Flashfire

by Deborah Cooke

  Balthasar lifted his head. “And the brand,” he added groggily. “He has the brand.” He tugged at his own shirt collar. “See? I’m still free.” He giggled again, lost his balance, and slumped in the booth.

  Lorenzo could make no sense of that. Maybe Balthasar was delirious.

  Lorenzo had no time to spare. He had to help Erik. Because if Dragon Bone Powder was made of dead Pyr, Chen might be able to double his supply tonight.

  Lorenzo wasn’t going to let that happen.

  He had to hope that where he found Chen, he’d find Cassie.

  He raced out of the bar, Brandt fast on his heels.

  “Consorting with the enemy . . .” Brandt began to chastise, but Lorenzo raced to the car.

  “Get your ass to the designated spot yourself.”

  “Changing teams?”

  Lorenzo spun on his heel and roared at the other Pyr. “I’m not feeling the love of the Pyr here.”

  “I knew it!” Brandt shouted. “I knew you’d take care of yourself first. I knew you were half Slayer already. . . .”

  Lorenzo seized his collar and gave him a shake. “I do whatever I have to do,” he said in a low, deadly voice. “You might want to keep that in mind.” Then he left Brandt in the lobby.

  The illusion was coming together beautifully.

  With any luck, it would be his last one.

  And he would complete it in time.

  Chapter 17

  Cassie was cold and stiff.

  She lay still for a moment, keeping her eyes closed and her breathing slow while she gathered as much information as possible. She could smell rock and felt a wind on her face. She thought maybe she was in a cave. Her hands were tied behind her back, her ankles were bound together, and she was on her side. Her left arm had gone to sleep and was all pins and needles. She could hear another person breathing in close proximity.

  That person moved. Slowly.

  Cassie jumped when she felt fingers on the bonds at her ankle. Her eyes flew open and she found Lorenzo’s friend Erik surreptitiously untying the cord. He shook his head and frowned, holding a finger to his lips.

  Cassie bit back her question.

  He tapped his ear and she understood. There were others who would overhear them. She had a thousand questions, give or take, but didn’t want to blow whatever plan he had.

  Where were they? Where was Lorenzo? What was going on? How were they going to escape?

  What Cassie could see was that they were in a cave, just the two of them. The opening showed only night sky. But there had to be someone guarding them. Erik certainly acted as if that were the case, and Cassie knew to trust keen Pyr senses.

  He retied her bonds so they looked just as tight but actually were loose. She guessed that he was waiting for a specific moment. He gave her a questioning look and she twisted her ankles, proving that she could slip free. Erik made a little flourish, like she was a great apprentice of Lorenzo. They shared a smile.

  He moved forward to do the same to her wrists. Cassie watched him, unable to read his emotions from his expression. She’d gotten him into this situation, even though she’d tried not to. She felt horrible for that.

  She caught his eye and mouthed the word “Sorry.”

  He shook his head and shrugged. “Beguiled,” was his silent reply.

  The he gave her a hard look. “Trust me?” he mouthed.

  Cassie wasn’t sure what to think of that. She shrugged and Erik leaned closer. His eyes were a very clear shade of green. He opened them wide and she knew what he was going to do.

  And she did trust him, because he was Lorenzo’s friend.

  Those flames danced, brilliant orange against the darkness of his pupils. Cassie felt his will bent upon her. She felt as if he were pushing clarity into her thoughts—and with that clarity came the fear that they could be discovered.

  “Your mind will be your own,” he said softly, his words low and melodic.

  Her own. Cassie was tempted to echo the words. They rose to her lips and she wanted to shout them, she was so glad to be thinking clearly. But Erik laid a fingertip across her lips in warning.

  She mouthed them instead. “My mind will be my own.”

  “Your mind is your own again,” he murmured.

  “My mind is my own again,” Cassie mouthed, knowing it was true.

  Erik glanced suddenly at the opening and Cassie understood that someone was coming. He leaned against the wall, suddenly looking much older and more defeated. He gave her a warning glance and she closed her eyes, as if she were still out cold. She let her mouth hang slack.

