Flood and Fire Read online

  Zacaris spoke slowly and strained as if trying to keep from shouting, “The only constant power you have is survival, and even then, you’ve already managed to die once.”

  “Survival?” I raised one eyebrow. “When have I ever used survival?” But as soon as the words left my mouth, memories pelted me. I had escaped death countless times during my mortal life. When I was attacked by wolves, hunted by Erebus, when I had fallen from a castle tower, when I had drowned, and when I almost had to have my arm and hand amputated, I survived. Zacaris nodded, satisfied with the conclusion I’d come to in the silence.

  “Your ability to control fire was triggered by your need to survive,” he said.

  It made sense. As a child I had survived several arson attacks and I had burned the leaves outside the witch’s cottage to keep warm.

  “The ability to control an element of creation means you are of the order of one of the High Princes of Neviah. Those High Princes are Life, Death, Blood, Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water.” Zacaris’ lips briefly turned up and he almost looked pleased. “Azrael was one of my greatest students. He had two elemental gifts, wind and fire. The ability to control wind came naturally to Azrael, but in order to be your guardian, he had to master the ability to control fire so he could survive your … temper.” Zacaris curled his lip in disgust, eyeing me as if I were covered in mold. “And you need all the protection you can get.”

  I tightened my jaw and reminded myself not to let his remarks offend me. I considered it a fine achievement that I didn’t hurl flames at the man for his hard words.

  “You are the Great Kingdom of Neviah’s secret weapon. The Dark Rebellion assumed we would immediately bring you to the protective sanctuary while you were still mortal. We kept your whereabouts hidden for a long time by allowing you to continue living as a human. It was only by chance that Erebus found a Fallen Watcher with information on your whereabouts.

  “Hazella,” I whispered. I thought of the witch who had kidnapped me. Hazella’s human body had died, but her evil spirit still haunted Earth, in search of a human body to steal. She was always alive, but not living.

  “Starfire is the only thing that will stop the Rebellion. It is the light and energy that makes up every creation in the cosmos. From the smallest spec of sand to the celestial life of a sun, they all contain the element of Starfire. If Azrael somehow survives, then we will have the weapon of Starfire on our side again. Erebus has already proven he will do anything to get it,” Zacaris replied.

  Like stealing the body of my fiancé. I took a deep breath through my nose. I was still disappointed in myself that I couldn’t see that Lucas was really Erebus in disguise.

  Zacaris turned back to me. His eyes were solemn and pleading. “I can’t teach you how to use Starfire. No one can, but you must take this uncontrolled gift and master it with Azrael.”

  I touched the sparkling hilt of the Sword of Neviah. “Azrael will survive if we send him his father’s sword,” I begged. “If you refuse to let me go, then let someone else take this sword to him. Send your fastest and most stealthy warrior.”

  Zacaris stared at the weapon before saying, “No one will volunteer for the mission.”

  There had to be one brave warrior who would take the sword.

  The fireplace flickered to life again. Zacaris reached for the sword, and I laid it in his arms. Did this mean he would find someone to take the sword to Azrael?

  “I must be the one to go,” he said.

  Eva’s hand shot to Zacaris’ shoulder. “You need to stay and train Auriella. The sooner she completes her training and her first druid’s mission, the sooner she can aid Azrael in this battle.” Though I’d just gained some admiration for Zacaris for volunteering himself, Eva was right. The fire whipped in the marble fireplace and the embers snapped before Eva broke the silence. “I will go.”

  “No!” I gasped. Eva was not a warrior; she didn’t belong in battle. Her power was to be a great mother, not to wield a weapon or slay rebels.

  “It’s out of the question!” Zacaris roared. He marched toward the door and swung his heavy black cloak around his shoulders. “I can be back in two weeks.”

  Eva hurried after him, grabbing his arm. “That is two weeks too long.” She raised her hand to his face, cupping his cheek in her hand before she slid it slowly down to his chest and unfastened the silver clasp of his cloak. Zacaris flexed his hands open and shut several times, but didn’t refuse her. Was he really considering letting her go?

