Spell On Fire, page 10
Lu gave me a whoops look before forcing a smile at my younger sister. “My contact with a, uhm, special projects, you know,” she shook her head, “and the thing—”
Rose cut her off with a wave of her sculpted arm. “No time for jibberish. We all have to leave. They said to get at least one hundred miles away from ground zero, and in case you all don’t realize it, Southill Village is ground zero.”
Chapter 14
After Rose dropped the evacuation news on us, Luanne—at my request—went with Marigold to help her pack her things. Now that she knew what I was, I didn’t want my older sister doing anything crazy, like sticking behind to help. The civil defense sirens had started wailing and continued to sound off every fifteen minutes. Rose, the family's caretaker, had done her duty by making sure we were all informed. She had even booked condos for all of us in Hot Springs and told me there was room enough for Keir and Luanne.
I had to smile. Leave it to Rose to not only turn a disaster into a family vacation but also include our extended circle of friends. Zev had disappeared before I could ask him if he wanted to come along, and Keir had gone to the store to pick up some jeans and t-shirts. With the road out, unless he wanted to go full-on puca-mode, there was no easy way up the mountain to his home to get clean clothes. I packed an overnight bag. According to Linda, I had three days until the lava beast surfaced, which meant I had to at least pretend like I was evacuating with the rest of them. I texted Michael and told him to message me back when he got settled in St. Louis. The real reason, though, was so that I could say to him, maybe one last time, that I loved him.
I hated how relieved I felt that I didn’t have to reveal to anyone else about my witch status, at least not yet. Now that Marigold knew, I was determined to take my older sister’s advice and be upfront with the rest of them and let the chips fall where they may.
The good news was that I hadn’t started a blaze since I went all napalm in my bedroom earlier. The bad news, I still couldn’t access my Earth magic. Cripes, my life was a shitshow. Maybe I should have let the fire giant take me. If my sacrifice meant no one lost a home or their lives, wouldn’t it be worth it? Michael had his dad, along with the rest of my family. He would be okay, right? I mean, I lost my mother. It had been devastating, but I’d come back from it. Michael was a strong young man. He would be okay.
I knew the thoughts racing around my head were me trying to justify orphaning my kid and my siblings. My gut clenched as my mind turned to my father. Mom’s death had nearly killed him. He’d stopped working in his yard, tinkering as he called it, and he’d stopped eating and taken to sleeping most of the time. It had taken all of us kids and his grandkids to bring him back to life. The three months after my mom had passed had been both the saddest and scariest of my life. Would my dad be able to rebound after my death? Maybe. Maybe not. Whatever the consequences, though, I didn’t know if I had much choice. My Earth magic was depleted, and my Fire magic made me a hazard, not a weapon. On top of that, there was no way for me to hide from the monster coming to get me. Not facing it head-on would just keep everyone in continuous danger.
I shoved some pajamas in my go-bag and let out a noise of frustration. How could I fight something unfightable?
“My donsy has left the mountain,” Linda said as she popped up through the floor in front of me.
Her sudden appearance gave me a jolt. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
“The monster will kill you before your heart will.”
“That’s really comforting, Linda.” Not. “You should go into life counseling.”
“I didn’t realize you needed comforting, Kleinkind.” With lightning-fast hands, she hit me with a pebble right between the eyes.
“Ow.” I rubbed the spot. “That’s going to leave a mark.”
“Good,” she said. “Then at least you’ll have something between your ears other than air.”
“I am really stressed out. So, unless you have something helpful to say,” I closed my bag. “Zip it.”
“Has your boyfriend found out any more about die Bestie? How to stop it?”
I sighed. “Not yet.” I took my bag to the living room. Linda beat me in there.
“This thing will not stop until it has consumed you.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” I sat down on the couch to catch my breath.
Linda got on the coffee table. My grimoire was lying next to where she stood. “Have you consulted your ancestors?”
