The fire demon’s chest began to heat up as it got ready to spew out fire. What do you mean by that? he asked her. You mean to say there are no similarities between my sister and me?
Well, your sister doesn’t wrestle control from me like you do.
The fire demon had no response to that. Michael’s form loomed closer. From this height, Emily could see his features clearly. Michael stole glances at the sky and at The Owl as he gasped and ran through the lush greenery.
Even from such a distance, Emily could see the young man’s eyes were filled with abject terror. Every time he looked up at the fire demon, he saw his approaching death. Emily was almost tempted to let Michael suffer. All her troubles would be gone in an instant if he turned to ash.
But she focused her attention on the fire demon. She could tell he was deep in contemplation. He was probably wondering whether to go ahead and roast Michael or let him go because he was Emily’s family.
Emily recalled the fire demon’s name. She had the name on the tip of her thoughts. Ready to use it to command.
At the last minute, the fire demon pulled out of its attack dive, but not before swooping in to within a yard of Michael’s head, thereby causing the boy to dive. As The Owl started ascending away, Emily saw Michael bash his head against a tree trunk.
Serves him right for getting you upset and getting me all riled up, the fire demon quipped. The next thing Emily knew, she was back in the driver’s seat—piloting The Owl once more.
26
The Owl kept ascending. Emily in control. Dark clouds rushed to meet her until she passed through them. It felt so good to be back in the skies. The rush of wind against her plume excited her. Below her was a thick carpet of clouds. Beyond the clouds was the dusty, bright globe known as the moon.
The winds were hers to command, and she commanded her flight wherever she desired. She felt as though she’d just escaped being cooped up, which was exactly what she’d done. The last time she’d been in the clouds was when the fire demon had taken control and decimated the horde.
That was still fresh in her mind—including the thought that she was never going to shift back to human form or that she would always have to bend to the fire demon’s incendiary motives. But in spite of her fears—which had been somewhat assuaged by Selena telling her how to control it—she had still longed for the skies.
It was like an addictive drug. The more you used, the more you desired to use. Until you were hooked and there was no joy, no happiness, no fulfillment . . . until you’re spent.
Emily was there right now. She was hooked on flying, which was why, instead of returning to the car, she remained above the clouds for a while. She wanted to savor the feeling. She didn’t venture too far from the general orbit of the vehicle. She had a mental picture of where it was. So she maintained an orbit of a one-mile radius.
One mile might seem like a long journey on the ground, but in the air, and at the speed her huge wings could carry her, Emily could make the journey in less than thirty seconds.
After she’d soared the skies for a minute, Emily spoke to the fire demon. I didn’t think it was going to be so easy to get back in the driver’s seat.
I don’t blame you, the fire demon replied. I am often misrepresented.
Emily didn’t know how to respond to that. This was because she didn’t think it was a case of misrepresentation. How could he have been misrepresented when all she knew from him was fire and wrath?
It didn’t make sense. The fire demon was stubborn, intrusive, and incendiary. Emily knew because she’d watched him. He had wrestled control from her the first time and had decimated the horde—even though that was good.
Emily kept quiet. She didn’t want to say anything that could potentially anger the fire demon again.
So what are you really like? she finally asked.
The fire demon was quick to answer. I’m fun to be with. I’m cool, calm, and collected. I’m the kinda guy you wanna hang out with. Although, I don’t take shit.
Emily was taken aback somewhat. The thought crossed her mind that the fire demon might be joking. She half-expected him to erupt into laughter and tell her he was kidding. But silence stretched between then, and when it became awkward, she began to think the fire demon really believed he was a fun and easy-going guy.
She wondered if the issue was that the fire demon had deluded himself into thinking he was cool, calm, and collected when he was really intrusive, explosive, and incendiary.
Okay, so if we’re going to be sharing the same body, we have to lay some ground rules, Emily reasoned. She made sure her voice was stern enough the fire demon knew she wasn’t kidding around on this.
