Fire and Fantasy: a Limited Edition Collection of Epic and Urban Fantasy

by CK Dawn

  “Yes,” Gabe said, his hunger gnawing to the forefront as the scent of meat and grease pervaded the air.

  “What do you see when you look at them?”

  “Humans.” Fighting to keep the bitterness from his tone, he said, “Emotional, unpredictable, ordinary humans.”

  “Ah, that’s the angel talking.” Albert chuckled. “The angel from the position of superiority we’re bred and fed.” He leaned in. “Know what I see?”

  Gabe took a step back not wanting to buy into whatever the old fallen was selling. “You still going to tell me if I say no?”

  Continuing as if uninterrupted, Albert said, “I see life.” He pointed at individual humans as he spoke. “The man there. The one with the dark hair. He’s a college student from Beijing studying at NYU. He likes this all-American blonde from his class. He never talks to her, too afraid she’ll be turned off by his accent or mock his English.” He sighed. “Behind him, the woman in her twilight years has twelve grandchildren, twelve. She thinks about each one of them every day. She prays at night she doesn’t forget their names, their faces, that she’ll keep her memories and senses until her final breath.”

  Gabe folded his arms across his chest and sucked his teeth. The knowledge of these humans’ lives... His chest tightened. “Why are you telling me this?”

  “This is Earth, Gabe. This is the freedom and the passion you could never have as part of the Light. These people worry because they have something to worry about. They love. They care. They feel in a way no angel ever could.” Albert inhaled. His nostrils flared. “I love this place. Light and Darkness mix on Earth, but this world belongs to neither of them. It never should.” He moved closer and gripped the younger fallen’s arm. “Stay here awhile and you’ll understand my words.”

  “I have no intention of understanding.” His temper resurfaced as Albert’s motives became clear. Gabe jerked back his arm. “You won’t tempt me with this life. Human emotions are undisciplined. This world is erratic. Choosing to stay here, instead of earning your redemption, was a choice of anarchy over peace. A fool’s choice. I will not be such a fool.”

  Albert shook his head and sadness filled his gaze. “It’s through chaos we learn who we truly are.” He turned and fled down the street. People parted for him as if he possessed some type of invisible force around his body.

  Standing alone while in the middle of so many people, Gabe chewed over his emotions. This is Earth. This is its power; its temptation. He tried to convince himself and silence the inner turmoil. As an angel, his pride grew from his confidence and certainty in his decisions. Doubt was not part of his genetic makeup. At least it’s what he’d always believed. Since falling to Earth, every thought he had, each decision he made, he called into question. Is it this place? Or is it truth? He glanced further down the street to find Albert standing at the end of it watching him.

  “I can’t care,” Gabe said aloud to no one in particular. “I have to steel myself against emotions, against these people, against this Key.” He pictured Cassie, strong and determined, kicking him out of her apartment and denying the truth about her true nature. “Especially against her.”

  A woman’s shrill scream rang out a pace from where he stood. He turned toward the sound without thought. The woman hung onto a traffic pole as if too frightened to support her weight. Just beyond her, a yellow taxicab barreled down the road faster than any other car. It approached the intersection where a small boy with curly hair and wide eyes stood immobile in the middle of the crosswalk. In a breath, the boy would die under the cab’s unmerciful force.

  All of Gabe’s doubts and indecisions melted away. No question remained, only action. Later he would claim to Albert it had been instinct driving him, not concern. But, it would be a lie. He wanted to save the boy. He desired it down to his bones. It went beyond rational thought. He felt it and the emotion could not be denied.

  Gabe grabbed the boy just before the taxi could make impact. He rolled on the pavement with the tiny human cradled in his arms. When he rose to his feet, he made sure the boy could stand and the mother wouldn’t pass out from shock, before he wished them both well and moved on. People applauded and slapped him on the back as he found Albert once more amongst the crowd. Someone even called him a hero.

  “So,” Albert said with a smile as wide as his face. “Are you hungry, hero?”

