Strange Fire

by Trina M. Lee

  Thrust into the chair by an unseen force, I struggled against it. Panic swelled to choke off my breath.

  The demon woman began to shuffle the cards, ignoring my efforts to escape. “The things I must show you cannot be missed. Be patient, and you’ll be on your way.” Holding the cards out before me, she smiled like that loving grandmother again. “Select one, please.”

  I stared at the cards, concerned they might bite. “I don’t want to.”

  “Well, dear, I didn’t ask if you want to.” She shoved them at me so they almost slapped me in the face.

  Scared but also angry, I snapped, “Fuck. Fine.” I snatched a card and tossed it down on the table. It flipped over as it landed. Tower. Damn. That card hadn’t turned out so well for Arrow.

  The old hag perused the card with wicked glee. “Destruction and chaos for you, flame bearer. You don’t stand a chance in what lies ahead. Like so many before you, you too will fail.”

  I gaped at her, jaw dropped. Did this bitch think this was my first circus? “Fuck. You. I know your tricks. I know your games. Don’t think you’re my first demon.”

  Tapping the card three times she cocked her head to the side and studied me. “Like the Tower you will fall. Your angel fills your head with false encouragement. He knows that, like those who preceded you, there is only failure in your future.”

  No way in hell would I believe anything any demon had to say about Cinder. Like him, they had a job to do. That was all this was, a ploy to fill me with doubt and fear. “I see right through you, bitch,” I hissed, filled with revulsion for everything this creature stood for. “Don’t waste your efforts on me.”

  She snatched my free hand and, with immense strength, slammed it down on the crystal ball. “See for yourself.”

  An electrical jolt shot through me, causing my body to seize. Fast moving visuals filled my head. Gruesome images of blood and mayhem. Bodies fallen in battle, hands clutching the Midnight Star. The flame bearers that had come before me. Death had not been kind to them.

  A blink and I was seeing the deaths of my friends. Rowen nailed to the cross we’d found him on back when Dash had first tried to unleash his full powers. Jett, the lapdog of demons, an amusement targeted for abuse. And Arrow, impaled on a sword. Not just any sword. The Midnight Star.

  “Do you see, flame bearer? This is what awaits you. Pain and death. It’s what every flame bearer brings upon the nephilim by trying to bring them to the light. For you all are abominations, and you deserve no less than what you’ll get.” With each word the demon hag’s voice deepened, becoming a monstrous reverberation in my ears.

  I struggled to pull my hand free from the crystal ball. My fingertips burned but I couldn’t let go. “I think you’ve made your point.”

  “If you try to save them, you will condemn them.” The voice seemed to fill the tent. It spoke a dark promise that would leave this place with me, should I manage to leave at all.

  “Right,” I ground out through clenched teeth. “Got it.”

  A snarling brown blur hit the demon in the chest, taking her down. Arrow appeared and with a swift kick, toppled the table and its contents. The crystal ball hit the ground and shattered, freeing me from its hold.

  “Spike? Are you ok?” Arrow looked me over before turning to help Jett by pinning the demon with shadows.

  I all but flew out of my seat, sword held ready. “Yeah, I am now.”

  When I got a clear shot, I plunged the blade into the demon’s middle. She gave a horrific cry and flailed about. We left her there clutching the wound, hurling curses after us.

  Through the tent flap and into the sulfuric drizzle, we ran for the forest where we’d first emerged. Several hellhounds lay dead. The bodies seemed to melt away into the ground, still dusty even in the downfall.

  “Looks like you guys really cleaned up.” I slipped the sword into its sheath, making it easier to run with my hands free.

  For a smoker, drinker, and recreational drug user, Arrow was surprisingly spry. “There’s always more. We need to get out of here before they come back in stronger numbers.”

  Jett reached the forest first and without hesitation plunged down the dark path. Immediately the rain stopped. I had no idea how we’d get out, but there was nowhere to go but back the way we’d come. The carnival music receded as we hurled deeper into the dead, spindly forest. There had to be a way out. There just had to be.

