Emergence of Fire

by Holly Hook

  Wind struck me, threatening to throw me back. I couldn't tear my gaze away from those sharp teeth and the one red eye I could see from my angle. I couldn't stop searching for blood or worse, a body. Sven might be dead already and it had happened the moment I dared get out of Olivia.

  She rose, blasting sand with the force of her wings. I ducked underneath another cluster of trees as she turned her large body and flew over, making them shake in terror. I threw myself to the sand, hating that I was here while Sven was dying. But she flew over, and I glimpsed a silver underbelly before Adler vanished, wings snapping with finality.

  “Sven!” I shouted. Maybe he'd hidden, and she hadn't been able to reach him. Pushing myself up, I whirled. “Sven! Where are you?” I ran deeper into the tree line. Everything thickened.

  “Hello?”

  His innocent voice floated through the trees, confused.

  “Sven!” I shouted, running toward his voice. “Stay quiet. I'll find you. Adler still might be in the area.” So far, I didn't hear her return. I'd chased her off. She wouldn't want to fly around Star Town or whatever in dragon form. That would get the authorities called and a hunt in progress. Slayers would be the least of her problems. If we were lucky, she would have landed somewhere and returned to human form.

  But why leave the job undone on a deserted beach?

  Something made little sense.

  “Okay,” Sven said from ahead. “I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm listening.”

  Nothing felt right about this or the tone of his voice. Something was off. Sven was somewhere off to my right, so I walked through the trees and the foliage until I came to a new clearing, one we hadn't occupied a few minutes ago. Sven had pine needles in his hair. He'd been running for his life. Next to him were a few snapped tree trunks. This was where Adler had been trying to reach him. The thick trees had saved his life.

  He narrowed his eyes at me. “Do I—”

  Since Adler wasn't returning, I lunged at Sven, pulled him close, and kissed him. I didn't make it very long, but my strength ruled just then and overpowered him.

  He bit my lip and struggled in my grasp.

  Sven couldn't move much, but it was enough to make me let go.

  “Huh?” I asked.

  “Look,” Sven said, putting both hands up. “I don't know who you are and why you gave me a not-so-bad kiss in the middle of the woods, but I'm very freaked out right now.” His accent came through strong, betraying his nerves.

  “Sven?” I asked.

  “Or how you know my name,” he said. “Is this a prank?”

  Relief he was alive vanished to get replaced with a new horror. “We were just making out under some trees a few minutes ago.”

  There was zero recognition in his brilliant blue eyes—only bewilderment.

  Adler had just been here.

  Her grandson, Steve, mentioned that she was an old dragon with mind powers.

  She could make people forget.

  In one flash, I understood what happened.

  Adler had come here to kill Sven and needed to wait until I was away from him to avoid breaking her vow. When she came down for the kill, I came out of the building, forcing her to leave again. Unable to reach him in time, she did the next most effective thing.

  She had made Sven forget about me.

  “She made you forget me,” I said. “Sven—I'm your girlfriend, and she erased me from your memory.”

  His eyes widened. “What are you talking about? Who are you?”

  “Felicia!” I said as a pain started in my chest. “You moved to Olivia, and we met in Mrs. Cornea's class.”

  “Okay. I might have seen you,” Sven said, keeping both hands up and backing away. His expression hardened. “I think I saw you with Tasha a few times. You're that jealous girl who keeps throwing herself at me. No, thanks.”

  He turned away.

  Adler had done worse than make him forget me.

  Had she made him believe he was Tasha's boyfriend?

  And that I was throwing myself at him?

  No. Just no, no, no. Sven walked away from me, but I couldn't let him stray far. I was the only thing keeping Adler from coming back and finishing the job. She couldn't do this. My heart was breaking.

  “You can't leave,” I said. “Sven—a dragon just came and made you forget about me and make you believe you're with some other girl. I know you're a Slayer and I know about the Wiglaf Society. How can I not if you never shared your secrets with me?”

