by Sean Stone
Then I heard a man scream: ‘FIRE!’ And there was no longer any doubt in my mind. Kagen was here.
Chapter Eighteen
Drew came racing down the corridor, sword drawn, ready for a fight. I slammed my palm into his chest halting him in his tracks. There was no way I could let him follow me into the main room.
‘What are you doing? Get moving, boy!’ he roared. His entire face had turned as red as a tomato.
‘You’re not coming,’ I said firmly. ‘How’s it going to look if you go running in with a bloody sword?’
‘If you think I’m going to sit this out…’
‘Kagen is in there somewhere. Go back to the office and find him on the cameras. It will take longer if we’re both searching on the floor. You’ll find I’m faster on the feeds.’
With a reluctant growl he turned and skulked back to the office holding his sword limply in one hand. I took a deep breath and stepped back into the main room.
Pandemonium.
The front doors and the entire wall they were set in to had been completely engulfed in billowing orange flames that stretched right up to the ceiling which was quickly catching alight too. Flames were already climbing up the other walls too. The Prime Wizard and his associates were casting spells at the flames, but the fire was strong, and their progress was slow. My security, a mixture of magical and Nocult, were trying to extinguish the flames using a combination of magic and fire extinguishers but they too were having trouble. Kagen was actively fighting against them which meant he was close.
Before I’d even taken in the whole scene Dorian and his associates were in front of me. Dorian seemed to be the only one who had seen the back door in the corner of the rapidly burning room. He clapped a hand on my shoulder.
‘Marvellous party, Jacob. Really wish I could stay but immortal or not I have no desire to get burned. I trust you’ll have this unfortunate business dealt with before I have to send Monroe to pay you a visit.’ It wasn’t a question no matter how much he made it seem so. I nodded once and he hastily left the room. At least that was one less person to worry about. Speaking of… where was the mayor? It wouldn’t do me any favours if he perished in one of my venues. This ordeal was going to give me a headache as it was.
I hopped up onto one of the tables and scoured the room until I found the mayor. He was cowering behind the bar, his security team forming a protective ring around him. As if that was going to stop fire.
‘So much for strong leadership…’ I mumbled to myself. I was going to tell him that there was another exit but then I saw that that fire had already stolen that life line. Dorian was the last to escape that way. My party had turned into a giant pyre. I wondered how the city would react if its wealthiest patrons all burned to death in a fire. It would certainly make for some interesting news. Not that I’d be alive to see it if I didn’t take Kagen down.
At the other end of the bar I saw Jasmine leaning nonchalantly on the polished wood as if she were simply enjoying the party. In fact, judging by the look on her face that was exactly what she was doing.
I noticed that there was no smoke in the air, nobody was coughing or spluttering. Then I remembered reading that phoenix fire burns without smoke. At least we had that blessing. Nobody was going to choke or suffocate. They’d just burn to death instead.
I drew energy from my surroundings and quickly converted in into glorious magic. I strode up to the flaming wall. ‘Himas!’ I screamed thrusting both hands forwards. A jet of powder white magic shot forth and expanded over the flames. The fire shrunk away from my freezing spell but didn’t vanish completely. Kagen would have to be very close in order to fight back against our spells like this. I checked my phone but Drew had sent no messages yet. He still hadn’t found our attacker.
I turned and saw Leah arguing with her sister at the bar. She needed to get out of here. Magical being or not, once all this was over my club was going to need her management more than ever. I couldn’t risk losing my best employee in a fire.
‘I’m not here to get involved,’ Jasmine said with a casual shrug.
‘You’re going to let all these people die?’ Leah said judgmentally.
‘They mean nothing to me. Why do they mean so much to you? They’re nothing.’
‘They are not nothing,’ Leah spat viciously. I’d never seen her lose her cool even slightly. They do say that family can provoke you like no other can.
‘Give up with all this nonsense. Come home and I’ll help you save these people,’ Jasmine offered. She and Leah held one another’s gaze for an elongated moment before Leah stormed past her sister.
‘I’ll do it on my own.’ It was hard not to admire her resolve even though I had no idea what they were arguing about.
Leah looked intently at one of the walls and I heard a groan followed by a giant crack. I could see nothing through the flames that hid the brickwork. Nothing until it happened. Water jetted through a massive crack in the bricks, spraying across the room. Burning guests threw themselves into the jets of luscious water, dousing their fires. I watched in amazement as Leah directed the water across the fire that had blocked off the main exit to the room. The stream of water hit the door and as it covered the exit it began to ice over. Leah masterfully created a protective barrier of ice around the frame of the door. She alone had done what the Prime Wizard and his minions could not. I needed to know what she was. But not now. Right now there were more pressing matters at hand.
As people stampeded for the exit I turned back to the room to search for Kagen. The mayor was now being dragged towards the doors by his security team. The guards were literally throwing my other guests out of the way so they could get the mayor to safety. I tutted and shook my head in disgust.
I was sickened to see several charred bodies littering the floor of my fancy club. This was seriously going to dent my reputation. People would think twice before visiting one of my venues if Leah couldn’t spin this right with the media. Of course, I did care about the people who’d lost their lives too, but there was nothing I could do for them now.
