Fearless (The Blue Fire Saga) Read online

  A few moments ago, a crowd of young women had dashed out of the dorm. They were immediately surrounded by the earliest arriving cops and medical personnel. Viktor had moved as close to the cluster of coeds as he dared and listened in. He overheard words like “horrible,” “scary,” and his favorite, “freakin’ dead people.” He’d had to work hard to keep from smiling when he heard that one.

  Near the dorm entrance, a squad of burly officers dressed in black flak jackets was preparing to enter the building. Whatever the final outcome had been inside, all the police would find now were three semi-fresh, lifeless corpses. Soon after dark, Viktor had chosen the three newest looking graves in a nearby cemetery and used his magic to uncover the bodies. He had transported the corpses here in a stolen van and floated them up into the third floor stairwell before re-animating them. Aided by the Necromancer’s powerful magic sent through Viktor’s amulet, he had kept the dead bodies animated as long as he could.

  While the zombies wreaked their havoc inside, he had hurried from the dorm and stood hidden in the shadows close to the wall of the building, his senses alert for any sign of magic being used against his undead minions. Sadly, he had sensed nothing. The only magic here was what he had used to reanimate the corpses. The Necromancer had known it was a long shot, but thought it worth the effort to try to find out if Dominic’s use of magic right outside the dorm might have been related to someone or something inside. If it was, nothing about what had just happened gave any clue to it.

  Wondering how the authorities were going to explain what they were about to find, Viktor smiled and walked casually away from the dormitory.

  10. A SURPRISING INVITATON

  Back up in her room, Leesa swung the door closed. Bain and Dral took up their usual positions beside the door while Leesa spun around to face Cali.

  “What were you thinking?” she said. “Fighting a zombie with a freaking fire extinguisher?”

  Cali shrugged. “Hey, it worked, didn’t it? It slowed the thing down.”

  Leesa could still picture Cali spraying the extinguisher into the monster’s face. She remembered how scared she’d been for Cali.

  “Why didn’t you just run away like the other kids?”

  “A couple of girls were trapped in their rooms,” Cali explained. “I had to do something to distract the thing while I waited for you guys to show up. You saw what the other two did to Amber.”

  “I thought you were very brave, Cali,” Bain said.

  Cali moved closer to Bain and laid her hand on his forearm.

  “Thank you, Bain.” She grinned. “But if you’re trying to flirt with me, I have to tell you I’ve already got a boyfriend.”

  Bain got an amused look on his face. “Oh you do, do you?” He ran the tip of his finger slowly down Cali’s cheek. “What’s his name?”

  Cali’s eyes seemed to glaze over as Bain’s volkaane heat flowed into her. “Uhhh…his name… uhh…his name is….uhh…”

  Leesa had never seen Cali speechless before, but she knew all too well how amazing a touch like that felt.

  “Bain, stop fooling around,” Leesa admonished. She grabbed his arm to pull it away from Cali’s face, but it was like tugging on the arm of a statue.

  Bain grinned and lowered his hand.

  “She loves to flirt,” he said. “I thought I’d turn the tables for a moment.”

  “Wow,” Cali said as her eyes began to come back into focus. She looked at Leesa. “Do you ever get used to that?”

  Leesa smiled. “I hope not.”

  Cali turned back to Bain. “My boyfriend’s name is Andy, by the way.”

  “If you two are done fooling around,” Leesa said, “I think we’ve got something a bit more important to talk about. Namely, what were freaking zombies doing in our dorm?”

  “It’s the work of the black waziri, clearly,” Rave said.

  “I know. The question is why. Do you think they somehow found out about me?”

  Rave shook his head. “I doubt it. Otherwise the creatures would have been sent to this floor.”

  “What are black waziri?” Cali asked. She looked back and forth between Rave and Leesa. “And just what would they have found out about you, Leesa?”

  Leesa looked at Rave, wondering how much she should tell Cali. Rave just shrugged, indicating it was Leesa’s decision.