  The absence of vultures overhead seemed promising. We had to be getting close to where we’d come in.

  A rustle in the trees made me swallow hard. A sinking sensation filled me with dread. I suspected we were about to discover what had been stalking us through the trees on our way in.

  A massive beast stepped into our path so abruptly that Jett skidded to a halt lest she run smack into it. The head of a lion on meth roared in her face. It had a burly cat-like body and a scorpion’s tail. And the damn thing was cloaked in flames.

  “Fuck me sideways,” Arrow blurted.

  Unblinking, I took in the sight of a creature I’d only seen in drawings: manticore. I wanted to scream but fear had me paralyzed. Somehow I managed to say, “The hellhounds aren’t looking so bad right now.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Prowling from one side of the path to the other, the manticore pressed in close. I expected it to attack, and when it didn’t I realized it was herding us back to the carnival. It hadn’t come at us before because we hadn’t been trying to leave. It was here to stop us from escaping.

  Although the gatekeeper had warned us we would face such things, that warning had come after we’d already arrived at the carnival. Too little, too late.

  “Fuck this. I am not going back to that carnival,” Arrow growled.

  Shadows darted out from him to wrap around the creature’s legs, neck, and tail. Yet it still crept toward us, tail lashing about. The shadows gave way like they were made of ribbon. I knew Arrow’s shadows to be exceptionally strong. Even demons struggled to break free of them, but the manticore kept walking, unfazed.

  Next he tried paralyzing it, flinging a hand toward it. Nothing. Not even a heartbeat of immobilization.

  “What in the ever-loving fuck?” I drew my sword, doubting it would have any effect.

  The three of us were moving backward, step by step, never taking our gaze from the beast. Jett bared fangs in a silent snarl the manticore completely ignored.

  Reluctant to try fire on a flaming creature, I considered the sword. I’d have to get close to use it, and from what I’d seen so far, it probably wasn’t worth the risk. We had to do something.

  “Your turn, Spike,” Arrow said. “Slash that mother.”

  “So it can walk right through me? Screw that.”

  I didn’t want to do it, and Arrow’s encouragement did nothing to ease my fear. However, taking a deep breath, I stopped moving backward and stood my ground. The manticore stopped so close, the heat from its flaming body warmed me. Jett and Arrow kept moving to avoid the inferno.

  Possessing the fire element gave me some advantage. I faced down the manticore, trying not to tremble in my boots. Perplexed by my refusal to move, the creature leaned in to sniff me, so close it almost touched my face with its nose. I held my breath, trying to keep from shrieking. Its mouth full of sharp teeth opened wide, and it roared right in my face. I did shriek then. A blast of fire shot from its gaping maw and rolled over me.

  I took my chance and swung the sword.

  Big mistake.

  It thudded like hitting concrete. Any regular sword would have splintered into several shards. The angelic blade held up, but the impact reverberated into my arm.

  The manticore huffed as if offended I’d tried such a thing. Then it headbutted me, throwing me to the thirsty ground where I tumbled and rolled. I grunted as I had the breath knocked from me. Arrow scooped me under both arms and hauled me to my feet. I fell against him trying to get my balance after taking such a spill. His arms went around my waist.

  Haz
el eyes filled with concern, he steadied me. “You ok?”

  A giant friggin’ manticore bore down on us, yet I couldn’t help but be keenly aware of his body pressed against mine. After falling on top of him in the House of Mirrors, this seemed especially awkward.

  I nodded and pulled away. “Yeah, thanks.” Again we were back-stepping as the manticore herded us like animals.

  “So what now? This thing’s not going to let us leave.” Arrow reached to wipe a smear of dirt off my face. His gaze strayed to my hair. “What’s with the feather?”

  The feather. I’d almost forgotten about it in the face of impending doom. The demon who’d given it to me had a daughter named Winter. A daughter hopefully named after her element, like I had been. Nephilim didn’t always inherit their father’s abilities. Rowen and Arrow had differing abilities. For now anyway. But it was common for the element to pass from father to child.

