The Alchemy of Desire

by Crista McHugh

  Cager shot Diah a glance that told him to calm down. “Yeah, I agree with you there.”

  “Try and stay warm tonight, guys.” The guard moseyed over to the mess, leaving them alone.

  “Go inside and get her, Diah. I’ll stay out here.”

  He opened the door and stepped into the dark room. “Oni,” he whispered, but no answer came. Of course, he shouldn’t have expected one. His eyes adjusted to the low light and he saw her lying on the ground in front of him. It looked as if they had tossed her in here like a sack of flour. He knelt beside her to turn her over.

  The beam of light from the cracked door fell on her face. She slept without any evidence of the torture she endured. He stroked his cheek and she stirred.

  “Oni, it’s Diah. Open your eyes for me.”

  She whimpered and her eyelids scrunched together in a grimace. “It burns.”

  Diah snatched his hand back. “Cager, something’s wrong with her.”

  He poked his head in. “What do you mean?”

  “I touched her and she acted like I was setting her on fire.”

  “Shit!” Cager came in and shut the door behind him. “I didn’t think they’d be that cruel.” He crouched next to her and felt the pulse at her wrist, producing the same reaction from her.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “A choler spell. It makes you feel like your body is burning from the inside out. Very useful when trying to get information from someone without physically hurting them.”

  A jolt of disgust hit him, making him almost lose the contents of this stomach. “And how would you know about it?”

  Cager looked away. “I told you I was good at what I did during the war. I never said I was nice about it.” He pressed his wand against her temple. “I think I can reverse some of the effects, although I admit, I’ve never had the opportunity to try it.”

  “Just do what you think will help so we can get out of here.”

  The spell Cager cast was different from any other spell he had seen. A pale blue light rippled over her body from her head down to her toes like a wave of water.

  Oni opened her eyes as it faded and looked around in confusion. “Where am I?”

  Diah gathered her in his arms and held her close. The warmth of her breath against his neck soothed his fears. She was alive and that was all he needed to know for now.

  “Oni, what did they want from you?”

  “Cager, this isn’t the time for interrogation.”

  She blinked like she was staring into the sun rather than sitting in the dark room. “I wouldn’t tell them. But they kept…” Her eyes grew wide and she gasped. “It burned.”

  He glared at his brother for making her relive those memories so soon.

  “She’ll be fine in the morning.” Cager peeked out the door. “If we’re going to get her out of here, I’m going to need to bring the horses here. I doubt she’ll be able to walk, and it’ll draw some strange glances if you carry her across the fort.” He slipped out into the night.

  Diah ran his hand over her silky hair as she clung to him. “It’ll be all right. We’ll get you away from this place and they’ll never hurt you again.”

  “How can you be so sure?” Her voice sounded like she was drugged or still half asleep.

  He didn’t have an answer for her, so he held on to her even tighter. The silence continued until Cager reappeared.

  “I have two horses outside.” He picked up the pack and checked outside. “It’s clear. Let her ride with you and let’s pray no one catches us.”

  He lifted her, but she grabbed his brother’s arm. “My wand. They took it, and…”

  Cager placed his hand over hers. “Who has it?”

  “Jenkins, in the house.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll get it.”

  She reached into her pouch and pulled out a small vial. “Take this. May need it.” Her eyes closed as if that little bit of conversation exhausted her.

  Doubt nagged at him, eating away his fear and replacing it with jealousy. Why did she seek Cager’s help and not his? “Why can’t we just leave it and get her another one later?”

  Cager caught the vial before it slipped from her fingers. “You wouldn’t understand. You’re not a Wielder. Just get her out of here and I’ll meet you where we left our stuff.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  He flashed his most reckless grin. “Get her wand back.”

  Before Diah could argue, his brother ran toward the house. This was ridiculous. It was only a wand, after all. She could always have another one made. It’s not like she was a skilled Wielder anyway.

  “Cager’s going to be the death of me,” he muttered as he snuck out of the building. The horses were just outside and he lifted her into the saddle. She slumped forward and he scrambled to keep her from falling. “No wonder he was so eager to leave.”

  “Sorry, just so…”

  He mounted in front of her and her head rested against his back. “I’m sorry, Oni. I’m just worried.”

  “He’ll be fine.”

  “If you say so.” The words did little to comfort him, but he had to trust that his brother knew what he was doing.

  She gripped his waist. “Trust him.”

  “I’m going to have to.” He cast one more glance back at the house. Cager was nowhere to been seen, and Diah was pressing his luck by lingering. “Let’s get you out of here.”

  He nudged the horse forward and came out of the shadows. The center of the fort appeared mostly empty. As long as he didn’t attract too much attention, he could slip out. He was barely outside the main gates when a flash of light illuminated the night. Everyone in the fort turned to see where it came from, and he could see the faint outline of a man running right before the lone house burst into flames. The smell of sulfur filled the air.

  The fort erupted in confusion and Diah used the distraction to get as far away as he could. Oni flopped against him like a rag doll, her head bobbing with each stride of the horse. He reached the place where they left their bags, and hopped off the horse. He needed to act quickly.