  He stopped and whirled, making pine needles crack. “You know about the Society?” he asked. “And that I hunt dragons? How much did Tasha tell you? I made her promise not to tell anyone.”

  My heart shriveled.

  Sven spoke like someone who wanted to join the Wiglaf Society. Adler had made him forget my secret and forget that he no longer wanted to hunt dragons. He had become his father's son again with a job to do.

  If I told him what I was now—

  He didn't remember that I'd saved his life, showed him kindness, kissed him many times before, or told him I thought his father was a jerk and he deserved better. He'd forgotten every ounce of warmth he had for me, and now there was something cold in his place. This was Sven before we met. He was a different person, the one he said I wouldn't have liked.

  Adler had done this to separate us. She either hadn't had time to make him forget his Slayer ways, or she didn't plan to let him live, so it didn't matter.

  I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

  “But you said you don't want to slay dragons,” I said. “We were under some trees over there and you told me you want nothing to do with the Society. I swear, a dragon just swooped down and made you forget it all.”

  Sven searched the trees as if looking for an escape route. “Why would a dragon make me forget something like that?” he asked with a shrug. “Wouldn't it have wanted me to keep the other memory, in theory?”

  “Well, yes,” I blurted.

  “That's some story,” he said, uncomfortable. “Tasha told me you've tried to steal her boyfriends in the past, but now I can believe it.”

  “Sven! You can't leave without me. The dragon will kill you.” How could I explain this without him turning on me even more? With each word the wedge between us got bigger. All the pieces were falling into the wrong places, creating a new reality that was dark and without comforts.

  Softness filled his gaze for a second, but only that. “I don't know what's going on,” he said, “but please stop for a minute and let me think.”

  Maybe there was hope that Adler hadn't ruined everything. “Sven,” I said. “The dragon—she wants you alone so she can kill you. You can't go back to your house by yourself. That, and I left my stuff there. She only left because she had a witness.”

  Fear swept over his features. Sven checked his surroundings again, but Adler didn't return. She couldn't now that I was here. I wondered how long she'd been lying in wait somewhere in the trees, waiting to strike.

  “Does this dragon know where I live?”

  “I don't think so,” I said. It was a start. At least Sven still knew he was supposed to be a Slayer, and I didn't have to explain that part to him. “You gave the school the wrong address, so she couldn't have looked you up.” Just how much had he forgotten?

  But he now believed he still wanted to be a Slayer.

  “So there's at least one dragon shifter at my school,” Sven said. “That's if you're telling the truth. And I still don't know who you are.”

  “Felicia,” I said. “Look, I don't know if you have a blank for the past two weeks in your mind or if you remember things wrong. I'm guessing you remember things wrong. But we need to get out of here so we can figure this out.” The chest pain threatened to choke me. Sven didn't know me anymore. He didn't know what I was and now if I told him the truth—something I'd have to do to protect him—he had no reason to believe I wasn't what his father said.

  “There's no blank,” Sven insis
ted. “I can remember starting at Olivia High two weeks ago and I remember everyone I talked to in that time. It looks like I'll need to talk to Tasha about this.”

  I was losing him again. He thought he'd spilled everything to her rather than me. She was the hero in his story. The thought made me want to scream. “Drive me back to town,” I said. “Since we drove out together. I don't have a ride and...and I'm sorry I jumped on you like that. Maybe the dragon messed with my mind, too. Can they do that?”

  Sven dropped his shoulders. “Maybe,” he said. “Some older ones have different magic.” His pupils widened, not at the sky but at what might have happened to us. “Let's say we know each other and there was a dragon at this beach a few minutes ago. I felt like I had a run and I don't know why. And now that I think about it, I don't know why I'm at this beach alone.”

  So there were gaps in his memory. Alder's mind powers weren't perfect, or she hadn't had time to do any better.

  “That's because she erased your memory,” I said. “And I'm sorry about the kiss. I didn't realize she'd erased us. But if you want proof that there was a dragon out here, there's a girl in the bathrooms that saw her. She'll give you a witness report.”

