Fire Magic

by Holly Hook

  A faint feeling of dread gathered in the pit of my stomach.

  “We're almost there,” Xavier said. “I've walked past this place a couple of times when I was younger, but I never went in. I think even some Normals get uneasy around here.”

  “I don't blame them.”

  My gray vision snapped all the way into existence and the junkyard spread out in front of me. Stacks of cars and busted appliances rose over us like ravaged buildings. The dread feeling got stronger, almost like there might be Shadow Wraiths in the area. It would be a great place for them to hang out. Marissa had mentioned something about Dark Mages working well with Shadow Wraiths.

  I shook the cane, urging it to take sword form, and it worked in one shake. My weapon gleamed in the fake starlight.

  Xavier was getting ready, too. The adrenaline smell came back and I could sense his magic thrumming through me, ready for use. Even though I'd been with the Underground only a few days, I had learned that you always had to be ready for a fight.

  Even in lingerie shops and in your own home.

  The entrance to the junkyard was closed. The chain link fence rose high and the gate had some nice barbed wire on top. “Now what?” I asked. “Do we use some magic and just break the gate down?”

  “We're not breaking into Fort Knox here,” Xavier said. “We can climb over but that would suck. Is that barbed wire on top?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Then we might need to blast a hole,” Xavier said. “We can't do it in front of the street, though.” A single car passed us, not slowing down. Xavier still had his leather coat and hat on. I still had hot pink pigtails. We looked like Normal punks.

  So we walked around until we found the other end of the junkyard. It bordered some concrete place but there was still a small alley to walk down. We stepped over used beer bottles, cigarette butts and some other pretty questionable things until I told Xavier we were far back enough from the street. Once I didn't hear any cars within a mile or two, I gave him the go-ahead and backed away.

  Heat washed against my face as Xavier held his palm back and the familiar magenta glow surrounded it. He threw the fireball (that was the best I could describe it) and a screeching sound followed as it ate through the chain link fence, leaving a small hole just large enough to fit us. The ball of magic flew to the ground, created some purple embers and cast light on the surrounding area. The light began to fade.

  “How's that?” Xavier asked. “I know I have some sexy skills.”

  Now he was a different person, joking and kidding with me. “Come on,” I said. “Let's go meet this cousin of Elsina's. What's his name again?” I had forgotten it already.

  “Mack,” Xavier said. “Nice junk yard owner name.”

  “Like the truck?” I asked.

  “There's one now,” Xavier said, pointing to an ancient work truck waiting for the crusher.

  We laughed, which was the last thing I wanted to do in this creepy place. It helped to dispel the dread feeling that I hadn't realized I was now getting used to.

  We walked through rows and rows of doomed cars. It reminded me of that Disney movie with the toaster, the one where the cars sang as they went to the crusher. I'd watched it with Hannah. I didn't want to think about her so I turned my thoughts to what we might face, which wasn't much better.

  At last, I spotted a shack hunched down like a troll's hideout in a clearing. There was no junkyard dog on a chain, thankfully, because it would have woken the owner up before we got there. Dogs always went crazy and barked at me when I was anywhere near them.

  “I see it,” I told Xavier, releasing his arm. “Do you?”

  “I think so.” We had left the glowing embers behind us. Now it was just darkness and gloom. The owner hadn't even bothered to put out a lantern. “I'm a bit nervous about this. Dark Mages aren't fun but Marissa was with Thoreau. Of course she was going to fight us. Maybe Mack's one of those ones that stays away from others so he doesn't hurt them. Some Dark Mages are hermits. The government really doesn't like them and neither does the rest of the Abnormal world.”

  “I heard about that,” I said. They were up there with War Mages on the list of Top Ten Abnormals to Avoid. “Looks like Mack's done a good job of hiding from the authorities.”

  The wooden door was falling apart and the lock was loose, but I did the polite thing and knocked. Someone grunted from inside and then got off a squeaky mattress. “Who is it?” he demanded.

