The House of Fire

by M. Goldsmith

  “What you really mean is, does Laurel know you still dig her?” Quill answered.

  “You know, Quill, you take subtlety to a whole new level. You’re a dick. Can you give Kai a break? I think he just saved you from the land of the lost.”

  “All right, I’ll give it a break, but I reserve the right to torture you both later,” Quill teased.

  “What’s the plan now, Kai?” Hawk inquired.

  “Well, I need to do a work up on Quill. Blood panel, vital signs, and motor ability. Then it’s back to the lab to make more of the antidote. I only made enough for one dose, because I didn’t want to waste the limited supply of the drug the Protectors found. So sit back and rest, Quill, and I’ll get started on all that. First, I need to call my dad and tell him what we’ve been up to. Wish me luck.”

  Hawk and Quill chatted while they waited for Kai to come back from talking to Rayne. Quill seemed to be feeling much better, and Hawk was more relieved than he wanted to admit. He didn’t think he could handle anything happening to one of his best friends and the woman he loved at the same time.

  Kai walked in ten minutes later with a scowling Rayne right behind him. “That was a pretty brave move, Quill, but also a really dumb thing to do,” Rayne reprimanded.

  “I’ve definitely heard the dumb part before. I just couldn’t stand to hear those two bickering. Too much testosterone in one room gives me hives. It all worked out, so no worries.”

  Rayne smiled. “Quill, you are too much. I’m going to stay and do your work up. Kai is going to go to the lab and make more of the serum. Hawk, do you think you could give him a hand to make things go a little faster? We would love to be ready to revive Laurel first thing in the morning.”

  “Sure thing, whatever I can do to help.” Hawk responded by quickly getting to his feet.

  “After I’m done with Quill’s work up, I’m going to update the Elders on our progress. Hopefully everything will go smoothly with Laurel, and she can tell us exactly what happened to her and Ashlyn the other night.”

  Returning to the lab, Kai handed Hawk a white coat. The Protector’s wide shoulders and thick arms stretched the garment to its limit. Kai fumbled with the box containing the unknown drug; it flipped on its side, and the small glass vials rolled out. He scrambled to catch them, but Hawk swept his hand in an upward motion tapping into his connection with the Element of Air. His power lifted the vials on a current and combined with his quick reflexes, he was able to save the tiny containers from shattering to the floor.

  “Thanks, man. I’m exhausted.” He scrubbed his hands over his tired eyes. “I feel like I’m all thumbs. I better get myself together and quick if I want to do this right. We don’t have any of those to spare. How many are left?”

  “Don’t worry, none of them broke. We have seven left. Will that be enough?”

  “Should be plenty. Do you mind putting them back in the box?”

  “Of course not. What else can I do to help you?”

  As Hawk reached for the box to place the vials back inside, he noticed something at the bottom. He pulled back the flaps opening it further. His eyes widened as he looked into the box and spotted a label glued in place.

  “Kai! Look at this! There’s a tag, or something in here. It says, CEB Laboratories.”

  Kai practically leapt from his seat to peer into the box. “This is amazing! Our first real clue.” His smile quickly faded. “When the hell is the new tech center going to open already?” He slammed his fist onto the counter. “I need to do some research to figure out the story with this lab. I guess it’s another trip to the University’s library.”

  “I got your back. I’m coming with you.”

  They worked side by side with Hawk assisting Kai for hours until he had several doses of the antidote encased in syringes. Rayne came in to check their progress and to tell them Quill’s test results were normal. Kai told his father about the label they found.

  Hawk wondered aloud, “What do you think the Renegades would be doing mixed up with a lab? Don’t you think they would just attack us with weapons? Or at least Element against Element? Plus, it’s been hundreds of years, why now? And why take Ashlyn? The whole thing just doesn’t add up to me.”

  Rayne responded, “Hopefully, when Laurel wakes up she’ll be able to shed some light on this entire mess, and we can start searching for Ash. I think you guys should try to get a couple of hours of sleep. We have plenty of open beds here, so no need to go home. We can wake Zarina and Canyon at first light. They’re asleep in Laurel’s room. Quill is sleeping, too.”

