Blood in the Fire (Timelaws Trilogy) Read online

  Naimi cried in Ketya’s arms and fought to get free. The creature knew her master was dead. Ketya set her down in the field and watched the young pet grieve. The animal’s sounds oscillated between crying and yelling at the fire. She ran around in circles and huffed smoke into the air until, finally, she tired and lay still on the ground, releasing only a constant, quiet whimper.

  Ketya wanted to cry too, but she was too emotionally exhausted. She felt dead inside. Empty.

  You have to keep moving, Ketya. You’re not safe yet, a voice spoke into Ketya’s mind. A hallucination perhaps? She must have breathed in too much smoke. Nonetheless, the voice was right. The fire was edging closer and the head wizard’s army might be on its way.

  “If I’m going to hallucinate voices, they might as well be telling me something useful,” she told herself, fearing that perhaps witnessing Brovkyl’s death would make her crazy. Could she be losing her mind?

  “Too much smoke,” she whispered. Then she turned to run toward the line of ori in the distance. Naimi lifted her head and sent a cry after her, but when Ketya didn’t stop, Naimi stirred to follow.

  ***

  The next morning, Ketya found herself lying sprawled out in the ori forest. Both suns were already high in the sky and Naimi had taken shelter from them by burying her head under Ketya’s skirt. The creature was fast asleep, oblivious to the rocky ground beneath her. Ketya must have been oblivious too when she had selected this spot. She didn’t remember reaching the forest or going to sleep the night before. Is this what it feels like to go crazy?

  Her eyes fell closed and her thoughts drifted to Brovkyl. There was a pit in her stomach—an empty hole. But she couldn’t cry. I loved Brovkyl. Ketya would have died in that fire if she thought it could have saved him. Yet, here she lay on the morn after his death, cool as a stone. Why can’t I cry?

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t know much about healing,” a woman’s voice said.

  Ketya shot up to a sitting position. She turned to the voice and saw a tall, elderly woman perched on a dead ori stump.

  “I’ve done what I can,” the woman continued.

  Ketya followed the woman’s gaze, then lifted her scorched and bloodstained skirt. Her legs were scarred and a few clotted wounds remained, but there were no fresh scrapes or burns. She looked at her shoe where blood had soaked into the fabric and followed a trail of dried blood up to a healed scar on her thigh. Such a deep cut would have become infected if left untreated. This woman’s kindness was nothing short of life-saving. Had Ketya’s hallucinations taken on a visual component? Perhaps she had already been apprehended by the wizards and this made-up reality was her mind's way of coping with the loss.

  “You’re voice is familiar,” Ketya whispered.

  “Yes, I spoke to you telepathically yesterday. I told you to keep running and when you’d gone far enough, I told you to stop and rest.”

  Ketya didn’t remember hearing the voice a second time.

  “My name is Anthe,” the frail woman said. She was thin, as though her fat and muscle had been worn away by age, leaving behind only a wrinkled exterior shell. Wizard skin was typically pale, but Anthe’s skin almost glowed white. The three fingers on each of her hands had shrunken and curled into unnatural hooks. However, there was one mark of what might have been her former beauty: her long wavy hair. It was still thick and retained its original dark blond hue, as though untouched by the years that had run their toll on the rest of her figure.

  “I’m Ketya.”

  “Yes, I know who you are.” The woman smiled warmly. “You should wake her,” she said, nodding to Naimi. “It’s getting late, and we still have a ways to go.”

  Ketya pulled her skirt off Naimi and lifted the creature into her lap. Naimi groaned and curled back up on Ketya’s legs, refusing to be roused.

  “She stayed up for quite a while last night,” Anthe said. “I think she was keeping watch in the hope that Brovkyl might walk up.”

  “You knew Brovkyl?” Ketya asked. Her head remained bowed and her voice was barely audible.

  “Yes. We discussed your circumstances,” Anthe replied. Ketya looked up to meet her eyes. “Don’t worry. I checked,” Anthe continued. “Your daughter is still safe for now. But she won’t be if we don’t get moving soon.”

