The Fire Salamander Chronicles Series: Books 1 - 3: The Fire Salamander Chronicles Series Boxset Book 1

by N M Thorn

  “The first person who dares to put his hand on me will die screaming,” he said quietly. He waved his hand and the door into the Assembly Hall burst open, flying off its hinges with a thunderous noise. He turned back to the guards, pointing at the exit and shouted, “Out! The god of the Otherworld is here, and he has a few words to say to the Head Mage.”

  The guards didn’t ask twice and rushed out of the Assembly Hall. Aidan turned back to the Head Mage, and she shrunk under his blazing gaze.

  “Aidan—,” she started.

  “Silence, witch, when a god is talking to you!” yelled Aidan, and the floor shook again as the light around him shone brighter. “You thought you could bully me, torture me into submission, turning me into your mindless pawn? Think again!” His hand swept forward, and he seized her neck, forcing her head up. She shut her eyelids tightly, struggling to avoid full eye contact. “What I wish to know is, which side you’re playing on. Your actions make me doubt your position in this war.”

  “Which war?” croaked the Head Mage.

  “My lord,” growled Aidan coldly, wrapping his finger tighter around her neck. “When you address an ancient god, you must bow to me and address me as ‘my lord’.”

  “Which war are you referring to… my lord?” asked the Head Mage, her voice breaking and spiking with fear.

  Aidan laughed humorlessly. “Do not lie to me, witch. I can sense the lies. With your power, I’m sure you can feel the disturbance beneath. Something is coming and there will be a war. So, why are you trying to keep me busy with nonsense that any apprentice of yours can take care of? Why did you order me to kill innocent people? Why are you holding me here, when I should be investigating what’s rising from beneath? Think well before you answer these questions. I don’t feel charitable today.”

  “They weren’t innocent, my lord. Please, I’m telling you the truth. I can show the reports I received,” she begged, grabbing his wrist with both hands.

  “Open your eyes,” ordered Aidan. “If you’re telling me the truth, you have nothing to worry about.”

  She cracked her eyes opened, and Aidan heard the cry of fear exuding from her soul. He scanned her with his power, and he wasn’t gentle about it. The tears welled up in the Head Mage’s eyes and she squirmed in his grip. Aidan channeled more power through her, ignoring her moans. Her soul wasn’t cloudless, but he couldn’t find anything that would tell him that she was working on the side of Chaos. After a few seconds, he unlocked his fingers, letting Ms. Bonneville drop to the floor and let go of his power.

  “Ms. Bonneville,” he said, staring down at her, “from now on, our relationship will change.”

  “Anything you wish, my lord,” whispered Ms. Bonneville, coughing.

  “I gave my word and I’ll stand by it. As a god, I cannot break my oath,” continued Aidan. “However, you will never again try to inflict any pain on me. You will summon me only by means of mundane communications. I will give you my cell phone number and you can call me at any time you need my help.”

  He walked to the table and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. Quickly he wrote his phone number down and walked back to the Head Mage who was still kneeling on the floor. He threw the piece of paper into her hands.

  “Yes, my lord,” she said, taking the paper and putting it in her pocket.

  “You will not bother me with anything that can be taken care of by a witch or a mage,” continued Aidan. “If you get into a situation where you need the help of a god, you may call me. Am I clear?”

  “Yes, my lord.”

  “Now, about Tessa,” he said, crossing his arms. “She needs the Guardians’ help to find out about the origins of her magic and to learn how to control it. So, you will treat her with respect, like the rest of your students here, and you’ll do everything in your power to help her. Understand, you have no power to control me, and attempting to blackmail me again, dangling Tessa’s life and wellbeing over my head, will get you killed. Do you understand me?”

  “I understand you, my lord…”

  “Now, I’m going to leave,” continued Aidan. “I have a situation that is a lot more important to deal with at home. I’m not going to visit Tessa before I leave, but I hold the privilege of visiting her any time I wish. You will not attempt to stop me.”

  “Yes, my lord, you can visit Therasia any time you wish. But please, my lord, don’t disrupt her education. You can see her after her lessons and during weekends and holidays.”

