Helpless (Blue Fire Saga) Page 2

  She stared at the ring in amazement. Not just the band was smaller—the entire ring seemed to have shrunk proportionately. The stone was smaller, the gold band narrower. Despite its smaller size, it was still just as beautiful.

  “Why are you giving this to me?” she asked when she recovered from her surprise. “And how am I going to explain to everyone where I got it?”

  “I’m giving it to you for a very important reason. With it on, I will be able to sense your location from much greater distances than I currently can.”

  Leesa looked down at the gorgeous ring one more time. “Magic again, I take it.”

  “Yes, magic. I made the ring myself, so it carries my vibrations. I will be sensing my magic, not yours.”

  “It must be passive magic, right? Otherwise, you would never give it to me.” Leesa had learned already that active magic could be sensed by Dominic’s enemies.

  The wizard nodded. “If it was active magic, I would not even wear it myself. The spell that created it long ago was active magic, but once the ring was fashioned, its magic became passive.”

  Leesa took a moment to mull that over. “I get it, I think. But I still don’t know how I’m going to explain where I got it.”

  Dominic grinned. “You won’t have to. As long as you have it on your finger, nobody but you and I can see it.”

  “Really?” Looking down at the gorgeous ring on her finger, Leesa found that hard to believe, but then she remembered she had never seen it on Dominic’s hand until he took it off. “Wow. This magic stuff is amazing.”

  “Let’s take that walk now,” Dominic said. “Then we’ll come back and practice some more.”

  Leesa grabbed her dark blue knit cap and lighter blue parka while Dominic slipped into a medium weight black jacket. While the wizard wasn’t as impervious to the cold as Rave was with his inner fire, Dominic still felt the chill less than an ordinary human. He wore the jacket more to avoid drawing attention than to ward off the cold.

  They took the stairs down from Leesa’s fourth floor dorm room, with Leesa leading the way. From behind, Dominic watched her limp down the stairway, taking the stairs as quickly as any other student would. Leesa steadfastly maintained she could walk as fast and far as anyone, despite the congenital deformity to her lower leg. Dominic had walked several miles with her earlier this morning and found that to be true—the stairs now offered even more proof. Still, he wondered whether his actions eighteen years ago—passing his magic to her while she was still in the womb—might have had anything to do with her affliction.

  Outside, the afternoon was cold and blustery, with a stiff wind blowing out of the northeast. The dark clouds that had covered the eastern half of the sky during their morning walk now blanketed the entire sky. Leesa pulled her cap down over her ears. Her parka kept her upper body warm enough, but the cold wind seemed to pass right through her jeans.

  “We won’t go far,” Dominic said, again seeming to read her mind. “Just long enough to give you a decent break.” He sniffed the air. “Besides, it’s going to snow soon. Hard, I think.”

  “For sure?” Leesa asked hopefully. She had been waiting for some real snow all winter, and January was already more than half over. So far, New England had been a big disappointment in the snow department.

  “Without a doubt. We waziri are pretty good about knowing the weather.”

  “Cool.”

  Visions of making snowmen and throwing snowballs with her friends filled Leesa’s head. Somehow, the thought of playing in the snow made her feel the cold less. She just hoped that between school and Dominic’s training, she’d have a least a little time to enjoy the snow.

  2. SNOW STORM

  Dominic’s forecast proved accurate.

  After a brisk fifteen minute walk, Leesa and Dominic returned to her room to practice what Leesa had taken to calling the “everywhere/nowhere” thing. She had just opened her eyes and was about to describe her most recent experience to Dominic when movement outside her window caught her eye and distracted her. She turned her head and saw snowflakes—huge and numerous—floating down outside the glass. Forgetting everything else, she limped swiftly to the window, almost pressing her nose against the cold glass as she drank in the wondrous sight.

  At first, the giant flakes floated lazily past on unseen currents of wind, seemingly reluctant to let go of the air and fall upon the ground. As Leesa watched in fascination, the flakes began to fall faster and faster, until they were pouring past her eyes in a great white sheet. To someone who had lived in San Diego since she was a little girl, the scene outside her window seemed miraculous.