  Ketya lifted Naimi’s head into her palm. Naimi opened her eyes and regarded Ketya, then she pulled her chin away and resumed her position.

  “Give her some of this,” Anthe offered. “I’m sure she’s hungry by now.” She handed Ketya a pair of pippons. Ketya glided the fruit past Naimi’s nose and was immediately rewarded with a reaction. Naimi bounded up and made for the food in Ketya’s hand.

  “I’m sure you’re hungry, too. Go ahead,” Anthe offered as she handed Ketya another pair of fruit. Ketya gratefully accepted.

  The two women watched Naimi devour her breakfast. “It’s good to see her eat,” Anthe said. “After last night, I was worried she might be too grief-stricken.” Ketya turned away in shame.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Anthe apologized. “I didn’t mean anything by that dear. You’re just in shock. For better or worse, the loss will eventually catch up with you.”

  Ketya wasn’t sure if that made her feel better. “Let’s go,” she said, picking herself up off the ground. She considered dusting off her skirt, but it was in such ruin that she figured the ash might as well keep company with the mud and dried blood. “Perhaps you can point me toward a river so I can clean myself up.”

  “There’s a small pond on our way,” Anthe replied. “Probably won’t make it that far today. By mid-day tomorrow for sure, though.”

  “Where are we going?” But Ketya’s question fell on deaf ears. Anthe had begun making her way deeper into the ori forest and didn’t turn back to respond.

  Well, I suppose I don’t have anywhere else to go. Ketya tossed her arms up in frustration and then scurried to catch up. Might as well follow this woman, or hallucination, whichever she may be. Naimi grabbed another fat pippon from the ground and followed.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Liz Sleeps

  Earth - June 1981

  Elizabeth

  I wasn’t sure what finally pulled me back to reality or how long it had been since my mind shut down. It seemed like just a few seconds, but when I opened my eyes, I saw that it was dark outside. Suddenly those few seconds were an eternity.

  “Is it evening already?” I asked, noting that my headache had subsided significantly. I was still lying on the couch and Tamer and Anton were standing over me. Anton looked a bit pale. Could he have caught the bug from me? I studied his weary face and noted the stress lining his eyes and mouth.

  If this were contagious, Mark and Luke would be more susceptible than anyone. Luke was unmoved from his armchair, but he was sitting forward and seemed alert. The tired look wearing into his expression was becoming normal. Behind him, Mark leaned against the wall with his arms crossed and held a cancer stick in his right hand.

  “It’s late afternoon,” Tamer replied. “Mark called us in early because you passed out and your fever spiked. We were concerned about the possibility of a stroke.”

  I sat up and looked at Mark again. He took a drag of his cigarette, and I noticed his hand was shaking a little. The fingers on his other hand drummed rapidly against his arm. Frankly, he looked like he was strung out on something, although I was sure Mark would never try that kind of thing.

  “I got your fever down and I did what I could to mend your stomach lining. You were producing too much digestive acid,” Anton said. He sounded winded. Was this just the exertion of the spell I was seeing on Anton’s face?

  “Why don’t you sit down?” I offered, concerned.

  Anton shook his head and continued, “We’ll have to postpone the full heal till tomorrow.” Guilt clouded his eyes. “I need to recharge.”

  I smiled. “That’s okay,” I reassured, offering him a smile. “It’s nice being able to stay awake again.” I patted the seat
on the couch next to me. “So what’d I miss while I was sleeping? And where’d Jack go?”

  “I kicked him out,” Mark replied. The way he said it made me wonder what that’d entailed. He’d already finished his smoke and he was pulling another one out of the pack. Dude, chill, I thought, observing Mark. He usually didn’t smoke more than a couple cigarettes a month at most. Luke was looking at him enviously, and I think he was considering borrowing a stick himself. He’d quit smoking a couple years ago, but he looked like he could use one. Frankly, I wouldn’t have minded one either, but I never allowed myself more than two a year. As much as I craved them sometimes, cancer just wasn’t worth it. Not by a long shot.

  “So, Anton, I’ve got some news for you,” I said, just to be saying something. “Remember how I told you I stopped Melissa from changing her future?”

