Wild Fire

by Ally Shields

  “Where are you?” Lt. Ryan Foster, Riverdale PD, demanded. “City Hall’s on fire this time. And unless our arsonist has a flame thrower, this has got to be an Otherworlder.”

  “Huh? I don’t get it.”

  “I’ll explain when you get here.”

  “OK, I’m on my way, but it better be good to drag me across town in this storm.” She disconnected and shrugged at Andreas, who was talking into his own phone. “Police business. Another suspicious fire. I have to go.”

  He nodded reluctantly. “I’ll be at the club. The band for tonight just called in sick.”

  She blew him a kiss.

  “Hold on,” he said into the phone. In one long stride he grabbed and kissed her. “No air kisses. Not good enough,” he whispered in her ear.

  His soft words sent her off with a smile on her face.

  * * *

  City Hall was fully engulfed in flames and dark smoke. Firefighters struggled to handle the hoses in the cold; the water spray had started to form icy crystals on nearby buildings. By morning the area would be an ice palace, hiding the devastation. There were two buildings that already looked that way from yesterday’s fires.

  Riverdale had an arsonist. But until Ryan’s latest call, Ari hadn’t thought it had anything to do with her. As a guardian for the Magic Council, only crimes committed by or against Otherworlders fell under her jurisdiction. Ryan was her liaison with the human PD and the head detective of their Inter-Cultural Division.

  His tall blond figure waved at her from near a group of fire trucks, and she stomped toward him through the snow.

  “Anybody hurt?” she asked.

  “Nobody’s been inside yet, but we think they all got out. It was called in about 5:00 p.m., and most workers were off at 4:30. We have a witness this time. Sort of.”

  She wrinkled her brow. “What’s a sort-of witness?”

  “Says he saw a fireball hit the building.” Ryan pointed to a man huddled in a heavy parka. His crisp suit pants and polished shoes said he was a local businessman. “But he didn’t see who—or what—it came from.”

  “Fireball, huh? Let’s see if he can be more specific.” Ari cut across the street to question the witness and waited for Ryan, who stopped to let a fire truck pass then followed her.

  The witness was eager to tell his story again. He bobbed his head emphatically. “Yes, a fireball. In fact, two fireballs, not just one. When the first one came in low, I thought it was a missile off target. But when I saw the second one, I knew it was no accident.”

  Ari blinked. A missile? There were no missile bases within hundreds of miles. “Which direction?”

  He pointed to an alley across the street. “Right between the hardware store and the dental clinic.”

  They thanked the witness and headed for the alley.

  “We’ve checked around the area,” Ryan said. “Found some tracks in the snow going out the back end, but I waited until you got here to follow them. I’m not anxious for my officers to run into an unknown supernatural predator. I’ll call SWAT if you think we need them.”

  “I’d rather take a look first.”

  At the far end of the alley, Ryan pointed out multiple sets of tracks. Most of them forged a path in the snow around the exterior of the building. Firemen or police. But one set went behind the next building and was definitely leaving the area.

  They trudged across the six-inch depth of heavy white flakes. It had started snowing again. Even with gloves on, Ari stuck her hands in her pockets to protect them from the brisk wind that was picking up the icy crystals and swirling them around. They’d have to hurry before the tracks were obscured.

  “What do you think did this?” Ryan asked.

  “The tracks are the size and shape of a humanoid shoe. Of the creatures that live around here—other than me, and I didn’t do it—” She grinned at him. “It’s most likely a halfling demon. They’re part-human, some of them can throw or breathe fire, and they have enough free will to choose between good and evil. Obviously this wasn’t one of the good guys.”

  “I don’t get it. Why would a demon start burning buildings? Why pick City Hall?”

  “Off his meds?” she quipped.

  Ryan stopped in his tracks. “Are you telling me demons take meds for mental disorders?”

  “I was kidding, Ryan.”

  “Well, how was I supposed to know?” he grumbled, catching up with her again. “I suppose it’s too much to expect an Otherworlder to think and act like an ordinary firebug.”

  “We’ll ask him why he did it when we find him.”

