Rock and rubble rained down. Natalia choked and when the shifting stopped she dug herself out. Fresh air filled her lungs as she observed her handiwork. The damage was more expansive than she’d thought she was capable of. Ten people could easily climb through the hole at once. Though the result was bigger than predicted, her dust had done the desired job. But how had she done it?
How was I not crushed?
She wondered if she’d managed to throw up a shield accidently, but had no time to ponder it as the rubble beside her began to shift.
She dug around until her hand contacted something solid, the girl’s head appearing above the surface after several forceful tugs. Her face was coated in grey ash but she was breathing.
Under the glow of the streetlamps that beamed on them, Natalia took in her companion. The girl couldn’t have older than twelve. Her black hair hung in several braids, there was one golden earring in each ear, and her dark brown skin matched her beady eyes, alive below curved eyebrows.
Together they scrambled up the last few steps until they were safely outside. Natalia frowned, noticing they were outside the Council building, the fountain still spraying. The girl pointed at something and tried to pull free, and Natalia’s gaze settled on a man and woman. They searched frantically, over-turning the rubble of fallen house tiles and crashed out wall.
Natalia let the girl’s hand go but she didn’t move away. Instead, she turned to Natalia. “Thank you for getting me out,” she said. “I hope I see you again.”
“You’re a Creature now.” Natalia tried to smile. “I’m sure you will.”
“Kiva?”
Natalia looked over to the two who had been searching rubbish. Now their eyes rested on her and the girl.
“Bye, Fairy,” the girl, Kiva, said and ran off.
Natalia nodded and ran in the opposite direction.
The air was hot and sticky. Natalia had to slow down to gather her bearings. Her eyes widened as she saw trees in the distance burning, plumes of smoke rising into the starless sky.
Natalia quickened her pace. Her legs stung and her feet slapped the floor, yet she didn’t stop. The closer she drew, the more it seemed everything was shaking.
The next roar was so loud Natalia had to cover her ears with her hands, willing her heart not to shatter like glass from fear.
What Natalia had been hunting arose before her.
The air all but left her lungs. She staggered backwards and tripped, falling to the ground, rough cobble digging into her palms. A Calefaction. Her leg twinged and her mind threatened to show her the memories of the last time she’d met a Calefaction but she blocked them out.
Natalia remembered Jasper saying that Atlantis was surrounded by a magical shield; like the type she could create with her dust but on a grander scale. Atlantis was locked away like a limbo of sorts, though it was within the same plane of existence as Earth. The forests surrounding the city lead to nowhere except back to itself, or at least, that’s what Natalia gathered.
She frowned. The whole point of Atlantis being sealed was to keep things in and to keep other things out.
So what was a Monster doing here? How had it gotten in? Natalia thought the only way in or out was via portal. She didn’t know much about portals or Monsters, but she was certain Calefaction’s couldn’t produce portal magic on their own. But then the Darby’s had admitted to there being pieces of information missing about all Monsters, known and not – whether the information had been removed from records, whether it’d never been discovered because the Monster hadn’t been seen ever or for a long time, or because it’d died out.
The Calefaction reared its head, stood on its hind legs, and blew into the air. The fire blazed orange and gold; a mix of beauty and death. When it stood down, the ground rumbled. Compared to the last Calefaction, this one was larger, as if it was more mature in age. Desperately, she searched for another sign of life without moving her eyes too far from the Monster.
But no one was there, just her and the Calefaction.
A Creature. A Monster.
Finding what courage she had left, Natalia wiped her face and adjusted her headband. She tried to remind herself of her dad’s words; she could be strong. But the words floated away like a child’s unrelaxed hand on a balloon string. Facing a room of her own kind was entirely different to facing a Monster alone.
It began circling her, clearly sensing something in its vicinity. Mentally, Natalia ran through what Fairies could do, what gifts and skills they had that could help her, all while knowing there was a clock hanging above her head counting down. Making things worse, there were very little resources at her disposal. No weapons – not that she knew how to use one – and certainly no wings. The best and all she had was her dust.
The Calefaction’s head whirled, empty black eyes locked onto Natalia. She let out a small gasp, a shiver trickling down her spine. If the Monster’s hadn’t previously sensed her, it had now.
It stalked towards her. Natalia knew she couldn’t outrun or overpower the beast. Did she stand a chance of keeping it occupied until help arrived?
Smoke puffed out of the Calefaction’s nose and she gulped. Could the Monster smell fear? Could it hear her heart ticking away like a bomb? As if answering, the Monster’s mouth slid open, grinning almost, teeth on full display.
There was no time to curse.
The beast lashed out. The flat side of its paw collided with Natalia’s side, smacking her into the air. Now would be a perfect time to appear, she thought, calling to her wings. They didn’t come. Nor did a scream.
Unable to stop herself, she went arse first through a glass window.
Landing with a thud, she scrambled, despite the hazardous glass, for cover beneath the window that was now only a hole. She pulled her knees to her chin, an ache spreading through her bones. The room darkened further and smoke wove through her lungs. She sucked in breath, holding it, swearing it wouldn’t be her last.