  “The IRS,” Xavier joked.

  The man inside cursed.

  “No. We're not the IRS or with the ATC,” I promised. “Both are pretty scary. We know your cousin Elsina and she recommended us to you. We need help with something.”

  “I agree with you on that one,” the man said. “You know Elsina? I haven't seen her in nearly twenty years.” There was a bit of sadness in the guy's voice. Maybe we were onto something after all. Elsina loved Xavier and wouldn't send him to someone who would kill us on sight.

  “I see her all the time,” Xavier said. “We're having some problems in the Underground and she thought you could help.”

  “I won't have anything to do with the Underground. They won't have anything to do with me.”

  I sniffed the air. This man smelled like Marissa, like a dark, empty cave.

  “But your cousin is in danger,” Xavier said. “Open up. Mayor Thoreau is planning to torch everyone in the Underground and we need to find out where he might have taken a fallen War Mage's body so we can stop it.”

  Footsteps approached and the guy yanked the door open from the other side so fast that the hinges squealed.

  On the other side stood a man who was a lot more fit than I imagined. He wore jeans and a white T-shirt. Very Normal stuff. He looked to be only in his forties, a contrast to the ancient Elsina. His eyes, though, gave his true nature away. They were brown, but with black flecks that were as deep as space itself. For a second I felt like I was staring at Marissa's eyes all over again.

  “Thoreau stole a War Mage's body?” he asked.

  Yeah. This was serious.

  “My grandfather's,” Xavier said. “You didn't hear about the funeral?”

  “I've cut off all ties,” Mack said. “You have to with magic like mine. You either have other Dark Mage and demon friends or you have no friends. So no, I got no notice.”

  So he was definitely one of the hermits. I knew how he felt, having to be so distant. I hadn't even had it that bad. Sure, I had the instinct to kill, but I had a way to vent that. There weren't any sports where Dark Mages could vent their badness.

  “I'm sorry,” Mack added.

  “No. Don't say that. Things were messed up with my grandfather,” Xavier said. “The point is, we need your services to talk to the dead. You can do that, right?”

  A look of pain came over Mack's face. “I do it sometimes,” he said, “when I need conversation that isn't with a customer.”

  So far, Mack seemed like a nice enough guy. Well, for a Dark Mage and for now. But I was also a nice person until I couldn't be anymore.

  “Well, we need to talk to Leon's old battle partner. I killed her to protect the Underground. And...for other reasons.”

  Xavier had killed Alluna for me, thinking that the flames Thoreau had thrown at me were destroying my flesh. I had to remember that. I grabbed onto that thought and held it tight.

  “So that's how the old man finally croaked,” Mack said. “I always wondered how long that succubus would stay with him. I figured she'd go back to Thoreau as soon as Leon started getting old. She did, didn't she? Wanted his help breaking their bond, or something?”

  “That's exactly it,” Xavier said.

  “Come in,” Mack said. “Let's see what we can do.”

  Chapter Six

  Mack's little house looked a lot like the Underground.

  Well, the candles everywhere helped, but these were black tapers that matched a Dark Mage's hangout way more than colored candles would. Mack had a round black mirror
on his coffee table (the table being propped up on one side with a few magazines) and a few more black tapers around it, which he lit with a long Bic lighter. Flickering light filled the tiny house.

  “This isn't the best,” Mack said, “but it will work. Just don't take too long and get out before my mood changes and you should be all right.”

  I had to get this out of the way right now. “Do you expect any payment for this?”

  Mack leaned against a crooked dresser and smiled. “You're damn right I do, but I'll let you know what that is at a later time.”

  “Will we need to sacrifice someone? Something?” I asked.

  “I'm the only one who makes sacrifices,” Mack said. “You won't be doing any of that and there won't need to be any of that tonight. Your payment will be more like a task. But don't worry about it now.”

