Of Light And Fire (Burned By Magic Series Book 1) Read online

  Panic and calm wash over me at the same time, which is the strangest sensation I’ve ever felt. My fingers are shaking, but my body seems like it is moving at a snail’s pace. I slide the warehouse door open with a push from the side of my arm as I cradle Cormac’s research. I run back toward my truck and throw the door open, tossing the papers across the front seat. Only then do I realize that there is someone behind me. This shit with Cormac has thrown me off my game. I freeze, assessing my next move. I know it’s a demon by the faint smell of burning flesh, and it already has the upper hand by sneaking up on me. I should not have come here alone. I feel the weight of my decision hang heavy on my shoulders. I should have called for backup. The urgency I felt to get this over with completely washes away, and in hindsight I find myself wishing for all my Sicarri family.

  I reach for my gun at my side, and the demon lunges at me from behind, knocking me into the truck door. I slide out of his grasp and turn, gripping his head and smashing him into the glass window of the pickup. I watch as he collapses to the ground, then I snatch the lighter from my front pocket and flick the spark wheel. I know I don’t have much time, but something catches my eye. Before I get the chance to watch the demon’s body ignite, I notice hundreds more surrounding me. More than I’ve ever known to work together. My face drops when I realize I have no way out of this. I should have trusted my gut. This whole thing was trouble, and I knew it from the beginning. My whole life I’ve spent fighting against the demons, but I never thought I would meet my end like this. Ambushed with no backup. What a fucking way to die.

  For a moment, I imagine my wife and the look on her face when I don’t come home. I wonder how long it will take for her to realize that I’ll never come home. I wonder how she will break the news to Soren. I wonder if he will remember me. I wonder if they’ll ever understand how sorry I am.

  I feel something sharp in the center of my brain and double over in pain. The agony rips through my insides like I’m burning from the inside out. Everything goes black and I fall straightforward toward the ground, hearing the faint voices of demons chanting in the distance. My last thoughts drift to Vara and Soren one more time, and I wish, now more than ever, that I had never left my house this morning.

  Light.

  Blinding light is the first thing I notice. Everything is so bright that I can only see the outline of shapes. My head is pounding, and I can hear the bulb in the overhead lamp buzzing with electricity. I lift my heavy hands up to my head to rub away the remnants of a headache that feels like it’s split my face in two. Once I begin to sit up, my vision starts to come back, but I feel foggy. It’s like my brain is moving in slow motion and I’m fighting to catch up.

  My hands fall back to my sides and I grip the edges of the plush red couch that I’m lying on. This couch has definitely seen better days. It’s frayed around the edges and smells like grass and dirt—like earth. It’s something that you would find at a seedy motel at the edge of town. For a moment, I consider the possibility of that.

  Where am I?

  I sit up slowly and take in my surroundings. There is a lag in my thoughts as I try to remember how I got here, and I frown. The room is small, with dirty white tile floors and wood paneling painted white on the walls. So much dingy white. It’s small in here, and a tiny prickle of claustrophobia makes its way up my legs. There are no windows and the air is stagnant. There is a portable box fan in the corner of the room, and I debate turning it on, but it wouldn’t be wise if someone were to hear it.

  I pick myself up off the couch, feeling slightly woozy, and stretch my legs. Images of demons and the warehouse flood my mind. What happened? Where did they take me? How long have I been here?

  Why didn’t they kill me?

  Holy shit… am I dead? I quickly scan my body looking for incisions, cuts, scrapes, anything that the demons could have done to me. Anything that could tell me if I still had my fire, or if it was stolen. I don’t see anything. I look down at my hands and grab the skin between my thumb and pointer fingers, pinching with unrestrained pressure. The discomfort rises up my hand and into my forearm. I’m not sure if the presence of pain means that I’m alive, but my next thoughts distract me from life and death.

  Vara. Soren.

  I have to get home.