Sure, I can roll with that, the fire demon replied, ever so chirpy.
Good, Emily went on. First, I, and I alone, have the ability and authority to shift. Not you. Not anyone. I, and I alone.
The fire demon protested. What if it’s a danger you’re not aware of?
In my human form, it’s me and Selena in my mind, Emily replied. I doubt you will see a problem we missed.
The fire demon muttered his disagreement. What if you need a quick response? What if you’re dragging your feet, and I know I can take the monster?
No, Emily stated flatly. In certain battles, I want to fight them with strategy and not brute force. You can’t deliver strategy when all you want to do is soar into a fight and spew fire.
The fire demon muttered again. He seemed to be having a hard time agreeing to Emily’s number-one rule. If this was so, he was going to have an even harder time agreeing to rule number two.
Zee . . . ?
Okay, okay! he erupted. He didn’t sound too happy about it.
Don’t just say okay now, and then, the next time someone annoys me, try to shift me into Owl form, Emily warned.
Yeah, sure, whatever, the fire demon groused. My word is my bond.
Emily decided to take the fire demon’s word for it. Ground rule number two, she went on. In Owl form, you are not allowed to wrestle control from me and push me to the back seat. Zee began to complain, but Emily didn’t allow him continue. You’re also not allowed to hurt me like you did the first time. That’s a total no.
I didn’t mean to, the fire demon explained. I only wanted you to quit trying to take back control when I already had the horde figured out.
I don’t care. Not okay.
To be fair, Zee continued. You couldn’t have defeated the horde all by yourself. You needed me in control. You needed me at the helm to take full advantage of my power.
Emily had to agree. He was right. If she had taken on the horde by herself, they wouldn’t be here right now. The Alfreds would have taken apart the inner barrier, and they would either be fighting for their lives now or be on their way to the Alfreds’ dungeon under their castle.
Okay, Emily admitted. You did help out. But I could have let you in the pilot’s seat if you had explained to me what needed to be done.
Really? The fire demon sounded incredulous.
Of course! Emily shot back. She took a few minutes to explain how she and Selena had come to an arrangement where Selena had one night to herself each month—back when Emily detested what she was.
So you’ll give me the pilot seat when I need to help you? Zee asked.
Not when you need to help me. When there’s no other way except you taking control. Think of yourself as my nuclear weapon. You’re my last hope. You’re my secret weapon. I unleash you when the opposition is so great that I don’t see any other way.
Emily could literally feel the fire demon’s excitement. Secret weapon, he muttered.
Yes! Emily reiterated. My secret weapon.
27
Now that they were on the same page, Emily felt more liberty to control her Owl form. So she spent a few more minutes in the skies. Those minutes were sacred to her, because she felt so at peace. So within her element. Neither thinking about her friends who were in captivity nor about Aunt Anastacia, hoping she�
��d made it out alive.
No, for the few minutes of silence the fire demon had allowed, she thought only about the joy and peace of flying. She cruised the skies—clouds beneath her and space above her. The moon’s strong glow cast an eerie shimmer on the clouds beneath her.
Emily wished she could remain up there forever. Above the clouds, she wasn’t burdened with the cares of the world. She wasn’t ruled by her emotions. She was truly free. In the sky, she was King. Yeah, not just Queen, she was King.
But alas, you can’t remain here forever, Zee said with a hint of determination and burning anger.
Indeed, Emily replied, mirroring his anger. For she knew what had stirred him up again. The Alfreds. They still had unfinished business. And now that she and Zee had arrived at an accord, they were unstoppable.
Not only was she impervious to the Alfreds’ magic, she was also a fire demon. She was going to incinerate them. Burn down their castle, once and for all. Free her friends and take care of the evil rove—Gregory Alfred—once and for all. It was her solemn promise to herself.
Emily finally dived below the clouds. The moment she broke through, she saw the Beetle. She saw Dad and Michael sitting on the vehicle’s hood. They looked up at her the moment she came into view. Emily saw them, including the details of the features of their faces—the look of terror in their eyes.
