Embraced by Embers

by Kasey Mackenzie

  ((Yeah. They got enough gear and money to tide them over for a while. Has Lily been behaving herself so far?))

  He projected amusement. ((So far, so good. Not that I plan to trust her with a knife behind my back anytime soon.))

  ((That’s my boy! There’s a reason you’re my favorite brother.))

  ((Other than the fact that the other is a psychotic murdering asshole?))

  ((Yep! There are many reasons I love you so much.))

  That had a goofy grin crossing his face and Lily narrowing her eyes. I decided to include her since it looked like she was about to work things out anyway.

  ((Hey Lily. I was just filling them in with an update on where things stand. You’re not going to like what I need to ask of you now.))

  Her gaze grew shrewd as she guessed. ((You’re gonna want them to magically blindfold me when we come to wherever you are.))

  Liam fielded that before I could. ((I would have insisted on that anyway. It’s why I didn’t even think to mention it to Cassidy.))

  Lily shrugged. ((It’s only the wise thing to do. The same thing I would do were our roles reversed.))

  Despite that fact, a sliver of hurt colored her mental voice. But far better her disappointment than the deaths of everyone else I felt responsible for. She would just have to handle her emotions like a big girl. I didn’t have time to coddle my own feelings, much less a potential double agent’s.

  Still, for all my bravado, I couldn’t deny part of me felt the tiniest bit of guilt. ((I’m sorry to have to do it, but thank you for being such a good sport about it. I have to move on to the next group now. Be safe!))

  Liam nodded with a grim smile. ((As safe as I can make us. We should see you in the next half-hour.))

  That wasn’t revealing too much to Lily; most places in St. Louis were a half-hour or less from each other so long as it wasn’t rush hour. Sometimes even then; our traffic didn’t hold a candle to the insanity many other major cities had to endure.

  ((All right. See you soon.))

  I leaped back into my body to take a break before moving on to the next group. Jake nodded to Theo, who swooped in with another can of Dr. Pepper and a protein bar to help refuel my reserves. I gave my companions a quick update on what I’d learned thus far and then finished passing information on to the remaining groups.

  Yawns cracked my mouth wide open by the time I’d finished. I didn’t dare risk another nap, since the other groups could arrive at any moment. Besides, I was busy thinking about steps to take in tracking down the truth about my missing brother and sister, not to mention how best to keep that fact away from Lily. Primarily because I still didn’t know how trustworthy she was—but also because I didn’t want to hurt her more if she really was true to her word.

  Our father likely would have viewed that as a weakness, but I knew it was part of what differentiated him and me. I actually gave a damn about other people. Even those I wasn’t 100% sure of.

  Jake knew me well enough by now not to push me to take another nap. Plus we just didn’t have time for that; not if we wanted to get Isaac and Avani out of St. Louis before Dorian gained the legal right to punish them both severely. There was also the simple fact my father and Drew were out there running amok. The sooner we wrapped up all our business here, the better.

  The other groups drifted in over the next hour, and we found ourselves grateful for the sheer size of Jake’s rambling Victorian. We stuck with the large kitchen dining room/living room area to start with. Isaac and Avani no longer had to plan how to cover up the faux pas she’d committed—now it became all about uncovering proof that Dorian had ulterior motives rather than the Freeholders’ best interests at heart. They also started the process of advising all those who were still loyal to Isaac that he was temporarily leaving the area and how to contact him if necessary.

  My brain had been chewing on this whole shitty situation since I felt responsible for it. Sure, Dorian was the asshole who’d orchestrated this latest power play—but I knew he’d done it to strike out at me. Just like I knew my father had given his blessing for the bloodless coup to cut out one leg of the powerful alliance Clan Zi had been building. Now, we were a potential triangle missing one important leg.

  That flash of insight had my skin tingling and me sitting straight up on the sofa, where I still perched.

  “Hey!” I spoke into a lull in the conversation. “What are the requirements for starting up a new Chapter?”