  “I hope this works.” I reached for the feather.

  It held that spark of power, and I found what I sought. I pulled on that glimmer of frost, swiping what I could from the feather. A frigid sensation blasted through me. Just what I’d hoped for. Now if only it would work.

  Both hands extended before me, I released the stolen demon power. It burst forth in a blizzard of ice and snow. I directed it at the manticore, crying out under the sudden pressure of the force. Ice coated the manticore, freezing its gaping maw shut and spreading over its body. The flames cloaking it went out. The ice thickened, and the beast froze in place.

  Undiluted demon power did the trick. Thank you, Winter’s father, whomever you are.

  “Holy shit,” Arrow shouted. “How did you do that?”

  “Later. Let’s move.”

  Knowing we didn’t have much time before the beast broke free, I ducked under its big head and took off back down the path. Jett and Arrow sprinted right behind me. We ran like the devil himself were chasing us. Which wasn’t so far off the truth.

  When we rounded a bend and came upon the vulture-headed demon with his cup of eyeballs, I groaned inwardly. We didn’t have time for this.

  To my shock and horror, Arrow reached into his pocket and pulled out a bloody eyeball. He paused near the demon to toss it into the cup.

  “Arrow, what the fuck?”

  He shrugged. “It’s from a hellhound. I came prepared.”

  The vulture-headed demon seemed pleased with the offering. He stood back and watched us run by. This place was fucked.

  After what seemed like ages but was probably only minutes, we reached a point where we could go no further. The forest ended, and all that remained was a wall of black. And standing in front of it, the skeletal gatekeeper waited.

  He greeted us with his lipless grin. “You made it. Good for you. I’m sure you’re eager to get home. Time to pay up. One of your memories will buy safe passage for the three of you.”

  “What kind of memory?” I asked. No answer would be a good answer.

  The gatekeeper held his bony hand up, fingers dancing in the air. He reached for me but didn’t touch. “May I? Just a little peek inside. I promise it won’t hurt.”

  That sounded reassuring. “Do I have a choice?”

  “Well of course. You can stay.” His joyous cackle didn’t inspire confidence.

  Jett growled, her stance braced and ready for a fight.

  I waved a hand to keep her back. “Fine, do whatever.” I braced myself though I didn’t know for what.

  A bony finger snaked out toward me. It tapped against my temple a few times before resting there. For a moment nothing happened. Then like a highlight reel of a movie, the memories began to surface, projected against the blankness of the exit. Each one flashed in my mind long enough for me to remember it, to really feel it again. Then, before I could fall too far into it, another took its place.

  Christmas at my grandmother’s house when I was nine. That was the year I got the bike I’d been begging my mother for. It was years later I realized my single mom had saved all year to buy it and then given the credit to Santa Claus.

  The first show I played with Crimson Sin. It had been in the seediest little pub filled with old guys trying to watch a hockey game. Maybe about ten people had paid us any attention. But we walked out of that place fifty bucks richer feeling like anything was possible.

  The gatekeeper withdrew and somehow his constant skeletal grin appeared grim. “I want that one.”

  The exact memory he referred to was immediately lost to me. He left me Christmas and my first show with the girls, but he took something else. It left a blank spot in the recesses of my mind.

  The doorway opened where we’d come in, and pleased with himself, the gatekeeper stepped aside to allow us through. We walked back into my apartment, and the portal disappeared. According to the clock on the stove, we’d been gone just a few hours. It felt like so much longer.

  Jett padded into my bedroom to shift forms and dig through my clean laundry for something to wear. I tossed her top in after her before flopping heavily on the armchair in the living room.

  Disoriented and confused, I glanced at Arrow who’d sprawled on the couch. “What just happened? I mean, what memory did he take from me? I can’t remember. Obviously.”

  Arrow shifted away, staring at the terrarium housing my tortoise. “It was Rowen. A night you guys spent together. His birthday.”

  Rowen’s birthday had been just a few weeks after our break up. Though we weren’t supposed to be alone together, he’d come here anyway. I remembered ordering pizza and drinking way too much vodka, knowing I should send him home but being unable to bring myself to do so.