  At least I had Sven asking questions. He wasn't a hundred percent lost. I waved him towards the bathroom building and he followed me, unsure at first. But then we quickened our pace and strode across the sand in silence. I hated that because I felt like Sven was just trying to humor me.

  Someone had watched us at my house. Our fake breakup hadn't done a thing to sway them. Whoever spied could see through the acting. Maybe I hadn't been as covert through town as I thought.

  The girl now stood there, pinning herself to the outer wall of the building and watching the sky in terror. The man with the ice cream stall stood next to it, on the phone with the authorities. He talked about a purple monster in the sky and begged the police to believe him. “It was over there,” he said, pointing to where Sven and I had hidden. “It was diving at something, like it was chasing an animal, and then it took off when this girl yelled at it, like it didn't want to get seen.”

  Sven and I looked at each other.

  I nodded. “Dragon,” I said.

  He took my forearm and tugged. “We need to leave,” he said. “My family needs to know this happened. Something odd happened and neither of us might know what.”

  It was a start. I let him guide me to his car, which he remembered. “I know what,” I said.

  Sven continued to hold my arm. I didn't dare tug myself away in case my strength showed itself again. But he wasn't holding my arm lovingly. His touch was indifferent as if I were a stranger getting pulled away from danger.

  We got in and Sven let out a breath as he started up the BMW. The atmosphere in here was cold now even with the alternative station blasting out of the radio. As if sensing my distress, it now played a breakup song. I hoped that it didn't reflect my situation.

  If I lost Sven, I'd lose everything I hoped for in the past two weeks. The overwhelming feeling I'd lose my life swept over me.

  Shaking, I watched as Sven eyed the skies and pulled out of the parking lot.

  "She might see you drive to your house," I said.

  "I doubt a dragon will risk flying over an expressway," he said, shaking his head. "I understand none of this. Let's assume that we know each other because what you told me about the dragon turned out to be true. Felicia, fill me in on everything you can on the way back."

  "I will." Could I?

  I had just been about to tell Sven the entire truth when I had to do it all over again.

  He pulled out of the gravel parking lot, making it crunch. I eyed the trees for any sign of Adler, but she didn't show. We were leaving those terrified people back on the beach. "You don't think you're Tasha's boyfriend, do you?"

  Sven was in danger, and all I could think about was that. Selfish.

  "Well, I remember kissing her," Sven said. "We made out behind the school. I must ask her if any of this happened, but—"

  "Stop," I said, unable to hide my hurt. A part of me wanted to jump out of the moving car. Adler had done something cruel beyond measure. Not only was she trying to murder Sven, she was trying to break us up in the most painful way she could. Adler wanted to force me to mature by first making me give up. I could never, ever forgive her.

  "It didn't," I said. "Tasha has been throwing herself at you and being annoying in real life. If you ask her, she'll take advantage and say it happened."

  A dreamy look filled Sven's eyes. "How can that have been fake? I know some ancient dragons can alter memories, but how can they make something like that so real?" He faced me, questioning. "If you say you're my girlfriend, why would a dragon care about breaking us up? I know that they're monsters, but it seems like my relationship is something one wouldn't care too much about."

  My vision blurred as tears filled my eyes. I hiccupped as I lost it right there in the passenger seat. "It's not real," I said. "You never kissed Tasha and trust me, she wouldn't be good for you. She spent most of her time trying to cut me down and I didn't even realize it until you told me what a lousy friend she was. The dragon broke us up because...because I know that you're a Slayer and I said I'd help you stake out Olivia High School. Tasha doesn't. I think the dragon meant to kill you but didn't want to do it with witnesses. Adler is trying to isolate you."

  I couldn't tell him the truth now that he was back to saying that dragons were monsters. If I did, he'd pull over and demand I get out of the car right here on the side of the road. Then Adler might descend on him. Who knew how she was watching? His hatred for dragons was there in his eyes. This was the Sven that existed before I saved him from the den. And now I had to lie to protect us both.