  Chapter 10

  Dia’s eyes widened, Avani frowned, and Isaac tilted his head as he raised an eyebrow. He was the first to break the suddenly tense silence.

  “Starting a new Chapter requires five primary things. One: At least one Clan to sponsor its formation and to which the Chapter owes certain obligations in exchange for freedom otherwise. Two: At least 50 Elementals to sign the initial petition. Three: Previously unclaimed territory of at least a 30-mile radius. Four: At least $50,000 in seed money, ten percent of which goes directly to the sponsor Clan. And five: A business plan to set out how the Chapter plans to be both self-sustaining and make its required tithes to its sponsor.”

  I listened intently, nodding along at the logic of each requirement. When Isaac finished describing the last item, I smiled. “And how many Chapters can a particular Clan sponsor?”

  Jake caught on quickly. “There are far more Chapters than Clans; not so surprising given the many sacrifices required of most Clan members. Thus it is pretty much necessary for Clans to sponsor multiple Chapters. They just generally keep it to one Clan per state here in the U.S. Keeps things cleaner and less competitive, meaning less likely for territory wars to break out.”

  I nodded. “But is that a law or just tradition?”

  “Tradition,” Isaac replied. “And I see where you’re headed with this. To be honest, it kind of pisses me off that you would suggest I tuck my tail between my legs and run.”

  Dia appeared caught between wanting to side with her lover and wanting to support her sister. She bit her lip and remained silent.

  I tossed Isaac a sardonic grin. “Now Isaac, do I strike you as the type who would advise you to play the coward? I regularly jump into the flames when everyone else is telling me to stay out. But one of the strengths I bring to the table is my ability to think outside the box—or so my bondmate has assured me. What I’m proposing you and Avani do is form your own separate Chapter midway between Springfield and St. Louis—which oh, just happens to fall near Greener Pastures. You open the Chapter up to those you know you can trust. Let Dorian keep the riff raff with him in St. Louis. We move on with declaring war against my father—and later you can feel free to take back St. Louis if that’s still what you want.”

  Jake leaned forward and shook his head admiringly. “Neither Garret nor Dorian are true Freeholders. This move would never have occurred to either of them. They do expect you to tuck tail and run—or to rip apart the entire Chapter with a war for power, leaving your people much weaker and unable to help Clan Zi in the larger war. Cass is right—this isn’t a retreat. It’s a strategic regroup and move forward.”

  Avani’s frown faded as she considered both mine and Jake’s points. And then a sly smile crossed her face. “They are right, Isaac. We can meet all five of those requirements like child’s play. Especially if the Clan helps us scout out a new Chapter house to serve as our base of operations while we get things going.”

  Jake gave a little half-bow from his seat. “I’m sure we’d be happy to help.”

  Isaac’s ire faded a little more as the others spoke. His eyes met mine, and he finally cracked a smile. “I can see how it’s an advantage not to be weighed down by centuries of tradition and expectations. And suddenly I can’t wait to regroup and move forward. Just picturing the look on Dorian’s face when he hears that we’ve formed a new Chapter rather than attack him directly or fade away into another Chapter…”

  Avani let out a snicker. “Oh, to be a fly upon that wall!”

  “I’d rather be th
e fist swinging for his face, but I guess this will have to do for now.” Isaac began issuing new orders to coincide with his previous directives. The new orders actually conveniently meshed well with what he’d already set in motion.

  Isaac, Avani, and the several Freeholders with them spent the next hour kicking plans into motion, and then they bid us a temporary farewell so they could rally their troops and head out of St. Louis before their deadline expired. The house felt a little empty after their departure. Dia understandably wilted a little at being separated from Isaac again, mostly because she was worried about him. Not to mention pissed off at Dorian “the Prick” Garcia, which pretty much described how most people who’d ever met him felt.

  I found myself excited that we could now focus our energy on investigating the disappearances of our missing siblings—although that excitement came with a shot of guilt. Still, the ball for forming a new Chapter was in Isaac’s court now. While it may have been my idea, the hard work of making it a success would rest upon the shoulders of him, Avani, and their fellow Freeholders.