  The footprints gradually moved up the slope that sat under the older parts of Riverdale, out of the tourist district, past residential homes, and angled toward the cliffs that overlooked the Mississippi River. Then they took a sharp swing north.

  Ari looked ahead, her gaze following the tracks through the wrought iron fence and into the Riverdale Cemetery. “I don’t like this.” She came to a stop with one hand on the gate. “Don’t you think the tracks have been too obvious? As if he wanted us to follow him?” Her eyes scanned the cemetery grounds for anything unusual—a shadow, a hint of color out of place among the stones and crypts. The tracks led behind a tall mausoleum.

  “A trap?” Ryan drew his pistol. “Do you sense something?”

  “Maybe. But there’s a lot of magical interference in graveyards.” Ari frowned. She sensed a flicker of Otherworld power, but it didn’t feel right. Shielded? Would a halfling demon be that good? She eased through the gate, and Ryan followed close behind. Her magic stirred, raising the hairs on her arms, and she stopped, extending her witch senses to probe the area around them—tasting, smelling, touching the environment. Her magic roared to life.

  “Back!” she shouted.

  Two gigantic figures leaped from the top of the nearest crypt. A howling rent the quiet of the cemetery. By the time the creatures landed—one in front of Ari and Ryan, the other between them and the gate—both had morphed into fiery-red, eight-foot demons, their eyes deep black holes. Each carried a metal shield and swung a five-foot medieval flail.

  “Hellsgate warriors!” Ari crouched, raising her fingers to call the witch fire.

  “What’s a hellsgate warrior?”

  Ari ducked as the first one swung his flail in a vicious loop. “Half-demon hit men.” She unleashed her fire magic. The fiery bolt was absorbed by his shield. The second warrior lumbered toward Ryan, who backed away, firing his gun twice. Both bullets pinged off the shield.

  “How do we fight them?” Ryan jumped behind a tombstone, firing again.

  “Stay out of reach until you can get a good shot at the soft spots, eyes or throat.” She twisted aside to avoid another charge and hit the warrior’s legs with a stream of fire. He yowled and stumbled.

  Ryan fired at the warrior stalking toward him. It whirled the flail over its head, the chain gathering speed and striking power. “Will my bullets kill them?”

  “If you hit them right.”

  Ari vaulted onto the top of a crypt for a better vantage point, but the demon followed. She leaped to a second crypt. The demon launched himself in pursuit but fell short and tumbled into the snow. Unaffected by the impact, he hefted his bulk upright and came at her again. He swung the flail and struck the crypt Ari stood upon, breaking off huge chunks of stone. She stepped back from the edge and rained witch fire upon him, but he deflected it with his shield.

  Ari glanced sideways at Ryan. His attacker was getting much too close. She shot fire at him and Ryan scrambled behind a stone monument.

  She refocused her fire on the demon below her. His shield began to melt under the steady stream, but the mausoleum beneath her was crumbling even faster. Ari ran to the far side and dropped to the ground. The hellsgate warrior continued to pulverize the stone monument for several seconds until he realized she was gone.

  She hid behind a tall tombstone and peered around the corner in search of Ryan. He was backing between rows of gravestones, firing
sporadically as the second demon stalked him. Ryan concentrated his shots on the head and neck like she’d suggested, but the creature wasn’t stopping.

  A growl warned Ari that the other demon had spotted her. She turned to confront him, then whirled around at the loud crackling of stone.

  Ryan’s attacker had shattered the gravestone in front of him, sending shards flying. A large chunk of granite caught Ryan in the shoulder, and he stumbled and fell backward. Ari leaped behind the demon and shot fire at the arm swinging the spiked flail. He roared and twisted, biting at the fire on his back. She poured more hot magic into him, and the warrior fell to his knees.

  Ryan struggled to his feet and fired his pistol at the demon’s face and throat. The creature shrieked and thrashed the air with his burning arms. His movements slowed, and he toppled forward into the snow.

  Hearing a crunch behind her, Ari dodged aside. The remaining demon’s spiked weapon missed her by inches. Incensed by his companion’s death scream, he shook his half-melted shield, threw it at her, and charged forward in his stiff-legged gait.

