Fire: The Elementals Book One

by Gilbert, L. B.

  “No,” she said without elaborating.

  The waiter returned to take their orders. Picking the first things that caught her eye, she asked for the veal meatball entree and the pasta special while Alec ordered the vegetarian option. Diana looked at him pointedly as the waiter went away, her left eyebrow at attention.

  “I’m not a vegetarian. I’ve already eaten, but it would look odd if I didn’t order anything,” he said with a pointed look.

  “Sorry I asked,” Diana murmured under her breath.

  And she really meant it—she definitely didn’t want to think about what he had eaten. There were several minutes of silence where Alec just stared at her. But Diana refused to make small talk and eventually the waiter returned with their appetizers.

  Well, it beats Chef Boyardee, she thought, looking down at the tempting dish. Maybe she should treat herself to a restaurant meal every once in a while. Some nicer places must let you take-away.

  “With the whole infiltration of Denon, you must have something big planned. You’re not about to claim that you have a day job, right?” he asked in a pleasant and inviting tone. When she didn’t reply, he continued undaunted, “It’s some type of set-up or exposure scenario. Maybe I could help. Are you gathering evidence? Or setting someone up for a fall? I employ excellent hackers. Alternatively, I could pose as a potential investor. I’ve already got a few aliases set up that would be appropriate.”

  Diana paused with the fork halfway to her mouth. “Do you now?”

  Alec shrugged. “It’s standard operating procedure for our kind. When one does business in the human world and one doesn’t age, it’s best to have a few possible identities in your back pocket for whatever comes up.”

  That could be useful. Diana always made sure she had no identity. No way to trace her real name back to when she was in the system. Not that she had to worry about still being in the social services records. Gia had seen to that. And no one was better at that sort of thing than the Earth Elemental. When the computer age arrived, Gia had jumped in with both feet. Of course, her talent was computer friendly. Gia could make those infuriating little boxes of metal and glass sing for her.

  “How do you know it’s not my day job?” Diana asked, giving Alec her full attention.

  “Because the Mother has rewarded you for your service, you and your forebears. That is common to many of the legends about your kind among many different cultures. You must be free to do her will. It would be counterproductive if you had to earn a living as well,” he said.

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “Exactly how much time have you devoted to studying us?”

  He paused for a sip before answering. “A lot over the years, but it’s only one of the many legends I’ve studied.”

  Diana considered his offer seriously for a few seconds before shaking her head. Something Gia whipped up would be more effective.

  “No thanks. I have a plan and would not be pleased if you interfered,” she lied smoothly. She would have her plan in place once Gia created the new toy she needed. “What about Pedro? How is he? Does he remember anything else?”

  She intended to drop by on him later, but hadn’t wanted to jump all over the poor man right away. He had to get past the initial blow that the memory spell had delayed. The first few days would be painful; the realization that his son had been taken from him would hit him hard once his memory returned.

  Alec frowned and poured himself more of the wine. “Not much yet. He’s only now realizing that his son is gone. But it’s coming back in bits and pieces. The memory spell really did a number on him. But the fact that it was cast in the first place means Pedro must know something about the circle.”

  Diana sighed. It wouldn’t kill her to throw him the occasional bone and discuss the case with him.

  “Or they just think he does,” she volunteered. “Or maybe they just wanted to do it to see if they could remove his memory. It could have easily been the act of a new practitioner flexing his muscles.”

  She had seen that kind of thing before.

  “What if they’ve been cast out of one the families instead?” he asked, perking up.

  “The families know it’s their responsibility to keep watch on their banished ones, and most of them have had run-ins with one of us at one time or another. Enough to know what is expected. And banishment doesn’t extend to the next generation. Offspring are brought back into the fold so they can learn the craft. We keep track of some outcasts ourselves. Those that need watching. A surprising number don’t.”

  “Why not?” Alec asked with a little frown. “Aren’t most of the cast-offs dangerous?”

  She shook her head. “It’s not usually magical misuse that leads to banishment, but normal family drama. And the real asshole to watch isn’t usually the banished one in those cases,” she said, looking around the restaurant abstractedly.

  “Fiona told me you need to see the owner of Whore,” he said, wincing slightly. “I, uh, called her after I saw you last night. She answered this time, assuming the worst is over.”

  “You didn’t see her in person?” Diana asked with a little smile, knowing full well he would be staying far away from the two women for a long time.

  “No,” he answered shortly with a betraying little hand gesture. “I wondered if you wanted an introduction to the club owner. You know, if you wanted a. . .softer approach. You’re welcome to crash the club, of course. It’s effective. But I imagine the rumors and storm of gossip your appearance at the coven house caused is making the rounds and the ones involved in the circle are underground now. J is probably hiding out somewhere out of town.”

  Diana ignored the implied criticism. Going in soft wasn’t usually an option for her. “Do you know him?”

  She wouldn’t have pegged him for a frequenter of Underlife clubs.