  She slid the cloak from his shoulders and clutched it in between her hands, leaning into him and letting her hands and the cloak rest against his chest. “Azrael needs this sword. We need Starfire. I must go.”

  Zacaris pressed his lips into a straight line and exhaled deeply through his nose. “I don’t want you anywhere near those rebels.” He put his arms around her and held her against him. “I couldn’t live the rest of the ages of this world without you if…” His voice broke, and I lowered my gaze to the floor, uncomfortable with witnessing this private moment between them.

  “You know I can do this,” Eva said, muffled against his hug. “You’ve always said you trust me. You’ve always said I have the strongest intuition.”

  Zacaris’ face dropped as if recalling promises he could never break.

  Eva continued. “Look at me. Trust me. You are needed here and you know that Korban, Orion, and all our warriors have left on missions. The only Watchers left on the island are those who are being trained, and their mothers. We can’t send a child. If we are to send a Mother then send me. All our children are grown.

  Zacaris opened his mouth to argue, but no words came out. She had already won every argument he could come up with.

  My insides tightened with fear at the thought of Eva risking her life to take the sword to Azrael, but someone had to. I couldn’t convince him to let me go. As much as Zacaris and I hated the idea, perhaps she was the best choice.

  He ignored me and spoke to Eva. “Travel only by day when the sun is the brightest and you can run faster. Stay hidden at night.”

  Eva stood up on her toes and kissed him passionately. “I will leave as soon as the sun rises.” She took his face in her hands and stared at him for a long moment. Zacaris’ face softened in a way that made him look fragile.

  Eva had never experienced death herself. Her body had changed when she married. Did she understand the horrors of war? Did she know how unmerciful the Dark Rebellion was? They wouldn’t take pity on her because she was a beautiful woman. As long as Neviahan blood ran through her veins, Eva was a target. If they killed her, the Rebellion could connect with thousands of Watchers. There would be no place for us to hide.

  This was terrible, and it was my fault.

  Chapter Eight

  Death Note

  Dandy nudged me awake. “Oh.” I gathered my bearings and sat up in the white sand. I brushed my hair back with more force than necessary to stop the world from whirling while my vision cleared. “Did you see that massive fireball I made?” I couldn’t help but smile and hoped Zacaris would focus on my powerful display of fire instead what happened after.

  “Yes,” Zacaris crossed his arms. “And you knocked yourself out.”

  Asking for mercy from Zacaris was like asking the Dark Rebellion to take a day off from warring. Dandy circled me, eyeing me with his large eyes as though making sure I was all right. I ran my fingers through his long mane, and he let loose a rumbling purr.

  Zacaris had trained me every day for the last two weeks. Perhaps this hard training had kept us both from obsessive worry for Azrael and Eva. We practiced on the sunny beach both day and night. I gorged myself with food to fuel the massive amounts of energy I expended. At least I was doing something to progress toward finding Azrael instead of feeling helpless or worrying about Eva and him.

  “If this had been a real battle, the Dark Rebellion would have stolen your powers while you were incapacitated and destroyed thousands of lives by now.” I winced at the truth
in Zacaris’ statement. I had to get stronger. He gave me a grudging smile, though. “That fireball was something I would expect to see from a more advanced student.”

  His compliment sent a wave of unexpected encouragement through me. “Do you think I’m getting close to being able to go aid those in the Celtic lands?”

  He held up his finger like a sword and stood guarded. “You’re closer.” His hedging tone squashed all hope of being ready by the end of this week. At least Zacaris was motivated to get me to the point where I could leave the sanctuary to fight. Eva’s life was on the line.

  I imagined Eva sprinting across the warzone with the flaming sword. I clenched my hand into a fist and hit the sand. The palm trees beside us shook. Dandy darted away from me. “I wish I could learn faster.”

  “It happens step by step, Auriella. You already know what to do. Now you have to keep using your powers, stretching yourself to the limit every time, and you will find yourself getting stronger.”