  I didn't like the sounds of this but we had no choice but to continue. We had no other way to find this Dark Council. Heck, even finding my father might hinge on this. Saving a bunch of other lives definitely did. I wasn't a monster. I wasn't going to let a bunch of people, Normal or Abnormal, die because I was too scared to make a deal.

  “We got it,” I said, glancing at Xavier. He nodded. “We'll do whatever task you have for us later as long as you let us talk to Allunna.”

  “Finding deceased demons is not easy,” Mack said. “They go to the Infernal Dimension when they die. It's a bit dangerous to open up any window to that place, even one that the dead only speak through.”

  “You mean Allunna is alive in the Infernal Dimension?” I asked.

  “No,” Mack said. “Her soul is there along with billions of others. Both demons' souls and the souls of the wicked go there after they die. Oh, and Shadow Wraiths inhabit the place, too. It's a realm of evil and sadness. Like attracts like in the supernatural world. I've even glimpsed some very famous evil Normals when I've tried to peek into the Infernal Dimension.”

  I really didn't want him to elaborate on that. “I think we get the picture,” I said.

  “Normally, I would ask you for something that belonged to Allunna, but since I've met her before, I can envision her strongly enough to form a bond,” Mack said. It sounded so strange, hearing this come from a junkyard owner. “What we will need to do is sit in a circle around the black mirror...”

  * * * * *

  Mack took a full half hour to prepare for the rite. His magic was different than any magic I'd seen before. Dark Mages had that flashy magic like Marissa had, but necromancy was a learned art according to Mack. First, he had to go shower (to clean any residual energies off him) and then he had to vacuum the little living room, which was covered in straw wrappers, cigarette packs and bread crumbs (again, to clean away any energies.) Finally, he set a circle of black candles around us and lit each of them, one by one. He muttered low words the entire time, words I couldn't understand from some ancient language. I eyed Xavier for answers, but he shrugged. There must be different magical languages. Even he didn't know what kind of magic we were in for.

  Mack looked a lot more imposing in his black cloak. It made the room feel more magical. It thrummed with a nervous energy and Xavier and I sat down next to the black mirror. Mack got in the middle of us, ran his hands down either side of the mirror, and muttered more old words.

  The tingling energy in the room got stronger...stronger. Mack stroked the mirror again and again, focusing all his attention on it. It looked like the round entrance to a void. I blinked when I thought I could see little sparks flying around inside, but they were gone in a flash.

  “Focus,” Mack said in a low voice. “Do not look away from the mirror.”

  He jarred me for a second as he continued to mutter. I felt to make sure my sword was still there on the floor next to me in case things went south. The air in the room got thicker and thicker and made my skin tingle, but not in the good way that Xavier did.

  And at last, the black mirror seemed to take on a life of its own.

  At first it was still black, but somehow more present than it had been before and filled with a strange electricity. Mack continued to mutter, not breaking his focus.

  And then, it all changed. I had to keep myself from jumping.

  We were now staring into the Infernal Dimension, looking through a window and into another world.

  A sea of lava seethed in the distance between plains of reddish rocks. A tall mountain rose from the other side of the sea, filled with black spaces that might be caves or giant windows. It was pointed, jagged, like lava that had just dried there and started to fracture. Our view drew closer...closer to the lava until our vision was right on top of it. We were almost at the base of the castle-mountain now.

  “Allunna,” Mack called. “Allunna. Are you there?”

  There was nothing but rolling brimstone at first. I could almost feel the heat of the lava blasting against my face.

  “Allunna!” Mack roared. “Follow my commands and speak with me.”

  And at last, a form rose from the lava.

  At first it looked like it was part of the lava itself, taking the form of a person, but at last, a fiery wraith stood there, bottom half in the lava. It had Allunna's dark eyes and her shape, including the hint of her scales on her neck.

  This was what happened to souls who went to the Infernal Dimension. I had to make a mental note to never go there.

  “Why are you disturbing me, Mack?” she asked. “I take it we're still friends?”

