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

by Sadie Anders

  When I looked more closely, I could see that the battles were not typical.

  The people involved weren’t fighting with swords and arrows. And they weren’t fighting regular old humans.

  One man, lithe and muscular, was throwing a handful of stars towards an opponent, a multi-armed creature with a horrifying visage. An aged woman was controlling the waves of the ocean, sweeping them toward an army of bat-like creatures. A short tank of a man was throwing boulders at a snake-haired male. A warrior was calling down lightning from above, the arcs of electricity stretching and splitting across the spangled sky as they penetrated the chests of his enemies.

  They were hurtling elements of the earth and cosmos at one another.

  I pulled out Cleon’s journal, flipping through the pages quickly, trying to locate anything like what I was seeing in this room.

  A mural was carefully etched across two pages, closely mirroring what I was seeing in real life. A note was scrawled in the margins.

  The resting place is locked.

  Intruders beware.

  Only the guardians

  May take what is resting there.

  The guardians? Raphael was a guardian, but I was not. Perhaps we needed two vampires like Raphael, but as far as I knew, there were no others like him, ones who could suffer the light of the Empyrean, at least.

  I looked up at Raphael. He was staring at the sculptures, completely entranced.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “These pieces are so familiar,” he said. “No, not the pieces. The scenes. I feel like I was there. I was present.”

  He turned to me, confused.

  I had no idea how old he really was. We had never discussed it. “Were you there?”

  “How could I have been? I surely would have remembered living in such a time, seeing such battles. My earliest memories are later, not in this ancient time.”

  “What do you remember? From the beginning?”

  “My remembrances have faded with the centuries, but still, I recall being a young man. Running through the vines in the Roman countryside with my sister. Meeting Tisiphone. Being turned. But I have no recollection before those events.”

  I thought back to my own childhood, how little I remembered. I felt a tug of sadness for Raphael, and for myself. It was hard to face the fact that our oldest memories weren’t there.

  But I supposed to some extent, that was true for everyone. Nobody remembered when they were toddlers, yet I assumed most people remembered more than I did. My memories had been wiped away, after all.

  He ran his hand across the statue of the person hurtling stars at their opponent. When he touched the stone, I saw a power run through him, as if the mural were transferring something to him. His body startled and went rigid.

  “Raphael! Are you okay?”

  Raphael looked at me, and his once sapphire eyes were filled with a black surface populated by tiny pinpricks of light, like his consciousness had taken in the starry night sky. He blinked slowly, and when he opened his eyes again, they had returned to normal.

  “I…,” he struggled to speak. “I was there. With my parents.”

  “Your parents?”

  I never thought of Raphael as having parents, a sister too, which was ridiculous. Of course he came from somewhere. From someone.

  I looked back down at the journal pages. Underneath the mural, Cleon had written a title.

  The Titans and Elementals Battle the Forces of Oblivion.

  Well, that was a title lacking poetic flair. But it was certainly descriptive and worrisome.

  Uncle Julian looked over my shoulder, then up at the mural.

  “I have heard about these times,” he said. “Well, I’ve read about them.”

  That was no surprise. Uncle Julian had read more than anyone I’d ever met, including my college professors.

  “There was a time when the elementals and gods of old battled together against the darkness. Not the nighttime darkness, but the darkness of nothingness, I mean.”

  “Who were the elementals? Like the ones now? Like us?”

  Uncle Julian looked at me, startled. “How do you know you are an elemental?”

  “I’ve been told. By Alecto. By Pierce.”

  “Who is Pierce?” Uncle Julian asked.

  “It doesn’t matter. But I’ve been told that there are few elementals now, and their powers are diluted. Still, they can channel magic differently. An elemental has control over one of the elements. Earth, wind, air, fire.”

  “And aether. Don’t forget aether.”

  I had no idea what he was talking about. We hadn’t learned about that in science class.

  “Okay. And aether. Since you’ve never told me, I think it’s time to. Which element do I possess?”

  Uncle Julian looked at me, considering what to say. “Your father Lachlan and I. We are special. We both possess two elements. Water and air. It is extremely rare to harness two elements.”

  My mouth gaped open a little. “And I’ve inherited that?”

  He nodded. “But there is something else. Your mother. Beryl. Well, Heliodor now. She possesses two, as well. Earth and fire.”

  I thought of how she had touched the molten rock in the Foundry. How she had been completely uninjured.

  “I possess four?”

  “You do. It is unheard of in these times. There haven’t been elementals of that scale since the ancient times, since the times of this mural.” He held out his hands towards it.

  “And you’ve always known this?”

  “It was one of the reasons that I had to protect you, had to take you from Asphodel. To make sure that nobody abused your powers, especially when you were a child. People were…starting to take note. Things were becoming dire. I had no choice, and your mother could no longer remember her love for anything other than power. We had to go.”

  I took a deep breath, absorbing all of this information. I wondered what had happened to my father.

  “Where is Lachlan now?”

  “Even I do not know the answer to that, child,” he said sadly. He clearly missed his brother.

  Uncle Julian remained thoughtful for a moment, surely thinking of his lost family. I felt bad for dredging all of this up for him again, but I had to know. It was time.