  And there the memory went dark. What had happened that night that made the gatekeeper find it worthy of taking?

  “Did the gatekeeper say anything else? Anything that would explain why he chose that night to take?” Exhausted and sore, I tried to get comfortable in the arm chair but failed.

  “No, he didn’t. Sorry, Spike.” Arrow stretched and yawned. “I should get going. Are you all good?”

  “Yeah, for sure. Of course.” I retained one memory that still burned bright: Arrow’s kiss. When I raised a hand to touch my lips, I realized what I was doing and dropped it back to my lap.

  He pushed off the couch and headed for the door. “I’ll touch base with you tomorrow. You can tell me where the hell you got that feather.”

  “Will do. Good night, Arrow.” My gaze darted to the clock. “Or morning I guess.”

  “Later, angel girl.” The click of the door followed his exit.

  Jett emerged from my bedroom in her top and a pair of my PJ pants. “He left in a hurry. Must be too awkward for him since you two kissed and all.”

  “Jett, no.” I shook my head and stifled a yawn that wouldn’t be refused. “I’m tired.”

  She perched on the arm of my chair. “Then you better talk fast so you can hit the sack.”

  I rubbed my gritty eyes. “Do you know anything about the memory the gatekeeper took? Rowen’s birthday. What happened that night? I must’ve told you.”

  Jett’s expression changed as fast as Arrow’s had. She hopped up and went into the kitchen. “You know what? The girl talk can wait until we’ve had some sleep. I’m wicked tired. You don’t mind if I crash here, do you?”

  Strange. Why did nobody want to remind me what the hell I was missing here? I frowned, watching as she busied herself getting a drink of water. Should I push the issue? My vision blurred from fatigue. Something told me if I nagged it out of her I might not sleep at all.

  “No,” I said, biting back what I really wanted to say. “Course I don’t mind.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Jett was gone when I woke up. The crafty werewolf had given me the slip. I’d catch up to her eventually. As much as I wanted to know what memory I’d lost, the alignment was due to take place soon. It had to be my priority.

  Despite the stressful prison-realm visit, I’d slept hard and deep. I’d awoken ravenous and overjoyed to find C
inder bustling around the kitchen.

  After a much-needed shower I plopped into a chair at the table. “Man, am I glad to see you. For a while there I wasn’t sure we’d make it home.”

  “I had complete faith you’d find your way back.” Cinder turned from the stove with a plate of food in each hand. “And here you are.”

  He set a plate before me loaded with scrambled eggs, sausage, toast, and some strawberries and melon off to the side. An absolutely necessary giant cup of coffee followed. He waited for me to stuff myself with food and guzzle a mug and a half of coffee before pressing me for details. I recounted the visit for him, leaving nothing out. It felt strange to talk about my father after so many years of doing my best to avoid thinking of him.

  “Do you view him differently now, after having met him?” Munching on a strawberry, Cinder seemed hopeful as he awaited my response.

  “I don’t know. I guess so.” I dragged my fork through the remainder of my eggs. “He wasn’t what I expected, that’s for sure. Sure beat Rowen and Arrow’s piece of shit father though.”

  Cinder frowned an unspoken scolding. “Rhine is certainly difficult. I feel for Arrow. I’m sure that wasn’t easy for him.”

  “So who’s Winter?” Caffeine raced through my veins. Sweet bliss. “And why did her father think I’d be the best person to pass on his feather?”

  “Desperation made that choice. He’s probably been giving them to every visitor he encounters. Most never make it out.” Cinder sipped his own coffee much slower than the way I devoured mine. Moderation was a real thing with him. “Winter was nephilim, a rare female like you. She died a long time ago. Her father must have never been told. Such a shame.”

  I actually felt kind of bad for the guy. Sitting in that damn theatre against his will, waiting for someone to pass through to send a message to his daughter via a feather. “That’s kind of sad.” I found myself feeling empathetic toward the demon.