“They don’t answer my calls,” I said sarcastically. “The cellphone service probably sucks where they are.” I was rewarded with another rock. I ducked in time for it to bounce harmlessly off my couch. “Missed me, bitch.”
Linda flipped me off. I was sure it was her version of I love you.
“What were you saying about your donsy?” A donsy was a group of gnomes. In other words, Linda’s family. They lived in various gardens around Southhill Village. And while I’d never met any of them, I’m sure Linda had been worried. “They got out okay?”
“Yes,” Linda said. “They are traveling underground until they hit Woodall Mountain in Mississippi. It’s the nearest safe haven checkpoint for my clan.”
“I’m glad they got out.” I reached over and fondly patted her on the hat.
She smacked my hand away. “I am not a pet.”
“I know.” Speaking of, I looked around for Bob, and he was there next to the couch, ready for me to love on him like he always was. “You always know when I need you,” I said to the floofy darling.
“That’s his job,” Linda said with mild exasperation. She threw up her tiny hands. “Never mind. What are your plans for us defeating the molten monstrosity?”
“Us?” I peered at Linda. “I want you to go. Seriously. You said it best. Lava melts rocks. You can’t be here for this fight. You should be with your family.”
“Dumm Liebling,” Linda huffed. “You are meine Familie.”
Her words nailed me harder than any rock she’d ever thrown. My eyes watered with tears, and my voice caught in my throat. “I feel that way about you, too. Which is why I want you away from here. I don’t want to lose you.”
She waved away my sentiment. “If you lose yourself, what does it matter what happens to me?”
I sniffled. “It matters.”
“The dead cannot care.”
“I’m not going to die,” I said.
“Good.” She nodded her approval. “Then you have thrown the notion of sacrificing yourself away.”
“How—” I relocated Bob to the cushion next to me and stood up. “How did you know?”
“I am your guardian, Liebling. I could feel the defeat in you.”
I walked to the window and stared out at the drive. My car was gone, obviously, since I’d tossed it into a ditch. A truck passed by, packed to the sky with worldly possessions. I was glad folks were taking the evacuation seriously. Still, I knew there would be some die-hards that would be rooted in their homes. The idea of them dying made me sick.
“I’m not defeated, Linda.” Not yet. “But I’m also realistic. If I can’t figure out a way to fight this creature, then I’m as good as dead anyhow. I might as well not take the mountain with me.”
She nailed me that time, right on the cheek.
I brushed the area. “Why the face, Linda? You could hit me anywhere else, so why always the face?”
“Because I can hit you anywhere else,” she clapped back. The point of her pink hat caught on fire. She dropped through the floor and back up into the living room to snuff it out. “Stop that,” she commanded.
“I didn’t do it on purpose,” I said. “This ignis-craft bullshit does whatever it wants to do.”
“Nonsense. I’ve obviously failed you as a mentor. Tru-craft doesn’t work that way. There is always an intention behind every action. You should know that by now.”
“Tru-craft isn’t supposed to give a witch multiple elements, either, but it did me. So maybe my abilities are not following the stupid rules, Linda.” Her hat blazed again.
She threw it off her head, revealing a shiny dome of skin, and stomped out the fire. “Quit directing your anger at me.”
“You’re bald,” I said.
“And you’re stupid. Both things neither of us can change. It’s our burden to overcome.”
“Keep it up, and you’ll be naked soon.”
Her rosy cheeks deepened in color. “I did not come to argue with you.”
“Could’ve fooled me,” I muttered. “Unless you have something helpful to add, maybe we should both be silent.” Bob chased a dust bunny under the couch, and it made me smile. Then he began to purr, loud and soothing. “He really knows my moods.”
“Of course,” Linda said. “As your familiar, he is tied to your emotions. It’s his job to keep them in check. Haven’t you noticed that when you’ve done something truly destructive, it’s been during a time of extreme duress?”
“I wasn’t all the stressed out when I split the pool.”
Linda shrugged. “That was my fault. I was trying to teach you to run before you’d even grown legs.”