  “No. I think he’s a shaman of some kind. He wasn’t around before I left, but to be frank, the Broussards know everyone. Even people we’ve never met know us. That’s simply the way it is,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

  Diana leaned back in her chair. Getting someone to give up the shaman might not be necessary. Tracking was central to an Elemental’s ability. Like some witches, her kind had the ability to track from an object, provided it was something of value to the person in question. It was a rare gift, even among the witches. If this J person had left something personal behind, she could find him, even if she’d never met him. But Diana didn’t feel comfortable sharing that with Alec.

  Alec took another sip of his wine. “I don’t expect him to be at the club, but someone there should know where he is. Someone will talk—especially if they think they can gain favor with the Broussard house.”

  “Ah, to be rich and influential,” Diana said with a smile, but Alec didn’t exactly look pleased by the status quo. More like resigned. “Fine. I’ll go with you,” she said abruptly, surprising herself a little.

  It wouldn’t hurt to go in a little quieter after the entrance she had made at the coven house. Bringing Alec along would make the other Supernaturals more talkative. It would save her the trouble of having to chase them down. And really, was there anything she hated more?

  Alec looked more surprised than Diana felt. “That’s great. We should go tonight. You don’t have Denon strongholds to pillage tonight, do you?”

  Despite her effort to stay aloof, Diana let a tiny smile play on her lips, but she dropped it right away when he grinned back.

  “Storming the castle can wait,” she said deadpan, before returning to her meal.

  In fact, it had to wait. She wanted to give Gia time to cook something up that would speed her search of the Denon database.

  Normal spells didn’t usually work on such intricate human technology but Gia’s ability was able to defy that usual limitation of witchcraft. Logan, the only other Elemental with an aptitude for computers, wasn’t as skilled, but she also might have some useful tips. Serin, like Diana, didn’t have a talent compatible with computers—q
uite the contrary—which was why neither owned one.

  Diana enjoyed the rest of her dinner. She was surprised to find Alec a good conversationalist. Especially since she didn’t contribute much. But he didn’t seem to let that bother him. Instead, he launched into anecdote after anecdote, occasionally asking her a question in an effort to draw her into a conversation. Efforts she mostly ignored.

  Alec was well read and seemed to be up on current events, something atypical for a vampire his age. He also didn’t bother to hide his interest in her and her kind. Despite how comfortable she was getting with him, Diana didn’t like his enthusiasm for what she was. It didn’t feel like a strictly academic interest, despite his attempt to play it off as one. He was simply too earnest.

  “Dessert?” he asked when Diana had finished her meal.

  He’d eaten only a small fraction of his meal, but it was more than she would have guessed. She’d never thought much about a vampire’s basic biology.

  Was he going to have to run to the little vampire’s room before they left? She didn’t think it was polite to ask after such a nice meal.

  “No, thanks,” she replied. “There’s something I want to do before tonight, so why don’t we meet at the club after midnight.”

  Most Underlife clubs didn’t get busy till one AM at the earliest.

  “Can your errand wait? There is something I’d like to show you, and it’s nearby,” Alec said in a hopeful tone.

  “What?” she asked, drawing away from him as they stood up and walked to the door.

  “It’s something very old. Ancient, in fact,” he said, opening the door for her with an elegant gesture. “Do you like museums?”

  13

  “Who gave you keys to a Harvard museum?” Diana asked, her brows drawn down in a little V as Alec ushered her through the basement door of the Peabody museum.

  He glanced behind him to meet her eyes briefly. “In addition to being a consulting archaeologist, I’m an excellent donor. A set of keys to the basement entrance isn’t too hard to come by when you ask the right person the right way.”

  “You’re obviously very familiar with this place,” she said as he made his way through the Peabody’s basement like an employee.

  “I’ve spent a fair amount of time here in the past,” he said as he led her through a series of darkened rooms. “I raided it for knowledge of my kind as soon as it was established. There was nothing here related to vampires, of course, but I started to come here a lot to do unrelated research. Once I began traveling, I sent some things here from my personal excavations.”

  “So this thing you want to show me is something you found yourself?” she asked when he stopped outside an exhibit in the upper story.

  “Yes, in an excavation in Veracruz about fifty years ago or so. I sent it here because I don’t believe in maintaining a personal collection.”

  “Not very vampiric of you,” Diana pointed out.

  “I guess I think more like an academic. I want to share the things I find and get the interpretation of others about my findings.”

  Diana stopped short and waited until he turned to face her. “Have you published your theories about these artifacts?”

  “I couldn’t consult without a proven publication record,” he said frankly. “I simply change my pseudonym periodically. And avoid conferences.”

  “Humph,” Diana grunted.

  Like so many other things about him, she was ambivalent about his chosen career. She thought better of him for having one, but if his research was centered on Elementals then she wasn’t thrilled his finds were displayed publicly.

  I doubt he would be so open about vampiric artifacts, she thought, following him into one of the larger display rooms.

  Inside, glass cases holding an assortment of Mesoamerican relics were lit with a subtle glow, even though the overhead lights were off. Wondering if they did that for the guards, she followed Alec farther inside.