She nearly screamed when a large white snout poked through the window. The fur brushed Natalia’s hair and it took every ounce of her nerve not to react. The snout sniffed around, taking it’s time. She shoved a hand over her mouth to try and subdue the whimpers she felt bubbling in her chest.
Slowly, the snout retreated.
To kill a Calefaction you have to choke it.
She didn’t know where the stupidity and burst of adrenaline came from, but she jumped up from under the window, revealing herself. The Monster’s eyes locked onto her, its mouth opening. All her panic swam to her chest and face, and she touched them. Once the mouth was wide enough, she blew as much dust as she could into it.
A horrid gagging noise filled the silence. The Monster thrashed and retreated hastily. But Natalia refused to back down now. She climbed through the window, instantly aware of how badly her body was singing as she gave chase.
The Monster only made it to the end of the street by the time Natalia caught up. It spasmed uncontrollably, its oversized body shaking like a leaf in the winds. That was when it jolted to the side enough to unveil two shapes running towards her and it.
Fire raged from the Calefaction’s mouth.
One person screams were transformed into sounds of popping and cracking. The other person dodged the fire but the Monster didn’t relent. It slammed its paw into the person’s chest with a direct hit of its claws. Natalia ran for them, to help, and stopped halfway. The person was already on the ground, pinned. The Monster raised its paw a few feet and then it came down again, stabbing right through the Creature’s body with vicious black claws. The Calefaction pulled back its claw, flinging red into the air and onto its fur.
The Calefaction turned and lowered to be at eye level with Natalia once more.
“Fairy?”
Natalia didn’t move until the Monster grinned again.
Then, she threw herself under its belly. The ground nicked her arm and she bit down her curse, rolling sideways to free herself from under the Monster. Jasper looked equally
impressed and confused to see her as he helped her to her feet with a strong hand.
The Calefaction stomped the ground furiously, drawing back Natalia and Jasper’s attention. Jasper pushed Natalia aside just as the Monster’s head snapped towards them. Its jaw opened, yet it jutted like an animatronic running out of charge. Natalia turned to Jasper, seeing his arms spread wide as pink light and mist poured from him.
Unsure of what exactly compelled her, Natalia walked to the Monster’s side. One of its black eyes followed her. Natalia made a show of wiping her dust from her face.
And stuck her entire hand onto its eyeball.
The Monster howled but Natalia didn’t relent until her dust turned the whole eye red. Her heart jumped in feverish excitement at its agony. This was her revenge for what had happened, for this time and the last time she’d met a similar Monster, and she didn’t care. It felt good.
She blew the dust off the back of her hand, scrunching her nose at the white slime that dripped to the ground in globs when she pulled away. She took one look at it and wretched.
“Natalia?” She turned towards the whisper. Jasper had a scorch mark through his shirt and along his shoulder but was otherwise unharmed. His arms were still raised, his body lightened by a pink glow, but his green eyes focused on Natalia as if she was all he could see. “Are you alright?”
She walked to him. “Are you?”
Compelled to touch him, Natalia moved aside the burnt edges of the shirt with her fingertips, making a conscious effort to be gentle.
Natalia was about to inspect the damage, Jasper watching her, when a tearing noise stole their attention. The Calefaction was writhing and twisting behind them. It couldn’t properly do it, but it tried shaking its head. Clearly Natalia’s dust was leaving a lasting effect. Its face was even drooping on one side now.
Natalia gasped as the Monster combusted.
When she stopped feeling ash raining, she uncovered her head, only to find Jasper’s body covering hers. And she was twisted around him too; his head was tucked in and covered by her arms. In the same moment they’d tried to protect each other.
By the time they uncurled from one another a crowd had surrounded them. A few people were fighting tree fires, but most were clustered around Natalia and Jasper.
“The Fairy is out!”
The crowd split. Seven figures concealed by cloaks came to be front and centre. From the way they were angled, Natalia suspected they didn’t see Jasper at all.
“What are you doing above ground?” one asked.
“Saving my arse,” she hissed, blinking in astonishment. Adrenaline coursed through her. She’d almost been killed. Twice. Once by rocks underground and once by a Monster above ground. And these people had the audacity to question her motives as if she was a common criminal? “The door to my prison moved aside enough for me to get out. If it hadn’t escaped, the ceiling would’ve collapsed on me. I also got Kiva out, by the way, not that you were asking. Forget me. You left a girl down there. Then I found the bloody Monster terrorising this sealed city and fought the damn thing! Two other Creatures tried and lost their lives. Where were you?”
A collective gasp ran through the crowd and she knew instantly that no one normally challenged the Council. But all she focused on was Jasper’s snort. She didn’t dare look at him, knowing she would’ve fallen apart either crying or laughing, so her focus remained on the Council.
“We were getting everyone to safety,” said the smallest member.
“That takes all six of you, does it?” Natalia bit feeling her stomach twist at their response – something wasn’t right. “You’re the all-powerful Council. I’m sure three of you could’ve led the people and the other four could’ve coped taking on the bloody Monster instead of leaving it! I was alone until those two,” she paused, pain stinging her chest and mind, “and Jasper arrived.”