  “Help Lorenzo,” Cassie murmured, as if she were still beguiled. “Help Lorenzo . . .”

  “Don’t waste your breath, Erik,” JP said, his tone mocking. “You can’t undo a beguiling of Chen’s.”

  “You’re right,” Erik admitted, sounding weary and defeated. “But I had to try.”

  “Valiant to the end,” JP said. “Or is that—stupid to the end.” He laughed. “You won’t have to wait much longer now.”

  Erik moaned as if in pain and slumped lower on the wall.

  JP chortled to himself and left.

  When his footsteps had faded, the illusion was shattered. Cassie looked at Erik and he winked at her.

  She needed to know more. “Salvatore?” she mouthed. “Dead?”

  Erik winced and nodded.

  That reality saddened Cassie. She wondered how Lorenzo was dealing with that loss, and suspected he hadn’t had a lot of time to think about it. Yet.

  Erik was close beside her again, his manner intent. He held up four fingers. “Elements,” he mouthed, his gaze flicking to the opening. Cassie guessed that JP hadn’t gone far.

  There were four elements. Cassie nodded agreement. He started to count them off, glancing at her when he touched his first finger. If this was a test, she could pass.

  “Fire,” she mouthed.

  Erik mocked breathing fire. Cassie understood that to mean that the Pyr could generate fire.

  “Air.”

  He gestured around them, then took a deep breath. Okay, that was covered.

  “Earth,” Cassie added as Erik raised his third finger. He patted the ground beneath them with approval.

  “Water.” That was the last one.

  But Erik glanced around, apparently puzzled.

  Cassie understood. They needed water, although she wasn’t sure why. “Mead Lake,” she mouthed. They had been near the state park when the Slayers had dropped her off to snare Erik, and if they hadn’t gone too far, there should be a spur of that lake in the vicinity.

  Erik nodded, apparently satisfied with her answer. He pulled a set of car keys from his pocket and pushed them into her hands.

  Car keys. He’d been driving the hearse. These must be the keys to the hearse.

  Which would have a corpse in the back.

  “Salvatore?” Cassie mouthed.

  “Mead Lake,” Erik mouthed again.

  Okay. Cassie had a job. She didn’t understand it fully, but she knew what she had to do and that was good enough. She made a gesture as if she’d get to her feet, but Erik shook his head. He settled back against the wall as if intent upon waiting.

  But for what?

  How would she know when to go?

  “Lorenzo?” she mouthed and Erik grimaced.

  Cassie didn’t like that he wasn’t sure of Lorenzo’s fate. But then, maybe she could show him something that would make a difference.

  She glanced at the doorway, then slipped free of her bonds. She pushed the keys to the hearse silently into her pocket, but found an obstacle there. She tugged out the golden scale that had fallen from Lorenzo’s hide, the one she’d shoved into her pocket and forgotten about.
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  Erik’s eyes lit at the sight of it. It had some importance because he nodded enthusiastic approval, then gestured for her to put it away again. By the time Cassie had done that, Erik was looking into space.

  He stared for a long moment, his attention apparently captured by something she couldn’t see. Then Erik smiled slowly, whatever it was giving him great pleasure. Cassie was both encouraged and intrigued.

  When she finally caught his eye, she indicated her confusion.

  He smiled. “Darkfire,” he mouthed. He held up both hands and made a gesture like opening eyes. He mocked a gasp as if beholding something, then tapped the keys in her pocket and made his fingers do the walking. He pointed out the opening of the cave.

  So when she saw the darkfire, she should run, snag the hearse, and drive to Lake Mead. Cassie nodded, just as a tread echoed outside the opening. They both resumed their previous positions, and she hoped JP couldn’t hear her thoughts racing.

  Too bad she didn’t know what darkfire was.

  Cassie could only hope she’d recognize it when she saw it.

  Lorenzo left the car in the state park, not wanting to risk its welfare. He parked in the shadows, raced into the protection of the shadows, then leapt into the night. He shifted shape with a roar and flew toward the spot he was to meet Erik.

