Flash and Flame: Portals of Asphodel Series: The Guardian, Book 2

by Sadie Anders

  Her petite frame was completely obscured as she leaned over to retrieve something. She emerged again with a stack of papers in her hands, shoving them towards Nick.

  “Fifteen messages. Five of them from that guardian.”

  “Raphael could be more patient,” Nick said. I wondered why Raphael hadn’t called or texted me. He could clearly send messages to this realm.

  “Are you trying to get us reprimanded? Or worse?”

  Nick sighed. “Everything will be fine, Nelle. I’ll make sure of it.”

  She let out a breath, clearly calming down now that Nick had returned, and seemed to notice us for the first time. Her expression changed entirely as she put up her guard, hiding her vulnerability. She narrowed her eyes into a steely gaze.

  “This is Alexis and Julian, Nelle,” Nick said. “Friends of mine.” Her expression softened a bit at this.

  “Friends of Nick, huh. Okay, then,” she said, nodding as if satisfied by this explanation.

  “And friends of Raphael,” Nick added.

  She perked up at that, plastering on a smile and extending her hand towards me. “Penelope. I’m Nick’s assistant. Anything I can do to help you, just let me know. I’m here to help.”

  Service really was different when you had connections. Who knew?

  Still, I wasn’t comfortable with the sudden change. Were people scared of Raphael?

  Nick chuckled gently. “Nelle here is my right hand. She keeps the place afloat, especially when I have to go out.”

  “You’ve been gone for three hours,” she said, her voice unable to hide her annoyance. Three hours. I wondered where he had been before coming to our shop. Maybe he had been feeding. Nick wasn’t the kind of vampire that murdered people, but he did like to go on the prowl for a willing partner. That seemed like it would take a while. Still, he had acted like Raphael’s request to see me had been urgent.

  “And I’d be lost without you. You’re the best.”

  “Yep.” She nodded, acknowledging that she really was the best. I liked her already.

  Nick leaned over the check-in desk and flipped through the messages while Penelope dried the puddles in the front entryway. Some of the messages got rumpled up and discarded, some set aside. When Nick got to the final one, he looked up toward me in alarm.

  “This message is from Raphael,” he said.

  “What does it say?”

  “It says you have to go to Asphodel alone. Your uncle can’t come with you.”

  “Like hell, he can’t,” I started. My uncle placed a hand on my shoulder.

  “Did he say why?”

  “No,” Nick said, looking as confused as we did. “But the message was clear. Alexis needs to come alone.”

  “It wouldn’t be wise to disregard it,” Penelope added.

  I looked at my uncle, his face full of concern.

  “Something about all of this doesn’t seem right,” I said quietly to him, although lowering our voices really didn’t matter, considering we were in the presence of a supernatural being with excellent hearing, one that could read minds, to boot. Still, Nick was enough of a gentlemen to realize that we needed our privacy, so he and Penelope retreated down the hallway towards his office.

  “I agree,” Uncle Julian said after Nick had left. “I am sure that we aren’t being told everything. What I am not sure about, however, is if we can trust Raphael.”

  Doubt tugged at my insides. I had only known Raphael for a brief time, but deep down I felt that what we had was real, that I could trust him. Yet, Uncle Julian was right. The whole business all seemed fishy.

  “What should I do?”

  He thought about it for a few seconds. “I don’t think you have any choice but to go without me. And go you must. We already agreed that it was the prudent thing to do. You never want the Furies on your bad side if you can avoid it. They are relentless.”

  I nodded, but deep down I was scared. Completely terrified, in fact. Not only did I loathe the idea of returning to Asphodel, I certainly didn’t want to do it without my uncle. I didn’t understand that world, wasn’t used to its ways. Everything seemed like a trap, something surreal. And the Furies were certainly unpredictable, if not openly hostile.

  But then again, Raphael was there. Even if my uncle wasn’t sure about trusting Raphael, I needed to take comfort in knowing that he would be there for me in Asphodel, just as he was before. That would have to be enough.