  Another rider came up behind him and he drew his rifle.

  “Put that down, Diah,” a familiar voice said. “It’s me.”

  “Thank God you’re all right.” He watched Cager jump down before the horse stopped and throw his bags over the other one. “I saw the explosion and—”

  “Yeah, I almost forgot how useful black fire can be. I don’t think Jenkins liked it much. If he survived, that is.”

  He paused from transferring Oni down from one saddle to the other. “What do you mean?”

  “Let’s just say I carried out the revenge for her. He’ll know what it’s like to truly burn.”

  “Cager—”

  “Don’t go all noble on me, Diah. You have no idea what he did to her. He deserved it, and if you’d been in my shoes, you probably would have done worse.” Something flashed in his hand. “At least I was able to get her wand back.”

  “You still need to explain to me why you felt compelled to retrieve that.”

  “I owed her that much.”

  Voices filtered in from the direction of the fort. They needed to get moving. He jostled Oni until she moaned. “Where do we need to go?”

  She lifted her head. “South. Caves in the bluff.” Then she slumped over again.

  Cager’s horse pranced with nervous energy, no doubt sensing their urgency. He struggled to rein him in while Diah mounted. “You heard the woman. This way.”

  The rain poured down, soaking every fiber of their clothing before they found the caves she spoke of. Diah shivered as he eased her down from the horse and carried her into a cave. She didn’t stir as he laid her down and went to retrieve the rest of their stuff. When he returned, he saw his brother leaning over her. “What are you doing?”

  “Relax,” Cager said with a wave of his hand. “I was just checking on her.” He stood and moved to the other side of the small cave. “She j
ust needs to sleep it off.”

  He dropped the pack along the wall. “I wonder if we should build a fire.”

  “I’d doubt they’d see it, even if they’re stupid enough to chase us in this weather. My question is where are we going to find dry wood to burn?”

  “I thought I saw something in the corner there.”

  Cager went to investigate while he searched the bag for something to change into. Oni’s pack was the only that seemed to be impervious to water, and thankfully had kept the clothes she’d purchased earlier dry. He held up the shirts and trousers and prayed there would something that fit him.

  “It looks like cow patties and twigs.”

  “Will they burn, though?”

  Cager carried an armload and dropped it in the center of the cave. “Let’s hope so.” He pulled out a steel and flint and began trying to light the pile.

  Diah grabbed what he thought were his clothes and stripped out of the wet wool uniform. It seemed to be glued to his skin, but once he got out of it, the cold air assaulted his naked flesh. He hurried to put on the new clothes. They fit as well as anything he had back home, even though the pants were a little loose around the waist.

  He turned to Oni and thought he saw a smile on her face. It was an improvement over the grimaces from earlier.

  The fire ignited and Cager fed it some more of the twigs. “Is there something in there for me?”

  He tossed the pack to him. “Help yourself.”

  Diah poked a stick into the fire and stared into the flames. “I’m glad no one got shot this time.”

  Cager gave a short laugh. “Yeah, me too.”

  “Why did you risk your life for that wand?”

  “I told you, it’s a Wielder thing.” He held his hands out in front of the fire to warm them.

  “Are you always going to be this vague with me?”

  “Fine.” He sighed and leaned back against the cave wall. “Wielders become very attached to their wands, almost to the point that they can’t cast magic on any other wand. Oni’s wand had been in her family for years. She couldn’t leave it behind.”

  “And how did you determine that from those few words she told you?”

  “Like I said, it’s a Wielder thing.”

  Jealousy crept over him like a sinister shadow. Why was there something that Cager knew about her that he didn’t? And why did she trust him to retrieve her wand?

  She made a noise in her sleep and rolled over on her side.

  Cager crawled over to her and covered her with one of the hides. He laid his wand against it, and the blanket glowed red for a brief second. “She’s stronger than I gave her credit for, Diah. Or to be more accurate, maybe more stubborn.”

  He itched to shove him away from her, but he saw the smile return to her face. “What do you mean?”

  “The choler spell is, for the lack of a better word, one of the cruelest spells a Wielder can use. I learned it at the beginning of the war. Most people I used it on told me what I wanted to know rather quickly. If the guard was right and she didn’t tell Hinkle anything, then she must have found some way to resist it, especially considering that Jenkins used her own wand against her.”

  “And that makes a difference?”

  He looked up. “Oh, yes, it does. Your wand becomes like an extension of yourself. The longer you use it, the more a part of you it is. Oni’s had her wand since she was a child. To have someone use it against you is like having a family member stab you in the back. It makes the pain that much more intense, like a betrayal of sorts.”

  A red lens clouded Diah’s vision when he thought about what Jenkins had done to her. “I’m glad you set him on fire, then.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Oni awoke to the sound of geese honking. Where am I?

  Memories from the day before flooded her mind and she bolted up. Her heart pounded as she remembered standing in front of Hinkle and Jenkins followed by the sensation of her flesh melting away. Please don’t let me have told them anything.

