Hey, little bro,” Kara said. “It’s me again. I hope you’re well on the other side. Things aren’t the same without you. I miss you a ton,” she paused and wiped a tear from her eye. “In other news, I finally moved out of our parents’ house. Oh, and I met someone! Her name is Selene. She’s a demon-hunter and she’s a total badass. I think you would’ve liked her.” Kara took another trembling breath before she continued. “I also wanted to say it’s over. Charlotte won’t hurt anybody ever again.” Fresh tears streamed down her cheeks and Selene turned to embrace her.
When she released her, Kara brought her hands together and moved them in a complex sequence. While her fingers wove and intersected, a warm energy flooded down her arms and concentrated in Kara’s palms. Then she pushed her hands outward and released the energy into the ground. A moment later, a bed of flowers burst into life before Anthony’s tombstone. Blossoms of every color sprouted from the grass and opened their petals to the evening sun.
Selene smiled. “That’s beautiful, Kara.”
Thanks,” she replied. “Let’s go home.”
Then they left the cemetery and rode back to her apartment.
Epilogue
Kara Hartman Georgetown, District of Columbia, Present
The next morning Selene dropped Kara off at the studio. Her motorcycle slowed as she pulled up to the curb and Kara dismounted. They kissed each other goodbye and Kara watched Selene zoom away. Then she turned and pulled the heavy glass door open she entered the studio. The lobby was quiet that morning since most of the other artists were still asleep. All Kara heard as she walked to her studio was the whistling of the janitor while he mopped the floor.
Kara entered a vibrant corridor whose walls were adorned with murals and portraits. The doors to all the studios were closed and locked, their windows dark. She continued to the end of the hallway and turned left where she found the door to her room open; the lights inside turned on. As she entered, she was surprised to find Terry and Daniela talking quietly while she set up to begin her work for the day. Kara paused at the door and their quiet conversation halted.
“Buenos Días,” Daniela said with barely a glance in her direction. She continued to level the tripod before the easel then mounted the camera.
“Good morning, Kara,” said Terry. The ice in his voice chilled Kara but she did not react.
“Good morning, guys,” she replied uneasily. She placed her bag and her jacket on a hook then reached for her apron. Kara hung it around her neck then began to tie the strings behind her back when Terry suddenly spoke.
“Do you want to talk to us about the other night, Kara?”
Kara pulled the knot tight then turned to face him. “Terry, you’re right, okay? You deserve an explanation and I promise you there’s an answer…”
“Well, good!” Terry interjected. “Because I saw a lot of things that night that I cannot explain!”
Kara took a deep breath and told them the whole story.
She finished with a quavering sigh and she wiped a tear from her cheek. Terry and Daniela stood before her speechless as they absorbed her confession. Terry regarded her with a stoic, unreadable expression and Daniela’s face was a mask of disbelief. The silence weighed heavily on all three of them. “Please say something.” Kara said in a quiet voice.
Terry sighed and dragged his hand over his bald pate. “Wow, Kara. How could you hide all this from us? We’ve been friends for two years now and we never had a clue you’re a mystic!”
“You’re right, Terry. And I’m sorry! It’s just, after Charlotte went to prison and I lost Anthony I tried to forget all about it. I didn’t want anything more to do with magic. That’s why I became an artist. It’s not just because I love painting. It’s because I wanted to ignore my heritage.” Kara said.
“Look, I get it. You lost your best friend and your brother. But I can’t get over the fact that you know everything about us and all this time we’ve known virtually nothing about you!” Terry exclaimed.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Kara repeated. Terry sighed and shook his head but said nothing in reply. She could only watch him exit the room and walk to his own studio down the hall. She turned her gaze to Daniela who stood directly before her.
“I can’t believe you would hide this side of yourself from me.” Daniela replied. “We eat together, we work together, we hang out. You’re not just my boss, you’re my friend.”
Kara looked at Daniela and remembered one last secret that she had to expose. This secret did not concern her own past, but Daniela’s. Kara took a steadying breath before she spoke once again. “Dani, you have been the most loyal assistant and the best friend I could ask for. And you deserve the whole truth for why I hid my magic from you.”
“Then tell me why!”
“Because of this.” Kara replied. She touched her chest then reached out and touched Daniela’s. The scales were ripped from her eyes and she was blinded by revelation. She stood before Kara frozen in place and yet enveloped by fire. A pulsing beacon of light radiated from Kara’s abdomen and burned Daniela’s eyes as she gazed at its splendor. Rivers of light extended from this burning star and flowed throughout every corner of Kara’s body. It infused every cell of her being with energy and vitality. She felt it emanate from her in waves of warmth. Then she realized that same energy came from her as well. Daniela looked down and saw a spark of light within herself like an emerald star shining in the dark. She saw it churning and flashing with bolts of lightning like a storm about to explode.
Kara withdrew her hand and the vision ceased. Daniela gasped audibly as she processed what she had just seen. “I’m not the only one between us with magic, Dani. You have it, too.” Kara said.
“I know.” Daniela said.
“What? How?”
“The night of the attack, I threw up a barrier to shield myself from the falling glass. I didn’t know I was capable of such a thing before now. I need answers, Kara.”
Kara took a deep breath and told her everything she knew.
Saba Qureshi Midtown Manhattan, New York, Present
Saba stood on the balcony and gazed at the Council Headquarters a few blocks away. The imposing glass tower pierced the black night while cars scurried like insects below. Here and there, orbs of light burned in office windows but most had gone dark for the evening.
Saba stared at the glowing skyscraper through a square of red, shimmering light between her hands. She could see the Wards around the complex as thick, protective domes, invisible to the unaided eye. Aside from that, security was minimal. A few squads of Enforcers patrolled the adjacent city blocks and security within was stripped to its bare bones—just as she anticipated it would be. No doubt the Council was scrambling to put out the fires on the other side of the continent. A corner of Saba’s mouth lifted. Her plan was working. The Council would soon pay for what they did to her family. Their judgement drew near.
“When are we going to knock those self-righteous bastards on their asses?” Maeve asked from behind her.
Saba released her spell and turned to face her. The pale-skinned woman stood there with her arms crossed and a red leather jacket around her shoulders. Her platinum blonde hair fell to her ears and a tiny piercing sparkled at her nose. Now that Maeve was free of that dreary prison in Canada she deviated as far as she could from the dull, gray uniform she had been forced to wear.
“Patience, Maeve. We will strike soon.”
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Epilogue
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Dreams of Fire Page 21
