An eerie type of beautiful.

  “Come on.” She took my hand in hers and walked me through the room to an almost hidden staircase. I followed her up. She let go of my hand to force open a rusty, broken door, then turned around to take my hand again. “Trust me.”

  I hesitated before finally taking her hand and letting her pull me through the door with Cinder nervously following us. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the bright light, but when they did, I gasped.

  I could see everything. The entire city must have been slightly sloped, because I could see everything below us. I walked to the edge and stared out at it. I didn’t even notice the creak under my feet, which freaked poor Cinder out.

  Cam walked up and stood beside me. She was watching me closely for a minute, and then she smiled and looked out at the city too. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

  “It’s wonderful.” I was breathless. I had never seen anything like this before.

  She sat down and let her feet hang over the edge. I think there used to be a fence here, but it probably rusted away into nothingness. I sat down next to her, and she leaned forward ever so slightly and looked down.

  “I found this place after my parents died. I ran for hours, trying to get as far away as possible before I finally realized how late it was. I had no money, and I looked like a street kid from all the dirt and… other things I had all over me. I couldn’t go anywhere, so I came here. I broke a window and cut my hand crawling in.” She held out her left hand to show me a long scar that reached from between her index and middle finger down to her wrist. “I’ve used that healing spell quite a bit since. You can barely see the scars when I do it now.” She seemed sadly proud, if that were possible.

  The scar was raised and ragged and wasn’t done very well. She probably couldn’t fully heal it at the time. I felt sorry, sorry that I couldn’t have been there to help or that she didn’t have someone to teach her. I wasn’t really sure what I was sorry for, but I was sorry. “What happened the
n?”

  She frowned and said, “I was scared of the dark, and it was pitch black in here at night. I fumbled around for something, anything, a light switch or a flashlight or something, and I found these stairs. I spent two weeks up on this roof.” She looked up at the clouds. She looked lost. How long had she been lost?

  “What happened to your parents?” I could see her become stiff. Her jaw clenched, and her muscles tightened. I pretended not to notice, though, and looked away. “It’s fine, you don’t have to—”

  “They were killed. Murdered by my father’s brother.” Her voice was hard and strained.

  “Why? I mean… he was his brother,” I whispered, looking back at her.

  She had her eyes closed tightly now. “My father was a mage, and my mother was a ‘disgusting animal for marrying such a thing.’ One evening they argued on the phone. He hated my father, so they didn’t talk much. Almost never. But this was about my grandmother, their mom. She was dying, and my uncle was desperate enough to go to my father. They hadn’t spoken in years. My father refused, because if she got better everyone would know it was by magic. He’d be outing himself, and he knew the dangers in that. So he refused. In the middle of the night after that argument, my uncle took the extra key in the potted plant, opened the door, and shot my parents—because my dad chose his family’s safety over the mother and brother who refused to acknowledge him.

  “My uncle didn’t know what I was. He said it wasn’t my fault I had been born to such… monsters. He said he would take me home to live with him, that he would be my father. He said it would be like it never happened. He tried to hug me… and I tried pushing him away, but he just held me tighter…. My hands were on his chest, and I remembered my father teaching me a basic electricity spell and… he died. I killed my uncle and I ran away.” I saw a tear glistening at the corner of her eye, and I looked down at my hands, trying to give her the privacy she deserved.