Then I saw a stranger. A lone man standing at the edge of the room, unaffected by the flames that were licking at the wall less than a foot from where he was standing. It wasn’t someone I recognised. I had taken care to memorise every single guest in attendance. That kind of vigilance went with the territory. That man was not on the guest list.
I strode through the now diminishing chaos and stopped a few feet from the intruder. ‘Forgive me, but I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure?’ I called over to him.
He smirked at me with glee. ‘Oh, you have and the pleasure was all yours.’ He lifted his arm to reveal a dark bracelet looped around one wrist. The amber talisman gave away that it was a glamour bracelet. He plucked the jewellery off his wrist and I watched as his features changed in the blink of an eye and there stood Kagen. It was odd seeing him dressed up so nicely when I’d only ever seen him in a t-shirt before. He pulled off a suit quite well.
‘You ruined my party,’ I told him in a low, angry tone.
‘It was a boring party, mate. I made it better. Look at all the excitement.’
‘You’re dead,’ I told him, my lip curled in revulsion.
‘Been there, done that. If you attack me right now how will you explain that to everyone?’ He looked so smug as if he’d managed to corner me. Moron.
‘I don’t know if you’ve noticed, mate, but nobody is paying us any attention right now.’ I risked a quick affirming look around the room. Most of the guests had vacated the premises now. The wizards from the hall and my security staff were seeing the last of the guests out.
Before he could respond I threw an ice spell his way but he was expecting it. He lunged out of the way and rolled across the floor, vanishing behind a table. I ran after him, throwing the table out of the way. He was no longer behind it.
‘Over here!’ He called jovially from the bar.
I turned and threw another spell at him. This one designe
d to destroy his heart. ‘Morivar!’
Once again he bolted out of the way only this time Leah was standing right behind him and my spell hurtled at her instead.
‘No!’ I screamed as she just stood there in horror, too shocked to react. Then Jasmine was there. She extend her fingers and a ripple of blue energy absorbed my spell before it could cause any harm.
‘Idiot!’ she screamed shrilly at me.
‘Get out of here, Leah!’ I yelled at my employee. I couldn’t risk her coming to harm or being used against me in this fight.
‘Hell no! I’m helping.’
Kagen threw two lines of fire from each of his hands, one at me and the other at Leah. I dodged out of the way as did Leah. Kagen’s fire slammed into the champagne pyramid and glass and champagne exploded over the room. Leah rolled onto her back and threw out the same blue energy that her sister had. The blue stuff formed a shield that the burning glass bounced right off of.
‘Leave!’ I screamed at her again. I threw another spell at Kagen and he jolted out of the way again, laughing as he ran. The guy was a maniac.
‘I agree with the wizard,’ Jasmine said. She grabbed her sister by the shoulders and began dragging her from the room. Leah was struggling with all the grace of a dumper truck but the glow in Jasmine’s hands showed the magic she was using on her sister. Once they were both gone I relaxed a modicum.
I straightened up and focused back on Kagen. I saw the Prime Wizard watching me keenly from the door before he and the last few people left the room. Nice of him to help one of his own.
It was just Kagen and me now. Now that his concentration was more focused on me the flames around the room had diminished drastically.
I raised my hand and prepared to attack and that was when the ceiling finally gave way. A beam above my head groaned and came crashing down. I only just managed to throw myself out of its path. The blazing hulk of wood crashed to the floor showering my downed body with dust, debris, and ashes.
‘This was easier than I thought it would be,’ Kagen said as he strolled my way. He shook off his suit jacket and tossed it into the flames. ‘It’s such a shame that I only get to kill you once,’ he said, pouting at me with what looked like real sadness. ‘You’ve been so much fun.’
‘You won’t get to me kill me at all,’ I muttered. ‘Rabole!’ My spell knocked him across the room and he made a satisfying yelp like a puppy getting kicked. Not that I have ever kicked a puppy and nor do I enjoy puppies getting kicked.
If I’d known I was going to be able to catch him off guard I would have used a stronger spell, but to be honest I’d acted instinctively. I hadn’t known what I was going to say until I said it.
I pulled myself to my feet and shook off my own jacket. It was bloody hot now. I was a disgusting sweaty mess and my back was hurting from where I’d hit the floor in my haste to avoid the falling beam.
Flames exploded out from behind the bar as the fire hit the shelves of alcohol that was housed there. Shards of glass cascaded all over the place and I threw up a hasty shield to protect myself from the onslaught. Then Kagen came stomping out of the inferno, his whole body ablaze and his arms outstretched like wings. Except they weren’t like wings, he had actually sprouted a set of molten wings. I stared in stupid wonder and let my shield drop without even meaning to. He flew across the room, grabbed me with his arms that had actually been at his sides and lifted me right off the ground. His hands were scorching my skin through my shirt and I could feel tears building in my eyes from the pain.
We climbed higher and I could see that he was planning on going through the battered remains of my ceiling. If I let him carry me high enough then I’d be dead no matter what. No amount of magic I could muster would give me the ability to fly. I stupidly tried to push him off me, but I ended up plunging my hands into searing fire. I screamed as my hands bubbled and blistered. I snatched them away at once, but the damage was already done. Kagen chuckled loudly at my pain as he carried me ever higher.