  He sensed Brandt far behind him. The other Pyr hadn’t flown as quickly as Lorenzo drove.

  There was the reward of motivation.

  The night was dark and still, the sky like black velvet above them. The moon glowed so brightly that its silvery light cast shadows across the desert. There was almost no wind, which made the scene below them look timeless and unreal. Lorenzo felt sharp despite his exhaustion, adrenaline kicking his Pyr senses into overdrive.

  This was a test of his abilities, the greatest test he’d ever faced.

  Because Cassie and his future with her hung in the balance.

  Lorenzo saw the hearse that Erik had rented, the black paint gleaming in the moonlight. It was parked exactly where they had agreed to meet.

  But there was no movement around it.

  He couldn’t discern any movement inside it, either.

  His sense of pending doom became stronger.

  Lorenzo could smell Erik’s scent, proof only that the leader of the Pyr had been there. He could smell JP, although he couldn’t see that Slayer either. He caught Cassie’s scent and relief nearly made him lose the rhythm of flight. He inhaled greedily, grateful that he could discern that she was alive.

  It wasn’t nearly enough.

  Suddenly he caught a whiff of the scent he now knew to be Chen’s, an odor so strong that it made him falter slightly in speed.

  He knew it had been deliberately revealed to him.

  A taunt.

  Lorenzo was ready to deceive the old Slayer. He scanned the ground, hunting a detail that would give Chen’s location away.

  He saw the flash of a red salamander on the ground. It was as red as Chinese lacquer and embellished with gold.

  Lorenzo guessed instantly who it was, although he was astounded that the Slayer could take that form.

  Chen was supposed to have a lot of secrets.

  Lorenzo would show the ancient Slayer a few of his own.

  He dove and snatched for the small reptile. The salamander turned just as Lorenzo’s claw was closing over it. He saw the flash of Chen’s eyes and a telltale blue shimmer.

  Chen shifted shape into a red dragon with gold talons and horns. The pair collided. Everything in Lorenzo urged him to fight, but he deliberately held back. Chen spun, his eyes flashing, and landed a ferocious blow on Lorenzo’s head.

  Lorenzo took the hit, and let himself sprawl in the dirt. He pretended to be far more injured than he was and shook his head as if addled. He opened his eyes to find Chen before him, eyes snapping and talons raised.

  “No wonder you get so few recruits,” Lorenzo said, rubbing his head.

  Chen froze and surveyed him. “Recruits?” he echoed in old-speak.

  The word echoed in Lorenzo’s thoughts, sounding ominous. He refused to be rattled by the Slayer’s powers—or at least to show his reaction. He smiled slowly, and picked himself up with care.

  If he’d been in human form, he would have taken the time to brush the dust off his clothes.

  As it was, he shook out his wings and ran a claw over his mailed chest. He felt the gap where he’d lost a scale, but deliberately hid his surprise. He left his claw over the gap. “If you beat the crap out of anyone who comes to talk to you, I understand why your numbers are dwindling.”

  Chen’s eyes gleamed.

  Lorenzo snorted. “Here I thought it was Erik’s doing. You need better PR.” He flashed a wide dragon smile, confident and hungry. “Or maybe you just need me.”

  He held the astonished Slayer’s gaze for a potent moment, sensing Brandt’s approach. He had to admit that he was looking forward to this part of his deception—although he had to ensure that Brandt wasn’t overly injured.

  That’s why he had to attack the Pyr instead of the Slayers doing it.

  He glanced upward and swore. “He followed me!” Lorenzo roared in old-speak, then leapt into the air. He rocketed toward Brandt, whose yellow and orange scales shone like a flame in the night.

  If nothing else, Lorenzo had surprise on his side.

  “They’re down there,” Brandt cried at the sight of him, ready to attack Chen.

  Instead Lorenzo tackled Brandt. He flew sideways and snatched the other Pyr out of the sky, tumbling through the air with Brandt.

  The other Pyr swore and spun in his grip, struggling for release. “What the hell are you doing?” he demanded, then clawed at Lorenzo’s face. His talons dug deep and drew blood.