  She wrapped the buffalo hide around her to ward off the early-morning chill. Tendrils of fog rolled in from the opening of the cave. The embers of a fire glowed a few feet from her, but as far as she could tell, she was alone. How did I get here? For a moment, she feared she’d shifted and sought shelter here while she was still in her coyote form, but as she thought about it, the familiar call tugged at her. It had been almost a week since she’d last shifted and the urge was stronger than ever.

  Boots crunched the gravel outside and she tensed. Don’t be Hinkle.

  “Oni, are you up yet?” Diah’s face appeared through the fog. Worry furrowed his brow. “How are you feeling this morning?” He knelt next to her and rubbed his hand over the back of her head.

  “A little confused. What happened last night? Where are we?”

  “I’ll explain later. We need to get moving before Hinkle picks up our trail.”

  She nodded and allowed him to pull her to her feet. The last thing she wanted to do was run into that man again. She checked her belt and found the last vial of black fire in her pouch, but her dagger was gone. Fear choked her when she remembered that Jenkins had taken it and used it against her.

  “Looking for this?”

  She turned to see Cager behind her, dangling her wand in front of him. “You got it for me?” She held her hand out.

  He grinned. “You asked me to retrieve it and I couldn’t deny you your request.” The sheathed blade touched her palm, but he didn’t release the hilt immediately. “I knew how much you wanted it.”

  Diah cleared his throat in a way that almost sounded like a growl. He scowled as he grabbed two of the bags. “Stop the dillydallying and let’s get a move on.”

  Cager tightened his grip on the dagger. “Don’t mind him. He’s been in a foul mood since I told him there are things between you and me he’d never understand because he isn’t a Wielder.”

  “There’s nothing between us, Cager, and you know it. Quit trying to upset your brother.” She dug her nails into his fingers to pry them off her wand.

  He laughed and relinquished his grip. “Why should you care? After all, when everything is said and done, you’ll go your way and he’ll go his. I’m just trying to keep him from falling any harder for you than he has already so I don’t have to listen to him whine all the way home.”

  “How would you like to be castrated?” She drew the dagger and pointed the blade at his groin.

  “There would be a lot of disappointed women out there if you did that.” He backed away. “What I’m dying to know is why Diah? Why not me?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You could have your fling with me and neither of us would be heartbroken when it ended. Diah, on the other hand, is a more sensitive soul. Why are you playing games with him and setting him up to be hurt?”

  Cager’s words hit her like a punch in the gut. Would Diah really miss her? “Are you asking this because you’re jealous or because you actually care about your brother’s happiness?”

  “Maybe a bit of both.”

  How could she explain it without resorting to those silly, nonsensical notions like “love at first sight”? Because it wasn’t that way. She hadn’t fallen in love with him immediately. He’d grown on her with each passing day, each conversation, each gentle touch and kind gesture. “He treats me like I’m the most precious thing on earth.”

  Cager didn’t seem impressed with her answer, but it was none of his business how she felt about Diah anyway. She reattached the dagger to her belt and left the cave.

  Diah was securing the bags to the saddles. “Finish your little conversation?”

  “In more than one way.”

  Jealousy flashed in his eyes. Did he seriously think she’d prefer Cager to him? But he resumed preparations and said nothing when his brother joined them. His silence stretched through the day.

  As they rode, questions churned in Oni’s stomach like spoiled meat. Would she just end up hurting Diah?
Stars above, she never meant to hurt him, not after he’d been so kind to her. She couldn’t deny she wanted to be with him; but how long could that last? He was who he was, with his obligations to his family back home. And she was who she was—a half-breed freak of nature who had the tendency to sprout fur and howl at the moon.

  When they stopped to make camp for the night, the clouds parted to reveal the tiny sliver of the moon. The call hit her then with an intensity of a steam locomotive and almost knocked her to her feet. It took every ounce of her strength to keep it under control. Despite the icy chill in the air, sweat beaded on her forehead. She had to get out here before they saw her.

  “Oni, are you feeling ill?”

  Her breath came in pants and she couldn’t answer Diah’s question. If she opened her mouth, there was a good chance a bark or a growl would emerge. She shook her head and stumbled off to the hills. There had to be a place where she could shift without them seeing her.

  She looked over her shoulder and held her breath. No one behind her. As she exhaled, her body shrank and she allowed her mind to surrender to the spirit of the coyote.

  The scents of the night assaulted her nose. Her ears flickered to the sound of claws scraping the dirt. A prairie dog. Her empty stomach growled and she ran in pursuit of the prey. It was an easy catch, with her hunger driving her actions and forcing all other concerns out of her mind. She dug at his den and snapped up the plump rodent. Then she feasted.

  The prairie dog was almost completely devoured by the time she heard the rustle nearby. She froze.

  “Oni,” a voice called.

  She dove into the brush, leaving the unfinished portion of her meal behind. Her gaze traveled up a large man walking through the grass with red hair that glowed like fire under the moonlight. His rifle jutted out a couple of feet in front of him, ready to aim and fire should he need to do so.

  “Oni,” Diah called again.