Hidden Fire

by Deirdra Eden

  “Hold still, Aura,” Azrael’s hoarse voice whispered.

  The ground shook under us as horses approached.

  I concentrated on breathing as I lay on the road. The sky spun above me as I sank into the cold mud. I blinked and fought to stay awake as energy left my body. It didn’t matter how deep a breath I took—the air wouldn’t stay in my lungs.

  “You didn’t think you would get out of England alive, did you?” a man’s voice asked. “There’s too high a price on your heads.”

  Baby growled and hovered over my body.

  Azrael stood and formed his hands into fists.

  The leader laughed and spoke in broken English. “One man? Against my assassins’ guild?” He gestured toward many men in dark clothing descending from the woods. “You will die.”

  Azrael raised his hand and fire sprang from the ground in a defensive circumference around us.

  The assassins stepped back from the flames that spontaneously burst to life.

  The leader pointed at Azrael and snapped his fingers.

  An assassin charged forward, raising his sword and shield. Azrael caught the edge of the blade in his hand and yanked it away. He whirled the weapon around and slid the sword into the assassin’s armpit, then thrust the blade up and chopped off the attacker’s arm.

  Azrael spun the sword and severed the assassin’s other arm at the shoulder. The shield and the arm fell to the ground.

  All the assassins rushed toward Azrael at once. He unleashed his rage while hacking limbs, chopping through their line, and shattering their shields. He moved in a lethal dance of rage, barely touching the ground with his flawless footwork. Human blood soaked the ground and his clothes, but he still hadn’t killed any of them.

  The assassins retreated into the woods as blood spewed from their torsos where their arms had been.

  The leader looked at the limbs littering the ground. His eyes bulged with terror. He reached for his throwing knives—their handles matched the one protruding from my chest. Azrael hurled his sword. The sunlight glinted off the long blade propelling through the air.

  Azrael’s blade broke through the assassin’s skull and pinned his head to the ground several yards away. Everything was a blur and moved in slow motion.

  Azrael’s knees hit the muddy road beside me. He embraced me in his arms, “No! No!” The mud turned deep crimson around him. He pulled the dagger from my chest as my dangerous blood ran down his arm and dripped off his elbow.

  I had lost too much blood and I could barely speak, let alone summon fire to heal myself. I looked into his eyes and knew I wasn’t going to live. I had to say it or I would regret it for the rest of eternity.

  “Azrael.” It took all my strength to whisper his name. I blinked several times to bring his face back into focus. I met his celestial gaze and said with the last of my strength, “I love you, Azrael.”

  My body went limp in his arms as my vision faded to a single point. The last thing I saw was his black mask hitting the earth.

  The curse shattered into sparkling black dust.

  Chapter Nineteen

  New Life

  Dying wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. The worst feeling was leaving Azrael behind in emotional agony over my death. The mortal wound that claimed my life didn’t even hurt as much as other wounds I’d had. Death was merciful. After the initial pain of the strike, I just got cold, then fell asleep.

  I no longer felt tired, but alert and full of energy as I watched white mist swirl around me. It seemed a little like the heaven humans talk about.

  The sun shone in every direction, creating a bright world of serenity. There had to be more than just white clouds and sunlight. Where was the Kingdom of Neviah? Was I stuck in this whitewash forever?

  A hand reached through the veil of clouds as if beckoning me.

  “Hello?” I tried to see his face through the cloud bank. “I am looking for Neviah,” I said, not knowing how this stranger could help me.

  “Who seeks Neviah?” he asked. His voice was kind and familiar.

  “I am Auriella, the Lady of Neviah.”

  “You’re early.” The stranger’s voice sounded more lighthearted.

  I relaxed. “Yes—not by choice, I assure you.”

  The stranger laughed and reached out for my hand. I took it and he pulled me through the clouds into the sun.

  I immediately recognized the stranger as if I had known him all my life. The King of Neviah’s face shone with white light. His eyes emanated pure love and joy.

  The king put his arm around me. “That was a pretty tough fight, Auriella.”

  “You’re telling me,” I said sheepishly. “Orion warned me I would fall off my horse.”