  Hawk followed Kai to an empty patient room with two beds. The florescent lights hummed overhead and gave the room a much too bright glow. Exhaustion penetrated his body as he lowered himself onto the bed with a creak. Pulling off his boots, he stretched out his long frame allowing a small moan escaping his lips.

  “Hey, Hawk?”

  “Yeah?”

  “If you dream, I mean talk to Ash, keep it PG okay?”

  “Very funny. I think Quill might be rubbing off on you, and that’s not a compliment. Good night, Kai.”

  “Night, Hawk.”

  ****

  Ashlyn

  Pure rage and a healthy dose of fear filled Ashlyn. Her Fire rippled along her nerve endings but could not escape the confines of her body. If Devlin was telling the truth, she needed to feign cooperation in order to protect Laurel. Ash’s stomach tightened in knots. She was determined to endure whatever her captors inflicted even though she had never been more terrified in her life.

  “Listen up, Firecracker. If you think you can behave, I’ll administer the antidote. We have a lot of work to do. Blink your eyes twice if you agree to be a good girl. Otherwise I will be happy to make things as painful as possible for you, and your pretty friend.”

  Ashlyn blinked her eyes twice and prayed to the God and Goddess to give her strength. A strange hissing sound started coming from the vent with the cage. Thick white smoke billowed from the slats. Ash tried not to panic. Her breath caught in her throat as the clouds began to fall and form around her. Before long, she became lost in the dense fog as the entire room was filled. The air hung heavily around her and had a metallic taste.

  Five or ten minutes passed before the vapor dissipated, and Ashlyn no longer felt consumed. Testing her body, she wiggled her fingers and toes. Her legs and arms were next, and finally, she felt strong enough to sit up. Still lightheaded, her stomach finally settled, and her nausea eased.

  “There you go, Firecracker. Take it nice and slow. We don’t want you damaged, too much, yet.”

  Ashlyn found her voice, “Who are you? What have you done with Laurel?” She could feel the heat of her Flame rising up her neck, her cheeks burning. Fire danced inside her. “What do you want from me?” she demanded.

  “Whoa there, Firecracker, I’ll be the one asking the questions around here.”

  “Stop calling me that! My name is Ashlyn, not Firecracker!”

  “You’re as feisty as I remember and even more beautiful when you’re pissed off, Ash-lyn.”

  Already regretting giving him her real name, Ash reined in her temper. She was desperate to know what was happening with Laurel. Drawing Devlin in seemed like the only way to get some information. Playing scared and compliant would probably be more effective than enraged and obstinate.

  “Please, what do you want from me?” she implored, with as much innocence as she could falsely muster.

  “Oh, baby, I like the sound of you begging, and you will be begging me. That’s a promise. For now, I don’t want anything from you. Just rest for a while, and regain your strength. It may take some time for you to feel like yourself again. After that, we’ll talk.”

  With his words still hanging in the air, the slot at the bottom of the door opened. A tray with a sandwich, an apple, and a bottle of water slid into the room. She ran her hands along the tray hoping it could be used as a weapon. Sadly, it was made of heavy cardboard not metal. Ash couldn’t rememb
er the last time she ate, and her stomach rumbled loudly reinforcing the point. How long had she been gone from home anyway? Her sense of time was severely jumbled. She didn’t trust that the food on the tray wasn’t poisoned, but it seemed she didn’t have much of a choice.

  As if he read her mind, Devlin’s tinny voice droned from the speakers once again. “Don’t worry, there is nothing in the food that will hurt you. When I want to hurt you, trust me, you’ll know. Now eat and rest. We’ll talk later. And, Ashlyn, I’ll be watching you, always. So, don’t try anything stupid. In case you were wondering, your room is fireproof, waterproof, windproof, and earthquake proof.”

  Well, her captors obviously had knowledge of her people and were quite well prepared. Though the question remained, who were they and what did they want? There was only one known enemy of the people of Aether; the Renegades. Jet Thorn and his followers had left the village many hundreds of years ago, and as far as she knew, no one had any inkling as to their whereabouts.

  Why now? Why me and Laurel? What do they want from us?

