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Fuck. I’d hoped maybe we could put out their flames. I turned to Camille and Delilah, who were watching the progression of our opponents.
“What the hell now?” Delilah shook her head. “Can you call Smoky?”
“I can send out a sense of distress but it would take too long. No, we need Iris, and we need her now. She’s the only one who can work ice magic besides Smoky. And I think ice magic is the only thing that will counter flame. ” Camille grimaced, but the look she gave me told me she, too, knew it was our only option.
“Can she do this? So soon after having her babies?” Delilah sounded like she was choking on a hairball.
“She’ll have to. Because if those things get loose in the street, do you have any clue of what damage they could do?” I turned to Shade. “You can’t bring her via the Ionyc Seas, can you? Not with her nursing and being alive?”
Shade could easily carry the dead—including the undead like me—through the Ionyc Seas. They were vast currents of energy, oceans that connected all planes. But because he was from the Netherworld, he wasn’t easily able to safely ferry the living. They usually ended up sick.
“No, I can’t. And neither can Vanzir. But I’ll have him get her here ASAP. ” And with that, the half–shadow dragon vanished.
Meanwhile, we had to somehow corral these creatures until she could get here. They’d be out of the building in minutes. I turned to the others, feeling unusually helpless. At that point, Bran sauntered forward.
“I know what they are,” he said, leaning against the nearest car. “I also know that without a sorcerer or witch who can work ice magic, you’re sunk. ”
I wanted to smack him and ask him why he hadn’t spoken up earlier, but then again, we’d all been beating a retreat. “What are they?”
“Fyrun Fae. The Fiery Ones. They usually stick to warmer climes, near volcanoes mostly, but they also can enter through bonfires, house fires, or…” He motioned to the Utopia. “Through fires like that one. And ten to one, they were summoned via rune work planted on the walls before the arsonist torched the building. Probably an added little bonus in terms of causing confusion. Fire bugs tend to be more than a little anarchistic. ”
It was one of the longest speeches I’d heard out of him, and even with that smirk on his face, the concern was evident in his eyes. He knew we were dealing with someone dangerous, and perhaps over the edge toward the loony bin.
“Daemons. Can daemons summon Fyrun Fae?”
He nodded. “Some can. ”
“Ten to one they were in the Wayfarer, too. ” I wondered just how we could find out if I was right, but then pushed the thought aside. Right now we needed to take care of our present unwelcome guests before I went hunting through the ruins of my bar.
Shade reappeared then. “Iris is on her way. Bruce’s driver is bringing her. I didn’t want to leave the house unguarded, so Vanzir is still there. ”
“Fall back! Fall back!” The firemen stumbled back out of the building, running to the sides.
They were still carrying the hoses, but in another moment, a rumble echoed into a freight train as there was an explosion by the entrance of the building. Flaming shrapnel—wood and debris—went flying as everyone dove for the nearest cover.
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, th
ey 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.
Camille knelt down on the pavement in front of Morio, facing the sky, arms out and head thrown back. He placed his arms on her shoulders and the thick thread of magic that bound them began to weave its way through the night. Like a snake, sinuous and ancient, it coiled around them, the serpent of power, the raw force of the night and of the Moon Mother. Camille needed to make this work, to not have it backfire, because with the Fyrun Fae running around, gods knew what a backlash spell might do.
She began whispering some chant as the energy rode down through Morio, jumping her shoulders, infusing her with the essence and life of the Moon Mother. They worked their powers together, blending them like fine scotch.
As the winds picked up, the sky began to boil and clouds danced in a frenzied swirl. With a crack, lightning split through the night, thunder echoing in its wake. A hail of bullets hit us—rain pounding so hard, so thick and fast, that the wind drove it sideways like stinging pellets. Harsh and wild, it slashed against us, blades of water, and the clouds blotted out any sign of stars or moon that might be peeking through. The only light we had was from the dim streetlamps.
The Fyrun Fae looked confused. They paused, staring up into the sky as if to ascertain from where their attacker was coming. Bran and I moved into position, taunting two of them with long pieces of wood. One raised her finger, pointing at us, and it looked almost as though she was sniffing the air. The other followed her gesture and they began to head our way. On the other side of the Utopia, Delilah and Shade were doing the same.
I glanced over to Iris. She stood there alone, having waved Chase out of the way. Worried, I wanted to run to her, but then I saw it clearly—the outline of energy that surrounded her. Her aura radiated pale blue streaks, infused with the purples and pinks that shadowed glaciers under the aurora-filled sky.
She held up her wand, pointing it at one of the creatures, and in a voice as faint and chiming as bells on the wind, she sang out some incantation in Finnish. I couldn’t understand what it meant, but I could feel the intent.
Within a split second, the Fyrun noticed her and began to run toward her, the slow cautious pace abandoned in a fierce sprint. But Iris pointed her wand and a pale beam of snow and frost burst forth, shooting like a hail of ice pellets, a veil of mist. As it hit the Fyrun woman, we heard a loud sizzle, then a shriek, and like a blow dryer dropped in the bathtub, the creature began to spark, convulsing as the frost laceworked its way over her like a spiderweb. A moment later, the flames flared through the webbing of frost, then exploded. The sparks flickered brightly, then vanished into the night.
I didn’t have time to understand what Iris had managed to do, but the Fyrun Fae had noticed what was going on and they were headed toward her in a fury. Delilah’s two were also turning, ready to aim themselves at our house sprite.
“Fuck, we have to keep them from overwhelming her!” I stared toward one of them but Bran pushed me back.
“Fire can ignite you like dry tinder. Toss that piece of wood to the side. They’ll have to go after it, and it won’t offer much in the way of fuel. ” He headed toward the one he’d been taunting.