  “This is so cool,” she said to Dominic without turning around, afraid that taking her eyes away from the snow for even a moment might cause it to vanish. “I haven’t seen real snow like this since I was six or seven. I barely remember it.”

  “I take it you lived in San Diego all that time, then?” Dominic asked.

  “Yeah, my mom moved us there right after my dad left. She wanted to get as far from New Jersey as she could.”

  A heavy knock sounded at the door, followed an instant later by her Cali’s voice.

  “Leesa, you here?” Cali called through the door.

  “Yeah,” Leesa called back, turning reluctantly away from the window. “C’mon in. The door’s open.”

  The door swung open and Cali came rushing into the room. She was wearing a fluorescent pink/orange I LOVE PINK sweatshirt and black jeans. Her face was flushed with excitement, making the port wine stain on her cheek—shaped eerily like the state of California—less noticeable than usual. The birthmark was the source of her nickname. Cali stood only a few inches above five feet, but her personality and unusual sense of style made her seem bigger.

  “Did you see the snow?” she asked excitedly, before braking to a halt a few steps into the room when she saw Dominic. “Oh, hi. I didn’t know you were still here.”

  Cali had been in Leesa’s room when Dominic first appeared the day before, but had left before he shared any information about himself. All she knew was that Rave had said Dominic was some-thing more than human.

  “He’s going to be around a lot,” Leesa said, “teaching me some stuff. That’s all I can tell you, though.”

  Cali grinned. “More secrets, huh? That’s cool. I’ve got more than enough in my head with what you and Rave told me yesterday.” Leesa and Rave had finally shared Rave’s volkaane nature with Cali, making her the only one of Leesa’s friends or family who knew. “Dominic must be okay, or Rave wouldn’t have left you alone with him.”

  Cali crossed the room to join Leesa by the window. Leesa raised her right hand and held it out in front of her chest in what she hoped was a nonchalant gesture. Cali didn’t seem to notice, so Leesa waved and twisted her hand a bit, like she was examining it for some reason. She could not believe Cali couldn’t see the sparkling ring.

  “What are you doing, girl?” Cali asked. “You’re waving your hand around in front of me like some girl trying to show off her engagement ring. But you ain’t got no ring, and your nails aren’t painted, so I don’t have a clue what you’re doing.”

  Leesa smiled. Dominic was right. Amazingly, the ring was invisible. It sure looked beautiful to her, though. She lowered her hand and turned to look out the window, edging to her right to make room for Cali.

  “Isn’t it awesome?” Leesa said as the snow continued pouring down. Already, a gauzy white film covered much of the brown grass in courtyard below.

  “I can’t believe how hard it’s coming down,” Cali said. “Rule eighty-two: when it snows this hard you have to go out and have fun in it.”

  Leesa chuckled. Cali had a numbered rule for seemingly everything. She’d already confessed she made most of them up on the spot, but some of them were actual rules she used to guide her behavior. Leesa was pretty sure being required to play in the snow would be one of Cali’s real rules, but she doubted it had an actual number to it, until now, anyhow.

  �
��I’ll go down and round up Caitlin and Stacie,” Cali said. “Get dressed and meet us down in my room, okay?”

  Leesa turned to Dominic, checking for his approval.

  The wizard grinned. “I know better than to try to compete with the snow—though it would be a pretty good test of your concentration to have you continue practicing with the snow falling the way it is. I think it’s a just bit too early to test you so severely, though.”

  “I’m in,” Leesa said to Cali. “I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

  “Sweet!” Cali said. She turned and hurried out the door.

  Leesa and her friends weren’t the only ones with the idea to play in the snow. By the time they made it down to the courtyard a dozen students were running around laughing and screaming and tossing snowballs. Almost two inches of snow already coated the ground and the storm showed no sign of slowing. Leesa could barely see the dorm on the opposite side of the courtyard through the swirling snow.