  The king laughed in a warm baritone tones. He looked like a slightly older version of his fourth son, Azrael.

  Now that my mind was no longer veiled, the king and I picked up right where we left off. I basked in our familiar relationship and his gentle fatherly love.

  Three silver moons dotted the bright pastel sky of my home world. A garden of crystal flowers surrounded us. Warm rainbow snowflakes fell from the sky and soaked into the ground.

  “I am so happy to be home.” I took in a deep breath and absorbed the beauty. I noticed an aqua-blue lake glittering like a sea of treasure next to the majestic ivory palace. “There’s the lake Azrael told me about.”

  “It was one of my son’s favorite places,” the king said. He pointed to a waterfall pouring waves and mist into the lake. “And that was one of your favorite places.”

  Memories returned, rushing over me. “There is a crystal cave behind the falls,” I remembered out loud.

  The king nodded.

  “Azrael and I used to swim into the cave and . . .” I stopped speaking. I remembered the feeling of water-soaked Neviahan cloth glistening against my body as I waited for Azrael in our secret cave. I recalled pulling my knees to my chest, watching the water for him.

  Azrael had emerged from the hidden tunnel leading from the lake to our cave. Water flooded over his body, making him glisten like the gems we discovered in the lake. Our gem bag was slung across his bare chest. I took in the memory of his face, before the curse mask shamed his beautiful features. His body was strong, but not nearly as battle-sculpted as it had become after years of combat on Earth.

  Even in my memory, I couldn’t glance away from his broad smile. Azrael pulled the bag over his head and set it on the crystal cave floor.

  I eagerly knelt beside him. “Did we find the Star Diamond?” I asked.

  Azrael opened the bag. “Not this time.”

  I dropped my shoulders. “The star showers only happened once every ten thousand years. We might be sent to Earth before the next event.”

  Azrael pulled shells, pearls, uncut agates, and pink sapphires from the bag. He placed an angel shell in my hand. My skin tingled with energy when we touched. Azrael put his arm around me and kissed my cheek. “For my angel.”

  I admired the smooth shell as it emanated light. “Do you think there’ll be things like this on Earth?”

  Azrael shrugged. “If the Rebellion doesn’t destroy the planet before we get there.”

  I set the shell aside and turned to Azrael. “Promise you’ll find me on Earth,” I pleaded. “No matter what happens.”

  Azrael smiled and brushed back my hair. “Of course I will.”

  I wasn’t convinced. “Azrael, what if we are sent to different countries? What if we are sent at different time periods? What happens when all your pre-Earth memories fade? How will you find me then?”

  Azrael looked me in the eyes. “My love, I hope you don’t worry this much when we get to Earth.”

  Azrael pulled me close to him. “If we are sent to different countries, I will travel whatever distance it takes to get to you. If we are sent to different time periods, I will become an Immortal and wait for you until you are born into your human body. And if all my pre-Earth memories fade, I promise, I will never forget
you. Our energies will combine and remind us of who we are.” I relaxed in his arms. Azrael kissed my forehead then said, “It’s our destiny to be together, and I will embrace that destiny with all my heart. “Nothing can break us, and the fires of hell will never take us.”

  Energy blanketed us in a swirling cocoon of fire and wind. Azrael leaned forward, and his lips caressed mine in a kiss both passionate and pure. I ran my fingers through his hair as he pressed me closer to him. Fire and wind rushed through our souls like a dance of dedication and love. Our powers fed off each other, growing in strength. The light of our love reflected off every gem and crystal in the cave.

  I gasped for breath and pulled myself from the pre-Earth memory of Azrael. No wonder we felt the way we did on Earth. We had connected so many times before. Though our minds were veiled, our souls still remembered, our hearts yearned to be whole again, and our energy fought to combine as one.

  I looked away from the waterfall and cast my gaze to the ivory castle and silver city. “Now that my human body is destroyed, I won’t be able to see Azrael again until the war is over.”

  “Your human body wasn’t completely destroyed,” the King of Neviah said. “Your heart was still intact.”

  “Are you saying I can go back?” I asked. I wanted to return to Azrael, but knew that meant going back into battle and leaving this perfect peace.