One of the members turned to Jasper. “Where is your family, Witch?”
Jasper pointed to the smoking trees. “Putting out fires.” His tone gave away nothing. “We saw Natalia fighting the Monster in the streets, so while it was distracted, we divided.”
“You helped, alone?” someone sneered. Jasper ignored them.
The tallest member, who stood the furthest away, spoke next. “Due to these circumstances, I see no further reason for you to prove yourself to us. It has been seen you are one of us. For this, you will not be reincarcerated and you will be allowed to return to the Darby’s house.”
The member with the deepest voice added, “You may stay some days if you wish, or return home now? The choice is yours?” They bowed their head slightly. “For what you did with the Monster, thank you, and we can only apologise for what happened, that we didn’t arrive to help you.”
“I had Jasper,” Natalia told them, holding back what she really wanted to say, just like they seemed to be.
“The boundaries will be enhanced,” confirmed the smallest member. “And an investigation into how that Monster got in will be conducted immediately.”
The Council swanned away as fast as they’d come, the crowd dispersing with them. Natalia hadn’t been expecting an apology, but she’d gotten recognition that she was right, which was more than she’d expected from the Council.
Jasper smirked. “I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who’s made the Council apologise. And they didn’t make you address them. I’m impressed.”
“You shouldn’t be,” she said, guilt worming through her stomach. “I feel bad.”
“Why? They did you wrong.”
“Still,” she slipped off her headband and a few shards of glass fell from her hair, “I shouldn’t have snapped like I did, no matter how many times I nearly died today.” Her eyes went to the extinguished trees. “Are your family really over there?”
Jasper didn’t press her on what she’d first said. “Mums at home, Noah too.” When she went to speak, he added, “But the others are over there. Plus others. Most of the residents had cleared their houses before the Council showed up.”
Exhaustion filled her body like lead. She yawned. “I’ve had enough mayhem, swearing, and near death experiences for one day.”
“Are you sure?” he joked, grinning.
“I’m sure. Where’s your house?”
Jasper wiggled his fingers. “How about a lift?”
“I’ve had enough magic for one day too.”
“Old fashioned lift it is.”
Natalia didn’t ask what he meant or try to fight him as Jasper swooped her up and cradled her against his chest. She wrapped an arm around his neck instinctively and his lips curled into a smile; she didn’t ask why.
Natalia tucked her head against his collarbone, a little awkwardly at first, but eventually she settled. She breathed in his cold night’s scent and silently began to cry.
For the two Creatures who had had died trying to stop the Calefaction – even if it was their Purpose, and they knew death was a possibility, no one deserved it. For Kiva, who could’ve been crushed as if she were nothing. She even cried for herself and how she risked everything to help, despite not being received here. She cried for all she’d been through and hadn’t yet had time to think about.
And Jasper let her. He didn’t complain, even as his shirt grew wet with salty tears, her grip on him growing tighter and tighter. He didn’t press for an explanation either, just offering silent comfort and support.
It would’ve been obvious to anyone who looked closely – though no one was around except Jasper, who kept giving her brief glances – that her heart was breaking while also trying to re-form and re-shape.
They wove through the streets. As they passed by more of the edge boundary that touched land, a silver sheen-like wall hummed beside Natalia’s ear. Through blurry eyes, she spied the boundary wall glisten and how, about six foot off the ground, there was a red handprint pressed within it.
9
Dance of Daisies
“Are the council still out searching?”
“He didn’t come home to sleep?”
Alex sat at the round table and realised how much she missed their new home on Venderly Island. It didn’t matter that she’d spent more time in Atlantis and Seattle. Venderly felt more like home than anywhere else ever had. Or maybe that had something to do with the family she’d come to be loved by? Too many bad memories were attached to her past, except from her adoption, and that’s really where her life began.
This house was smaller than their home, barely enough room to house the six of them, not then including Natalia, her dad, and her friend who had all crashed here last night. But the décor was oddly similar with wooden floors and accents, and green or cream walls.
Sarah sat opposite her, holding her cup with both hands. “He came home for a few hours and went back out at first light.”
“Have they found anything?”
“They’re still trying to figure out how the Monster got in. We know that Calefactions can’t teleport—”
“But it got in somehow.”
A bare-chested Archie moved into the kitchen, cutting off their conversation. He yawned, running a hand through rumpled hair. Alex didn’t need advanced sight to see the red marks on the top of his back when he turned to fill up a mug with coffee. Alex smiled to herself – Peri surely could explain how they got there.
“Gold left last night,” their mother announced, staring into her mug like there was something quite interesting at the bottom. “He said he had no other business here and he’d done all he was needed to do.”
Alex’s hand went to her hair and began loosening a knot. “How much longer are we staying?”
Sarah raised her eyebrows in question but didn’t ask. Alex loved that about her; she waited for her children to go to her with their concerns or reasons. “A day or so more,” she answered. That hadn’t been the original plan, but now they were here…
“Peri needs to repair her trident,” Archie said as he took a spot at the table. “We might stroll around the City and get it done today.”
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