  Ryan reloaded and began shooting again, but Ari’s witch fire needed time to recharge. She darted away and kept tombstones between her and the lumbering creature. Ryan followed but from the back he had no soft targets. The only weapon she had was her dagger; not a good choice with a hellsgate warrior unless you were close enough to stick it in his eye. She hoped not to get that close.

  The demon swung the spiked ball from side to side on its chain, clearing a path and sending broken stones flying in every direction. Ari was fast running out of real estate. The five-foot wrought iron fence that surrounded the graveyard was right at her back.

  Clearing that height would ordinarily be no problem, if she had room enough to make the jump. She went the only direction she could. She sprang forward to the demon’s right to leap over the gravestones to safety. His weapon caught her arm, spinning her. She landed at his feet.

  The warrior roared in victory and swung the chain to wield the fatal blow. Ari threw her dagger and pierced the corner of the demon’s left eye. He screamed in pain and yanked it out. Ryan jumped in front of him and emptied his pistol into the creatures’ face. Ari scooted backward as fast as she could to avoid being crushed by the falling body. He was dead before he hit the ground.

  Breathing hard, Ryan spun around to look for her, his eyes wide.

  “By the Goddess, Ryan. That was close. Thanks.” She got up and walked toward him, examining the deep tear in her coat sleeve. “You bagged yourself a hellsgate warrior.”

  He straightened and started to grin. “I guess it was my turn to save the day.”

  “You cert—”

  The air shimmered and crackled. A black-cloaked figure dropped in front of them and a glowing green net of magic settled over Ari.

  “No. No!” She flung her hands up, plucking at the netting, and sank to her knees.

  “Ah, yes, Ari. Did you think you were rid of me?” said a familiar, cultured German voice. The handsome blond warlock smirked at her.

  “Gerhard.” His name barely made it past her lips.

  His smug look deepened.

  “What are you doing to her?” Ryan demanded, staring at Ari’s ashen face. He yanked out his last magazine and clicked it in place. Gerhard snapped his fingers, and the pistol flew from Ryan’s grip.

  The warlock’s eyes darkened in anger. “No nasty toys allowed, human.”

  “Arianna!” Andreas’s shout filled the air.

  Gerhard whipped his head around as the vampire crashed through the cemetery gate. The warlock threw a bolt of magical fire. Andreas easily stepped aside.

  “Damned vampire.” Gerhard snapped his fingers and vanished into a black haze.

  Ryan crouched beside her. “Ari, what’s happening to you? What can I do?”

  Panic seized her throat, and she couldn’t respond. Her fingers plucked frantically at the threads of the magical net that was settling into her skin. She was close to sobs by the time Andreas scooped her out of the snow, cradling her in his arms.

  “Arianna, what is it?”

  Even Andreas’s presence didn’t stem the flood of fear. Ari had never seen a binding net, but she knew what they did.

  Gerhard had bound her magic.

  She gulped in several deep breaths, fighting to get the rage, the shock, and the sense of violation under control.

  Andreas turned to Ryan in desperation. “Tell me what happened.” His words come out raw with fear.

  “We were fighting the hellsgate creatures. The last one was down, and then this guy dropped out of nowhere.”

  “Gerhard,” she said, lifting her head from his shoulder.

  Andreas looked stunned. “Gerhard? How is that possible? What did he do to you?”

  “He threw this green net-like thing over her,” Ryan said.

  “A binding net.” Ari swallowed hard and wiggled to be put down. “He bound my powers with a spell.”

  Andreas stilled. After a moment, he set her down. “Then we will unbind them.”

  She leaned against him, wanting him to make it all go away, knowing he couldn’t. “I wish it were that easy.”

  He put his hand under her chin and tipped her face up to look at him. “We will make it happen.”

  Ari wanted to believe that. In fact, she had to believe that. “OK.” She took a shaky breath, gathering her scattered wits. “OK,” she repeated, and this time she meant it. No one was going to defeat her—not a lowlife like Gerhard Kirsch.

  She straightened. “We have to warn Gabriel. Gerhard might go after them. And Samuel at the house.”