  She thought about it for a moment. Cali knew all about volkannes and vampires, but nothing about Dominic’s wizard nature or Leesa’s magic. Leesa trusted her to keep any secrets, but didn’t want to endanger Cali with information that could get her into trouble.

  “The black waziri are evil wizards. They serve a guy called the Necromancer. They’re trying to break the seal between the world of the living and the world of the dead. So far, they can only do it for very short times. I don’t want to tell you any more, for your own safety.”

  Cali took only a few seconds to digest Leesa’s words—she was getting used to supernatural surprises from Leesa.

  “Okay, I’ll settle for that—for now. But eventually, I’m going to want to know why evil wizards would be looking for you. I’m guessing it has something to do with those zombie dreams of yours.”

  “Yeah, sort of,” Leesa replied. “But that’s as much as I’m going to tell you.”

  “I think the zombies were probably sent because of the magic the waziri sensed outside,” Rave said, being as circumspect as possible. “They were trying to see if the creatures would spark any kind of magical activity here.”

  “If they were, they must have been disappointed,” Leesa said. “You guys didn’t even use your volkaane fire. Maybe they’ll leave now. They’ve got that other thing to do.”

  “Let’s hope so. But even so, it might be a good idea to get you away from here, for a few days, at least.”

  “Where would I go?” Leesa asked. “I guess I could stay with my mom and brother, but I don’t want to bring any danger around them.”

  Rave smiled. “I was thinking you could come home with me.”

  Rave’s suggestion took Leesa completely by surprise. She had never been to Rave’s house and had no idea at all what it was like. She was pretty sure he lived with Dral and Bain, but she had no idea who else might share their home. The few times she had visited the volkaane settlement, she and Rave had always gone to Balin’s cabin. Balin was Rave’s mentor, who lived alone in a cabin he had built himself nearly three hundred years ago.

  Going home with Rave was a good idea, though. She couldn’t think of anywhere she’d be safer than surrounded by a whole clan of volkaanes. Surely even three black waziri would think twice before messing with so many volkaanes. She would be able to practice her magic with much less worry there. Plus, being near Balin meant she and Rave might be able to do some quick kissing under the old volkaane’s watchful eyes. Now that was a definite draw to going home with Rave. She hadn’t had a real kiss in way too long, ever since Rave had almost burned her to ashes when he suddenly lost control of his inner fire. She knew they would have to be careful, but was pretty sure they could try some of their five second kisses if Balin was there to watch. Five seconds didn’t sound like much, but when she kissed Rave time had little meaning. She felt herself growing warm just thinking about it. She hoped it didn’t show on her face.

  “I guess I could stand to miss a couple of days of class,” she said. “And do without electricity and television for a few days, too. It’ll be fun to see your house.”

  Leesa limped to her closet and pulled out her backpack.

  “Let me throw some stuff together and then we can go.”

  “I hate to miss out on all the fun,” Cali said, “but I’d better get back downstairs. The cops are probably there by now, taking a head count. I don’t want them thinking I was kidnapped or killed.” She grinned. “I can’t wait to see what they make of those three dead zombies.”

  She gave Leesa a big hug. “Make sure you call, so I know you’re okay.”

  “I will,” Leesa said. �
�I won’t be gone long—I hope.”

  Bain opened the door for Cali. She gave him a wink and a smile as she passed by. He rolled his eyes and grinned.

  When Cali was gone, Leesa began getting ready to leave. The first thing she shoved into her pack was Dominic’s book. She thought about taking a couple of her schoolbooks, too, so she could get some studying in while she was away, but she decided she could be a slacker for a few days. She grabbed an extra pair of jeans, some shirts, socks and underwear, and pronounced herself ready to go.

  11. MAGIC MAGNIFIED

  Rave lowered Leesa gently to the ground in front of a gray, one-story wooden house. After racing through the night in Rave’s arms, the cool, still air felt strange on her cheeks. With little ambient light from the volkaane settlement, the sky above was a black curtain pierced by what seemed to be thousands of stars. A three-quarter moon painted a soft glow on the world around her.