  Liam and Nic proved to be the biggest computer nerds of our remaining number. In fact, Nic actually possessed advanced hacking skills obtained in a less-than-legal side business he’d ran before Daddy Dearest abducted him. They volunteered to conduct the research we needed to finish while Dia and I took on the responsibility of distracting Lily. We still hadn’t let her in on just what side project we needed to finish before heading out of St. Louis again. She was under the impression it had to do with Clan Zi business rather than trying to verify she’d been telling the truth about Drew murdering our siblings.

  Fortunately supper time was swiftly approaching, so it was perfectly natural to volunteer for cooking duty and invite her to join us. Rhianne leaped at the chance to take the lead, seeing as she’d spent so much time cooking in this kitchen when rooming with Jake during the academic year. She was also hands down the best Zi family member of her generation at cooking the traditional Asian dishes her older relatives had taught.

  Tonight she suggested we whip up a stir-fried rice heavy on both chicken and veggies, which someone had purchased plenty of on that earlier grocery run. Rhianne assigned the rest of us to chopping a specific veggie while she cooked up the chicken and rice. We chatted as we worked. Liam and Nic had headed down the hall to Jake’s office, a few people were watching a movie in the living room, and Jake, Melody and Theo were leading a few other Clanmates who’d answered the call to beef up security as they made this house even more secure—both technologically and magically.

  Soon the fragrances of cooking meat and spices permeated the air. My stomach began growling, earning me a fond grin from Dia.

  “Damn, girl. You’ve been grazing on food since I got here. How are you still that hungry?”

  I stuck my nose up in the air, which made chopping up the last few carrots difficult. I waved my knife in the air with a fake sneer. “You see, baby sister, big girls like me need all the food they can eat to fuel their... magic. Someday you, too, will blossom into a woman.”

  We glanced at each other and busted out laughing. Dia wiggled her eyebrows, and winked at Lily. “See what I’ve had to endure without another sister to back me up?”

  Lily smiled slightly as she paused in her own cutting. “So what? Now that I’m here it’s little sisters versus big sister?”

  I snickered and resumed chopping. “Don’t let her pretty little smile fool you, Lily. What she really means is that now she has a baby sister of her own to mess with.”

  Rhianne let out a wistful sigh from behind the stove. “You do not know how badly I prayed for just one sister growing up. I mean… the ones in China, Japan, and Europe do not count because they’re centuries older, and I rarely see them. And three brothers… so much testosterone!”

  She had been raised here in the U.S. with Jake, Colin, and Liam. They were the only three of their siblings younger than a hundred. Of course, given that Dia and I had spent most of our early childhoods being shuffled around various foster families, we hadn’t even had that pleasure. But I knew Rhianne just hadn’t been thinking when she made her comment.

  “Hey if you keep cooking awesome food for us, maybe we’ll make you an honorary sister.”

  Rhianne grinned and began dumping veggies into the several woks simmering on the stovetop.

  Lily set down her knife as she finished chopping mushrooms. She leaned back in the kitchen stool and pursed her lips. “My adoptive parents raised me as an only child for several years before Garrett took any interest in me. That’s when he also introduced me to Drew.” Her jaw clenched and she gripped the kitchen island so tightly her fingers turned white. I don’t think she even noticed.

  “By that point, Drew had manifested his Mindbending abilities—at a freakishly young age—and everyone assumed I was merely a Dragon. Because of that fact, Drew viewed me as no threat. Not magically, and not for our father’s affections.”

  Dia reached over to gently touch one of her hands, and I reached to touch the other. Lily let out a shuddering breath. “That doesn’t mean he was never mean to me. He was. One moment he’d be the sweetest, most loving brother I could have ever wished for. The next he’d be inside my mind making me live my worst nightmares.”

  My fingers tightened atop her hand. “That must have been awful,” I murmured softly. Dia added a soothing sentiment of her own.