I closed my eyes and searched my brain for a solution. There had to be something in the depths of my memory that I could use to get out of this. I felt fresh air as we flew out of the building and into the night sky. I imagined that Kagen must look quite majestic against the dark backdrop. Sadly I was unable to see it.
Fear gnawed at me about my impending death. Kagen was going to win and I was going to die with a tarnished track record. My reputation as a club owner was going to be blemished as well. I’d never be able to exact revenge on Ethan. I’d never avenge Ruby’s murder. I’d never see Leah again. I pictured her portrait-worthy face and as I did I felt something new inside me. I’d never felt it before and I didn’t know what it was or where it came from. When I draw energy in to me it feels like it goes to a place in the centre of my body where I convert it into magic. Now I could feel something else, something new in the same place at the centre of my body. It was like a source of energy that didn’t need converting, it simply needed directing.
So I directed it at Kagen. I didn’t feel an expulsion of force like I usually did. It felt more like I’d reached out from within. I opened my eyes just in time to see a fork of lightning volt out of the clear night sky and smite the flaming creature that was carrying me up higher. He screamed in the highest pitch I’d ever heard and his whole body went rigid. His flames vanished and the orange glow was replaced with a blue electric one. His grip tightened on me as his body convulsed but the electric current didn’t pass to me.
Then we were both falling through the darkness. His grip slackened and we separated in the sky as we descended back toward the ground. I could see the burning ruins of Monkeys below me. It looked like the fire had almost completely died down now, not that that brought me any comfort. It wasn’t the fire that was going to kill me, it was the cold hard ground. I could think of no spell that could help me now and whatever that new power had been was now gone. I had no way of accessing it again try as I might.
I soared back through the semi-collapsed roof, jagged beams tearing at my skin, and I saw the floor coming my way. I didn’t close my eyes. If I was going to go out like this then I wanted to stare death in the face like all my victims had stared me in the face.
But I didn’t die.
I stopped about two feet from the floor and just hung there suspended in the air like a man on a bungee.
‘No way,’ I whispered in awe. I was fucking flying. First I’d managed to summon lightning and now I’d mastered the power of flight. I had to be the first wizard ever to…
Then I saw Drew standing some way to my right, both hands outstretched and his ring glowing with brilliant magical light. Of course he knew a spell to stop me from falling. He’d saved me and dashed my dreams all at once. Then the light from his ring vanished as it ran out of magic. The force that had been between me and the floor dissipated and I crashed down to the debris-covered floor hard. Though far less hard than if Drew hadn’t stopped me.
‘Ouch,’ I groaned and then closed my eyes to take a well-earned rest.
Chapter Nineteen
‘Get up, Jacob,’ Drew growled from above me. ‘We need to find that Phoenix-Born before he starts regenerating.’
I threw my eyelids up and pulled my aching body off the ground. We were close to winning now and I couldn’t afford to rest yet. I’d rest when Kagen was dead. ‘Where did he land?’ I asked.
‘Looked like he went out the back somewhere. Come on we don’t have long before the police turn up. Fire brigade is already out the front,’ he said and then led the way to the back of the building. He had his sword unsheathed and ready for action.
We reached the back door and Drew pushed the door open slowly, peeking out to make sure there was nobody waiting to ambush us. It was all clear so we headed out.
‘What happened to the security?’ I asked.
‘Leah sent them home as soon as the shit hit the fan. It was smart. We needed as few witnesses as possible.’
‘Not that it made much diffe
rence,’ I muttered. There were still hundreds of witnesses in the party.
‘It kept the body count down though.’ That was a blessing. The newspapers would have a field day when they caught wind of how many people had died at the party.
I saw Kagen lying in the alley that led onto the street. He was face down on the concrete and completely naked, his clothes having been incinerated when he went full phoenix on me. As we approached I saw that his was body was twitching involuntarily. He wasn’t dead.
‘He’s hurt badly but he’s healing,’ Drew said. ‘It’s a good thing. If he had died he might have already burned to ashes and risen again.’
Without another word Drew plunged his sword through Kagen’s back, piercing his heart. The Phoenix-Born convulsed and groaned before going still. Now he was dead.
We moved fast. Drew brought the van he’d prepared and we tossed Kagen unceremoniously into the back. I stayed in the back with him whilst Drew drove us to the next location. We left Monkeys just in time as a whole horde of police cars raced past us on our way out. If we’d dallied a moment longer the police would have never let me leave. They’d have questions. I’d smooth things over with them in the morning. I didn’t have anything to worry about, I hadn’t committed a crime. My club had been attacked and I’d attempted to fight the assailant. There was nothing illegal about that. I was the victim.
I owned a few different properties across the city which I used for various things. I had a warehouse in the South End far from anything worth visiting. It was good for taking people who needed more forceful lines of questioning. Not that I often needed to do that. I was seriously considering taking Ethan there though. But I couldn’t afford to think about him right now. My full attention needed to be on executing the Kagen plan.