Playing With Fire (22 page)

“Yes,”
I replied, but I couldn’t help but think my answer was a mistake.

 Jezebel
nodded.

“Alright
then,” she said. “Look into my eyes.” I did as I was told. As I stared into her
deep brown eyes, everything else began to fade to black. For a second I thought
I was passing out again, but I realized it was probably not possible lose
consciousness in dreams. Soon all I could see were Jezebel’s eyes surrounded by
darkness.

“Do
not look away,” I heard her voice echo as her eyes disappeared entirely,
leaving me alone.

For
a moment, I was the only thing in the darkness. Drifting in a lonely veil of
nothingness, I began to think this was a trick of my own imagination. Just when
I was about to move, horrible scenes flashed before me rapidly, filling my head
so quickly it hurt. I couldn’t make out anything that was going on. Then
suddenly, the scenes slowed to a stop and I was in a dark room alone.

Unlike
my room, this room was bare and sullen. It reminded me of skeletons that had
been picked clean by ravens. The only thing in the room was a large silver
mirror. Everything it reflected was beautified by its practically glowing
silver rim, making it gorgeous. I walked over to it curiously. Hesitantly, I
touched the ice-cold glass with the tips of my fingers while never taking my
eyes off my reflection. When I stared into my own curious grey eyes, I could
feel something was very wrong.

As
if triggered by my feeling, the scene took a turn for the worse. My reflection
flashed a devilish smile as its eyes turned red. My scream was overpowered by
the sound of shattering glass as the mirror exploded, sending a million shiny
shards in every direction. The scenes began to flash before me once again, and
I managed to catch some of them. I really wished I hadn’t.

I
caught a glimpse of another dark room lit by candles with a pentagram etched
into the ground. Velkire stood in the center laughing like a maniac. A quivering
body lay at his feet, clawing at the ground. Before I could see who it was the
scene changed again. This time, I saw the throne room with Alastair standing
before me, his eyes blazing. His hatred was targeted towards the throne, were a
girl with stony grey skin and red eyes sat casually. She looked familiar, but I
couldn’t quite put my finger on it. The scene changed once again to one more
horrifying than all the others, and made me forget the rest entirely.

Sitting
in the middle of a large room was me, clutching a blood soaked body that hardly
looked like it was breathing. The room was thrashed, as if a stampede had just
run through, but I didn’t seem to notice. I was too busy rocking back and
forth, cooing the body that seemed to be clinging on to life. My face was wet
with tears.

“It’s
going to be ok,” My quivering voice echoed. “I’m going to get you out of here,
just hang on! Just hang on Al!”

My
heart almost stopped. Then slowly, I began to see the body more clearly. The
body I was clutching was my favorite brother Al. The image of him bleeding to
death in my arms burned into my mind as the scenes faded to black. My face was
wet as the blurry sight of Jezebel came into view. Tears streamed down my face
as I thought about my brother covered in blood.

“I’m
sorry you needed to see that,” Jezebel said, her voice full of sympathy. “I had
to show you what has yet to pass.”

“It’s
not true,” I whispered, unable to accept it. “There has to be a mistake.”

“There
was no mistake, Scarlet,” she said regretfully. “That is what is in store for
you. I had to show you so that you will be ready. Do not forget anything you
have seen. Understand?”

I
didn’t respond to her. I didn’t have time to, but I probably wouldn’t have
anyway. I felt a tender hand touch my face, despite there being no one near me.

“Why
are you crying?” a gentle voice echoed, but it wasn’t Jezebel’s. “Are you
awake?”

“I’m
sorry,” Jezebel said. “I must go now. Remember this well, Scarlet, for it is
your future. If I could change it I would, but only you can. I’m sorry.”
Jezebel’s words grew fainter and fainter as the world around began to fade to
black once more. The compassionate voice became clearer as more of the world
disappeared, until it was all that really had a feel. Everything was dark, but
I could see a faintish glow of light from behind my eyelids. I let them open
slowly, and found again two brown eyes staring back at me. But they were not
Jezebel’s.

Alastair
looked deep into my eyes with his full of concern. His warm hand rested gently
on my face as the other wiped my tears away.