Michael jumped to his feet, ready to take off, but Dad put a hand on his shoulder and whispered something into his ear. Michael took another look at her and relaxed a bit. However, there was still visible tension in his stature.
Emily cawed twice, circling the Beetle from about a thousand feet in the air before taking a final dive.
It was smooth and easy to shift back into human form. And there was no loss. Not even a loose feather floating away. One second, Emily was The Owl, about to hit the ground. The next, she was touching down with her two feet—human again. And a wide grin on her face.
“That wasn’t funny!” Michael growled the moment she looked up at them. She had landed a good distance away from them on the dirt path.
“It wasn’t?” Emily glanced to her father. “Didn’t you explain it to him?”
Dad shrugged. “I tried. But he believes you did it on purpose.”
Emily rolled her eyes. “Naturally, you think I’m lying. You really are such an unreasonable asshat, Michael, you know that? Didn’t I save you from the Alfreds’ dungeon? Why would I save you just to burn you to a crisp all over again?”
Michael was speechless; that didn’t mean he wasn’t frowning and striking a threatening pose, but at least he didn’t open his mouth. Emily was mildly surprised. The Michael she knew didn’t lack for words. Ever. He always had something to say. Something rude and scathing. But now, he was silent. Domesticated by Emily’s show of force.
He must have learned that Emily was impervious to his powers. But he wasn’t impervious to her fires. Their powers weren’t equally balanced. Yeah, he could do stuff with magic. However, he couldn’t do anything to her. And she could do everything to him. Quite the unfortunate predicament for him.
Michael folded his arms and hissed. “We need to get moving. The Alfreds will have figured things out by now. The more time we spend away from the safe house, the likelier it is for us to get caught.” With that, he got into the car.
Emily walked over to her dad. She was solemn now. “Are you all right?” She reached out to his right hand and pulled it to her. His hand was a purplish red color. As she touched the burned area, Dad flinched and hissed.
“It’s nothing.” He tried to sound macho. He attempted to withdraw the hand, but his daughter wouldn’t allow it. She was already overwhelmed with guilt, her eyes watering as she saw the charred flesh. It was his right hand. Dad was right-handed. He couldn’t accomplish much with his left hand. And she had gone ahead and set it on fire.
“It’s not your fault.” Dad placed his other hand on her shoulder to soothe her. He only succeeded in making her angrier with herself.
You can correct it, Selena piped up.
How? Emily was already used to Selena dropping a comment here and there as she pleased.
Watch, Selena whispered.
Emily frowned a bit, wondering what she was supposed to be watching. The singular action caused a few drops of tears to seep out of her brimming eyes. The moment the tears dropped on Dad’s charred hand, they steamed and suddenly vanished.
“What the . . . ?” Dad muttered.
Right before their eyes, the charred skin suddenly dissolved, and new skin replaced it.
Emily looked up at Dad, surprised. He looked back at her, stunned. He pulled his hand away and kneaded it with his other hand.
“The pain is totally gone,” he gasped, unbelieving. He flexed his hand again and again. “Totally gone.”
“Hey, what’s happening over there?” Michael called at them. “Come on, we gotta get going.”
Dad ignored the young man. “How?” he asked Emily again.
Emily shrugged. “I don’t know. I suppose I have healing tears?” The inflection in her voice made it sound more like a question than a statement. But it sounded reasonable enough to her. Like if she could fly, why not magical tears?
Dad was still shaking his head with wonder as they got into the car and continued on their journey. When Michael noticed Dad’s new hand, he asked him what the heck happened.
“I’ll be damned if I knew how she did it,” Dad replied, still sounding awed at the healing. Emily’s mind had moved to other things, but his response brought her back to the issue. Like, why was he so surprised? Or was that awe? Fear-inspired awe?
