Sealed by Fire: The Nature Hunters Academy Series, Book 2

by Quinn Loftis

  “Oh, now you’re going to show you might have some brain cells in that skull of yours?” the fire king asked.

  Maybe the flames coming from Avuir’s arms made the human decide to stop talking, Nasima thought.

  “Have you been summoning demi-lords from hell?” Nasima asked the woman point-blank. She really didn’t want to be here any longer than necessary.

  “Yes,” the witch answered.

  “Who?”

  The woman’s mouth clamped shut, and her eyes filled with defiance.

  “Really?” Kairi asked, tilting her head.

  The woman’s eyes went wide with fear. “I … cannot answer you.”

  Nasima narrowed her eyes on the woman. “You can’t or you won’t?”

  The woman grimaced. “Can’t.”

  “It must have something to do with their agreement with the demon,” Aviur said.

  “Ahh.” Kairi nodded. “He’s bound the coven to silence in order to protect himself.”

  Nasima folded her arms and rested her chin on her fist as she thought. There had to be a way to figure out who it was they were dealing with. “Have you summoned multiple demi-lords or just one?”

  “Why should I answer?” the woman asked.

  “Because if you don’t I’m going to burn the flesh from your bones,” Aviur said.

  Nasima breathed out. “Okay, that escalated quickly. We went from passing out Hollywood witch names to burning flesh.”

  Aviur shrugged. “She’s not a nice person.”

  “True,” Nasima agreed. “But I really don’t like the smell of burning flesh. It ruins my appetite for months.”

  Aviur inclined his head toward her. “I understand and I apologize in advance. However, if she doesn’t cooperate, it’s not really me you should blame.”

  Nasima shrugged. “Agreed. It would be her own fault if she burned for being a witch. It is her legacy, after all.”

  “Burning isn’t very original.” A new voice came from their left.

  Nasima turned her head to see a male coming down the stairs running along the wall. He couldn’t have been older than twenty.

  “Warlock or innocent bystander?” she asked him.

  He shrugged, looking every bit the bored teenager. “I’m not a member of the coven.”

  “Hold your tongue,” the woman snapped.

  “Why, Danni?” he asked her. “So I can watch you go and get yourself killed like mom did and like Gran before her?”

  “Danni?” Aviur said curiously. “That’s an unusual name for a woman. Did you know that it means ‘God will judge?’”

  Nasima didn’t miss the way the woman’s face flinched a little at Aviur’s words.

  “He will not spare you just because you aren’t a member of the coven,” Danni said, her eyes focused on the male.

  Nasima ignored the witch, Danni, and turned all her attention on the one person in the room who could give them the information they needed since he wasn’t bound by the demon’s spell of silence.

  “What’s your name?” she asked the male.

  “Collin,” he answered.

  “I’m Nasima.”

  “The air queen,” he said. “You’ve been mentioned before.”

  “Collin, shut up,” Danni yelled.

  “What do you mean I’ve been mentioned?” Nasima asked, ignoring the infuriated witch.

  “All of you have been,” Colin said as he pointed at Aviur and Kairi. “By the demon.”

  “And I suppose you’re not involved?” Aviur asked.

  Collin shook his head. “I’m not a warlock. My gran, the previous high priestess of Cornwall coven, didn’t think men should be allowed to handle magic.”

  “You don’t sound bitter,” Nasima said.

  “Because only idiots think it’s a good idea to hang out with demons,” he said.

  “I’ve got to be honest, ladies,” Aviur said, “the boy has a point.”

  Nasima nodded her head in concession. “I’ll agree with you on this, fire king,” she said. “The boy didn’t want to hang out with demons, and the females here have shunned him for it. I don’t think these women are the brightest.”

  Collin shrugged. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out if you have to use your soul as a bargaining chip, then the deal probably isn’t a good one.”

  “Who is the demon they’ve been summoning?” Nasima asked him.

  “Collin, he will kill you if you speak. It doesn’t matter that you haven’t taken an oath,” Danni said quickly.