  She sighed. As always, it took her a moment to get over the disappointment of no longer being cradled in Rave’s arms. She took his hand in hers, to maintain the contact a bit longer.

  “So, this is where you live,” she said, taking in the house with a slow sweep of her eyes.

  The design was simple—a plain, flat front with a door in the middle and two square windows on either side of the door. Even in the moonlight, Leesa could see that the horizontal wood planks were old and weathered, but in good repair. An A-frame roof fashioned of dark wooden shingles was punctured in the center by a stone chimney. It was the kind of old house you could find in almost any New England town.

  “It’s been my home ever since I came of age,” Rave said. “The same with Dral and Bain. We live in one half of the house. There are three others in the other half.”

  Leesa remembered Rave telling her that the long-lived volkaanes were not considered adults until they were forty years old. Until then, they were raised communally by the elders in the village. Volkaanes did not marry, either. Children were produced during a rare event called the Feast of Renewal, when couples paired up for the purpose of procreation. The young volkaanes never knew their parents, but often formed close relationships with one of their mentors, as Rave had with Balin. For a moment, she wondered what would happen if she and Rave ever had children. She didn’t know if that would even be possible, but if it was, no way was she going to give them up. The Council of Elders would just have to be okay with that.

  Rave pushed the door open—there were no locks anywhere in the settlement—and stepped aside for Leesa to enter. She moved a few steps into the room, and Rave glided in behind her, followed by Dral and Bain.

  Inside, the place was as Spartan as Leesa had expected. The door opened into a large central room that reached from the front to the back of the house. A big stone fireplace dominated the far wall—volkaanes loved watching fire burn and also used the fireplace for cooking. A small fire was crackling inside the hearth, and Leesa could feel its warmth even from across the room. The floor was made of bare wood worn smooth by the years, and the only furniture was a bunch of homemade wooden chairs scattered about and a rectangular wooden table flanked by two benches. The walls were bare of any decoration save for a line of evenly spaced black metal sconces holding flickering candles. A glass oil lamp sat on the center of the table, but it was not lit. Naturally, there was no television, refrigerator or any other electrical appliances.

  A single doorway had been cut into each of the side walls. Long pieces of brown and tan woven cloth hung from the top of each doorway, separating the rooms behind them from the main room. Leesa would have called the hangings blankets, but volkaanes had no need of blankets, of course. She wondered whether the space beyond was divided or just one room. She hoped she and Rave would have at least a little privacy.

  “We’re on this side,” Rave said, crossing to the right doorway. He pushed the cloth aside for Leesa to enter. She stepped through. Dral and Bain remained behind in the central room.

  Not much light filtered in through the doorway, and when Rave let the cloth fall back into place the room grew darker still.

  “Let me light some candles for you,” Rave said.

  He crossed the room quickly, his volkaane eyes easily piercing the darkness. A tiny blue flame flickered from his index finger as he reached for a candle on the wall.

  “Wait,” Leesa said before he could light it. “Let me try.” She took a deep breath and then held out her palm. “Illuminati verdus.”

  A glowing yellow sphere immediately flared up above her palm, surprising her with its brightness. It was the size of a tennis ball this time, and was easily more than twice as bright as any light she had created previously. The glow allowed her to see the entire room, albeit dimly.

  This section of the house was even more sparsely furnished than the main room. Half of the area held a small square table and three homemade chairs identical to the ones out front. The other half was divided into three sections by more cloth hangings. The cloth didn’t provide much separation, but with the volkaanes as communal as they were, Leesa supposed she should be happy for even this amount of privacy.

  “Charming,” Leesa said, smiling so Rave would know she was not bothered by the simplicity of his home.

  Rave returned her smile. “I knew you’d like it.”

  The light above Leesa’s hand winked out. It had lasted more than ten seconds though, pleasing Leesa immensely.