  And I would have to be brave.

  It was time.

  I gave my uncle a long hug, not knowing when I would be able to see him again. He normally wasn’t big on hugs, as he was the standoffish sort, but he let me linger. He understood. After a few moments, I pulled away, turning towards the check-in desk and ringing the little bell on the countertop. Nick emerged a few seconds later.

  “Are you ready?”

  “Let’s get this over with.”

  We followed Nick down the darkened hallway behind the main stairs, turning into a room filled with coats and overflow supplies from the hotel. He swept aside the coats on the rack, revealing a small rounded doorway made of wood.

  Nick drew a small silver blade across his palm, letting the blood flow freely. He touched his palm to the center of the door and sang an incantation, the words both melodic and mesmerizing. The door clicked and slid away, nestling inside the wall, and revealing a set of stairs into the basement.

  The three of us descended into the darkened stairway and passed through a thick, metal door into a room made entirely of stone.

  The portal room.

  It seemed like a place entirely out of another era, possessing an altogether dungeon-like feel. A solid iron door stood on the far wall, inert, dark, but teeming with potential energy. Now that my magical abilities had been awakened more, the power coming from it was undeniable.

  The iron door’s metalwork was spectacular. I hadn’t really had time to appreciate it the last time I was in the room. The snatchers had been pursuing us, and Nick and I had barely escaped with our lives. Now, I could see that the portal had been crafted with the finest workmanship, showing that it was a device that was both revered and protected.

  It was more than metal and magic. And I sensed that it was tied inextricably to Nick. He wasn’t merely the portal keeper. It was a part of him, and he was a part of it.

  As Nick placed his palm against the center of the door, it sprang to life. The filigree of the iron clicked and turned into place, the metal warped and swirled into a vortex of indigo light. Soon, the vortex expanded, opening a hole and revealing an idyllic pasture on the other side, the twilight skies of that land peeking through the open portal with a purple glow.

  “Good luck, Alexis,” Nick said.

  He stood to the side, allowing me to approach the portal. I wanted to stall, to turn and run up the stairs and back to our magic shop. Instead, I tightened the straps on my backpack, buying myself a few seconds. I let out a deep breath as I turned and looked at Uncle Julian, his face full of concern but also an inexplicable demeanor. He seemed deep in thought, like he was formulating some sort of plan. His mind was brilliant, and he always seemed like some sort of sphinx to me when he thought deeply. I hoped for a second that he was coming up with some sort of plan to make it where he could come with me, but after a few seconds, he merely waved goodbye.

  “Stay safe, dear one,” he said quietly. He raised up his arm, showing me the small symbol inside his wrist, its shape shimmering blue. It was the linking spell he had implanted inside himself that connected us together at all times, no matter where we were. It was how he knew I was coming to rescue him before in Asphodel. He pressed his finger to it, a look of concentration crossing his face, and I felt a warmth radiating out of my own wrist.

  I nodded to him, understanding.

  “I will always be able to find you, my Alexis,” he said.

  I raised my hand, giving them both a small wave and turned to step inside the portal. A rush of energy enveloped my body as I stepped th
rough. I closed my eyes as it tugged at every part of my being, taking my breath away. I thought of how I would soon see Raphael, thought of my determination to get this over with and return home.

  When I opened my eyes once more, I was in Asphodel.

  3

  I walked through the portal into Asphodel much more gracefully than last time. Then, I had been running from the snatchers, and I had tumbled headlong through the door. I found myself nearly unconscious, sprawled out on my bum on the mossy ground. Now, I merely stepped through as if I were entering the next room in my house, but I did have to take a second to center myself on my shaky feet. Not perfect, but not bad.

  The still air smelled of grass and a faint floral smell, maybe jasmine. I was never an expert with plant life. That was Uncle Julian. He was wizard with herbs and leaves and all things botanical. Still, I could appreciate the ambient setting here, however deceptive it might be. I knew deep down that Asphodel was a dangerous place, even if disarmingly beautiful.