  “Why do you care?” Collin asked as he looked over at the witch. “You didn’t care when Mom died. You didn’t care when Gran let that damn demon rip our mother in half. Why the hell do you care now?”

  “You’re my brother,” she said softly.

  “But power means more to you than family,” Collin said without venom. “Just like it did for Gran.”

  Nasima saw the sorrow in the boy's eyes, and he suddenly looked much younger. “I am sorry for your loss,” she said. “Unfortunately where demons have trod, death always follows.”

  Collin nodded. “My family knows this all too well.”

  “Why do you live here if you aren’t a member of the coven?” Aviur asked.

  “I just turned eighteen yesterday. I’ve been in my sister’s”—he pointed to Danni—“care since my mother died six months ago. I plan to move out as soon as possible.”

  “That’s a very good plan,” Kairi said. “But I’d move the timeline up to today.”

  Collin nodded. “That’s probably a good idea.”

  Nasima took a step in his direction as she spoke. “If you help us, we will protect you.”

  “NO,” Danni yelled. “You can’t keep him safe, not from this. Please don’t ask this of him.”

  “You should have considered your brother’s safety before you started summoning demi-lords from hell,” Nasima told the witch.

  “I was born into this,” Danni spat. “It’s not like I had a choice.”

  Movement from the left made Nasima realize they’d forgotten about Ursula. “And where do you fit in all of this?” the air queen asked her.

  The woman glanced at Danni, apparently asking silent permission to speak. Danni gave a nod.

  “I’m Collin and Danni’s aunt. I will not give you my name. Names have power.”

  “Fair enough,” Nasima said. “But why didn’t you become high priestess? Is it your sister who died?”

  The woman nodded. “It was, but I was not the one chosen for the position. And I didn’t want it.”

  “I don’t blame you,” Aviur murmured.

  Nasima turned back to Collin. “I can offer you protection in my territory if you tell us what you know.”

  Collin’s eyes filled with interest. “Where is your territory?”

  “It’s located in the elemental realm,” she said. “I don’t have any idea how long you would have to stay there, but you will be beyond the reach of any demons.”

  Collin turned to Danni and then looked back at the queen of air. “What about my sister?”

  Nasima shook her head. “I will not give protection to someone who has chosen evil. She must bear the consequences of her actions.”

  “You can really keep him safe?” Danni asked. She was staring at her brother with so much concern Nasima found it hard to reconcile this woman who cared deeply for her brother with the witch who had greeted them earlier.

  “I can,” Nasima answered.

  “We all will protect him,” Kairi said.

  Danni took a deep breath and then said, “Do it, Collin. Tell them, but you have to promise me you will stay with them until it’s safe for you to be in the human realm again.”

  Collin narrowed his eyes on her and walked toward her. “I didn’t know you still cared.” His voice was rough with emotion, and Nasima felt as though they were intruding on a moment that should have only been between family. “I honestly thought I was just a burden to you.”

  Danni wrap
ped her arms around her brother and pulled him tightly to her. The hold was one a mother would give to her son. Her shoulders began to shake, and Nasima realized the witch was crying.

  Collin wrapped his arms around his sister and gently said, “Shhhh. It’s okay.”

  “No, it’s not okay. It’s too late for me. I’ve made my bed, and now I have to lie in it. But you have the chance at a real life, one free of the darkness we were born into. I want you to take it and never come back to London.”

  They held one another for several moments before finally pulling apart. Both siblings wiped their eyes, and then Collin’s aunt walked over and gave him a hug. She whispered something in his ear, and the boy nodded. He turned to face the queen of air and nodded. “I’m ready.”

  Aviur swiped his hand across the air, and fire appeared to rip a tear in the atmosphere.

  Nasima looked at Danni. “I give you my word he will be safe. But I cannot do anything for your coven. You have meddled in something you should have stayed far, far away from.”

  “I know. But it’s done, and I will deal with it,” the high priestess said.