  She hadn’t been exactly sure how to dress for the snow, so she’d opted for caution, putting a second pair of pants—a pair of baggy tan cargoes—over her jeans. She was also wearing a sweatshirt under her parka. Her dark blue ski cap was pulled down tight over her ears and black leather gloves protected her hands. Caitlin and Stacie were dressed similarly, though Leesa couldn’t tell if they wore one or two pairs of pants. Caitlin’s parka was bright red and her knit cap a dark maroon, while Stacie’s were dark blue and black, respectively. Caitlin’s shoulder length hair was tucked up under her cap; the half-Japanese Stacie’s smooth black ponytail hung almost to her waist and was rapidly collecting a dusting of slow-melting snowflakes.

  Cali’s outfit, of course, was more unusual. She wore a pair of shiny pink ski pants and a gray jacket with pink accents around the pockets. Atop her head was a hat that had to be seen to be believed. It was a funky brown fur thing, complete with a leather chin strap and a pair of ears sticking up from the top that resembled wolf ears. The edges of both ears were torn and ragged, making it look like some wild animal had gnawed on them. Furry flaps covered both her ears. Every time Leesa saw Cali in that hat, she had to stifle her laughter.

  As soon as they stepped out into the courtyard, Leesa closed her eyes and turned her face up toward the snow. The air was cold, but the wind had slowed at least a little since her walk and the buildings blocked some of its force. Her layered outfit kept her plenty warm. The giant snowflakes tickled her cheeks and chin as they landed and melted slowly upon her skin. When she opened her eyes, she felt as if she were looking up into some kind of magical fairyland—all she could see was a never ending river of dancing white flakes pouring down at her.

  A sudden smack against her chest pulled her back to reality. She looked down and saw the remnants of a snowball sliding down the front of her parka. A few feet away, Cali had a big grin on her face.

  “Earth to Leesa,” she said. “Rule fifty-three: when there’s snow on the ground, pay attention! Now get over here and join in the fun.”

  Cali had no sooner finished talking when a well-aimed snowball thrown by Caitlin crashed into the side of Cali’s funky hat, knocking it askew. Caitlin doubled over in laughter. The sight of the furry ears sticking up in the front and back of Cali’s head rather than on the sides caused Leesa to laugh as well. Cali took advantage of the opportunity to quickly craft another snowball and hurl it back at Caitlin, striking her in the shoulder. Cali had little time to enjoy her success before she was hit by another missile, this time launched by Stacie.

  Leesa bent and scooped together a snowball of her own to come to Cali’s aid. Unfamiliar with the mechanics of making snowballs, it took her a few moments to get it suitably round, but when she did, she scored a direct hit on Stacie’s ribs. She laughed excitedly at her success. Her first snowball in more than ten years had struck its mark!

  Soon, all four of them were tossing snowballs haphazardly at each other, laughing and ducking and not really caring who they aimed at, just picking the most opportune target and letting fly. Before long, Leesa’s arm ached from all the throwing.

  Finally, Cali collapsed laughing to the ground and her three friends joined her.

  Leesa lay on her back a few feet from Cali, her chest heaving as she tried to gather her breath. Stretched out in the snow, which was now nearly four inches deep, she was glad she’d thought to put on the extra pair of pants. She extended her arms to the side and swung them up and down the way she’d seen in the movies and on TV, creating her very first snow angel. Her friends soon followed suit. When they all finally got back to their feet, four beautiful snow angels formed a pattern on the ground in front of them.

  “I can’t believe how much fun this,” Leesa said.

  “I bet you can’t make these things on the beach, California Girl,” Cali teased.

  “Ha! That’s for sure. And you can’t throw sand balls, either.”

  “I think it’s deep enough to start making a snowman,” Stacie said. “A little one, at least.”

  The girls all got busy rolling snowballs on the ground, watching them grow bigger and bigger as they pushed them across the yard. Soon, their area of the courtyard was crisscrossed with narrow trails spotted with brown grass. Caitlin had rolled the biggest ball, almost a foot in diameter, so they used it for the base of their snowman. Leesa lifted her slightly smaller ball off the ground and placed it carefully atop Caitlin’s.