  The king nodded. “Yes, you can return, but things will be different if you go back. In the few moments you have been in here Neviah, many years have gone by on Earth. Erebus has regained his strength and is preparing an assault against the Northern Sanctuary.”

  “He’s alive?” I dropped my head in my hand and realized, “The necklace. That’s how he survived. Please forgive me,” I begged the king. “I let him have it.”

  “You did the right thing,” the king said.

  I furrowed my brow. “How could giving Erebus a healing necklace be the right thing?”

  “Erebus has grown confident in the trinket’s ability, but the magic of the necklace is weakening. By giving him the necklace, you have set the only trap that could ensnare him. You and Azrael can defeat him. Your strengths and powers are enhanced when you are with each other.”

  I looked back at our waterfall across the lake. “As wonderful as Neviah is, it won’t be heaven without Azrael.”

  The king looked pleased, but unsurprised, like he already knew the choice I would make. “Down at the bottom of the lake there is a magnificent sword—the Sword of Neviah.”

  I remembered the king’s sword from the pre-Earth battle against Erebus and the rebels.

  “This sword can only be used by one who has the power of Starfire. It can cut through any object, no matter how dense. The blade will never dull, chip, or rust. It can even pierce through that which is intangible, such as the Spirits of Shadow, before they have a chance to take human bodies and become Shadow Lords. This weapon will give you a tremendous advantage in the war on Earth. The Sword of Neviah is just as immortal as the North Star, and it’s yours, Auriella.” The king motioned toward the lake.

  “Mine?” I couldn’t believe he was giving me his own sword, the very weapon that defeated Erebus in the pre-Earth battle.

  “I will miss you, Lady Auriella.” He opened his arms to hug me. “When you go back to Earth, don’t forget who you are and how important you are to the kingdom.”

  I threw my arms around him. “I will miss you too. I promise I will always remember.”

  His lips pulled up into a smile. “When the war is over, the whole kingdom will celebrate your victorious return.” He motioned toward the tranquil aqua lake where the Sword of Neviah lay.

  I stepped to the shore and dove into the water.

  Calm liquid enveloped me. I couldn’t help but compare how different it was to the water on Earth. I easily swam through the light water as if it were air. As I swam deeper, the water never suffocated me with its dense pressure. Even as I reached the bottom of the lake, the white sun glistened off every shell and gem.

  I ran my fingers through the silver sand, searching for the sword. A stream of bubbles trickled from the lakebed and pink pearls floated buoyantly from the stream of air.

  I swam toward the pocket of air.

  There it was. The king’s magnificent sword stood out among the pearls and made even the silver sand seem dull as it radiated light.

  The handle of the weapon spiraled like a unicorn’s horn. Swirling white flames were etched into the hand guard and woven around the handle. Light reflected from the sword, making everything around me shimmer.

  I reached through the weightless water, gripped the handle of the sword, and pulled it from the sand.

  I swam toward the surface and emerged from the water. I took in a breath of air and blinked my eyes open as if I had just awoken.

  The lake was gone. The world around me seemed dark and cold. I was back on Earth.

  I lay on my back, surrounded in volcanic cinders as I stared up at the North Star in the night sky.

  In my mind I replayed my death and brief moment in Neviah with the king, determined not to forget those memories.

  Flames lapped over me in gentle waves. I stood and gripped the handle of the king’s sword. Red flames swirled around me and down the blade.

  Except for the ash covering my new body, I was naked. Steam billowed off my skin in white waves. My sparkling ivory feet made no sound and left no footprint as I stepped from the pyre.

  Like the Phoenix, I had been reborn—this time as one of the Immortals.

  About the Author

  Deirdra (pronounced: Dare-dra) has traveled the country as an Amazon Best Selling author and speaker and sold books worldwide to a variety of audiences. She writes theological fantasy, organizational self help, true crime, and fiction for children in trauma.

  Deirdra is the founder of Eden Literary Foundation which is a non-profit for printing, gathering, and distributing donated books to populations such as children in the foster care system, military personnel and their families, women in prison, and other groups.

  Find Deirdra Online:

  www.Knightess.com

  www.HerEden.com

  www.EdenLiterary.com

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