  “Good,” exhaled Aidan. He let go of his power completely and now he felt how tired and shaken he was. “Before I leave, there is one more thing. You will leave Hawk and his pack in Arizona alone. You will not send other assassins after him.”

  “But, my lord,” objected the mage, carefully raising her head, “aren’t we in the business of killing monsters?”

  “Not every creature of magic or supernatural being is a monster,” replied Aidan icily. “Yes, they’re werewolves, but Hawk takes care of his pack and they’re not harming humans. Leave them alone! It’s an order.”

  “Yes, my lord,” hissed the mage through her clenched teeth. “Sooner or later one of them will slip and bite or kill a human. And you’ll be responsible for that.”

  “If that happens,” replied Aidan, “I’ll go there and destroy the pack myself.”

  He turned around and headed out of the room. At the doorway he stopped and glanced over his shoulder at Ms. Bonneville who was still kneeling in the middle of the room, her shoulders slumped. He waved his hand at her, unable to suppress an uneven smirk from curving his lips. “You may rise now,” he threw at her and walked out of the Assembly Hall.

  The young guard was waiting for him outside, an expression of shock imprinted on his face. There was no doubt that he heard at least part of what was said in the Assembly Hall, but he didn’t ask anything.

  “Are you leaving, sir?” he asked carefully.

  “Yes, I must go back home,” answered Aidan. “You’re the only person who showed me kindness here and I don’t even know your name.”

  “Jamie,” replied the guard, an openhearted smile changing his face. “I mean, James Coldwell.”

  “Well, Jamie, I hope you would do one more favor for me,” said Aidan. “Since I can’t teleport within the Guardians’ land, would you be so kind and drive me to the main gate?”

  The young guard took Aidan to the main gate and led him outside the gates, leaving him there. Aidan touched the pendant on his chest and smirked. His servitude to the Guardians order was over. He was still under the oath, but he seriously doubted that the Head Mage would be bothering him anytime soon. She would think twice before she called him again.

  He snapped his fingers and vanished.

  Chapter 30

  ~ Aidan ~

  A while ago, Zane adjusted his wards so Aidan could come in and out any time he needed. Now Aidan teleported straight into Zane’s living room, manifesting right next to him. Zane yelped and jumped aside, his sword at ready in his hands. His face was glistening with sweat, his shirt clinging to his body. He looked like he just ran a 10K.

  “Dammit, Aidan, you scared me shitless,” he yelled, lowering his sword. “I could’ve run you through. What’s going on?”

  “You’ll find out soon enough,” muttered Aidan, reaching forward. He seized Zane’s arm, and both vanished from the living room.

  A moment later, they manifested in front of the Church by the Sea. Aidan headed toward the door, pulling Zane with him. The gargoyles gathered above the door and lowered their heads, hissing at them.

  “Whoa,” mumbled Zane, fighting Aidan’s pull, “what are these beasts? Do they bite?”

  “Yeah, fried lizard is their favorite delicatessen,” replied Aidan, snickering. His second sight detected that the protective wards were armed, and he waved at the gargoyles impatiently. “Hey, you two, mutts! Let us through. You know perfectly well who we are, and I have no patience for your shenanigans today. Let us through, or I’ll reduce you into a pile
of rocks and dust. God knows, Zane could do with some fresh pebbles to decorate his front yard.”

  The gargoyles yelped and hopped aside, their marble eyes growing round. Aidan opened his sight and checked the wards again just to make sure that the gargoyles didn’t trick him. Once he was sure, he ran up the steps and opened the door, gesturing at Zane to follow him.

  They walked inside and found the church completely empty. Zane stopped, observing the stained-glass windows and tall vaulted ceiling with awe. But Aidan didn’t give him time to marvel upon architectural wonders. He proceeded through the passage between the seats to the altar.

  “Raoul!” he roared without slowing down. His voice bounced off the ceiling, reverberating over and over. “Raoul, I need you.”

  A small door, hidden behind the altar opened up and Raoul appeared in the doorway. He saw Aidan and headed to him, followed by Father Collins. Aidan turned to Zane, nudging him slightly closer to the altar.