“You’re quite the picture painter.” I looked out the window again. Keir’s car was pulling into my driveway. “Keir’s here.”
“Then I don’t have much time,” she said.
“Time to do what?”
“Convince you to talk to Arshlongin Bonebreaker.”
She’d said gnomes had ridiculously long names, but this one was pronounceable. And a little daunting. “Is he one of your people?”
“No.” Linda tugged her beard. “He’s the king of the fire giants.”
“Dear, Lord, Linda. I thought you said you wanted me to fight? This sounds more like a direct path to sacrificial lamb.”
“Arshlongin has requested a parley, but it is only good until the moon meets the sun. His god is close, and the king is itching to give you to him.”
I knew from Pirates of a Caribbean that a parley was sort of like a temporary truce. But I wasn’t all that certain fire giants were as honorable as pirates. “Then why go talk to this Asshole Bonebreaker dude?”
“I didn’t, exactly, speak with him myself,” Linda admitted. “The message was brought to me by one of my kin. I trust him, though. And if he thinks this is real, I’m inclined to believe him.”
“Oh, him, huh? Is he your boyfriend?”
The intense blush in her cheek told me I wasn’t far from the mark.
“He is my husband.”
“You’re married? How did I not know this?”
“Because you’ve only known me for two months,” Linda said.
“You know everything about me, Linda,” I couldn’t keep the betrayal out of my tone. “Everything.”
“It’s not my fault if you don’t understand personal space and privacy.”
“You grow up with five siblings in a three-bedroom house with only two bathrooms, and you get really used to no personal space or privacy.” Keir got out of the car. “Make your proposal quick, Linda. He’s almost to the door.”
“Arshlongin will meet you north of town where you wrecked your car.”
“And where we took out his man? This sounds like revenge, not a parley.”
“It might be your best shot at finding out if the creature has any weaknesses. The fire giants have made tributes to fire gods for eons.”
I cast a doubtful glance her way. “I doubt he’s going to tell us something that will destroy their deity. Most people don’t want to kill off their gods.”
She spread her hands. “I presented the option. The decision is yours.” She bowed her head. “And I stand with you until the fiery, bitter end.”
Keir walked up the steps to the porch with two sacks of clothes.
“What time does the moon meet the sun?” I asked Linda. “I’ve never been good at conversion.”
“Six-thirty-nine,” Linda said.
The door rattled.
“You just know that?”
“I know how to use Google,” she said. “It’s almost two now. That doesn’t give us much time. What do you want to do?”
“I’m going to have to tell Keir,” I said quickly.
“Arshlongin said for you to come alone.”
“I’m sure he did.” As Keir walked in, I gave him a tight smile. He was not only my soul’s companion, but he was also my friend, my confidante, and…I loved him. I couldn’t do this without telling him. I wouldn’t do that to Keir. Not ever. I looked at Linda. “I don’t operate alone anymore.”
“What’s up?” he asked.
I walked over and kissed his cheek. “How do you feel about meeting a king?”
Chapter 15
I marveled at Keir’s ability to remain dispassionate as Linda relayed the terms of the king’s parley. He didn’t fly off the handle or go all caveman protector on me. Two things I appreciated more than he could know.
The idea of encountering another one of the grizzly, red-bearded giants that could boil asphalt and melt glass with their hands gave me more than a slight pause. It scared the shit out of me. Keir was my calm port in the storm. My shelter from the insane.
I already knew he cared about me. I knew that he would give his life for me. But his feelings for me couldn’t be a part of the equation when it came to this decision. He had to be logical and calculating. We both would have to be if we wanted to do what was right for everyone and not just me.
“Well?” I asked after Linda finished. “What do you think?” I remembered Lu saying she’d gone on a diplomatic mission with their father to broker a truce between fire giants and sand trolls. “Can this king-guy be trusted to keep his word?”
“The surtr are honorable, but they don’t like being perceived as weak. The fact that you got away and we killed one of his men in the process will not ingratiate us to him.”