  I turned my face to the sun to soak in more of the bright rays. It warmed me and sent energy shivering through my body. “I could use some of Eva’s sweet biscuits right about now,” I mumbled and scanned the horizon. A bird soared above the waves toward the shore. Dandy noticed it too and snapped his teeth at it.

  Zacaris looked up, putting a hand over his eyes to shield them from the sun to get a better look at the bird. “It’s a message.” His deep voiced resonated anticipation.

  “Message?” I watched the bird flap its massive wings, hoping it was good news.

  “It’s Onyx,” Zacaris whispered. “She is an eagle that belongs to a Watcher who is completing a mission with Orion. They are looking for a den of Shadow Wolves in Africa.”

  I tightened my jaw and remembered the first time I had seen the Shadow Wolves. It had been many years ago, but the feel of their teeth slicing through my flesh was as sharp as ever, the sting of their acidic saliva, the snarling, and the way it felt to dissolve underneath their intense, bloodthirsty stare.

  The eagle soared low and dropped a parchment from her colossal talons. It fluttered to the ground at Zacaris’ feet as the bird perched in a tree. Dandy stalked to the tree, and Onyx held out her wings as if warning the lion to stay away.

  Zacaris unrolled the note and quickly scanned the page. He looked at the bird. “Tell them I’m on my way.”

  I furrowed my brow as we both watched the bird take flight. Where was Zacaris going? We still had work to do. He couldn’t leave now.

  Zacaris turned to me with a smirk on his usually regal face. He looked so different when he smiled—the wrinkles around his eyes softened as with the rest of his expression. It was easier to imagine him as the man Eva loved. He reread the parchment, shook his head, and chuckled.

  Zacaris laugh? It sounded so foreign. I couldn’t hold back the curiosity welling inside me. “What is it?”

  “Orion just got his animal companion.”

  “Oh!” I clapped my hands together like an excited child. “How exciting! He’s been waiting so long.”

  “They’re having trouble with their ship. They have lightened all the cargo they can, but a rhinoceros is still too heavy.”

  “Rhinoceros,” I gasped. “How in the world…?” I wrinkled my nose and tried to imagine the problems Orion would have for the rest of his life. “That would destroy all ability for stealth.”

  “We don’t choose our animal companions, they choose us,” Zacaris explained tucking the parchment into his tunic. “Orion’s strength is not stealth. He prefers sword-smashing and shield-bashing. I’m sure he is pleased with the rhino.”

  Zacaris squinted at the nearby harbour in thought. “I need to take my ship. It can hold twice the amount of cargo Orion’s ship can and hopefully a rhino.”

  I half turned toward my palace, excitement bursting through me. Finally! “It will take me only a few moments to pack.”

  Zacaris frowned. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  I cringed and shrank before turning back to Zacaris. Before I had a chance to beg him to take me along, he said, “You stay here.” He separated each word and pronounced it with finality, leaving no room for argument. “I will be gone for a few days.”

  The earlier excitement bled out of me in a frustrated sigh. A few days? I was almost done with my training and didn’t want any more delays.

  “Stay safe,” he said shortly before heading in the direction of the docks with Dandy.

  I dropped my arms to my sides, closed my eyes, and leaned my head back. Two days of doing nothing but worrying about Azrael and Eva was worse torture then any task Zacaris could come up with.

  “One thing you can do…” Zacaris said over my shoulder and bringing me back to attention. “The twelve high druids have decided it is time for you to start your first mission. Once you complete the mission then you can aid those in the Celtic lands.” He smiled and his hazel eyes glistened. “Be ready to go when I get back.”

  I could hardly contain my excitement and the heat that pulsed through my body. I waited until Zacaris was out of hearing range before I threw my arms up with delight and let a streak of fire dance across the sky. “Finally!” I cried. Once I completed my druid mission, I could find Azrael and rescue Eva.

  Even though Zacaris would be gone for two weeks, I started packing right away. At first I packed three large bags and enough weapons to supply a small army. The next day I tried sprinting around the island with all my gear strapped to my back and decided I ought to pare down the gear to only the essentials, plus a few extra weapons. It might have been premature, but I wanted to be ready as soon as Zacaris returned.