  “We were never friends,” Mack said. “Just acquaintances.”

  The succubus turned fire wraith pretended to pick at her infernal fingernails. “So, just checking in? That's what friends do, after all. I'm afraid I can no longer offer my services in my present state. Unless, of course, you can resurrect me.”

  I tensed. This wasn't going to be good.

  “Only the Dark Council is thought to have that power,” Mack said. “Speaking of them, where do they meet? I just may want to resurrect you, Allunna.”

  Allunna had no idea Xavier and I were here. “If you do that,” she said, “Then Leon comes back, too. We are still bound. He's in here with me.”

  Even from the other side of Mack, I could feel Xavier tensing. The adrenaline smell mixed in with the candle smoke and the melting wax.

  “Is that something you want?” Mack asked.

  And then Allunna took her attention off her fiery nails and glared right at Xavier, then me. “Well? Is it? Do you really want your grandfather back after he tried to murder the two of you? I wouldn't. I take it you two are looking for the Council. Thoreau is a member. I am willing to divulge their meeting place if you make me one promise.”

  So she knew. “Which is?” I asked.

  I was shocked she hadn't tried to reach out if the mirror and destroy us yet. “You resurrect me once you reach the Dark Council. They have the means there. I know Thoreau was trying to cheat me. If I live again, I can force him to break the bond between me and Leon like he promised.”

  “We can't do that,” Xavier said to me. “She'll try to kill us. She's only for herself and Leon will come back.”

  “I want revenge on Thoreau,” Allunna said. “He made no motion to save me as you claimed me with your war magic. He has made no effort to pull me out of this fiery lake and breathe life into me again. I know that he and the Council can.”

  I wondered if we could trick her. She couldn't do anything to us in the Infernal Dimension, right? That might be different if Xavier and I ever got there, but right now things were fine, right?

  “Well? What is your answer? Or are you too afraid to make a deal with a demon?”

  “A dead demon,” Xavier said.

  “Deal, or no answer,” Allunna continued. She messed with her fingernails again, waiting.

  Mack backed away to allow me and Xavier to face each other. It was just us and the mirror now.

  “I didn't think this would be so dangerous,” Xavier said. “If she comes back, so does Leon.”

  “I don't li
ke this,” I said at the same time. What she wanted was probably a lot scarier than whatever Mack would want. But we had to go with it. She'd been very close to Thoreau in the past and knew where this Dark Council met. It was the only chance we had to save the Underground.

  I leaned close to Xavier. “We can lie,” I whispered. “We can tell her we're going to do it, and then when it comes time to resurrect her we can always just forget.”

  “I don't know,” Xavier said. “She's probably thought of that possibility. Making deals with demons is always a really, really bad choice.”

  “It's the only one we have,” I said. “Thoreau torches hundreds or thousands of people in a week if we don't.”

  Xavier sighed. “Okay. We agree.”

  I scooted up to the mirror and crouched down.

  “Allunna,” I said.

  She glared up at me with those coal eyes. Even in death she hadn't lost those. “Your decision?”

  “We'll work with you,” I said.

  She smiled, revealing a row of flaming teeth that were even sharper than mine (even though I hadn't had the chance to file them down in days.) I wanted to back away from the mirror, but before I could, she reached towards me.

  Mack shouted “Whoa!” as her fiery hand came out of the mirror and seized my left arm.

  “Excellent,” she said, tightening her grip.

  I tried to yank my arm away. The heat was there and it was scary. Fire was of the few things that was supposed to kill me...but it took me a few seconds to realize it wasn't actually burning. The heat was there but there was no searing pain.

  “The Dark Council meets underneath Gobekli Tepe,” she explained. “They are ruins far more ancient than civilization itself. It is where Thoreau and his comrades keep the greatest magical secrets of the Abnormal world. The library there is beyond value...if you can survive getting in.”

  “Where the heck is that?” I asked. I had never heard of such a place.