  She had only taken a few steps when a weird buzzing filled her head. It was faint, kind of like when your ears started to ring, but in this case between her eyes.

  “Here is what I wanted to show you,” Alec, gesturing to a stela covered with glyphs the same way a game show hostess presented a new car.

  Was it Mayan? Aztec? Curious, Diana walked toward it. When she did, the buzzing in her brain grew fainter, as if she was walking away from its source. She frowned and turned away from the stela to glance around the room. Nothing stood out.

  “Is something wrong?” Alec asked.

  Diana shrugged and turned her attention back to the stela. She gestured toward the glyphs. “Can you read it?”

  “Yes,” he said with a smile before pointing to a central set of characters. “This set here is you,” he said proudly.

  Diana leaned in to study the glyphs. The pictograph didn’t even resemble a human, let alone a woman.

  “It’s me?” she asked.

  “It’s the fire goddess for a small tribe, an offshoot of the Olmecs. By my estimate, this representation is from around eleven hundred BCE. It’s the oldest evidence of the existence of Elementals. That I know of anyway,” he finished self-deprecatingly.

  He was actually pretty close, but it wasn’t the oldest artifact that she knew of. Serin’s people had artifacts that old or slightly older in their island’s repository.

  Diana had never really dived into Elemental ancient history and hadn’t ever entered the crypt Serin’s community guarded, where the bodies of Elementals of their line were kept. It was also where they kept their most sacred documents and ancient artifacts. Personally, she found the idea of the place macabre and hadn’t bothered with the dusty and earnest scholars who’d followed her around the one time she visited the island.

  Alec would probably give his left nut for access to that crypt. Maybe someday, she thought. If he proved reliable in the long run. And if he doesn’t insist on publishing a paper on it.

  “You’re sure it’s a Fire Elemental?” she asked aloud, making a face. “Lots of civilizations have fire gods in their mythos. Especially if there are volcanoes nearby or if the area is prone to wildfires.”

  “I know, I thought of that. It took some time for me to be sure, but some of the neighboring tribes also had a fire goddess legend, and some of those mentioned a sister goddess of the river. That is the most reliable pattern. One village would receive a visitation and then one nearby would years later. Sometimes it was the goddess of the streams and lakes, sometimes of the ocean itself, sometimes the wind or the soil,” Alec said animatedly, using his hands for emphasis.

  It was just one piece of the puzzle. The legends appeared across so many of the major ancient civilizations. It proved to be a more interesting subject of study than that of my own people.” He rocked on his heels and got what Diana was beginning to recognize as his crafty look. “So, do you think there are older records than this still out there in the world, or can I retire now?”

  Well, that wasn’t exactly subtle. “I’ve never concerned myself with our ancient history, and I know little about the artifacts related to us,” she answered with a half-truth.

  “Is that because you can speak directly to the Mother and she tells you whatever you need to know?” he asked earnestly.

  I walked into that one. “That’s not really how it works,” she said wryly.

  Communicating directly with the Mother was difficult at the best of times. And it didn’t involve talking.

  Alec paused long enough for Diana to think she’d adequately discouraged him, but he screwed up his courage enough to ask, “So, how does it work?”

  “I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.” Diana sighed halfheartedly, fingering the stela despite the sign prohibiting touching the artifacts.

  She had to nip this line of questioning in the bud before he whipped out a recorder and started to interview her like the classic anthropologists whose work was all around them. Turning her back, she walked toward the display cases nearest the door.
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  The buzzing she felt earlier had subsided quite a bit next to the stela in the far corner, but near the entrance it increased again. It was like walking toward one of those irritating alarms that buzzed instead of wailed. It set her teeth on edge, but she didn’t see anything significant in the nearby cases, nothing that could be causing it.

  Diana exited the room and checked the nearest display case outside. The buzzing intensified, coming off in waves from part of a stone artifact with a fragment of a design made up of curving lines. It was too incomplete to make out much of the original pattern. The sign under said: Fragment of Olmec figurine or totem, period unknown. She looked up to find Alec also staring down at the piece of stone.

  She may as well use his expertise. “Do you know anything about this?” she asked him.

  “Yes, but not much. There isn’t a whole lot known actually. It was found in a major Olmec excavation and couldn’t be dated properly. I don’t think anything else was found near it that resembled it. Whatever it was, that’s all that survived,” he replied. “Why? Do you sense something from it? Is it magical?”

  She answered his question with another question. “How about you? Do you sense anything from it?”

  He should. He’d already admitted to being sensitive, but this wasn’t a ward. She didn’t know what it was.

  “No, it’s not giving me anything. What is it you’re feeling?”

  “Irritated.”

  “Oh,” he said with a crestfallen look.

  She caught his expression and shook her head. “I’m irritated by that,” she pointed to the stone. “It’s buzzing. Like a giant mosquito.”

  “Really?” he asked with a sniff. “I wouldn’t have guessed that it was of any significance.”

  He didn’t sound upset, but his face was a little tight.

  Diana fought the urge to roll her eyes. “Are you seriously that annoyed that you didn’t realize it was different before I did?”