  Gabe didn’t respond. He paced the streets with the older fallen at his side. The noises of cars honking, people talking, pigeons chirping, lights buzzing and infinite sounds bombarded his senses. He concentrated on each of them in turn to avoid his own thoughts. If he listened enough, maybe he could block out all of his internal struggles. Maybe he could pretend he was an outsider, an observer and not part of the fabric of Earth. He could try.

  “Come on, young one,” Albert said with a knowing look. “I promise things will look brighter after a pizza.”

  “Pizza?” Gabe asked, too tired to argue.

  “Now you see, no one, and I mean no one whether angel, fallen, human or other should ever be denied the experience of classic New York pizza.”

  “Why not?” Gabe sighed and a stray thought ran across his mind. As they entered the pizza parlor, he turned to Albert and gave the idea voice. “You know, maybe you should tell me more about this Alice and the rabbit hole.”

  Albert’s boisterous laugh brought about a few stares from patrons. He whispered to Gabe. “I think you might be right, my young friend. I think you might be right.”

  Six

  Parallel lines of light and shadow streamed across Gabe’s face. Weeks had passed in a blur as he spent the time learning from Albert and contemplating his decisions. On this morning, he stared about the room. Everything came rushing back. All that had occurred since the moment he’d fallen from the Light hit him with crushing force.

  “What have I done?” he asked to the empty room. “What do I do now?” He resisted the urge to place his arm over his head and wallow in self-pity. Not his style. Instead, he pushed himself to a sitting position, put his hands behind his head, and leaned against the oak headboard in thought.

  As Gabe pondered his situation, three knocks sounded on the bedroom door. “Mr. Gabe, sir,” followed the sweet voice of Albert’s maid, Maribel. “Are you awake?”

  “Yes,” Gabe said after a brief hesitation. “Can I help you?”

  Maribel entered the room with a breakfast tray in hand. She wore a black shirt, black slacks, and white apron about her plump waist. If the slacks had been a long skirt, she could have passed for a domestic servant of an earlier age. Albert’s soft spot for history. Gabe’s smirked. Then again, I suppose in essence he is living history.

  “Mr. Albert said to attend to you this morning,” Maribel said. “And for as long as you may need.”

  “Really?” He cocked a brow. “And where is Mr. Albert?”

  “He’s gone away on some business. He left you this note and told me to give it to you with breakfast.” She placed the tray on the edge of the bed, picked up the letter and handed it to Gabe.

  “Thank you.” He took the letter and placed it face down on the bed. The meal’s sweet aroma reached his nose. It smelled far too tempting to bother about the letter just now. A large stack of pancakes doused in syrup, bread with butter and jam, bacon, sausage and scrambled eggs beckoned to him. His stomach rumbled. His hunger as fierce as it had been the first day in the diner. The memory brought with it a pang of annoyance, but he pushed it aside. There would be time to worry about rectifying the situation with Cassie later.

  Maribel stood silent, staring at him. She coughed, then asked, “Aren’t you going to read the letter, Mr. Gabe?”

  Gabe looked up from the breakfast. Another one too curious for her own good. He picked up the letter again, opened it and read it aloud for Maribel:

  “Dear Gabe,

  I apologize for not being there to greet you this morning. The revelations of the past few weeks leave me with many questions. I have gone away
on trip, one of discovery. Please feel free to continue to utilize the house and any of my possessions at your discretion. I have left explicit instructions with Maribel to give you free rein. See my trust is not misplaced. I expect all will be in order upon my return. Until we meet again, my young friend, good luck!

  Albert

  PS Enjoy the oatmeal cookies”

  He folded the letter and placed it back in the envelope. Without pause, he began to dig into the ample breakfast. Maribel exited the room. As Gabe’s hunger subsided, the earlier emotions churned in his stomach. He pushed the now empty tray aside and lay back on the bed once more. Staring up at the bare ceiling, he contemplated his next move.

  Cassie shuddered and resisted the urge to scream. Another dream. The remnants of it swam in her head. Since the day before they met in the diner to the incident in her apartment a few weeks ago, Cassie had been having nightly dreams, and sometimes daytime visions, about Gabe. Some shook her to the core. Creatures, far beyond what her imagination could conjure, tormented her while Gabe watched. Other dreams starring Gabe were all too sensual, all too enjoyable and reminded her of just how long it’d been since... Oh jeez.