  “How could I forget?” Anton retorted, finally settling down next to me. A glimmer of anger edged his voice. He and I had not been in agreement regarding my decision to intervene with Melissa’s addendum to the Timelaws.

  “I thought about it. She was sure her future would unfold the way she told us,” I explained. “And what she’d said seemed incredibly unlikely. I mean, that many civilizations all turning against us. The more I thought about it, the more the whole story reeked of wizard intervention.”

  “They wrote that future into the Timelaws spell while you were enacting it?” Anton asked. I nodded.

  “Wait, wait, wait,” Tamer interrupted. He held his palms up in the air, as if to police the flow of our discussion. “Hold on just one freaking minute here. This conversation does not sound right.” He turned to me. “You let a wizard alter the timeline and permanently write it into the Timelaws spell? How?” Then he looked at Anton. “And what the hell were you thinking?”

  I shrugged. “We were a bit busy,” I countered. “There was a lot going on.”

  Anton and I gave Tamer a quick rundown of the last few days. Actually, Anton did most of the talking because there were too many alternate realities floating around in my head, and I wasn’t sure what had really transpired. Anton was careful to omit what I wouldn’t want Mark or Luke to know about, but he refrained from using telepathy. Nonetheless, I doubt my brothers understood much of what was said.

  “At least I stopped Melissa from emulating the wizards,” I said. “The spell would have failed if she’d tried to write a contradicting timeline into the Timelaws.” By using the word failed, I meant that our universe would have been destroyed. Anton and Tamer knew that. Luke and Mark didn’t need to know.

  “So that was you guys? You guys were the ones to create the Timelaws spell,” Tamer accused. “I can’t believe it. That spell is epic. Beyond epic. Double epic and a half. And you left me out!”

  Anton and I smiled apologetically. It was too late now.

  “Liz, do you want to eat something?” Luke asked suddenly, getting to his feet.

  My stomach churned. “No, thanks,” I replied. “Not really hungry.”

  “How about I make you some soup?” he suggested. My stomach was more settled than it had been this morning, but the thought of food still repulsed me.

  “Really, Luke, I’m okay,” I insisted. “Don’t worry about it.”

  Luke shook his head and went into the kitchen. I guess I was getting soup whether I liked it or not. Anton, Tamer and I discussed our options regarding the future Melissa told us about. Well, mostly Tamer and Anton discussed. I lay my head on Anton’s shoulder and did my best to pay attention.

  The general gist remained the same. We needed to find a way to violate the rules of time travel. I tried again to think of a loophole, but a thick fog settled in my mind. Anton’s shoulder made for a comfortable headrest.

  ***

  I didn’t remember falling asleep, but when I opened my eyes, I found myself lying on Anton’s firm chest. One of his arms was wrapped around my waist and his other hand held my head. He didn’t move, but I could feel from his deep breaths he wasn’t asleep. A blanket had been thrown over me and a bottle of water was placed on the coffee table within my reach. All the lights were off, except the one coming in from under Luke’s bedroom door. Beyond the threshold, hushed voices carried on some heated discussion. I couldn’t make out what they were saying.

  “Go back to sleep,” Anton whispered. I considered asking him what had happened since I was last awake. I know we’d been working on a plan to undo the damage the wizards had done by altering the timeline, but I couldn’t remember all that was said. Anton lifted his head and landed a gentle kiss on my forehead. My questions could wait. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the rhythmic pounding of Anton’s heartbeat beneath my hand.

  ***

  I woke up again late the following morning. This time, I was in my bed and Mark was back to reading his book. He tried to get me to eat something again, but I wasn’t interested. He said I hadn’t consumed a bite since I’d gotten sick. I thought about it, and I guess he must have been right, but I didn’t care.

  ***

  “Welcome back,” Anton said softly. His voice carried me out of the darkness and back into my room. My boyfriend was sitting on the edge of my bed, smiling. “Feeling better?” he asked.

  “Much,” I replied.