“Are
you hurt?” he asked, and his sudden deep voice made me jump back. His hands
retreated from me but his look was the same. It wasn’t one I expected. It was a
look of understanding. “I’m sorry if I frightened you. I was just concerned.”
He added quickly, “I didn’t want to have to take care of a homesick girl like
you so I tried to stop you before you started crying more.”

“I’m
fine,” I managed to say while wiping away my tears. “I just had a nightmare.”

“Oh,”
Alastair said uneasily. Retreating away from me, he hopped over back to the
door and pushed in a small cart with a silver dish on top. It squeaked as he
rolled it over the carpet. The smell of freshly cooked food made its way to my
nostrils and my stomach growled in response. Alastair laughed. It was a
surprising sound to hear from him, and his laughter sounded sweet like a
mockingbird’s song.

“Is
that a stomach or a rabid dog underneath your dress?” Alastair joked as he
brought the food to me. Alastair removed the lid to reveal food that looked so
delicious I almost jumped on top of it. In the center was a small amount of
golden tinged pork, accompanied by a loaf of bread so fresh steam was still
coming off of it. To the side was a warm bowl of broth that looked as if it
were manna from heaven.

“I
didn’t know what your stomach could handle right now, so I made you some soup
on the side if the main course is too much,” Alastair said while discarding the
lid.

“It
all looks so good,” I almost wept with joy. Alastair beamed with pride.

“As
it rightfully should,” he said with a hint of cockiness. “I made it myself, all
from kitchen scraps. Tell me what you think.” He edged the cart closer to me
and handed me a fork. I took it eagerly, as my mouth watered. I stabbed a piece
of the pork and brought it to my lips. The smell was intoxicating, but I
stopped before I took a bite. My stomach growled in protest, as if my action
was mocking it. Half of my mind agreed with my stomach, but the cautious part
of my mind refused to give in.

“How
do I know it’s not poisoned?” I questioned. Alastair smirked at me.

“Trust
me, if I wanted you dead I could have done it while you were sleeping,” he
said. “You can trust me.” Still seeing doubt in my eyes, Alastair took my fork
from me and ate the piece of pork I had chosen.

“Still
don’t believe me?” he asked while chewing. I snatched the fork back while never
taking my eyes off him. Hesitantly, I took a bite of the pork. Taken completely
by surprise, I let out a little moan. The pork practically melted in my mouth
as the flavor took over my senses. Alastair laughed. He waited patiently as I
wolfed down the rest of the meal. It was the most delicious meal I had ever had
in my entire life. Finishing of the very last crumb I rested my eyes and
sighed.

“I’m
guessing you liked it?” Alastair joked. I nodded, keeping my eyes closed.
Alastair chuckled.

“Well
don’t get used to it,” he said. “I didn’t get this treatment when I first came
here and I am not going to give it to you from now on. This was just a welcome
gift that Velkire requested I serve you. You’re going to have to learn how to
get your own food from now on, and whatever you do, do not accept food that you
have not prepared yourself. Trust me, you’ll regret it.”

I
honestly only half heard what he had said, but I nodded anyway. I didn’t really
care. I savored my full stomach, and told myself if it was my last, I’d be
satisfied. I didn’t realize how much I would disagree with myself later.

They
left in the dead of night without telling a soul. No one noticed as the six
left the camp and that was the way they wanted it. If anyone asked where they all
went, the king knew he had to lie to them. No one was happy with Scarlet at the
time, and if they found out the prince and Kyra had gone to save her with four
able bodied volunteers, they’d think he’d gone soft. Of course, the camp would
be glad the Blood Wolf girl had decided to go with the original five because
she made everyone uneasy, but to lose their beloved prince once again would
break their hearts. The only ones who’d be heartbroken over the boy Al going
were his three older brothers. However, the king had to admit it would be a
shame to lose such a noble boy. There weren’t enough boys like him, and the
king thought Al had a heart of gold that could match an angel’s. He knew he’d
never forgive himself for what he had done.

Al
himself was unsure of his choice. It wasn’t that he was afraid he might die or
fail. Al was afraid he’d be a burden to the rest. Everyone on the mission had
strengths—even the newest member Yuki, who could become a deadly Blood Wolf,
wouldn’t be a burden. But all Al could do was cast spells from a little worn
out book his master had given him. They weren’t even legitimate spells.
According to Gidian, he was using his Guardian’s power and channeling it
through his body. Knowing this, Al wished with all his heart he had the gift of
the Sight. He wished he could know his Guardian like Scarlet knew hers. It
pained him to take so much from his Guardian and not even know his or her name.
He thought more and more about what he would say if he ever had the chance to
meet his Guardian while hugging the wall of the cart in attempts to survive
Kyra’s driving.