Emily didn’t think healing was a big deal. She’d seen Aunt Anastacia heal before. So why did Dad look like he wasn’t already enmeshed in their weird world of the supernatural? Even his daughter, Emily, was The Owl. Duh.
Michael looked into the rearview mirror and right into Emily’s eyes. A sneer stretched to the corners of his lips. The contempt in his eyes was very visible. So much so that Emily felt his gaze like a dagger in her heart.
She turned away. She didn’t want to estrange Michael. On the contrary, she wanted to get to know him better. She wanted a relationship with him—a relationship as brother and sister. She’d always longed for a brother. Now that she had one, she didn’t want to push him away. Nonetheless, it would seem that Michael wanted the exact opposite. He consistently said things that pushed her away. And the last straw had probably been the fire demon chasing him through the woods. Would he ever forgive her for Zee’s response?
Emily shrugged imperceptibly.
“How?” Michael spat, as if talking to her was a damnable enterprise.
“I think I’ll go with my dad on that one,” Emily said with a slight chuckle. “I’ll be damned if I know.”
That must have been really funny to Dad because he cracked up so bad he had to gasp for air. Soon, Emily joined him. Michael wasn’t too far behind. It was the first time they all laughed together, and for a moment, Emily felt like her family was complete. Even though Mom was gone, she had her brother and her father.
Their mirth disappeared when the dirt path ended at a lonely asphalt road. Emily didn’t recognize where they were, but she felt the powerful presence of magic. She felt it so powerfully that her heart began to thump in her chest.
They were back in New Haven.
Dad whistled softly as Michael glanced up and down the lonely deserted road before turning to the left and heading north.
“Are we near Crook Twist?” Dad sounded very surprised. Michael managed a smile. He, too, could feel the magic in the air—it was a bitter reminder of what they were up against.
“Yeah,” Michael muttered. He reduced his speed and turned off the headlights.
Who knew where the Alfreds were? Who knew who was watching?
28
“What’s Crook Twist?” asked Emily. She’d lived in New Haven all her life, and she didn’t know what Crook Twist was. Apparently, it was a thing sinc
e Dad knew it, and Michael apparently did as well.
“Crook Twist was a crossroads in New Haven back in the time when New Haven was a small village,” Michael explained. “Back when America was just a fledgling Union.”
Emily didn’t know New Haven’s history went that far back. “That long ago?”
“Mm-hmm,” muttered Dad. “A great battle took place there. And it was so named because all the major dirt roads from neighboring towns met there. There was even a bus station there, and you could get a bus to almost any place in Texas.”
“Like Mr. Davies said, there was a huge battle,” reiterated Michael. “It was during the civil war. Thousands of men and women were killed. A lot of them unjustly so.”
“Let me guess, it’s haunted,” Emily wondered out loud—as if magic and healing tears weren’t enough.
Michael gave her a knowing grin.
“When the world moved on from the war and technological advances were made,” continued Dad, “New Haven moved on as well. The town developed a good distance away from Crook Twist. New road networks were built away from it, and soon it was forgotten.”
“Not to us, it wasn’t,” Michael said as they came upon the crossroads. There were tall grasses everywhere. The crossroad itself looked overgrown with bushes. It was a miracle there was even a path.
Michael slowed down as they crossed. Emily’s eyes were glued to the view out her window. She saw the abandoned foundation of what must have been a shed. Maybe it was where the bus station was.
There was an odd energy to the place. An eerie feeling. Was this what haunted magic felt like? She didn’t hear any cries of the damned, nor did she see shades of passing ghosts. But the silence was deafening. The absolute death of the place sank into her skin. Before long, she developed the overwhelming desire to get as far away as possible.
Soon, Michael made a turn to the right, and they drove into New Haven. No one spoke after that. No one wanted to speak. Their hearts hung by a thread now as they snuck into town. Emily recognized that they had come into the town from the far south. This was the area where Joanna’s parents lived.
Controlled by a Fire Demon: The Owl Shifter Chronicles Book Two Page 13