  “I will take care of it. But if Gerhard was by himself, he won’t take on the compound again. He is not a fighter. Not unless a win is guaranteed.” Andreas’s face hardened. “We should have killed him when we had the chance.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Ari clutched Andreas’s hand as the three of them headed for his office at Club Dintero, his elegant supper club. As they approached the club’s private side entrance, she abruptly stopped. “Hold on. I sense vampiric power inside.”

  Ryan frowned. “Well, that’s not a surprise. What else—” Her words finally sunk in.

  “You sense it? Even through the net?” Andreas asked.

  “I don’t understand.” She reached out with her magical senses and found scents and sounds beyond the walls. She straightened, excitement lighting her face. How was that possible? Her witch senses were working. Had the binding been temporary? She pointed her fingers toward a large rock at the side of the alley and concentrated on her witch fire. Her fingertips didn’t even tingle.

  She let her hands fall to her sides. “The senses work, but not the fire.”

  “It is a start, and better than we thought a few minutes ago.” Andreas keyed in the security code, took her hand again, and led her into the building, Ryan following behind.

  Inside Andreas’s office, she took off her coat and sat on the couch. Ryan took a chair by the desk.

  “Wait here,” Andreas said. “I’ll be back in a moment.”

  She waited, still dazed, struggling to understand what had happened to her. Andreas returned quickly with three glasses and two bottles of wine.

  He pressed a glass of chardonnay into her fingers. “I am at a loss for where to begin, cara mia. Were you aware Gerhard had escaped the witches’ prison?”

  She looked at him “Of course I didn’t know. I would have told you.” Her phone chirped from her coat pocket on the back of the couch. Ari dug it out and saw Sophie’s picture on the caller ID, her witch friend from Germany.

  Ari answered the call. “Sophie, Gerhard was just here.”

  Sophie’s voice rose with concern. “Are you OK? You didn’t call me back, so I was trying again to warn you that he had escaped. We’ve all been on high alert for hours, but I can’t believe he went all the way to America so quickly.”

  She must have missed the call when they were in the caverns. “When did this happen?
And how?”

  “Over forty-eight hours ago. As near as we can reconstruct it, the O-Seven used their psychic powers to fog the minds of the jailors and allow a large force of vampires to enter the prison facility. They killed every witch on the premises. The bodies were discovered when a deliveryman arrived yesterday morning. We didn’t hear about it until just a few hours ago.” She paused. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  “Physically, yes, but he bound my fire magic.”

  “He what?” Sophie nearly shrieked this time.

  “He used a binding spell that looked like a green net. Have you seen that specific spell before? Do you know how to diffuse it?”

  “Scheiβe. I wish I did.”

  Ari swallowed her disappointment.

  “I’ll ask the Witches’ League. Wait. Are you telling me he broke the League’s binding and has his own powers back?”

  “Enough to teleport and cast a binding spell.”

  “This is all their fault. They should have executed him.” Sophie paused again, as if thinking about it. “At his trial, he was accused of using the Maleficus.”

  Ari gasped. “You’re kidding. The book really exists?”

  “Oh, it’s real enough. We have good documentation of its existence. He denied using it, of course, but it’s long been rumored to be hidden somewhere in the vampire stronghold. If your Magic Council doesn’t have the full history, let me know, and we’ll get it to you. But the spells involved are so dark that our coven cannot touch them. You have to have demon blood.”

  “Then how did Gerhard use them? He may be evil, but his bloodlines are pure witch.”

  “I don’t know. We’re looking into it.”

  Ari sighed. “Well, if I can’t use a demon book to break the spell, I’ll have to find another way. Since the Witches’ League can bind, can’t they also unbind?”

  “Yes, of course, but the council uses a counterspell to the exact words that created the binding. You’ll need the original spell. At least, that’s what I always thought. But that doesn’t explain how Gerhard broke the witches’ binding. That’s something else I’ll ask the League when I warm them about his restored powers.” She hesitated. “I’ve had enough experience with teleportation to know he didn’t teleport all the way from Germany. I don’t care how powerful he or this Maleficus is. You should check with the airlines.”