  Putting the thought aside, Ashlyn took hold of the tray and sat down on the bed with it. Thinking it would be safer, she decided to try the apple. The first bite was like heaven, juicy and crisp. She didn’t want to enjoy it, but she was famished, and it tasted amazing. After eating it down to the core, she figured she may as well eat the sandwich too. If her captors wanted to kill her, they would have done it already. Sniffing in between the slices, she couldn’t detect anything out of the ordinary. It was your basic ham and cheese on a doughy white roll. Gobs of bread stuck to the roof of her mouth, as she consumed the sandwich with lightning speed. Ash guzzled down the entire bottle of water, then rose, and placed the tray next to the slot in the door.

  Knowing she wouldn’t be able to relax unless she relieved herself, Ash eyed the toilet in the corner with trepidation. Disturbed by the complete lack of privacy, she grabbed the blanket off the bed draping it over her shoulders. Self-conscious, her eyes darted around the tiny space. There was no seat on the metal toilet, so she squatted, balancing on her wobbly legs.

  After she was finished, longing for the comforts and security of home, Ash curled herself into a tight ball on the bed and wrapped up in the scratchy blanket. If I ever get out of this place, I’m going to proposition Hawk and tell him once and for all how I feel about him. I’m going to tell him, I think about him night and day. How I long for him to hold me in his arms and to kiss me senseless. Now if only he could find me. Still feeling weak from the drugs, weariness overtook her, and she slept focusing her thoughts on Hawk.

  Even in her sleep, Ashlyn could sense the air around her humming with energy. Her mind was consumed with Hawk, and she unwittingly connected to him. Reaching deep, her concentration intense, she begged him to help her. A feeling of warmth filled her, and her nose twitched when she caught a whiff of Hawk’s woodsy, masculine scent. Without warning the door to their link was suddenly slammed shut, and Hawk was forcibly ripped from her mind. Waking with a start, Ashlyn bolted upright.

  “Dear Goddess, I actually felt him!” she exclaimed, in shock. “But how?”

  Ash sensed the loss immediately. There had always been a connection with Hawk, but this was something altogether different, something stronger, something, much more. Hope flickered inside her. Now, if only she could do it again. Maybe she could lead the Protectors to her.

  Baffled and plagued by questions, too much had happened for Ashlyn to process. She breathed deeply in order to relax and concentrate, but she felt powerless. Strengthening her resolve she declared, “Get your shit together, girl! You’re a damn Guardian! Sol always says, your powers are limited only by your own mind.” Perhaps her mentor was right. Maybe her powers were not limited to her Fire. If she could somehow reach out to Hawk again, she could tell him about her theories regarding the Renegades. Also, she wanted him to know about the specially designed cell she was in which was impervious to all of their powers.

  Ash wondered why they used drugs and not their magical gifts against her and Laurel. Conceivably, Devlin could be a descendant of Jet Thorn. Or, was he simply working for Jet? More questions than answers arose and nothing had crystalized for Ashlyn.

  The walls of her prison appeared thick and impenetrable. If Devlin was telling the truth, her Fire would not free her from this unjust sentence, but Ashlyn was confident in the strength of her power. She closed her eyes, concentrating, until she felt the telltale heat of her Flame spreading. Ashlyn lifted her hands and projected her Fire at the imposing door. The metal glowed red but did not falter. She remained captive.

  Chapter Six

  Kai

  Kai tossed and turned as he listened to Hawk’s rhythmic breathing. His mind churned with a mountain of questions and concerns. Would his serum work on Laurel in the same manner it did on Quill? Kai wasn’t sure if he was more worried about the serum working, or how Laurel would feel about his confessions. Beautiful and popular, Laurel never lacked for male attention, but he never noticed her spending time with any particular man, and he definitely would have noticed.

  Fantasies of Laurel returning his feelings took shape in his mind. He pictured her standing before him. Her beautiful brown hair was burnished to a deep shine. Kai’s hands itched to touch the silken strands. In his vision, the length obscured his view of her perfect breasts. Her gaze, focused only on him, disarmed him completely. She was bared to him, her bronze-toned skin silky and smooth. Memories of her pliant beneath him with their mouths and bodies fused together invaded his brain.