  Nasima gave a slight bow and then stepped to the portal. “So be it. Say goodbye to this life, Collin.” She walked through the portal and into the elemental realm, specifically, her own territory. She took a deep breath and stared at the castle she’d called home since the beginning of time. It seemed like things had been so much simpler in the beginning.

  Her land was much like that of Dhara’s. Everything was green and full of life. Clean air, after all, was what every living thing needed to thrive. And her territory had always thrived.

  “Wow.” Collin’s voice came from behind her. “This looks like something out of a fairy tale.”

  Nasima turned to look at the wide-eyed human. He was grinning from ear to ear, and it made him look younger, innocent, and happy. The darkness that had clung to him was gone. His skin was brighter, as were his eyes, that she just now realized were a bright, vibrant blue. He was a handsome male. He looked older than his eighteen years. He’d already lost the boyish cheeks, and his face was chiseled. He was tall, with a lean and strong body.

  “Welcome to my home,” Nasima told him as she held out her hand to her kingdom. “This is the land of the air elementals.” She started walking toward the front doors and heard the steps behind her as the others followed.

  “Do all the elemental territories look like this?” Collin asked.

  “They reflect our own mood,” Aviur answered. “For the most part, we try to keep them a pleasant place for the elementals to live, but even royal elementals have bad days.”

  “Your home isn’t full of fire?” he asked Aviur.

  The fire king chuckled. “I don’t live in the underworld.”

  “And yours?”

  “I have a bit more water than the others,” Kairi answered with a smile in her voice.

  The large front doors of Nasima’s home swung open. She sighed as the familiar scent hit her. She loved coming home. She savored the familiar, safe sounds and scents filling her. Though she enjoyed being in the human realm because she was created to care for it, she still loved coming home to rest. Her peace was short-lived as she felt the emptiness left behind by Beval’s absence. Her heart ached for his return, and, though no one else in her realm would notice, she could already see the effect of his absence. The air wasn’t quite as crisp or the light quite as bright.

  She led them to her favorite sitting room. It was pale blue. The furniture was white, as were the curtains billowing from a soft breeze coming through the open windows. The windows in her home were always open, even during storms, as she was able to keep the rain out with a thought.

  “Please, make yourself at home.” She motioned to the couches and chairs in the center of the room.

  One of the elementals who served in the castle entered. She was a tall, air elemental with long blonde hair. She wore a blue dress with a white belt.

  “Cybil,” Nasima said. “It is good to see you.”

  “My lady,” Cybil said as she bowed her head. “It’s good to have you home. Can I get you and your guests something to drink or eat?”

  Nasima looked at the three and raised her brow in question.

  Both Aviur and Kairi declined. When she looked at Collin, she couldn’t help but smile. He was staring at Cybil with his mouth wide open. Cybil looked quite uncomfortable as she fidgeted with her dress.

  “Collin, would you care for refreshments? I’m afraid Cybil is not on the menu,” the air queen said with a small smile.

  Collin cleared his throat as a blush ran up his neck and face. “My apologies,” he said as he continued to look at Cybil. “I’m good. And I’m sorry I’m staring. I just don’t think I’ve ever seen a more beautiful girl.”

  Cybil’s eyes widened.

  “She is beautiful, but she’s hardly a girl. It would be much more appropriate to say woman,” Nasima said. “Though Cybil doesn’t look a day over twenty-five, she is much, much older.”

  “Of course,” Collin said. “Forgive me.”

  Cybil nodded. “There is nothing to forgive.” She looked back at Nasima. “If you need me, please let me know.” She gave a bow to Aviur and Kairi and then hurried from the room.

  “I didn’t mean to make her uncomfortable,” Collin said.

  “You flattered her, and she probably needed to be flattered. The males here aren’t dazzled by her beauty, or anyone’s beauty, because they’re all beautiful.”

  Collin frowned.

  “They aren’t cruel,” Nasima corrected his obvious thought. “But this is what they come into the world knowing. It’s hard to realize how beautiful something is if there’s nothing that challenges that beauty.”

  The boy tilted his head as he pursed his lips. “So why don’t you create unattractive elementals then?”

