Forged from Flame

by Kasey Mackenzie

That got the reaction I wanted. A blinding flare of electricity sizzled before me, revealing a scowling Drew less than a dozen feet away. He stood with fists clenched to each side, further evidence that he hadn’t yet gained our father’s cool-as-a-cucumber demeanor.

  “You may be slightly older than me, Cassidy dear, but the mere thought of me fearing you is ludicrous. You’ve blundered into a few minor victories against Father’s minions—and a few against him where you had the luck of innocents on your side, along with his curiosity to see just what you are made of—but that is all. I’ve been training in Spirit since I was a child. Compared to me while standing in this landscape, you are the child. And before I am done, at which time you’ll beg to come back home with us where you belong, you will be very scared indeed.”

  He made no idle threats, did my evil baby brother. Razor-sharp bolts of Spirit flew straight toward my face, and I managed to block only a portion. The rest stabbed through my skin with red-hot tongues of pain skittering along my nerve endings. They burrowed beneath the flesh and into my psyche, dredging up my childhood fears and bringing each one into dizzying quick life.

  There were scenes of foster families abandoning me one after another, but I’d never let myself care enough about them for that to terrify me now. Several horror movie monsters roared at me, but those were the easiest to ignore since my adult brain firmly disbelieved in their existence. They soon faded into the midnight blue surroundings, only to be replaced by a scene I couldn’t so easily ignore. Uniformed police officers ripped a terrified 6-year-old child with third-degree burns on both arms away from the only parents she’d ever known.

  That thought no sooner hit my mind than I became that little girl, screaming in anguish as paramedics tended to my burns, holding me down against my frenzied attempt to break away as several police officers dragged my equally horrified mother away. She kept denying their accusations that she’d set me on fire, but they ignored her just like they ignored my screams that I wanted my mother.

  Panic threatened to claw me into a senseless, quivering mess until I got a hold of myself. This isn’t real! It happened 23 years ago. That son of a bitch is playing you like a piano. And I was letting him.

  “Fuck this shit!” I snarled in my 6-year-old girl’s voice, earning shocked glares from the EMTs holding me down. “And fuck you bozos, too. The paramedics who carted me off that day weren’t evil monsters. Unlike my biological father and his demonspawn!”

  I stretched out for Spirit, and once more it leaped at my command. The illusions around me exploded into a thousand pieces that shattered all around, then began bleeding into the green grass beneath my feet. Feet that now belonged to my normal 29-year-old self.

  “Nice try, Baby Brother!” I snarled. “But I will never beg anything from either of you assholes.”

  “Then I’ll break you the way Father should have. What use does he have for you when he has me?”

  Well at least he had Garrett’s titanic arrogance going for him. Unfortunately, he also had a lot of his psychic strength and ability to discern what I truly feared…

  Spirit pierced my mind so harshly that I screamed. Drew pulled out all the stops this time, reaching into the deepest parts of my adult fears to ambush me with the terrors that most plagued me.

  I found myself seemingly back in the physical realm, trapped in the scene of carnage straight from the visions Ju Hai had shared with me. My knees buckled, and I fell to the ground, keening in overpowering grief. Bleeding and broken bodies met my gaze everywhere I looked. Still alone inside the tank, Keith bled out from a dozen bullet holes. Behind him, Jake and his father burned in a white-hot inferno of Elemental Fire they hadn’t managed to counter fast enough. Clanmates died or were already dead everywhere I looked, as did Isaac and his Freeholders. My despairing gaze went reluctantly to the people who had once stood beside me, only to see more of the same. Nic and Dia pierced with spears made of pure Earth energy, with Liam, Colin, and Riku choking on bands of Spirit they couldn’t fight off. Liam because he could channel only Air and the others because they were so far out of their league it wasn’t funny. Last of all my unwilling gaze settled upon the twitching form of Bianca, dying at my feet.