  I looked around for anyone who might be waiting for me. Raphael. Or the Apollonian, the centaur who guarded the portal. But neither were anywhere to be seen.

  As I took my first steps through the meadow, a breeze crossed my face, blowing my hair into my eyes. I was nervous, as the last time I had come through, vengeful and ancient wind nymphs had attacked me for being an outsider. But this wind was gentle, calming even, and I knew that the nymphs were not pursuing me this time.

  I knew this by intuition.

  I felt less like a guest, and more like someone who belonged here. As much as I didn’t trust the place, I had been born in Asphodel, after all. I had lived here for a while before my uncle had smuggled me out into the human realm, presumably to rescue me. I hadn’t managed to get him to tell me the full truth about that yet, much to my annoyance. But like any relationship, ours was complicated, and family was often one of the most complicated. Still, I knew I had a past here. As the Apollonian had told me before, I was of Asphodel. I had as much right to be here as anyone, even if I preferred not to be.

  Given how harrowing the journey was last time, I decided that trying to make my way to the upper city without Raphael seemed like a bad idea. I convinced myself to wait for a bit until he showed up to escort me. Undoubtedly, Nick had sent along the message that I had come through the portal, and he would come immediately. His many urgent messages to Nick made me sure of that. And I was excited by the fact that it wouldn’t be long until I would be able to see Raphael. My heart leapt at the thought.

  I sat on the ground to wait, and I looked up at the twilit sky. It was always that way here, right on the verge of day and night. Stars faintly twinkled in the distance, if you looked hard enough, their light almost obscured by the faint remnants of daylight. The purple hue of the sky was beautiful, and I could understand why people would be enticed by that. It was perpetually the most serene time of the day, somewhere between the bright realities of the sun and the shadows of the night.

  I played with the grass, its soft mossy texture feeling like velvet. I found a patch of daisies and picked one. I twirled it between my fingers, thinking of the games I used to play when I was a kid, plucking the petals off of flowers and dreaming of imaginary suitors.

  He loves me.

  I wondered where Raphael was. He still wasn’t here.

  He loves me not.

  I thought of making love to him in his house in the upper city, how vibrant I had felt, how grateful I had been to be appreciated and cherished like that. It had breathed new life into me, given me hope when I had none.

  He loves me.

  I saw a man approaching from the distance, and I stood up quickly, gathering my things. My breath caught as I tried to make him out, but his features seemed foreign, unfamiliar.

  It wasn’t Raphael.

  He loves me not.

  The man came closer, and he looked altogether menacing. His face was severe, without kindness or an inviting smile, and he had the haughty bearing and fine clothing of an aristocrat. Pale and lean, with an aquiline nose and close set eyes, his walk was like the prowl of a lion, part prance, part proud, part deadly hunter. There was no doubt that this being was ancient. A vampire.

  Raphael must have sent him for me. My heart fell at the thought of not seeing him yet. One more disappointment to add to the pile of the last few weeks.

  The man approached me and studied me silently, taking me in, assessing me. From the look on his face, he clearly did not understand why he had been sent to fetch me. The dissatisfaction in his face was apparent.

  “Ms. Guignol,” he said. It was not a question.

  I nodded.

  “I am called Galba. Follow me.”

  He turned and began walking the way he had come, not saying anything further to me or waiting for my response. I followed behind him by a few paces, not wanting to get too close to this strange being until I could understand what he was all about. He led us about a quarter of a mile to a road, and I could see that it stretched far across the countryside and up into the hills behind.

  When I had traveled here before, Raphael and I were trying to move unnoticed through the lower city, so we had taken the route through the Mad Forest on foot and had avoided the main road. That had been quite an adventure, to say the least, and not one that I was anxious to repeat. This time, there was no need for such covert measures, I supposed, as I was traveling here in an official capacity. We had the protection of the Furies.