From
the other side of the cart, Vaze stared at Al in disbelief.

What
Al had done was crazy, even to Vaze. And yet at the same time, he could relate.
Losing someone you loved was unbearable, and if there was a chance to save
them, who wouldn’t do anything? Vaze closed his eyes and thought about the two
people he had lost while he was young. He never forgave himself for not trying
to save them although he was probably too young do anything. When he opened his
eyes again what he saw before him change. It didn’t surprise Vaze. When he was
younger it scared him, but he had gotten used to seeing it over the years.
Sitting next to Al in the cart was a tall blonde woman with a flowing white
gown and a golden breastplate. Her face was covered by a mask that looked
almost as if it were a part of her long flowing hair. Her fingers were wrapped
around a large hilt of a long sword that Vaze could have guessed to be as long
as he was tall. The beautiful woman shined like a fallen star and illuminated
the night as she stroked a hand through Al’s hair. She must have considered Al
to be her child, since she had taken care of him since he was born. And on top
of that, he probably had no living mother of his own, making the Guardian’s
bond with him so much stronger. Only Vaze could see her however, so the
Guardian could not truly be a mother to Al.

As
he looked around, everyone except Siren and himself had a loving Guardian with
them. Kyra’s resembled a man with a lion’s head and he beamed with pride every
time he saw the ferocity and valor in her eyes. Yuki’s Guardian stood
protectively around her, and took the form of a mighty, dazzling white wolf
that matched the size of a Blood Wolf, but with the grace of a feline. It
rested its head on Yuki’s shoulder in affection and closed its eyes, as if its
favorite place in the world was where ever she was. Gidian’s Guardian latched
its arms around Gidian’s neck and played with his hair. The little Guardian had
the playfulness of a child, but the appearance of a small monkey. Seeing
everyone else’s Guardian filled Vaze with longing. He looked all around, but
there was no Guardian Vaze could call his own. He had had one, but that was a
long time ago. He would never see the golden eyes he missed so much, nor would
he ever hear his Guardian’s deep voice again. No, his Guardian left him that
night. His Guardian left him the night Vaze ran away.

Gidian
could feel a very tense atmosphere about the group. And it wasn’t just because
of Kyra’s driving either, though even he had to admit it was terrifying.
Everyone there was brought together by a single bond to the girl. Even Gidian
had a bond to her, though it was more attached to her parents than she herself.
Al had been protected by her for almost his entire life, and the rest of his
human companions had been saved by her at least once. Even the wolf girl Yuki
thought that was enough to risk her life for an almost complete stranger. He
could understand everyone was stressed at the moment, but that didn’t mean he
didn’t feel awkward with the uneasy silence. He wasn’t good with tense
atmospheres. Or good ones either. As he thought about it, he realized he wasn’t
good with people in general. None the less, he would try to break the silence.

“So,
you were from an entire tribe of Blood Wolves right?” Gidian asked the wolf
girl since she was the closest one to him. She looked up at him through her big
brown almond shaped eyes in acknowledgement and nodded. “What was it like?”

“It
was kind of like your camp in a way,” Yuki replied though the memories of her
past home stung like a wasp sting. “We all stuck together and everyone tried to
do their part. The only difference is we moved regularly like a wolf pack. It
was nice while it lasted.” Gidian nodded in understanding and tried to think of
something else to keep the conversation going. Luckily, Yuki did it for him.

“So
what are you anyway?” She asked while yawning. “Al told me you were at the
conference when the idea of saving Scarlet was purposed. You must be pretty
important to have a say in matters.”

“I
actually don’t get much say in matters nowadays,” Gidian sighed. “You see, I am
just one of the three survivors of the battle at Moraj.  Aru, Arthur and I had
stayed behind to fight Enzio so that everyone could escape. That honestly was the
hardest battle I had ever fought, and we nearly didn’t escape. If it wasn’t for
Scarlet’s mother’s quick thinking, I wouldn’t be here today.”