  Before she could breathe her last, however, Drew and our father stepped into my field of vision, surrounded by their small army of Elemental and Stalker minions. I, on the other hand, was most definitely alone. Spirit flashed again, pouring into Bianca’s body and forcing her soul to stay in its physical shell rather than die. I knew what would came next—they’d heal her using Fire, force her into a Quatrain of their choosing, and then carry her off to await the birth of her twins so they could be forced into liegebonds as soon as they were old enough. Forced to be my liegesworn, just as I’d slowly be twisted by Spirit into becoming the loyal little puppet my father always dreamed of having.

  They would then revive Nic and Dia, and Garrett’s victory would be assured. The universe would never be able to send enough Mindbenders or liegesworn to stop him soon enough. It’d taken me 29 years just to discover what the hell I was. We wouldn’t get another 29 years to wait once Garrett and Drew got their way…

  My gaze fell once more upon Jake, and sheer heartbreak beat along every part of me. Its intensity had me gasp, breaking through the icy dread that had once again paralyzed me. A dread I now identified as being inspired by my evil baby brother. Damned if I would let this scene ever come to pass. Going kamikaze would be a walk in the park compared to this.

  ((Such extremes are not quite necessary,)) an amused mental voice broke into my dark thoughts. ((At least not yet. Your brother has overstepped his authority to mount this attack. While he has been preoccupied with you, I slipped inside his own mind to scout out some of his inmost thoughts. Garrett is still recuperating from your last skirmish. Drew will not be getting any backup. You, however, have your bond with my cousin and three liegesworn beside you, and a fourth standing ready just before you. Claim him now and you will win the upper hand!))

  I recognized Riku’s mental voice, and realized he’d managed to break into Drew’s psychic realm that held me prisoner. His centuries of finesse obviously outweighed Drew’s greater strength but equally greater inexperience. If the weaker Riku could break in, then I could easily break out.

  Spirit roared at my call, and this time I also pulled it through my liegesworn bonds. Magic slammed into me with sickening force, a force I made myself withstand because I had no choice. The sickly-sweet floods of Spirit responded to my will, forming into dozens, no hundreds, no thousands of razor-sharp knives that I flung in every direction, slicing the very fabric of the psychic landscape into shreds until, all at once, it collapsed.

  Reality solidified around me, and I blinked to refocus my vision, terrified that I’d see a repeat of the horrifying visions Drew had forced on me. Riku had been right, however: Garrett was not physically present, and that was a critical difference from Ju Hai’s darkest visions. That meant we still had a chance to turn the tide of this battle, so I would fight with everything I had in me. Not to mention everything my bondmate and liegesworn could give me, including the one not yet claimed.

  Keith still stood within my first-level firewall, watching with a predatory expression as Drew’s forces did battle with Clan Zi and its allies. Jake, Wen, Riku, and Colin had converged with my siblings and the rest of Wen’s Quatrain to face off against Drew and his personal bodyguards. All the other groups in the backyard seemed to be holding their own, but Riku hadn’t lied about the fact he and Colin weren’t as strong at channeling Spirit as me—and I wasn’t as strong as Drew.

  What I lacked for strength in that single element, however, I made up for by being an exceptionally strong Phoenix—and my borrowed ability to channel the three other physical elements. My major weakness, as I was beginning to discover, was the fact that channeling multiple elements fatigued my body even faster than one. Making my ability to bond liegesworn vitally important for more than just ensuring loyalty.

  Fear
for those currently getting their asses kicked by Drew surged through my veins, but I forced it down. I would best save them by doing what Riku had suggested; what had been the plan all along. Grabbing a robe set aside for Keith before this all started, I banished the firewall and leapt inside the water tank, re-forming the firewall the moment my feet landed inside the soil-clogged tank. Using my bond with Jake, I cleared a narrow path of earth so that Keith and I stood upon solid galvanized metal. Keith arched his brows and gave me one of those sexy little smiles that used to hormonally devastate me. He tilted his head and nodded toward the chaos surrounding us. “I take it this wasn’t part of the plan?”

  Keeping my gaze focused completely on Keith’s face, I tossed him the robe and waited while he slipped it on. “Not part of the plan per se, but we always knew it was a possibility.”

  Recognition lit in his eyes as he finished tying the belt securely. “Ah, so the large show of force wasn’t just to keep me in line.”