  I deserved to know.

  A spark of an idea flashed across his face. He took the journal from my hands. “Alexis, go down to the right. Raphael, to the left. But don’t touch the stones, yet.”

  He flipped through the pages, reading furiously.

  “Yes, yes. That’s it.”

  Julian looked up at us. “In these times, the elementals and the Titans had joined forces. And I believe that to recover the light, they must do so again.”

  I looked at him, confused.

  “What are you talking about?”

  He looked at me and Raphael. “Apollo told me that I would be the key to your unification.”

  I wasn’t sure what he meant by this. As far as I knew, we were already unified.

  “He said that I would know when the time was right. Raphael, touch the sun in the sky. On the mural.”

  Raphael placed his hand high up, his fingertips touching the orb sticking out from the wall. Golden light filled his eyes.

  “My parents,” he said.

  Uncle Julian nodded. “Yes, you remember now.”

  Raphael nodded. “Astraeus. Eos.”

  “Yes, Apollo told me. Your parents possessed the power of the dusk and the dawn. Titans.”

  “I had forgotten,” Raphael said.

  “I doubt that, but my guess is that those memories had been stolen from you.”

  Uncle Julian looked at me, a guilty and sorrowful look crossed his face. He had stolen my memories. Perhaps he was beginning to feel it had all been a mistake.

  “What does that make me?” Raphael asked.

  “The answer to that lies with who you choose to become,” Uncle Julian said. “But you are Eosphoros. Phosphoros. The L
ight-bringer. Only you have been changed, turned into something foreign to your true self. It is up to you to determine who you are now.”

  “Why didn’t Apollo tell me?”

  “I assume because we are all pieces of a larger puzzle. We must know when the time is right. We must work together.” He turned towards me. “Alexis, you must touch the mural with both hands. Think of the elements you possess. Channel them into Raphael. He is of the aether. You will help him bring the light.”

  I wasn’t sure about all of this logically, but it felt right. I turned towards the mural, placing my hands on it, feeling each of the elements. My feet felt firmly planted to the ground, like I was connected to its roots. Heat rose within me. A swell in my stomach like an ocean wave rose up. My skin tingled like I was lying bare in the cool breeze.

  A wave of power swept from me, through the stones, over to Raphael, who was still touching the sunny orb. I felt connected to him like never before.

  Light shot out of his fingertips. The stones of the mural clicked and began moving away, pieces of a puzzle retracting into the arches of the wall, revealing a room behind the sculptures.

  Light radiated everywhere in the room ahead, but I could not locate its source.

  A pedestal sat in the middle of the room. Atop the flat surface lay a small object.

  The Phos Eos.

  I wasn’t sure how I knew, but I was sure. It was definitely the Phos Eos.

  I felt connected to it, like it was mine to protect.

  I was its guardian. As was Raphael.

  We walked to it as Uncle Julian looked on.

  Looking up at Raphael, I reached out to touch it. We placed our fingers on it at the same time. Power surged through me, and I felt like I was filled with liquid light. My body had become a vessel for its power. I looked at Raphael. His form had taken a new shape. Instead of a corporeal body, he had become the inverse silhouette I had seen in the fountain in my dream. Light embodied. And I knew that I had become the same.

  I closed my eyes and felt myself hurtling through the cosmos. I was falling but not frightened. I had a purpose.

  Soon, I felt the effect fade. I opened my eyes again, and Raphael had returned to his normal self. I knew that I had, too.

  I turned to Uncle Julian, curious as to what he had seen. But when I faced him, he wasn’t alone.

  An Artemisia had her arm around his chest, a small knife to his throat. Next to her stood Heliodor, my mother. Her golden hair and skin glowed against her dark clothes. It gave the effect that she was molten, could melt her surroundings at any instant. It was unsettling.

  “Uncle Julian!” I yelled.

  A dark figure approached from behind them, their form shrouded in robes. Tendrils of smoke radiated from their body, and their eyes were glowing orange like coals that had just been extinguished.

  The opponent from the marshes. The one we had barely escaped.

  They took their place next to my mother, their head turned slightly at an angle, assessing the situation. The air around them shimmered, and their entire form shifted.

  A woman manifested. Her face was vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it.

  “Ember,” Raphael said.

  Oh. Ember. My mother’s boss. The most feared gangster in Asphodel. I recognized her face from the newspaper article in Aporia.

  But I had no idea what she truly was. A monster of smoke and fire. Her soul a cinder that tried to wedge its fear inside of you.

  “I am proud of you, Alya,” Heliodor said. “You seem to be learning of your powers. I thought Julian would never teach you.” She looked at him, drops of blood dripping down his neck from the pressure of the Artemisia’s knife, and she smiled.

  She walked towards me. “Have you considered my offer? From the Foundry?”

  “I have no intention of helping you. You are a murderer.”

  “Vampires cannot be murdered,” she said simply. “Even if they could, they deserve it. Their time has passed.”

  “You murder your own kind, too.” I thought of the bodies of witches and wizards and demons that we had seen at the Foundry, their cavities opened, organs cleaned out. They had used them as experiments, as ways to gather more powers for themselves. It was brutal and disgusting. I could never be like them.