  First, I need a weapon. No matter where I am, this place has got to be surrounded by demons. They would never leave me unguarded. I notice a small nightstand in the corner of the room holding a clock radio. In a sweeping motion, I knock the clock off the top and smash the corner of the nightstand against the hard tile floor, and then my body stills. I shift around, my muscles stiff against the rough cloth of my clothes. I just made a ton of noise and I didn’t even think about it. This isn’t something I would normally forget in a situation like this. Damn it. After a few moments that feel like I’m dangling over the edge of a cliff, I hear no one coming, so I pick up the sharp piece of wood I’ve managed to break off.

  “What the hell are you thinking, Elijah? These are demons not vampires…” I whisper to myself. My voice comes out much more gravelly than I expected, and I realize how thirsty I am. I feel like I haven’t had a drink in years. I need to get out of here; this weapon will have to do.

  There is a large steel door interrupting the white walls, with a digital keypad perched next to it. I try the keypad a few times before getting frustrated. I have no idea what the code could be. I walk back toward the corner of the room, pick up the clock radio from the floor and rear back to smash the face of it against the digits on the keypad.

  The door slowly creaks open and the unexpected victory makes me suspicious. That was easier than it should have been, so either they’re not expecting me to break out anytime soon, or it’s not demons that have me.

  I stick my head out through the crack in the door and see a dark and empty hallway. There are three different doors that I could take: one on either side of the long strip of hallway, and one at the very end. I choose the one at the end of the hallway. It’s larger than the others and painted white, with sunlight peaking around the edges. Maybe this one will lead me outside? I make my way through the darkness with the sharp piece of wood in my hands like I’m holding a baseball bat. I feel energy surge through me, the way I always feel before a big fight with the demons.

  I take a deep breath and turn the knob.

  I lower the hand tightly gripped around my sharp wooden weapon when I smell food. The clinking of plates hits my eardrums, along with low conversations and the hustle and bustle coming from the kitchen. There are booths lining the windows with bright sunlight streaming in, and a bar overflowing with people. This place is packed. No one even turns my way. I drop my weapon at my feet quietly and kick it backwards while I close the door softly.

  A diner. That’s where the demons took me?

  I see a small napkin hanging off the table that reads “The Warehouse Diner.” You have got to be shitting me.

  I slip in between two people at the bar and lower my head, hoping no one notices me. I feel my hunger catch up with me, and I have my eyes on the blueberry muffins on the counter underneath a display case.

  “Coffee for you, hun?” I jump when I hear a sweet voice in front of me. This is the first time anyone has paid me any attention. I look up and notice deep red curls that remind me of my Vara, followed by bright blue eyes framed with thick lashes. She looks so young and kind. Her nametag reads “Beatrice.”

  “Uh, yes please,” I say, shaking my head to gather my thoughts. So far, this place looks safe. No dark, twisted, or burned demons in sight. My hungry belly keeps me planted in the seat while I come up with a plan to get home.

  “Coming right up,” she says, and slides over to the coffee pots. I breathe in the rich coffee smell and start to look around for a payphone that I can use to call Vara and Soren. As soon as my thoughts drift to my family, my fear for them starts to choke me. I make my way to stand up and get the hell out of here, but before I take a step, Beatrice returns with coffee and s
ets down a blueberry muffin on a plate in front of me.

  “You look famished.” She smiles and blinks at me, batting her lashes slowly. At first I’m confused because it seems like she’s trying to flirt with me, but then I see it, the flash of silver covering the bright blue color of her eyes. A demon. Since when can demons take the form of the unburnt? In the lifetime that I’ve spent at war with them, I’ve watched them change into their burned, blackened bodies, their skin growing thicker and thicker until it was no longer human. I have only ever known them to look that way, but this young beautiful girl in front of me… how could she have the eyes of a demon?

  Suddenly, my ears open to the room around me and I notice everything has gone quiet. No more clattering of plates, no low voices, nothing. I look around the diner and see nothing but a sea of silver eyes facing me. A deep shiver runs up my spine and I feel my skin break out in goose bumps.