  Rave quickly lit three candles with his finger. Each of the wicks burned blue for a second or two before changing to a normal yellow color. He sloughed Leesa’s backpack off his shoulders and set it down atop the table, then pointed to the hanging blanket on the right.

  “That one is mine,” he said.

  Leesa pulled the cloth aside to take a look. The area was maybe five feet wide and seven feet long. Except for a straw-filled sleeping mat on the floor, the space was empty. Knowing how little sleep volkaanes seemed to need, she was not surprised to find the sleeping area so small and sparse. She didn’t care, though. When it came time for sleep, she would lie on a bed of nails if it meant having Rave next to her. She let the blanket fall back into place.

  It had been a long day, but she was not the least bit tired. Her ride in Rave’s arms had relaxed her, but the unexpected presence of three black waziri outside her dorm and then later the even more unexpected appearance of zombies inside the dorm had left her unsettled. She knew she was as safe as she could be here, but in the last few days, the dangers Dominic had warned her of had suddenly become very concrete and real.

  Rave sat down one of the chairs, sitting sideways so he was still looking at Leesa.

  “I expect you’re going to want to practice some magic tonight, right?” he asked. “Especially after that little display a few moments ago.”

  Leesa sat down on the chair beside Rave. “Yeah, for sure.” She smiled, remembering how easily the spell had come to her. “The brightness of the light was a pleasant surprise, all right. I’m not sure where it came from, though. I usually have to be either very angry or very tired to make sudden leaps like that. I don’t feel either one tonight.”

  “I wonder if it might have something to do with where you are right now,” Rave said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re surrounded by a lot of magical energy here. Our volkaane energy is different from yours, of course, but on some level, all magic is similar. That’s why Destiratu affects volkaanes, vampires, wizards and who knows what else. Perhaps you are feeding off some of our magic.”

  Leesa thought about that. She didn’t notice any difference in her ability between when she was with Dominic and when she practiced alone, other than Dominic’s guidance, of course. But Dominic was just one wizard. There were scores of volkaanes here in the settlement. She couldn’t know for sure, but Rave’s idea made some sense.

  “You might be right,” she said. “If you are, then maybe I can make some really good progress these next couple days. That would be awesome.”

  “Do y
ou want to get started now?”

  She did, for sure, but she also had something else she wanted to do. And she wanted to do it first.

  “Ummm,.. I was wondering if maybe we could go say hello to Balin first. It’s not too late for a visit, is it?”

  Rave smiled. “Not at all. I’m sure he’d love to see you.”

  “Good. It seems like the polite thing to do.”

  Rave’s smile widened. “Yes. I’m sure politeness is just what you’re thinking about.”

  Leesa grinned. Rave knew exactly what she was thinking, but she didn’t care.

  She got to her feet. She could almost feel Rave’s lips pressed against hers already.

  12. AN EXTRA SPECIAL KISS

  Balin’s cabin was just a short way back up the narrow roadway from Rave’s house. Holding hands, Leesa and Rave strolled unhurriedly through the beautiful night. It looked to Leesa as if there were even more stars twinkling in the sky than before. With her eyes fastened on the jeweled canopy above, she tripped on a ridge in the rutted road and would have fallen had not been for Rave’s strong grip on her hand.

  “Sorry,” she said when she regained her balance.

  “Don’t worry,” Rave replied, turning to her and smiling. “Lately, I find myself distracted by beauty all the time.”

  Leesa felt herself blushing. She hoped Rave wouldn’t see it in the darkness, but with those darn volkaane eyes of his, she was pretty sure he could.

  “Maybe so,” she said, “but you don’t stumble like some clumsy oaf because of it.”

  Rave draped his hands over Leesa’s shoulders and stared down into her eyes.

  “Maybe not on the outside, anyhow,” he said.

  Leesa sighed. If this was a movie or a book, this would be the perfect moment for two lovers to share a passionate moonlit kiss. But not for her and Rave—it was simply too dangerous to chance. Instead, she turned her head and kissed the top of his hand.