  Scenarios played out in my mind of things that could happen on my mission, leaving me to pack and unpack various things. I wavered over packing food. I was an Immortal, but what if it was overcast and I couldn’t draw on the energy of the sun? What about other things I might need? Survival tools, bedding, clothing and a few nice dresses—but perhaps that could wait until I found out what type of mission the high druids would send me on. I wish I knew what I would be doing as I packed, unpacked, and then repacked my bags.

  During that time every candle in Azrael’s castle had melted into pools of wax from my late night studying and sword practice. I had to be ready for wherever they sent me and whatever the high druids asked me to do. I raced around the island, timing my speed by the shifting shadows of the trees. With each lap around the island, I pushed myself faster and faster. Finally, after several laps, I caught my breath and soaked in the warm sun on the sandy beach. The ocean promised refreshment and lured me to it with the inhale and exhale of the waves kissing the shore. The Dark Rebellion would avoid the sea like a plague. Something about being clean frightened those traitors. I hated to admit it, but I was ashamed for having the same weakness as the Shadow Legion. Every time I was submerged in water, I almost drowned. Even as an Immortal, I couldn’t use fire to shield or defend myself while wet.

  Now that I was Immortal, I couldn’t drown, but down in the depths of the ocean, I was as helpless as a mortal with no powers. Without the sun, I would be stuck like a statue of ice and no one would ever find me. It would be worse than drowning. It would be an eternity of immobility and darkness.

  When I was mortal, I had almost drowned in a raging river. The water had covered me in suffocating pressure and deprived me of precious air. It was the only time, at least in that Earth life, that Azrael and I had ever kissed, and it couldn’t be called a true kiss considering I was passed out and he was using his wind power to fill my lungs with air again. I stepped back from the beautiful turquoise water dancing toward me in foamy waves like a tempting trap and thought about something more pleasant.

  What it would be like to kiss Azrael—really kiss him? The memories that had returned when I visited the Kingdom of Neviah had dimmed again. I closed my eyes and could almost feel him in the wind wrapping his arms around me. It was as if his warm breath was in my ear whispering lyrics to ballads. The words on the wind were so cl
ear I opened my eyes, hoping it was real.

  On the horizon, the sun backlit the square sails of a ship. Zacaris was back. It was time to start my mission. I raced to my home, gathered the three previously packed bags, and looked around. It didn’t matter how well I packed, I always forgot something.

  When I returned to the beach I realized the ship was much smaller than Zacaris’ ship, and a blue banner waved from the mast. Who could it be? What if it was the last Immortals from the Celtic Islands? What if Eva or Azrael was on the ship? I dropped my bundle of mission supplies and ran along the wood planks of the dock. Hope soared through me like the seagulls that circled the ship overhead. The ship pulled so close to the dock I could almost reach out and touch the salt-stained wood.

  “M’lady, Auriella!”

  I looked up at the unfamiliar Watcher sailors waving from the side of the boat.

  I waved back. “Where do you hail from?” I called. Expectation prickled against my skin as I searched the deck for a familiar face—for Eva’s soft, generous smile or Azrael’s maddening smirk.

  “We just finished a mission in Spain,” the stranger said. “We sailed up the coast of the Isle of Man and got something for you.”

  I put my hands to my heart, praying for that something to be Azrael himself. “You have something for me?”

  “A letter,” he said. “Whenever we have an important message we wave a blue banner from the mast.”

  “Oh, yes.” Perhaps this was the mission call from the high druids I’d been waiting for. “I’m expecting a message about my first mission.” Knowing where I would be going and what I would be doing would help me focus my study and preparation.

  The watcher shook his head. “No, this is from some chap named, Azrael.”

  The pit in my stomach slammed back upwards to my chest as my excitement. Adrenaline surged through me. I paced the docks like a caged lioness while they folded the sails, coiled the ropes, and dropped anchor. They moved too slowly for my anticipation. They finally lowered the plank. Before anyone could get off the ship I raced up the plank onto the deck and found the man who had spoken of my letter.