  Anton stroked my hair and started to fill me in. “Tamer and I just did most of the heavy lifting but you're not completely cured.” He tipped his head to direct my attention toward my cousin standing by the door. “You should have enough power to finish it. Tamer and I will talk you through the details.”

  I sat up and Tamer began explaining how the virus worked and what the cure would entail. With their help, I was able to pay attention without falling asleep. Anton only had to nudge me once when my eyes started to drift a bit. I followed every instruction to the tee, until finally, a long half hour later, it was done. My body was exhausted, but I was cured. Wizard flu, shmizard flu. Right?

  Anton reached out and stroked my cheek. Then, he grabbed a fistful of my hair and used it to draw me closer. His lips waited for me until, finally, they met mine. I was a little uncomfortable in front of my cousin, but it was still nice. Thank God Luke wasn’t in the room, though. I couldn’t bear the thought of sitting through 'the talk' with him again! He’d already given me that lecture twice.

  I let the kiss linger for a second longer and then pulled back to rest my head against the headboard. “Get some sleep,” Anton said as he stood to leave. “We have a big day tomorrow.”

  “Before you do that,” Mark intervened, sticking his head through the door. He pointed a figure at me. “You’re eating something. Luke will be in with your dinner in a moment.”

  Just as he said that, Luke appeared behind Mark and nudged him out of the way.

  “What exactly does he mean by ‘big day tomorrow’?” Luke asked, as he handed me a plate of grilled chicken and mashed potatoes.

  I looked at Anton for help. I didn’t want to admit that I couldn’t remember what we’d talked about.

  “Nothing major, Luke,” Anton said. “We’re just going to meet with someone who will help us get a message to a friend.”

  Anthe. No one would know more about the Timelaws than my former mentor. She might not have participated in the spell’s original construction, but she had spent her whole life studying it. If there were a loophole to be found, she would know. I smiled, relieved to have figured out a part of our plan.

  However, my relief was short-lived. “You and I haven’t discussed your continued participation in this…business, yet,” Luke said.

  Really, Luke? Now? But I took a deep breath. Any kind of emotional response would work against me. “That’s right, Luke, we haven’t,” I said. Inside, my heart fluttered with nervous energy. “And we will. But at the moment, I’m not talking about a major mission. No explosives, no wizards. We’re just looking to have a conversation with a woman I was quite close to. In fact, she trained me in my specialty. Anthe might be able to help us send an important message to the future.”
r />   “I would like to meet this woman who trained you,” Luke said. “Invite her over.”

  “Luke, she doesn’t live on Earth,” I exclaimed. “And she’s pretty old. A trip across the universe is a lot to ask of her.”

  “She has powers like you, I presume?” he asked. “If you can go to her, she can come to you. More importantly, if you want to have this conversation, it’s going to have to be in this house, out loud, with every word translated to English.”

  I exchanged a look of disbelief with Anton. I was about to drag the eldest, most respected Dark alive to my house. Why? Because my older brother wanted to keep an eye on me. It was absurd. Imagine dragging the president from the White House for a chat. This was even more ridiculous. Unfortunately, it was also a point I wasn’t willing to argue, not with my future as a Dark at stake.

  “Alright, Luke. I’ll invite her over,” I conceded. Check. Mate.

  “I look forward to meeting her,” he said with a phony smile. Then he left.

  I raised my eyebrows again and looked at Anton and Tamer. All three of us were suppressing a smile. The second Luke disappeared from my view, we all exploded with laughter. Thank goodness Anthe had a sense of humor. To put this request to her, I certainly would need to draw on mine.

  I looked down at my plate of food. “I hope she likes grilled chicken,” I said.

  “For Anthe, you might want to spring for KFC,” Anton replied. We all snickered again and the conversation turned to rumors we’d heard about Anthe’s past. There was a lot of gossip in our circle about what she’d accomplished in her day, but strangely, I’d never met anyone who actually knew anything about her past. Mark joined us and was intrigued by the mystery surrounding this woman. However, Luke remained in the kitchen and made lots of noise with the pots and pans. I wasn’t sure what he was doing. Finally, when I was done eating, Mark announced that I should get some sleep and left the room.