  “Allow me to introduce my friend—,” he started to say, but Father Collins interrupted him, which was quite unlike the old Warden.

  “Mr. Zane Burns. The young Fire Salamander,” he said, extending his hand to Zane. “It’s an honor to finally make your acquaintance. I’m Father Collins, the Master Warden, and this is Father Raoul de Beaumont.”

  Aidan watched Zane flush scarlet for a moment, as he mumbled something in response and shook both priests’ hands and thought how young his friend was. He could still blush, feeling shy and awkward when someone was complimenting him.

  “I hate to cut the niceties short, but there is a reason I abducted Zane from his house and brought him here,” he said with a sigh. “There is a lot I need to tell you and I don’t want to repeat it twice.”

  They sat down on the first row of seats and Aidan went over everything that Gwyn ap Nudd told him and everything that transpired since Ms. Bonneville summoned him to the Guardians HQ.

  “She is an extremely powerful mage,” said Aidan, shaking his head. “She brought me down to my knees with her summoning call and then again with some kind of spell which I didn’t recognize. It took my full power of a god to counteract her magic.”

  “Are you worried about a possible confrontation with a mage?” asked Raoul, furrowing his brow. “Don’t forget, if Madam Bonneville is in league with the followers of Chaos, we’ll be facing two seventh level mages.” He visibly cringed.

  “Is there a way to find out where her loyalties lie?” asked Zane.

  “Not without making certain inquiries,” replied Father Collins. “But if I do it, she’ll know. Aidan, you’re a god of the Otherworld. Can’t you listen to her soul?”

  “I did, and I sensed nothing. Nothing serious,” replied Aidan.

  “Then why are you still worried?” asked Raoul. “I thought it was impossible to hide anything in your soul from a god of the Otherworld.”

  “I thought so too, Raoul, but my intuition tells me otherwise,” murmured Aidan. “And after the warning your friend, Luc, sent us, I can’t trust anyone among the Guardians and Wardens. No offense to present company.”

  They discussed the situation for a while. Zane shared his worries about the need to split the team in two, leaving Jim behind to protect the city. Aidan listed to everything Zane was telling him and doubts were crowding his mind, making him uneasy.

  Aidan understood why Zane wanted to split into two teams. He was right—they had to be ready to defend both the Yav and the Nav, and anyone who wielded elemental powers was powerless in the Dark Nav. Nevertheless, he hated this idea with a passion. It was never a good choice to divide your team.

  The other thing that bothered him was that Jim was the city’s only hope, in case Zane was right and Zvereva was planning to open the third front by attacking the city. Should this happen, Jim, the only human on their team would be the city’s last and only line of defense. A human FBI agent and a team of vampires. Well, that doesn’t sound strange at all, thought Aidan shaking his head.

  They spent most of the day polishing Zane’s plan, trying to predict possible scenarios and be ready for anything that the crazed mage could throw their way. By the time Aidan and Zane walked out of the church, it was dark outside. The fresh breeze, infused with the smells of the ocean, ruffled Aidan’s hair. He inhaled enjoying the freshness of the evening.

  “Do you have a few minutes?” he asked, staring toward the ocean wistfully.

  “You practically kidnapped me,” replied Zane with his usual lopsided smirk, “I don’t think a few extra minutes would make any difference.”

  Aidan walked toward the ocean and sat down on the soft sand of the beach. Zane sat next to him, resting his arms atop his bent knees. For a few minutes they sat in silence, listening to the soft whispering of the ocean waves.

  “I love the ocean,” said Aidan, staring into the horizon, where the dark waters were meeting the stormy sky. “I guess it came from my biological father… He was a god of the sea after all.”

  Zane didn’t say anything. He lay back on the cool sand, folding his arms under his head, staring up into the shadowy clouds. “I love nature… used to love the ocean too. Now water can hurt me. Especially cold water.” He chuckled.

  “We have less than six days left,” said Aidan quietly. “We are not ready.”