  Stop it! Stop it! The woman has just been through an ordeal beyond which I can only imagine. It made his blood boil when he thought about anyone hurting Laurel. He would wait for her to recover fully, and then he would tell her about his feelings. That is, if she didn’t already know. He prayed Laurel would find it in her heart to forgive him and didn’t think he was some depraved stalker spouting his feelings to her while she lay unconscious. Though now, after Quill’s experience, Kai suspected she had most likely heard everything. He was mortified feeling every bit the fool. He needed to redirect his focus. It was definitely time for some balance in his life. For now, he had a duty to his work and needed to lock away his fascination with Laurel.

  Was Hawk right about the Renegades and their connection to this CEB Laboratories? What would they be doing with tranquilizers instead of attacking Aether? Hawk’s perceptions were spot on. Ashlyn being taken was truly a mystery. Guardians were precious and rare. The Renegades might be motivated to try to destroy Aether by taking their Guardians. Kai couldn’t help wondering if Ashlyn was still alive. Even though he had both experienced and witnessed some amazing magic, he had never heard of the telepathy Hawk described. He wanted to believe Hawk had actually spoken to Ashlyn, but the scientist in him was still slightly skeptical. Kai’s inner scientist and his intense connection to the Elements were often divergent splitting him in two. He was constantly seeking balance between science and magic. Right now he needed to concentrate on the problem in front of him, to find and stop their unknown enemy. Waking Laurel was the first step in finding Ash; no pressure there.

  It was still dark when Kai finally closed his eyes and allowed sleep to take him. He felt like he’d slept for only a few minutes when someone gently touched his shoulder and called his name. Slowly, he blinked the sleep out of his eyes trying to focus.

  His father stood over him. “I’m sorry to wake you, but we should really get started. I’ve already woken Zarina and Canyon, and they’re very eager to see if your antidote works on their daughter.”

  Early morning sunlight spilled into the room making everything it touched appear to glow. Kai noticed Hawk was already up. He hopped out of bed, captured his shoes, and haphazardly shoved his feet inside.

  They made their way down to Laurel’s room where Quill was leaning against the wall waiting. “Well, good morning, sleeping beauties. Share any good love stories last night?” His voice dripped with sarcasm.

  “Really
, Quill? It’s way too early for your bullshit. Do we need to knock you out again? Just shut up, and let Kai do his job. We need to wake Laurel and find out what she knows. The more time we waste, the further away Ashlyn slips.”

  “Sorry, dude. Just trying to bring some levity to a really tense situation,” Quill responded.

  Rayne rolled his eyes. “Zarina and Canyon are waiting for us, so let’s get on with this.” Laurel’s parents were standing together by the side of her bed when the men entered the room. Canyon held one of her hands while Zarina stroked Laurel’s long hair offering comfort and whispering quiet words to her. Kai thought Laurel looked beautiful and peaceful, but he couldn’t say the same for her parents. They looked exhausted.

  Rayne handed Kai the syringe filled with the same serum he had administered to Quill yesterday. Kai swabbed her arm with an alcohol wipe, took a deep breath, and prayed with all his heart that this would work.

  He spoke to her as if she could definitely hear him. “Okay, Laurel, this may sting a bit, but it’s going to be all right. You may experience some muscle reactions to the drug, but that’s perfectly normal. Don’t fight the medicine; let it do its job. We’re all here with you.”

  Kai gently pricked Laurel’s arm with the needle, slowly depressing the plunger, and emptying the contents into her body. He said a silent prayer to the God and Goddess that she would return to them. Moments later, her eyelids fluttered and the same trembling Quill had experienced commenced. Everyone in the room looked on nervously, but Kai remained in clinical mode. He watched the monitors carefully for any signs of distress, but her vital signs remained strong and steady.

  “What’s happening to her?” Zarina asked, turning an anxious gaze on Kai.

  “It’s okay. It’s normal. Quill had a similar reaction and he’s perfectly fine,” Kai reassured.

  After a short time, Laurel appeared to be breaking through the effects of the drug. Her spasms slowed, she squinted, and he could see her eyes fighting to remain open. Kai leaned over her and spoke softly, “Can you hear me, Laurel? Try to keep your eyes open. You may feel a little lightheaded, that’s also normal. Focus on my voice.”