  "Adler?" Sven asked. "You mean as in, the principal?"

  There was no holding the tears back. "Her," I blurted. "Last week, we talked in the lunch line and you told me that Tasha was always talking behind my back. Then I saw Adler come into the cafeteria and drag you out of there. I followed you into some caves under Olivia where she had you chained up, and..." I recounted how I sawed Sven out of there and led him out of the underground. That was the truth I could tell.

  But now it wasn't safe to tell the rest. Sven nodded as if turning my story over in his head. "That sounds plausible," he said.

  "It's clear I'm still a stranger to you," I said. Sven only thought my story was one possible explanation. He didn't have faith in it and why should he?

  "Well, I need to think about this," he said. "So that's how you found out about dragons?"

  "Yes," I said, telling the truth. "That's how I found out. I saved your life. As we were walking out of the caves, you explained the Wiglaf Society. That's how I know about Slayers and the expectations your father has on you. Sven, is there any way to get your real memories back? Do you have any artifacts lying around that can restore what you knew before?"

  "What if the dragons sent you to make me think my memory got erased?" He faced me, questioning and suspicious.

  His look drove a knife through my heart. "You know there was a dragon at the beach you don't remember," I said.

  "True." He merged onto the expressway. "You have that point in your favor. Felicia, if you're telling the truth, I'm sorry. But I have to figure this out on my own. With dragons after me, I can't be too careful. I hope you understand."

  "Tasha isn't your girlfriend," I insisted. "She hasn't ever been to your house. I have. My stuff is there, in the guest room. You told me you wanted to protect me from being found by the dragons because I helped get you out of the cave." That was factual. "I can tell you the layout of your house and Tasha can't."

  Sven thought. "Again, I'm sorry that I'm making you do this, but tell me how my house looks on the inside."

  I did. Sven's gaze softened as I told him the layout of his house and about the alarm his father had in front of his office that would hurt anyone who dared cross it while he was inside.

  "So we know each oth
er," he said. "That's established. Let's say you got me out of the dragon den and you're not working with them. Why else would I have you moving into the guest room of my house?"

  Words escaped me. How could I tell him what I was and would become in a few short months—or even sooner? Sven was back to hunting dragons.

  And to protect him, I'd have to work with him.

  "You didn't say whether there's anything that can restore your memory," I said.

  Sven made a face like he realized something for the first time. He continued to drive and pulled out the spectacles, eyeing them like he wasn't sure why he brought them to the beach. "Why did I bring these?"

  "You wanted to make sure that no dragons followed us," I filled in.

  "Thanks," he said, stuffing the spectacles back into his pocket. "You're sure we're boyfriend and girlfriend?"

  "Yes," I said. I had to get close to Sven all over again before I gave him the truth once more. He had to trust me one hundred percent. And now not only would he have to discover what I was, but he'd have to learn that I'd killed his cousin. I shuddered just thinking about how he would react.

  "Help me watch the sky," he said. The confusion remained in his voice. He still wasn't sure if he'd made out with Tasha or not. The false memories Alder had given him must be vivid.

  If I saw her again, we'd brawl. I knew the memory of a Slayer getting close to and killing my bio parents—whoever they were—still must burn inside of her. She was doing what she thought was best, but the Tasha thing was over the top. Hadn't Adler ever dealt with losing someone?

  "Did you see anyone follow us?" Sven continued.

  "No," I said, thinking. "But I parked in town."

  "Pull over. We need to check your car for any tracking devices. Someone might have seen your car in town and put something on it while it was parked." It couldn't have happened while he had it in the garage at his house. And Sven didn't take the car to school so far as I knew.

  "Tracking devices?" he asked.

  "Just do it." I thought of the fact that if he drove home, the dragons would know where he lived. Maybe they did already if this happened before he took me to his house. He would lose the one point of safety he had in all of Olivia. And finding a device would help me prove myself again for when the truth came out.