  Before I can think, I take the sugar container from the table and beam it through the window next to me as hard as I can. I hop onto the diner bar and leap over the hands lunging at my feet, trying to grab me. I jump through the shattered window and land on my back, knocking the wind from my lungs. I groan and drag myself up off the ground, spitting blood from my mouth. I must have bitten my tongue in the process. Demons are beginning to climb through the window, piling on top of each other. There is a woman just exiting her car in the parking lot, her keys glinting in the sunlight just like the flash of sliver under her eyelids. I need that car… I bound across the space between me and the only way I’m getting out of this alive. Ducking my head, I slam into her, reaching out to grab her wrists at the same time that she drops her keys and purse to the ground. I throw her to the side, scooping up her belongings in one quick motion, and slide into the driver’s seat. I turn the key in the ignition and throw the car in gear, mashing my foot down onto the gas and kicking up dust and debris in the process. With the weight of my entire body forcing my foot onto the gas pedal, I’ve made it far enough away that I don’t think they could be following me anymore. I check the rearview and see the faint outline of demons before they finally disappear in the distance.

  Then I breathe. Inhale. Exhale. Once, twice, three times.

  Demons shifting into unburnt humans. That has never been possible, not in all the time that I’ve been alive. My grandfather never even mentioned that it would ever be a possibility. They must be using magic.

  And if they’re using magic, it can only end in death.

  My heart is beating so fast; I can feel it pulse beneath my fingertips when I reach up to place my hand on my chest. At the moment, I don’t want to think about anything other than getting straight home to my family. I want to drown out the voices in my head telling me it’s too late, that I’ve already failed, so I turn the radio on and flip the knob to the first station that doesn’t come back with static.

  A raspy old voice bounces off the walls in the car, a man’s voice. “That about does it for the weather, Margaret. It looks like it’ll be another nice one today as we celebrate the moment years ago, when The Great King Abe brought down the Sicarri and taught us a new way of living. We thank you, King Abe, today and everyday since.”

  Some inane music plays after the man’s voice cuts out. I smash my finger onto the power button. I don’t want to hear any more. Not until I find out what the hell is going on from the people I trust. But the silence from the radio only spurs on the racing thoughts in my mind, and I try to make sense of what I just heard. Before the demons grabbed me, the Sicarri’s forces were more powerful than ever. The general population knows the dangers of using magic. Almost no one practices anymore, knowing that magic creates a hotspot of sorts for demons. As long as you aren’t practicing, your flame won’t burn bright enough to attract them.

  That’s how we’ve kept so many safe. So if they were able to take over the radio, something big must have happened. Someone must have changed things.

  Which brings me to King Abe. I know that name, Abe; I fought him many times, but he has always managed to slip away before I could burn him. Could this be the same one? And years? There’s no way this happened years ago, the Sicarri were still alive then. Shit, they’re still alive now. I am Sicarri. Unless…

  How long was I asleep?

  No. That’s not possible. I’ll make it back to Vara and Soren and they’ll explain it all. I press my foot down harder onto the gas pedal, forcing myself to drive. Don’t think, just drive.

  I’m starving, but I don’t stop for food. I’m exhausted, but I don’t stop to rest. I drive. I have no clue where I am, so I decide to follow the road until something becomes familiar to me. The signs, buildings, and houses that I pass mean nothing to me, and I don’t bother glancing away from the pavement that my tires eat up along the way. I don’t want to guess at how long the demons had me, so I force myself to stop thinking while I drive. Vara will tell me all I need to know. I can trust her to lay it all out for me

  After a while on the road, I realize I won’t be able to continue driving unless I figure out where the demons took me, or how far away from home I am. None of the street signs look familiar, and I have no map to guide me. I glance over to the glove box as the thought enters my head. Maybe there’s a map in there? I lift my head to scan the road for any other vehicles before swerving to the side and throwing the car in park.

  Why didn’t I think of this sooner?

  My mind still feels fuzzy, like I’m in the stage right before you wake fully from sleep, when you’re aware of your thoughts, but your body hasn’t quite caught up with them yet. I pop open the glove box and dig for a few minutes before I find what I’m looking for. It’s small, and frayed around the edges, but it’ll do. I unfold it, taking care not to rip the already fragile bends in the paper. It takes me a few minutes to zone in on my location before I realize that I’m half a day away from Vara and Soren… from our home. I toss the shifter back into drive and speed onto the road.