  Yet, tonight’s dream was perhaps the most disturbing of all. It gave a full account, with all the tiny details, of the night she threw him out of the apartment. Time and distance from the event gave her more clarity. One thing she could not deny, no matter her feelings, was Gabe had saved her from...something. Whether or not he was crazy was another story. She owed him and the debt poked at her conscience.

  “What do you think, Maia?” Cassie rose from the small couch and stretched her tired limbs. She’d fallen asleep just after dinner while watching the six o’clock news. It was nearly nine now. “Is he nuts?”

  Maia, her Siamese cat, mimicked her master’s movements by arching her back and stretching her long legs. Her nails dug into the wool fur on her tiny bed. “Meow.”

  “Yeah. I’m not too sure either.” Cassie picked her up and placed the sleepy cat on her lap. She’d found Maia as a tiny kitten over ten years ago and they had formed an instant bond. Two orphans. It’d been Cassie’s first thought upon plucking the homeless kitty from a filthy garbage can. She sighed at the memory, scratching behind Maia’s ears as she let her mind wander over the incident with Gabe. “What if he’s not crazy?”

  The troubling thought didn’t have time to linger as a loud chirping distracted her. Chirp. Chirp. Louder. More persistent. Chirp. Chirp. It seemed to be coming from her leather bag. Cassie had thrown the bag across the room earlier in a fit of temper. “I’m coming,” she called towards the continual chirps.

  “Hello,” she said into her cell phone.

  “Well, hello there, hermit,” said a peppy Zoey from the other end.

  “Hi Zoey.” Cassie tried to get in coughs for good measure between words. “What’s up?”

  “Don’t even bother, Cas. I know you too well. You’re not getting out of it tonight. So save your coughs for someone who believes them.”

  Cassie rolled her eyes and sighed.

  “Save the sighs too. And the eye rolling. I can practically hear them through the phone.”

  “How could you possibly know?” She couldn’t help laughing at her friend’s perception. “I guess you do know me too well. It’s not fair.”

  “True. But, I’m also a genius, silly. I thought you knew by now.” Zoey’s happy energy rang through the receiver.

  “Uh-huh. Well, then tell me this, oh genius one, what will be my method for getting out of this evening?” Even as Cassie asked, she strolled over to her bedroom closet and began to rummage through it for an outfit. She knew she’d been defeated but didn’t give up just yet.

  “Hmm. Let me consult my trusty and very scientific...” Zoey paused for emphasis, “Magic eight ball.” Her hums vibrated over the line. “Sorry. It seems fate is against you. It has decreed you must keep up your promise of going to the club with your friend tonight.”

  “So I thought.” Cassie considered volunteering for a night shift at the diner.

  “Cassie.” Zoey’s tone turned serious. “I will be over there in twenty minutes. I expect you to be ready, or at least in the process of getting ready. You’ve been stuck in your apartment for too long. You are coming out tonight, even if I have to drag you myself.”

  “Yes, mother.”

  “That’s right!” Zoey cried, perking up. “See you in a bit.”

  “See you, Zo.” Cassie clicked the phone closed letting one more sigh escape. She had no desire to go anywhere let alone to a crowded club to mingle with a bunch of drunk and sweaty strangers. Then again, all of this questioning hasn’t done me any good either. A distraction could help. She paced around the room before returning to her closet, all the while wondering if she was going crazy. She hadn’t told anyone about the incident with Gabe and all of the strange dream visions, not even Zoey. She didn’t know how to explain it, and she’d already worried her friend enough by telling her about the headaches. She owed it to Zoey to put on a happy face tonight.

  “At least she’ll stop nagging me for a little while.” Cassie chuckled as she pulled on a black mini skirt, red halter-top, and black leather knee high boots with serious heels. A silver choker with a ruby in the middle and small silver hoop earrings completed the outfit. Smiling to Maia, she said, “If I’m going to go, might as well look good.” She brushed out her thick hair and let it hang straight, where it trailed midway down her back. Her hair was one feature she actually liked, though she often wondered whether the black color came from her biological mother or father. She huffed at her reflection. “Don’t go there. Happy face, remember?”

