AllFreeNovel
Share Us
No sooner had we all returned to the office than my phone buzzed—a call from Riker, which sent an involuntary jolt through me.
“Riker,” I answered, balancing professionalism on the tip of my tongue as I walked past Elijah, who raised an eyebrow in silent question.
“Hey, Tessa.” His voice was a deep rumble. “I’ve been sniffing around those fire scenes today. I’m sensing a pattern—a kind of trail of cinders—but I can’t quite see it yet.”
“Sounds like our firestarter has a favorite flavor of chaos,” I mused, pacing now, the hunter in me awakened by the scent of prey. “Think we should check out one of the hot spots together?”
“Exactly what I had in mind,” Riker confirmed, and I could practically hear the gears turning in his head. “Meet me at the site at Fair Park. We’ll see if we can find anything.”
“En route,” I replied, heading back out toward my Kia.
* * *
I kicked a piece of charred rubble with the toe of my ratty sneaker, watching it skitter under the scorched remains of what used to be Fair Park’s most Instagram-worthy fountain. The irony wasn’t lost on me—the place that once held water now looked like a dragon had used it for target practice.
“This firestarter djinni doesn’t do half measures,” Riker said, squatting down to examine a blackened chunk of stone. He was all business today, muscles flexing beneath his shirt as he sifted through the ashes like some kind of Herculean archaeologist.
“Or maybe they just really hate fountains,” I said, trying to ignore the way the late afternoon sun turned his skin into a canvas of warm bronze tones. “What’s got you so captivated? Find a magic lamp in there?”
“Ha, if only it were that simple,” he replied without looking up. Standing next to Riker, I felt like a bonsai tree—petite and a bit wild around the edges. It didn’t help that every time he gave me that intense, you-can-do-better look, my insides did a somersault.
“Seriously though,” I continued, glancing over the ruins, “what’s their endgame?” I frowned, the puzzle pieces not quite fitting together in my head.
“Power play, revenge, sheer destruction?” Riker shrugged. “Take your pick, Tessa. Until we get a handle on who we’re dealing with, we’re guessing in the dark.”
A shiver ran along my spine as his gaze met mine, and for a moment, neither of us spoke. Electricity seemed to crackle in the air between us. But then the moment passed, the spell broken by the shared urgency of our mission.
“Right, back to work,” I muttered, pulling myself together. I circled the fountain, eyes scanning for any clue that might scream ‘supernatural arsonist was here.’ And that’s when I saw it—a symbol etched into the base of the fountain, almost hidden by soot.
“Riker, look at this,” I called out, kneeling to get a better view. The symbol was intricate, a geometric design that sent a tingle up my arm as I traced it with my finger.
“Damn,” Riker breathed, joining me on the ground. “That’s an ifrit’s mark. More than just your average djinni wielding fire... This just went from bad to a whole new level of hellish.”
“An ifrit?” I echoed, trying to suppress a gulp. “As in, the mythical beings known for being as charming as a house fire?”
“Exactly,” Riker confirmed, his jaw set. “And they don’t pop up in folklore for being friendly. We’re dealing with something ancient and dangerous.”
“Great,” I sighed, pushing my hair back from my face, wishing it would stay in the ponytail I’d scraped it back into this morning. “Just what I needed. More heat.”
“Tell me about it,” Riker said, standing up and offering me a hand. I took it, feeling the strength in his grip. “Let’s regroup and plan our next move. If we’re hunting an ifrit, we’ll need more than just water guns.” He paused. “But we can do it.”
“Got it,” I replied, a mix of dread and thrill coursing through me. “Time to take down our Firestarter.”
“Let’s just hope we don’t get burned in the process,” he said with a wry smile that somehow managed to be both grim and reassuring.
“Speak for yourself,” I shot back. “I’ve always been good at playing with fire.”
Back at the office, Elijah and Helen, who were already waiting, pounced on us as soon as we entered.
“Well?” Helen asked. “What did you find?”
“Got a minute for some show-and-tell?” I said, pulling up the photo of the fountain’s charred symbol on my phone. “Our arsonist left us a little autograph.”
Elijah perked up, leaning forward as I slapped the photo onto the table. His stoned expression sharpened into focus—an occurrence worth documenting.
“An ifrit,” Riker declared, his voice echoing off the walls. “Fire-breathing baddies with a penchant for pyrotechnics. And they don’t go down easily.”
“Fabulous,” Helen muttered.