  I feel like I’ve been driving for ages when I hear a ping come from the dash. Fuel level low.

  Shit. I’m going to have to stop. I drive until I see the illuminated sign of a gas station. I take a deep breath and turn into the lot, hoping that this next interaction will go better than the last one.

  The station is eerily empty. One run-down white car is parked in front, but I notice it’s empty as I drive past it and pull the car up next to the gas pump. Only one thought comes to mind.

  Money.

  How am I going to pay for this? I look down at my clothes, remembering throwing on the black T-shirt and tan cargo pants the morning I left. Only these are not the same. They’re old. Almost stale. Like they’ve been sitting in the back of a closet for years. I pick up the collar of my shirt and sniff, scrunching my face up. It smells like the back of a closet as well.

  Then I remember that I grabbed the woman’s purse. The woman whose car this is. I dig through the leather, hoping to find a wallet with some spare cash. I crack open the first thing that looks like a wallet and relief washes over me when I see the bills lying face up.

  Sixty dollars.

  I fold the bills in half and slide them into my front pocket. When I open the car door, I immediately break out in chills where the cold air hits my skin. I decide to rifle through the trunk, hoping for something warmer to wear. I’m in luck, because I find a thick, dark, and wool-lined denim jacket, one size too big for me. I’ll take it. After I slip it on, I make my way inside the store, pausing when I hear the ding at the entrance, alerting the clerk that someone has arrived. I look at the man standing behind the counter. He watches me closely as I browse up and down the aisles, grabbing water and whatever snacks that are within arms reach.

  When I drop everything down onto the counter before him, the man squints his eyes once before beginning to ring everything up for me. His long grey hair is stringy and the dark rings under his eyes remind me of something out of a horror movie. I try not to let him see my discomfort about his appearance, but certainly n
ot well enough. I flinch when our fingers almost touch as I push the rest of the stuff closer to him. I’m feeling impatient, and I just want to get back in the car and get back to my family. When he’s finally finished ringing me up, I throw down the bills and head directly out of the store to pump my gas.

  As I fill up the car, I reach across to the passenger seat where I threw all of the snacks and drinks and crack open a cold water bottle. I down it in seconds.

  “You forgot your change.” My body freezes when I hear the man from the store right outside my car door. When I turn my head, I notice that he’s put the pump back into its slot. How did I not hear that? I really am off my game.

  “Thanks,” I say, and reach out tentatively to take the dollar bills from him. When my hand brushes his, he quickly swings his other hand from where it was resting against the corner of the open door, and wraps his skinny digits around my closed fist. He blinks once, twice. Then, the third time, a set of silver flashes from behind his eyelids. Not again.

  “I haven’t had soul fire in a long time,” he says, trying to jerk me from the driver’s seat.

  I don’t budge.

  I’m not sure why he thought he could take me on. Maybe my appearance is more tattered than I realize. Maybe he thought I was weak because of it. Maybe I am. But that doesn’t really matter. The important thing is that I’m stronger than him.

  I quickly maneuver my hands out of his grasp, standing at the same time. My movement forces him back, and he stumbles over the ledge behind him. As I watch him fall backwards into the pump, I reach out to steady him. Only because having him standing straight up makes my next move easier. I advance on him once more, before he knows what I’m doing. I have his jaw in a vise grip, spinning until I hear a snap. When my hands unclench from his face, his lifeless body crumples to the cement. I run back inside the store, scooping up a bottle of lighter fluid and a box of matches and I grab a few more necessities that I didn’t have the money for before. I’m in a hurry, but I spot extra gas cans stacked in the corner and scoop one up. When I return to the demon’s body, I douse him with the fluid after throwing all of the supplies into the backseat. Then, I fill up the extra gas can for the road. There’s no telling how long it’ll be until I make it home, I know I’ll need it. I’m in such a hurry that my hands are shaking. I don’t want anyone to see me. I scan the parking lot and the road quickly, checking for cars, but I don’t see any. Once I’m back inside the car and ready to peel out, I flick a match and toss it outside my window, glancing over my shoulder to make sure the flame lands on the body.