AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Where the doors had been, there now existed a large hole. Stepping through the soot-filled and burning maw of the club, came the Fyrun Fae. They paused as soon as they exited the Utopia, looking around the parking lot as if they were pinpointing their next target. It felt a lot like watching a pack of hyenas scanning the horizon for food-on-the-hoof.
Delilah scrambled over to my side, and Camille followed her. “What are they looking for? Do they eat people?”
“Probably after they roast us,” Camille grumbled.
Bran slowly stood from where he’d crouched behind a car and sauntered over to stand between us. He slipped his hands in his pockets and stared at the Fae.
“Eat people? No. No, they do not. Kill people? Yes. But what they’re looking for now is more food.”
“If they don’t eat people, what do they eat? Steak?” De-lilah’s gaze was fastened on the Fyrun Fae as if she could stop them via wishful thinking.
“Think about it.” Bran sounded a little exasperated. “If you were made of fire, what would you eat?”
“Oh crap. Wood. Trees. Grass… anything that burns.” I pushed past them and ran over to Chase. “We have to move anything combustible out of their way. Including all the cars. Gasoline? Fyrun Fae? Bad combination!”
Chase motioned for the other firemen to join us and we formed a semicircle around the Fyrun Fae. As we slowly backed away, we began to toss aside any debris that might be flammable. Three of the cops started to break into all the cars in the nearby area, hotwiring them and driving them to the other end of the parking lot. As we cleared the path in front of them, the fiery women spread out, their heads swiveling slowly as they searched for fuel.
I shouted at Bran. “Hey, Unicorn Boy, how long can they last without refilling their flames once they’re out of the portal and in our world?”
He didn’t even look my way. “Long enough to cause havoc. And when they finally get tired of our game here, you can bet they’re going to be speeding up and then we’ll see how long it takes them to break through our lines, considering they can firebomb us and crisp us to toast. How do you like that for an answer, Bloody Mary?”
The women glowed, like sunlight captured within the framework of a body. While we could see vague impressions of their faces, mostly they were encapsulated flame, living pillars of fire. They were so alien I knew we could never reason with them, and yet they were not Elementals. They were a Fae so far from our own natures that I couldn’t see how we could ever even hope to communicate.
I darted to the side, grabbing a pile of loose boards that had once been a signboard. I tossed them as far away as I could. We’d do it again, once we reached where they landed.
Camille was scrambling to rip out a bush that was in a narrow island of grass. There was nothing we could do about the lawn itself—or was there?
Shade motioned for Camille to move aside. He knelt down, examining the grass. With a single glance at Delilah and me, he lightly placed his hand on the blades and closed his eyes. A flare of lightning moved over him, then down his arm—the purple crackle of his magic working deep and dark as it spread through the ground. A moment later, the grass began to wilt and vanish in a whiff of dust. Within another moment, only barren dirt remained, and the bush had also vanished, so much ash in the wind.
As we stared—we’d never seen that particular aspect of his magic before—a car screeched into the parking lot behind us. It was the limo, and the driver ran around to yank open the door and help Iris out. She looked tired, and harried, dressed in a warm winter gown the color of deep twilight, with silver stars embroidered on it. Her hair was braided up on her head, and she carried her silver wand with the Aqualine crystal on it. The tattoos on her face were glowing under the night sky, and their filigree gave her a haunted, ancient look even against her smooth, plump skin. We hurried over to her, ready to explain, but she pushed past us before we could say a word, staring at the Fyrun Fae.
“I haven’t seen one of these in such a very long time. They are related to Loki, you know. And to the fire giants. They come from the land of flame, and they feed on everything that will burn.” Her voice was soft. “They are volatile, like all fire-bound creatures. No sudden movements, please. I am bound to the ice, snow, and mist. They will sense me soon enough and it will be war.”
“Are you sure you want to do this? We can find another way…” Delilah knelt down by Iris’s side. “Little Mama, we’re not going to let you hurt yourself.”
Iris straightened her shoulders. “Kitten, step aside. Tonight, I am not Iris the mother, or Iris the house sprite. Tonight, I wear the cloak of Iris, Priestess of Undutar. These creatures, you see, they are my sworn enemies. While the balance is necessary, fire and ice will forever be bound and forever be fighting.”
“What do you need us to do?” I motioned for Delilah to obey. Reluctantly, my sister moved away.
Iris assessed the situation. “I can take them, but not all at once. You must distract at least three of them. Two at a time, my magic can handle.” She paused, looking thoughtful. “Whatever happens, I must not touch them directly. It would be… very bad.”
“We won’t let you get burnt,” Camille said.
“No, that’s not the issue.” She shook her head slowly. “The problem is this: They come from the realm of fire. I am bound to the realm of ice. When both elements are brought together on a mundane level here—such as plunging a sword from the forge into the snow—we work together. But the Fyrun Fae and I are all deeply connected to our primary elements and realms. They, through their very nature. Me, through my goddess. If we touch… well, let’s say this whole city block might be leveled.”
Crap. That wasn’t what we needed to hear. “Um, should we evacuate?”
She shook her head. “No, there is no time. They are hunting now, and if they do not feed soon, they’ll grow restless. The last thing you want are rogue Fyrun Fae running around. Bran—you know enough to be able to help me.” She turned to the son of the Black Unicorn and Raven Mother. “I require your help.”
To our surprise, he snapped to attention, saluting her. “Priestess, I am yours to command.”
“I want you to take Camille—don’t argue, either one of you—and…” Iris stopped as Morio came running up.
“I’m so sorry I couldn’t get here before now. What’s…” His voice drifted off as he took in the situation. “Fucking hell. What do you need?”
Iris cocked her head. “Even better. Morio, I need you to strengthen Camille’s Moon Magic. Camille, I need you to call down the storm in a way you’ve never called it before. We need a gusher. It won’t snuff out their fire, but it will make it harder for them to navigate. Morio, feed her as much energy as you can. Bran? You and Menolly go tempt two of the Fae with wood or whatever you can scrounge up. Use it like a carrot to keep them occupied. Delilah, you and Shade do the same to two of the others. I’ll take care of the one in the middle first. Go. Now.”
And with that, she ordered us into position. Bran and I gathered up armfuls of wood, as did Delilah and Shade, and we spread out, each targeting two of the Fae. If Iris could work on one at a time, it would be safer.