I crossed the room to Keir and put my arms around him. For a guy who’d been putting out fires for two days in the same clothes, he smelled terrific.
“I didn’t much like him trying to kidnap me, or whatever his henchman was going to do to me, so we’re even.”
Keir chuckled as he held me tightly. “I’m not sure he’ll see it that way.”
“So, how do you negotiate with a fire giant?” I asked.
“Carefully.” He looked at the time on his watch. “If we’re going to do this, we’ll have to act fast. I want to make sure there is time to put distance between the king and us before moonrise. And, if we don’t make it to Hot Springs tonight, your family will send out a search party.”
“Definitely something else we don’t want,” I said. “What’s the best outcome here? Even if this guy knows about any vulnerabilities this fire asshole has, chances are good he doesn’t know how to defeat it. He would’ve considered that already to save his people and his home, right?
“Maybe. Or maybe the king thinks that feeding you to the beast is more expedient.”
I shrugged. “Can’t fault him there.” I leaned back so I could meet Keir’s gaze. “Sacrificing me is the quickest way from point A to point Z.”
His eyes turned inky at the suggestion. “And it’s the only option I won’t entertain.”
“Put your whiskers away, Peter Cotton-nightmare,” I said softly. I gave him a kiss to cool his puca jets. “I’m not planning to enact Operation Non-virgin Sacrifice. I’ve already had this discussion with Linda, and I really do want to fight, and I want to live. But we have to know that if things get dire, the volcano creature will probably kill me. If it comes to that, you have to promise that you’ll let me go. There is no sense in taking anyone else down that I love.”
“I can’t make that promise.” He kissed me, and I took a moment to savor the taste of him on my lips. “Where you go, I go. Even into death.” He kissed me again, the sweetest brush of his mouth against mine. I laced my fingers behind his neck as the kiss deepened.
“No one is dying today,” said Linda, “so let’s get to the meeting spot.”
At least she hadn’t thrown anything at me. I reluctantly dropped away from the kiss and sighed. Bob laced himself back and forth between our legs, rubbing his body against my calves.
“What about Bob?” I asked. I’d had the imp for two months, but I still didn’t know a whole lot about where he went when he disappeared or how he got back. He was always just there when I wanted or needed him. “Will he be okay?”
“Out of all of us,” Linda said. “Bob will be okay. His kind always is, even in death.”
“I’ll take him down to Hot Springs tonight.” I ran my hand over Bob’s back. “He can stay with my family until this is over.”
“The imp will go where he likes,” she said.
“If I die, I want him taken care of.” There was an edge of warning in my tone.
Linda didn’t care. “If you die, the imp will die.”
The horror of her words withered my soul. “That’s not true.”
“I told you before, he has two hearts. One for you and one for him. When the one for you stops beating, it’s only a matter of time before the one sustaining him stops working as well.”
I let go of Keir and lifted Bob into my arms. “When he was smashed by that rock troll, he died briefly. He survived that with no heartbeat.”
“But your heart was still beating, stupid Kleinkind. For as long as you live, so does the imp. It is his duty, no matter how many times you get him killed.”
“Oh, Bob-doodly-monkey-bug, how could you attach yourself to someone like me?” I kissed his head. He purred hard. I glared at Linda and dared her to comment on my love for the floofy imp-cat. “Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?”
“If I would have known your instinct to protect the imp would kick your self-preservation up a notch, I would have.” She didn’t wear a watch. Still, she tapped her wrist and said, “Clock’s ticking.”
“I can’t believe how many people are actually packing up and leaving town,” I said as we drove our way through Southill.
Keir’s mini-Coop hummed quietly as we passed trucks and cars lined up—a slow caravan of evacuees inching their way down the mountain. Our path was in the opposite direction, so we didn’t have to contend with much traffic. I knew there’d be casualties if we didn’t find a solution to our current lava monster problem. Even so, it made me feel better knowing that most of the lives of people I considered my community would be saved.