  “Changing teams,” Lorenzo snarled and decked Brandt.

  He was keenly aware that Chen was watching him closely, that this was but the first test to gain the Slayer’s confidence. The last thing he needed was his red blood spilling when he was trying to persuade the Slayers that he’d joined them. Lorenzo was annoyed that Brandt had nearly blown his cover and his irritation showed in the force of his blow.

  He couldn’t even beguile Brandt, because Chen would overhear.

  The other Pyr fell back in shock as much as pain, then leapt at Lorenzo. The two locked talons, grappling for supremacy. Lorenzo pounded Brandt with his tail, aiming for bruises instead of cuts.

  As a matter of principle.

  Brandt, though, didn’t hold back. He was livid and bent on destroying Lorenzo. He bit. He slashed. He breathed fire. He inflicted as much damage as he could, probably trying to score a victory for the Pyr side.

  Lorenzo could have done without his misguided nobility.

  When he was cut deeply across the chest, Lorenzo lost his temper. He slammed Brandt into the rocky outcropping so that the Pyr was momentarily stunned. Then he landed a trio of blows on Brandt’s gut, backhanding him so hard that the Pyr lost a tooth. Then he closed his claw around the Pyr’s throat and squeezed.

  “Say good night, Brandt,” he murmured in old-speak.

  The tips of his talons pricked the Pyr’s hide. Brandt struggled, inflicting damage on himself as Lorenzo held him tightly against the rocks. Lorenzo continued to tighten his grip, cutting off Brandt’s air supply, silently cursing the fact that this particular Pyr was even tougher than he looked.

  Or maybe more stubborn.

  He should have passed out by now. But he was still fighting, his tail still lashing, his claws leaving a thousand little scrapes in Lorenzo’s hide. Lorenzo clenched his throat and Brandt flailed.

  Then went still.

  He was a dead weight in Lorenzo’s grip.

  Lorenzo, thoroughly pissed off, dropped him. It wasn’t that far to the ground. Brandt pr
obably wouldn’t break any bones on impact, but the feat would prove whether he was conscious or not.

  There was a resounding thud as Brandt hit the ground.

  “Bravo,” a woman said. Lorenzo looked down to find an attractive Asian woman applauding him. There was something sardonic in her expression and a challenge in her eyes.

  Was this another form that Chen could take?

  Lorenzo suddenly felt the lack of his knowledge about his own kind.

  He’d just have to work with it.

  Cassie pretended to be unconscious when she heard the flap of leathery wings. The floor of the cave vibrated as a great weight was tossed into the cavern; then she heard the steady sound of breathing.

  She dared to peek and found a dragon of red and orange and yellow had joined her and Erik. This dragon looked broken, as if he’d survived a fight. He was out cold, and right before her eyes, he began to shimmer blue. He became a man, a muscled man with auburn hair, and then a dragon again. He flickered between those two forms so quickly that she had to avert her gaze.

  Erik was slumped against the wall, like he was still out cold, but she could see a gleam of green as if his eyes weren’t quite closed. Watching.

  Silhouetted against the night was a dragon of luminous yellow, his scales so bright that he seemed to be generating his own light. He looked as if he were made of yellow topaz or citron, set in silver, and nearly radiant.

  Was this JP’s dragon form?

  There was a mark on the side of his neck, like a dark tattoo. It was a spiral and the scales there looked as if they were dead.

  He was breathing slowly and deeply. Cassie couldn’t figure out why. He moved his head back and forth as if directing his breath.

  It was some kind of dragon stuff. Cassie was sure of it.

  He stood there, exhaling steadily for a long time, then leapt into the air and flew away. When she was sure he was gone, Cassie looked at Erik.

  His expression was grim.

  The new arrival stirred, moaning. He had stopped shifting in human form and opened his eyes with an obvious effort. He looked between Cassie and Erik and winced. “Bastard took me down,” he muttered, then looked steadily at Erik. “Lorenzo is turning Slayer. You were wrong about him.”