  If she could do that to her own people, then it was clear what she wanted to do with the Phos Eos. She wanted to wipe out the vampires completely. Then they would be free to rule Asphodel, or, more likely, terrorize it.

  Energy began emanating from Ember, and I could tell that she was heating up, preparing to do something. Heliodor gave her a sidelong glance, looking uneasy.

  “You have to come with us now, daughter,” Heliodor said.

  “Absolutely not,” I said. An idea flitted through my mind. I grabbed the Phos Eos from the pedestal and held it high it the air.

  “Let my uncle go, or I’ll destroy the Phos Eos,” I said. Concentrating hard, I willed electricity to build up inside me. Sparks flew from my fingertips.

  The Artemisia glanced at Heliodor. My mother stared straight at me, saying nothing, but her eyes were full of rage and warning.

  Was she trying to tell me something?

  “Let him go,” I screamed. Heliodor turned to the Artemisia, nodding. The red-clad woman rebased her grip, pushing him forward. Raphael and I made our way towards the exit of the small chamber, the Phos Eos held aloft, until I was at Uncle Julian’s side.

  Ember was nearly at a boiling point. Her aura was cascading with heat and loathing. It was too much to take, even from afar.

  Without warning, Heliodor launched a blast of energy at me, knocking us all backwards. The Phos Eos flew out of my hands, skittering over the stone floors away from everyone.

  Suddenly, Ember became a whirl of smoke once again, flying at me with a ferocity I hadn’t expected. I focused all of my energy at her, willing her to be pushed back. A gust of wind flew out of my hands, shoving against her so that she was unable to progress forward.

  “Yes, Alexis,” Uncle Julian said excitedly. “Counter forces.”

  Now was not the time for a lesson, but I continued concentrating on the winds.

  Uncle Julian started chanting next to me. Suddenly, a sphere of water formed in his palms. He moved his hands around it, coaxing it to grow larger and larger. With a blast of force and a guttural yell, he launched it at Ember. It surrounded her, containing her in its bubble.

  Raphael ran to the Phos Eos. He grabbed the device, pocketing it in his clothes.

  The sphere of water exploded in a spectacular splash.

  Ember yelled an echoing scream, multiple voices layered on top of one another. The sound permeated my body, frightening me to my core. She raised her hands up, preparing to attack.

  Heliodor began moving towards us, crossing in front of Ember.

  What was she doing?

  A blinding light flashed, like a supernova encompassing the entire room. I became disoriented, not sure at all what was happening.

  When I was able to make out shapes again, I saw that two figures were standing in between us and our opponents, their profiles mere shadows in the overwhelming brilliance.

  A few seconds later, it all became clear.

  Apollo had entered, along with Kai. I was so relieved to see our friend, even if the situation were dire.

  He was alive.

  Everything paused. Ember lowered her hands, not wanting to confront Apollo. I didn’t blame her.

  Apollo turned to Heliodor. “You have much to answer for,” he said to her.

  Her face flushed, as if she were actually embarrassed for her actions. I was surprised. She seemed to have no shame. Why did she care what Apollo thought?

  He continued. “You have defiled my temple. You have injured my prophetess.”

  Oh, no. They were to see the Delphic Oracle after us.

  What had they done to Phemonoe?

  “She’s alive,” Heliodor said.

  “Barely,” he replied.
r />   “She merely needed some convincing.”

  A chill ran down my spine.

  “You know you shouldn’t be here,” Apollo said, like a father chastising their child. ”This is not your place.”

  “I have as much right as any,” she said, standing a bit straighter.

  “That is not true. Your abominations cause much grievance. You have been messing with powers that will lead to extreme amounts of pain. I will give you this chance to correct that. This chance only.”

  Apollo pushed towards them with both hands, shoving the three of them against the wall of the small chamber where the Phos Eos once was hidden.

  “Tisiphone will not allow this,” Heliodor called out. “There are accords. Rules to follow. You cannot get involved.”

  “I’m not getting involved,” Apollo said sweetly. “I’m merely maintaining some distance between parties.”

  He waved one hand, and the stone sculptures began sliding back into place. The Artemisia ran towards the entrance, trying to push it open. Apollo concentrated, and then propelled her back with great force. The mural slowly slid back into place. Its pieces began fitting together again, like a puzzle reunited into a whole.

  Ember, Heliodor, and the Artemisia were entombed inside the hidden room.

  I looked at Apollo in disbelief. “Thank you,” I said.

  “Officially, I didn’t help. Unofficially, I wanted to thank you for taking care of him.” He nodded towards Kai.

  I didn’t understand what their relationship was, what they meant to each other, but they clearly cared for one another.

  “It was Kai who has always taken care of us,” I said.

  “Also, perhaps I wanted to anger the Furies. A little bit,” he said. “They hate it when we don’t leave them to their own devices, but I tend to do that sort of thing from time to time. Rules be damned.” A wicked smile crossed his face.

  I liked this guy more and more every time I saw him.

  A great force rumbled from the other side of the hidden room. They were using their powers to break out. I had no doubt that they would eventually do so.