  “We can never be ready,” replied Zane calmly. “There is no way to get ready when you don’t know what to expect. Everything we discussed earlier were just our best guesses, some wild theories. And so far, this goddamn mage is ahead of us at least ten steps. So, the only thing we can do is play it by ear and fight to the death when the time comes.”

  “You’re too smart for an infant,” said Aidan, silently admiring how calm and collected his friend always was, no matter what situation he was in. He picked up a handful of sand, allowing it to trickle down through his fingers. “In a few days from now…” He didn’t finish his statement and cut himself short. “I don’t know about you, but if these were my last few days on Earth, I know exactly where and with whom I would want to spend them.”

  “Give my best to Tessa, Aidan.” Zane chuckled. “Just don’t get her involved in all this mess. The less you’re going to tell her the safer she’ll be.”

  “I know. Same applies to Angelique. But I’m sure, she’s not going to leave Jim alone fighting for the city,” replied Aidan.

  Zane nodded, and they both fell silent for a few minutes. “And why are you talking about the last days on Earth, being an immortal god and all,” said Zane all of a sudden, rising up on his elbows.

  “You’re too young, Zane—”

  “Jealous, old man?”

  Aidan laughed, shaking his head. “Not at all. You’re too young to realize that there is nothing wrong with death. Death is not good or evil. It just is. It’s natural. I believe you’re on the first name basis with Death. There is nothing evil about him, don’t you agree? Angel can tell you everything there is to know about dying.”

  “Immortal, remember?” replied Zane, lying back down.

  “Immortality is not a gift, it’s a curse,” muttered Aidan. “Like I said, you’re too young to understand some things yet. There are things in life that are a lot scarier than death.”

  “Well, you’re in a morbid mood today,” said Zane, turning his head to the side to see Aidan better. “What scares you, Aidan?”

  “The loss of people I love,” continued Aidan, his memory traveling back thousands of years ago. “To me it is scarier than dying myself. I survived the death of my siblings whom I loved with all my heart. Especially my twin-sister. Almost twenty-five hundred years later, I still mourn her death. Since then, I didn’t open my heart to anyone. Until Tessa came into my life, that is. If something would happen to her, I don’t think I could survive another loss like that.”

  Zane sat down sharply, locking his glowing red eyes with his. “What are you trying to tell me, Aidan? Tessa is going to remain with the Guardians in Chicago. She should be safe there. As safe as the rest of the world.”<
br />
  “If we lose the battle… If the Chaos will run free—”

  “Then let’s not lose the battle,” said Zane. He hopped up, seizing Aidan’s arm above his elbow and yanked him up to his feet. Aidan felt the heat of Zane’s hand as the fire energy spiked up around his friend. “We both know what we need to do. So, go and spend some time with Tessa while you can, and we’ll meet at my house on the morning of the day before Samhain.”

  “I think I’ll do that,” agreed Aidan. “I’ll use a couple of days for all the preparations as we discussed and then travel to Chicago to spend one day with Tessa.”

  Zane waved his hand, unfolding the fire-curtain of his portal. “See you soon.” He walked through the fire, disappearing on the other side.

  Aidan sat back down, thinking about everything he still needed to do and about his visit to Tessa. The idea of traveling back to the Guardians HQ didn’t give him a pleasant vibe, but that was the only way he could see her. With everything that was going on, he wanted Tessa to remain within the highly protected walls of the Guardians Headquarters, safe and away from all the dangers of the outside world.

  Chapter 31

  ~ Aidan ~

  Aidan walked through the long driveway toward the mansion of the Guardians HQ. He teleported to the gate but decided not to summon the guards and just take a walk. It was giving him a little extra time to think and prepare himself for the meeting with Ms. Bonneville. Also, it was only two o’clock and Tessa’s lessons were over at three. He had an hour to spare. This time he checked the weather and had a leather jacket over his shirt, so the long walk through the park was pleasant and relaxing.

  When he finally reached the mansion and opened the front door, he wasn’t surprised to find Ms. Bonneville accompanied by a few guards, meeting him. He stopped a few steps away and stared down at her, narrowing his eyes. For extra effect, he sent some of his magic toward his eyes, making them glow bright-white.