  “If I was the one who created them, then perhaps I would. But it is Mother Gaia who creates them. You would know her as Mother Earth.”

  Collin shrugged. “Maybe you should mention it to her the next time you see her.”

  Aviur chuckled. “She knows now,” he said quietly.

  Collin’s face flushed. “My bad.”

  Nasima shook her head and waved him off. “You have made a good point. Now, what we really need to know is what your sister’s coven has been up to.”

  “I don’t know everything,” he said. “I do try to spy on them as they summon the demons. But it’s creepy as hell, so I don’t show up every time.”

  “I can imagine it is quite disturbing,” Kairi agreed.

  Collin nodded. “The demon they’ve been dealing with for a while now is called Dolion. I overheard my sister mention that he was a demi-lord. Apparently, that means he’s really powerful?”

  Nasima nodded. “The demi-lords are second to Osiris. He’s the lord of the underworld.”

  Collin shuddered. “I don’t know why anyone would want anything to do with a demon.”

  “Power. Some people are drawn to it like a flower reaches for the sun. They don’t care how they get it or what it costs. And demons are powerful, but they don’t share that power freely. Those who summon them are blinded by their lust for power and don’t see that something so wicked could never truly share anything with anyone.”

  Aviur made a thoughtful noise and then said, “I find it interesting that the demon they are dealing with is named Dolion. It’s a Greek name and it means deceitful.”

  “Ahh,” Nasima said as she nodded. “That makes sense. If his magic is the one that was used to make us forget the soul bonded, I can see why it worked so well.”

  “Why?” Collin asked. “What does his name have to do with it?”

  “Remember what your aunt said?” Kairi asked. “Names hold power?”

  Collin nodded.

  “There was a time when even humans understood how powerful naming someone was. Their name had a bearing on the type of person they would become. A demon with a name meaning deceitful is
probably extremely gifted in magic that can deceive even the most discerning of persons,” the water queen explained. “The reason we need to know what demon the coven has been working with is because the magic used to cast a spell caused a very important piece of information to be lost to us for a time. We must be ready and aware if it should happen again.”

  “There’s something else,” Collin said.

  Nasima didn’t miss the way the male’s eyes darted around the room. Whatever he was about to tell them made him very uncomfortable. “What is it?”

  “My sister’s coven has also met with someone like you.”

  The air queen went very, very still. “What do you mean someone like me? You mean a royal elemental?”

  Collin nodded. “But he was different.” He paused, seeming to search for the right word. “He was dark.”

  “Do you know his name?” Aviur asked.

  “Viscious. His name is Viscious, and he introduced himself as the dark fire king.”

  8

  Iterra joined Terrick and the other headmistress and headmasters as they took seats in the study. Drinks and finger foods were brought in by the kitchen staff. When everyone was settled, Iterra glanced around the room to make sure her guests had what they needed.

  “I’m going to admit,” Marcus, the Hydro Academy headmaster, said, “this was not what I expected to be doing today.”

  “I expected a normal day of classes and the occasional cocky new kid needing to be put in his place,” Jeremiah, the Crimson Academy headmaster, said with a slight chuckle.

  “Well, at least things aren’t going to be boring,” said Ellena, the Tempest Academy headmistress.

  The others nodded as they sipped their drinks or chewed their food. For a long while, they ate in relative silence, and everyone appeared contemplative. Iterra had her own worries, fears, prejudices, and preconceived notions bottled inside. She knew she should hold no ill will toward anyone in the room. The light elementals should always be united. They should have been working together long before now. The discord was chipping away at her heart. She hated that they'd allowed such dissension to infect their people. Nature worked in tandem with itself, so why shouldn’t her ambassadors do the same? If the elementals had been working together long before now, would those taken have been so vulnerable? She didn’t think so. Everything suddenly felt out of control and uncertain. She worried for their current students and those not yet there and under their protection. Maybe if the academies acted quickly, they would be able to prevent too many being swayed to the darkness. Though even one was too many.