  As Cassie finished applying a smoky eye shadow, mascara and dark burgundy lipstick, the doorbell rang. Jeez, Zoey isn’t messing around. She grabbed her bag and black leather jacket as she called a loud, “Coming.”

  From the other side of the door a voice answered, “You’d better be.” Cassie laughed as she opened the door to face an awestruck Zoey.

  “You’re ready.” Zoey gave Cassie the once over and nodded her head in approval. “And you look great.”

  “Ah, thank you,” Cassie said, pulling the door shut behind her. She gave Zoey a quick hug and then stepped back to admire her friend. Zoey wore skintight black jeans that screamed designer, a low cut metallic blue shirt with a long silver necklace, and stilettos whose height demanded attention. “You look incredible.”

  “Naturally.” Zoey wiggled her brows. “Thank you.” She took Cassie by the arm and dragged her into the night. “I’m so excited you’re coming tonight. I feel like a teen.” Zoey hailed a cab with expert finesse.

  “I’m sure we’ll have a good time,” Cassie said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. She added under her breath, “Just like a root canal.”

  When they pulled up to the building a few minutes later, her last drops of hope for escape faded. Brick, painted a midnight black, encased the club’s exterior walls. It possessed no windows and the glowing red sign above the entrance read “Private.” Why do I do this to myself? Cassie swallowed hard.

  As they got out of the cab and walked to the front door, a narrow alleyway to the side of the building caught Cassie’s attention. She paused and peered in. It was impossible to see down, but she’d bet anything there was an emergency exit for the club somewhere within the darkness. Escape plan – check. Now, I just need an excuse. But before she could think of one, her friend’s voice interrupted her scheming.

  “Come on, Cas, it’ll be fine.” Zoey led the way into the club, past the cliché burly bouncer who nodded to Zoey like he knew her. Considering how much she went out, he probably did.

  Blaring music hit them full force. The house beats intermingled with rock metal, the noise so loud identifying the song playing became impossible. Cassie could feel the pounding of bass drums deep in her chest. The lights dimmed to create a dark enigmatic mood. The crimson neon signs pointing out the bar area and the restrooms were the sole brig
ht spots in the club.

  “What’s the name of this place again?” Cassie said struggling to be heard over the racket.

  “What?” Zoey cupped a hand around her ear. Cassie repeated the question. “Oh. It’s ‘Crimson’. Great, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah.” Cassie plastered on that happy face and tried to sound enthused. “Great.”

  Zoey yelled what sounded like, “Be right back,” and disappeared through the mass of moving bodies. Cassie scanned the area and spotted an empty corner toward the back of the club. She made a beeline for the spot. Just as she was about to have a little peace, a guy grabbed her wrist and spun her around.

  “Hey. Come dance with me, baby.” The man’s breath reeked of alcohol. His disheveled sweaty hair spilled forth from a ponytail. A pair of tattered jeans, dirty construction boots, and “More beer here” t-shirt pegged him as trouble.

  “No, thanks.” Cassie tugged her hand away from his grip. She took a pointed step back to put more space between her and the stranger. His muddy blue eyes glared at her with menace.

  “That’s how it gonna be, huh?” The man slurred his words and made a grab for her again. She sidestepped him and watched as he stumbled forward. When he regained his balance, he turned and hissed. “Bitch!”

  “Get lost, asshole!” Cassie braced one foot forward and felt the floor beneath her feet. It’d been a rough couple of weeks, and if she got the chance to take out her frustration on this moron, she’d welcome the challenge.

  The man laughed at her. “Watcha gonna do bitch?” He lunged again, trying to circle her waist.

  She out maneuvered him. With her leg extended to one side, she used his body weight and forward motion to propel him to the ground. The jerkoff fell head over heels for her – literally. He laid flat on his back in a heap as his eyes stared at the ceiling.