  “Sorry, but nope. Don’t get me wrong, most of them would have been here to keep an eye on you anyway. But we always knew Garrett and/or his minions might put in an appearance.”

  His expression turned even more thoughtful. “I’m surprised he’s not here himself.”

  “I’m not,” I said with an amused headshake. “He kept underestimating me and I kept kicking his ass, so I expect now he’s going to try slowly wearing me down until he throws his own powers at me directly again.”

  Keith’s lips twisted into an appreciative smile. “That’s going to prove a fatal error on his part. He’s just giving you more time to learn how to properly use your powers. Time to rally more forces to your cause.”

  “Time to bond more liegesworn in a way he can’t quite manage,” I added, nodding to him. “We need you willing for this to work, Keith. The time to choose which side you want to fight on has come. Inside this barrier, you are free from all outside influence—including from both Drew and Garrett.”

  He blinked several times as he processed that claim. “But what about your influence?”

  “If you mean magical influence—which is what I meant—then right now you have only my word. But the fact you can still question my word speaks volumes.”

  Keith nodded, no doubt thinking about how things worked much more sinisterly in Garrett’s world. His expression became suddenly unguarded, and the weight of longstanding heartache settled upon his face. I’d never seen such raw pain reflected in Keith’s eyes. Not even when I’d ended our relationship and he’d claimed to be heartbroken.

  I couldn’t help but echo that thought out loud.

  “I’m fucking tired, Cass. Tired of being used as a pawn by my own flesh and blood. Garrett doesn’t give a bloody damn about anyone but himself and those who can help him achieve power. Not that he actually loves those people, mind you. Not that he won’t sacrifice them in a second if it can gain him an advantage.

  “Unlike him, I actually do care about people, believe it or not. That’s why I never acted truly heartbroken when you broke up with me. If he didn’t know how much I cared about you, that made you just a touch safer if you never developed the kind of powers he hoped you would.”

  He shook his head, lips twisting sardonically. “But you’ve actually surpassed his wildest expectations. And now, when you have absolutely no faith in me at all, you’re asking me to place myself in thrall to you in a manner that seems even more thorough than the bind I’m already in. And you’ve already admitted you care nothing about me.” His voice took on the tone of a man broken by life at every turn. “What hope do I have bound to you if you care nothing for me? You’ll just throw me away the same as he would.”

  I couldn’t help but be affected by the raw emotions pouring off him. Jake would have been disgusted, but he couldn’t psychically sense what I could: Keith was being sincere. And what he asked was a completely fair question. What would make liegebonding to a person who didn’t care whether he lived or died any better than being mind-controlled? So I finally admitted the truth out loud.

  “I do care whether you live or die, you idiot. Do you think I would have insisted my Clan keep you revivable if I didn’t? Even if all I wanted from you was info on Garrett, I could have dug you up and tortured you for that knowledge long before now. I may not love you the way I do Jake, but I very much care about you!”

  He shuddered slightly, as if the impact of my words had a physical effect. His voice retained the boyish tone when he asked, “How do I know you’re not lying just to convince me to agree to the liegebond?”

  I reached out a hand and took one of his in mine. “Keith Alastair Hobart, when have you ever known me to lie anyone? Much less to someone who knows me as well as you? I would give myself away in a heartbeat. I swear to you here and now that I will fight just as hard to protect you as I will all my other liegesworn and loved ones.”

  Something in my words must have convinced him of my sincerity, because his eyes widened with relief, and an expression of joy replaced profound sadness. His hand gripped mine tightly. “Then if I must choose a liegelord to serve, let it be you, Cassidy Marie Grant, daughter of the bondmate I truly treasured. I will vow to protect Megan Mary Gallagher’s daughter in the way I once tried to guard her.”

  “Hopefully with much more success, since you’ll be free of my father’s undue influence,” I added sardonically.

  He gave the most genuine laugh I’d heard in ages, making it that much easier to focus on the task at hand. My loved ones fought fiercely all around as we stood inside our little bubble. It was past time to give them much-needed backup.