  “By the time this storm is over, we’ll be able to make a really big one,” Cali said as she hefted her own ball up on top of Leesa’s. “But this will do for now.”

  They all poked along the less snowy area at the base of the dorm searching for stones and sticks they could use to decorate their snowman. By the time they were done, it sported a pair of eyes and a mouth made of dark stones and a nose and ears fashioned from twigs. A row of stone buttons ran down its belly.

  “What would really make this thing cool,” Caitlin said, “would be putting Cali’s hat on its head.”

  Cali put her hand protectively onto her hat. “Don’t even think about it,” she said, grinning. “This hat is way too valuable.”

  Leesa laughed. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had this much fun. The only thing that could make this any better was if Rave was here, sharing the fun with her. She doubted he’d be able to join them playing in the snow, though, guessing that his volkaane heat would melt the snow under his feet even through his shoes. She’d love to hear him try to explain that to anyone who noticed. She giggled, picturing each snowflake that landed upon his handsome face melting with a steaming hiss. With this much snow falling, he would probably sound like a runaway steam iron or something.

  It wasn’t really funny, though, she realized after a moment. His people probably avoided being seen when there was snow, lest they give away their supernatural nature. She hated these separations, since unlike with a normal boyfriend, she couldn’t call or text Rave when they were apart. His people didn’t use electrical or battery-operated appliances of any kind—their inner fire fried the circuits if they even touched one. She hoped she wasn’t going to have to wait for the snow to melt before she saw him again, because at the rate it was continuing to come down, that might be a very long time.

  Twenty-five miles or so to the east, on the other side of the Connecticut River, Rave was having similar thoughts about the snow. He had been practicing the ancient volkaane heat control technique known as Rammugul with Balin when the snow began to fall. His progress with Rammugul was coming painfully slowly, but Rave was determined to master the technique no matter how long it took. It was the only way he would ever be able to kiss Leesa in the way they both desired.

  When the snow began to fall more heavily, he took a break from his practice and stepped outside Balin’s cabin.

  The snow pelted down upon his head and shoulders, but it bothered him no more than rain, so quickly did the flakes melt when they landed on him. Thin trickles of water streamed down his face and dripped from his long, dark-copper colore
d hair, but he paid them no heed. He lifted his face and stared up into the storm. The snow was falling as heavily as he had seen in many years and showed no signs of abating. Despite the fierceness of the storm, his feet had already melted a small patch of snow around them.

  He breathed a silent sigh. He had been planning to go to Middletown tomorrow to see Leesa, but doubted he would be able to do so now. Snow was the one thing that made it impossible for him to conceal his nature—the circle of bare mud around his feet gave ample evidence why. And the longer it snowed, the longer it would take to melt. Rave decided he would be patient to a point, but if his wait grew too long, he promised himself he would figure out some way to be with her.

  He smiled, picturing Leesa playing in the snow, probably with her friends. She would be loving it, he knew—she’d been complaining about the lack of snow all winter. He hadn’t had the heart to tell her he was hoping it would never snow, because he knew it would keep them apart. He wondered if she had figured that out yet.

  He breathed another deep sigh and turned back into the cabin. It was out of his hands, for now. At least the wizard Dominic was with Leesa to keep her safe. Rave returned to his Rammugul practice with redoubled vigor. With luck, he’d have some progress to show Leesa by the time they next got together.

  3. EXILED

  Many miles to the north, far beyond the boundaries of the massive blizzard that was pounding much of New England, the vampire Jarubu and his eleven companions were returning to the abandoned mining camp the coven had made their home. Now that they had slaked their Destiratu driven blood thirst, some of them were openly questioning the wisdom of their actions in breaking the rules of the coven and fearfully wondering what punishment might await their return.

  Jarubu was not one of those, however. He hated rules, and he disliked anyone who tried to impose them upon him. Still, even he wondered what might be in store for him and his band. He did not fear any of the other vampires, even the older ones, but there was one for whom he bore a grudging respect—Maier, the coven’s leader. Maier was a powerful vampire, equal to Jarubu in strength, but with several more centuries experience in which to learn the nuances of vampire power.