  A car was waiting for us, sleek and sporty and black. Vampires always liked to travel in style, as far as I could tell. It was still running, and a driver waited for us, leaning against the door.

  I tried to be positive. Maybe the drive would present an opportunity to ask Galba where Raphael was, what was going on, what the Furies wanted from me. As intimidated as I was by him, I had to know where Raphael was. And I had to know what I was walking into.

  As we approached the car, the driver rushed to open the door for Galba. After his client had been escorted into the back seat of the vehicle, the driver finally acknowledged my presence.

  “You’re up front with me,” he said, nodding his head to the car.

  Shrugging, I circled around to the passenger side and got in. Galba took note that I was safely inside, then pressed a button on the rear door, raising the privacy screen between himself and the front of the car.

  Well, then. It seemed my questions to him would go unanswered. Galba clearly did not want to interact with a witch from the other world. Too lowly for him, perhaps. I buckled up and stared at the road ahead.

  After a few minutes, the driver started smiling, but didn’t say anything. It was like he was laughing at an inside joke that he was sharing only with himself. Finally, my curiosity got the better of me.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Pardon?”

  “What are you smiling about?”

  “It’s just that I don’t meet many earthborn.”

  “Earthborn?”

  “You know, a supernatural born on the other side.”

  “I wasn’t born there.”

  “Oh,” he said, nodding. “Well, I certainly don’t meet many elementals either.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Playing coy, huh?”

  “Honestly. I don’t know what an elemental is.”

  He raised his eyebrows, seeming surprised by my admission but not entirely sure that I was telling him the truth. Still, I was interested in what he might know, what he might help me discover about myself, so I’d have to convince him.

  “I’m a new witch. My family kept magic a secret from me. All of this is still new, and to be honest, really strange, to me.”

  “Asphodel is a dangerous place to be if you know nothing about magic.”

  “You’re telling me,” I said. My learning curve was so steep that it was basically a sheer cliff. “So, what is an elemental?”

  “Someone who has magic beyond what normal witches and wizards hav
e. Regular folks need objects, spells, even wands at times to do their magic. Elementals draw on the power around and within rather than siphoning it from or channeling it through something else.”

  “Oh.” That did seem like the magic that I was able to do. Yes, I could draw on potions and spells, but I also had powers that seemed to bubble up when my emotions ran over the top. Uncle Julian was helping me to learn how to channel those emotions into controllable magic. It wasn’t easy.

  “How can you tell that I am one? An elemental?”

  “Your aura. You ever see a glow, a color around a person? That’s an aura.”

  “Yes.”

  “Not everyone can see them. Only people with some elemental magic. And once you learn to read them well, you can kind of see these things. She has earth. He has fire. And so on.”

  One of the only things that Uncle Julian had taught me about magic growing up had been how to read auras. But he treated it more like reading people’s emotions than magic. I thought everyone was able to do it.

  “So, if you can see my aura, then that means you’re an elemental?”

  “Not a strong one, but yes, I have a little bit of earth power in me. Goes a long way back in my family, but I wouldn’t say I’m one of the stronger ones out there. There are degrees and variation.”

  “I see.” I thought of Heliodor and meeting her at the Foundry. How she had dipped her hand into molten rock and let it run through her fingers like water. She had been unscathed. And when I had returned home, my uncle had revealed to me that this woman was my mother, Beryl. She had to be an elemental, too.

  Like me.

  “So, that probably has something to do with why the Furies want to see me.”

  “Who knows why those terrifying ladies do what they do? It’s safer for everyone just to go along with their requests. But, yes, probably.”

  “How did you get caught up working for the Furies? Aren’t you from the lower city?”

  “I work for Galba, but, yes, I live in Aporia. Only vampires live in the upper city. But plenty of us work for them, do their bidding, carry out the minutiae of their lives. It’s just the way things have always worked around here. It keeps the peace, and hey, it’s a living.”