  We skipped all the pomp and circumstance of my first ligebonding ceremony, given that everyone else was locked in mortal combat. This would have been impossible for anyone but me to accomplish, because all five elements were needed to cement a true liegebond. Keith and any other Phoenix would represent only two; three for a hybrid Mindbender. Thankfully, though, my father had made me into no ordinary Mindbending Phoenix.

  I reshaped the energy from my second-level firewall into the spell that would tie Keith and his loyalty to me. Then I spoke a modified version of the vows I’d given my siblings and Bianca—minus the assurances I’d given them to make them more comfortable with the bond. Apparent sincerity notwithstanding, Keith still had a lot to prove. And unlike my dumbass father, as Dia would have said, I learned from past mistakes.

  Keith staggered as the first half of our bond solidified. Before he could speak his own half, however, Drew caught on to the fact that the firewall hiding us from view had flashed out of existence, its energy now being used for the liegebond. He must have realized what I was doing, because he screamed for his minions to stop their current attacks and focus on me instead.

  Uh oh, I thought in panic. I very much wanted to re-form the second-level firewall, but couldn’t. All my magical efforts had to remain on finishing the liegebond. Dropping that spell now would have disastrous consequences.

  The Firsts, who had spent most of the battle acting more as generals rather than soldiers, spied the danger at the same moment I recognized my impending doom. Wen’s mother barked an order to Ju Hai, and the Selkie left her Quatrain to encircle the water tank with the Firsts. Their Quatrain placed themselves at each of the four cardinal points, and Ju Hai took position where the fifth point of a star would be. Then they did something that had my mouth dropping open: cast a damned good, if weaker, version of my very own second-level firewall spell, blocking all seven of us from the advancing enemies who had managed to disengage from their individual battles.

  Holy shit! They must have reverse-engineered my firewall and worked out a way for Ju Hai to add the Spirit. Her weakness as a Spirit user meant the firewall wasn’t as strong as mine, but it didn’t have to be. Drew was hamstrung by the fact he and my father were the only Spirit users among their forces.

  Wait a minute. The Firsts only learned Ju Hai was a Spirit user yesterday. How’d they work out this spell that quickly? My eyes widened as I reali
zed the most likely answer was that they’d already known. Figuring out what else they’d known could wait until later. Now I had to use the time they’d bought us.

  That truth was hammered home when Drew used pure strands of Spirit to immobilize Riku and Colin, the only others present who could counteract his use of the fifth element. His minions redoubled their attack against those who blocked them from me, and Drew suddenly disappeared from view; undoubtedly using magical camouflage to head straight for us. That had my pulse skittering painfully. Ju Hai’s Mindbending skills would be no match for his.

  I had to get out there and help them. No, we had to get out there.

  “Speak your vows now!” I shouted to Keith, resuming the channeling of magic that would complete our liegebond.

  He didn’t hesitate, repeating the vows I’d made in reverse. I felt that familiar surge of violent energy threatening to drop me to my knees, but gritted my teeth and managed to remain standing through sheer stubbornness. I would not let my evil baby brother see me kneeling lest he think I was bowing down to him.

  Not in this lifetime.

  Overwhelming bands of multicolored light slammed against my senses, and I watched metaphysical cords bind Keith’s psyche to mine. His surface thoughts began to bounce across that bond.

  Bloody hell, that hurt! Am I free from that wanker yet? And damn, she’s as magnificent as her mother. Please God, don’t let me fail her the way I did Megan!

  I was more surprised to learn Keith actually still prayed to God than that his sincerity was validated. That thought had me quickly scanning his psyche the same way I had confirmed neither Nic nor Dia had any psychic parasites concealed the way Bianca had. Keith appeared clean, which made sense because he’d been dead the past few months. Garrett hadn’t had a reason to set him up as a Trojan horse to use against me.

  ((Keith, pull yourself together!)) I mentally ordered.

  His eyes widened at the unfamiliar sensation of hearing my mental voice inside his mind. He must have had experience blocking his thoughts from my father, because a psychic shield slammed between us. A shield I could break without too much effort, but only if given enough reason to do so. We had far bigger fish to fry.