  Lily huffed out a breath. “To say the least. Luckily, one day Father—Garret, I mean. I call my adoptive father Dad. One day Father caught Drew psychically tormenting me, and he put the fear of God into Drew that he wasn’t ever to use his powers against me without either Father’s or my permission.”

  Dia tilted her head. “Didn’t that make Drew resent you more?”

  Lily shook her head. “You would think that, right? But no. He actually took it as a sign of approval that Father thought him a strong enough threat that I needed protection from him. Which I most definitely did. Drew also knew that Father would be keeping a much closer watch from that moment on. He knew Father would know in an instant if Drew broke his promise to Father. So that was the last time he used his Mindbending powers against me.”

  A tiny voice inside me whispered, The last time that you know of, but I didn’t want to dampen the mood even more.

  Lily must have felt similarly about bringing the room’s mood down, because she shook her head and forced a smile. “That’s enough depressing talk about Baby Brother for now.” She winked as she used our nickname for Drew—which he hated—signalling she knew our little secret.

  We changed the topic to plans for the next day. Rhianne and a few of our Clanmates had agreed to keep Lily with them the next day while the rest of us set off in pursuit of what she thought was Clan Zi business but was actually running down leads Liam and Nic came up with. Our cover story sounded convincing enough, since we’d worked out the details telepathically that afternoon.

  Supper passed in an actually pleasant blur of excellent food and great conversation. Lily shared some more tidbits about her childhood. It wasn’t hard to see how conflicted she felt about loving her adoptive parents even though they worked for an egomaniacal tyrant. She showed glimpses of affection toward our bio dad followed by flashes of fury at all the awful things he had done. For Drew, however, she showed little wavering. She despised him as much as Dia, Nic, and I did. Hell, given that he’d psychically tortured her as a child, she probably hated him more.

  After supper, Jake and Rhianne assigned sleeping quarters. Everyone had to double up where possible in the bedrooms. Liam and Nic volunteered to take cots in the office so they could research a little longer. That left a skeleton crew of people to take turns cat-napping on the sofas in the living room and keeping watch out for trouble. And make sure that Lily did not get up to no-good. Dia crashed with our sister in my old bedroom across the hall from the master suite where Jake and I finally retired to sleep at midnight.

  A huge yawn cracked my jaws wide open as we snuggled be
neath the covers. “Nic and Liam did excellent work digging up the contact info for that retired detective who headed up the murder cases for our… brother and sister.”

  Jake reacted to the grief in my voice by pulling me closer and kissing my cheek softly. “Yeah. I was hoping that their cases would be unsolved missing persons rather than murders, but those news stories they uncovered seemed to support Lily’s claims that both children were beheaded.”

  My lips trembled slightly as I pictured two young teenagers confronted by Elemental assassins. They would have stood no chance against their murderers.

  I burrowed closer to Jake and squeezed my eyes shut. Maybe it was tragically too late for me to do anything to save those poor kids’ lives, but I could still do one thing. Find the truth behind who had murdered them—and bring that person to Elemental if not mortal justice. It was the very least I could do.

  Liam, Nic, and Jake took point on serving up breakfast the next morning. The omelets they made were amazing, although the Dr. Pepper I inhaled was what really made me feel more human. Nic rushed over with it the moment my foot hit the bottom stair in his running gag that nobody wanted to mess with me before I had my morning caffeine fix. Although it was more truth than gag.

  Lily glanced over from her plate just as I dropped my fork and pushed back from the table. “I—would it be too much trouble to have someone run me to a clothing store today? Rhianne was kind enough to loan me something from her closet today, but I could really use a few outfits of my own. I’m a little larger than her.” She winced at having to ask—though whether from pride over lack of funds or having to ask permission, I wasn’t sure.

  “That should be fine. Rhianne is always up for a shopping challenge. And you can just charge whatever you need to the Clan’s card and pay us back later.”

  The tension in her face relaxed slightly. “That’s great. I have a few secret stashes of my own that I can get to when the coast is clear, but none are here in St. Louis.”