“She
sounds like a real hero,” Yuki said and in her mind added,
‘Just like
Scarlet’
. Gidian smiled.

“Yes,”
he said. “She truly was a hero.” After that, the conversation faded into
silence yet again. Gidian sighed in defeat. He was never much of a talker in
the first. The only person who could ever get him out of his shell was his best
friend Arthur, Scarlet’s father. The loud, rambunctious, and happy-go-lucky
mood Arthur used to create was the only cure to Gidian’s anti-social disease.
It also got them into loads of trouble when they were only boys hardly older
than Al, but Arthur always managed to get them out of even the nastiest
situations. Gidian missed Arthur’s warm brown eyes with a mischievous look to
them and his cheery smile. Scarlet inherited both qualities from him, although
almost all of her features mirrored her mother—especially her eyes. He missed
them both dearly.

All
was quiet as they pulled into a small sleepy town. The sky was pitch-black at
the time, and no stars could be seen. The edges were already beginning to turn
a little bit lighter as it readied itself for the day. Kyra slowed the two
exhausted horses to a crawl as they looked for somewhere to stay, or somewhere
to find answers. All passengers in the cart were relieved to finally stretch
their legs, and to finally feel a little bit safer knowing that they were not
being driven by Kyra.

Siren
and Gidian went in search of an Inn while Kyra waltzed into a bar intent on
answers, leaving Al, Vaze and Yuki to watch the cart. The horse shied nervously
as Yuki neared it, probably sensing the scent of wolf on her. Yuki held out her
hand and cooed softly to the creature, trying to calm it, but it shuffled away
from her in fear. Vaze chuckled and stroked the horse’s snout, soothing the
beast with his touch. Yuki’s cheeks flared as she glared at the miserable
creature.

“What’s
so bad about me, you dumb horse?” she scowled. “You scared I’m going to eat you?
Big deal if I do, you’re just a dumb animal!” Yuki kicked at the ground in
frustration. Al could see why the horse was afraid of her—the wolf girl had a
rather short temper. Honestly, Al wanted to hide from her too, but he was
afraid that would make her even angrier. At the moment, Vaze seemed the only
one brave enough to play with a wolf. To Al, it looked like he was asking for a
death wish.

“Don’t
worry my friend,” he cooed to the horse, loudly enough so that they could all
hear it. “That bad old wolf is all bark and no bite. She’s just rotten mad
because her fleas stopped talking to her.”

“Watch
what you say, lover boy!” Yuki growled. “You might find I have a little bit
more bite than you can handle. And
never
joke about the fleas! They are
murderous!”

“Well
I’m sorry to hear that,” Vaze said with an amused half smile slipping across
his face. “They seem to be the only company that can stand your repulsive
personality, and I honestly do pity them. They even have to put up with the
smell of wet dog.”

“Are
you looking for a fight?” Yuki snarled as her eyes flashed from brown to golden
and her ears turned more angled and wolf like. Vaze’s smile disappeared.

“It
depends,” Vaze said while striding closer to her, looking her dead in the eye.
His blue eyes flared. “How long do you think you can last in a fight with me?”

Al
watched in horror at them as they commenced in a stare down that might result
in a fight. He was scared of being hit by either of them, but he knew he had to
do something.

“Come
on guys,” Al said while trying to get between them. “Let’s go see if Gidian or
Siren found some place for us to sleep.”

“Bug
out of this!” Yuki snarled while pushing him. Vaze put a firm hand on her
shoulder, in a way that was anything but friendly.

“Don’t
pick on him for having some sense,” Vaze hissed while tightening his grip.

“Vaze,
don’t,” Al began but was cut off.

“Stay
out of this Al,” Vaze said to him sternly. ‘
This is bad
,’ Al thought to
himself hurriedly. ‘
We’re wasting time fighting here amongst ourselves.’

Out
of the corner of his eye, Vaze could see Yuki’s Guardian growling at him with
its teeth bared. Its ears were practically plastered to its skull and the fur
on its back stood up like spikes. If Vaze had been thinking straight, he would
have known it wasn’t right to fight with a comrade, especially one of Blood
Wolf descent. In fact, if Yuki were thinking straight as well, they wouldn’t be
on the verge of a fight. But sadly, the only one whose mind had not been
tampered with was Al’s—no matter how much the witch on the sidelines was trying
to take control of him. She was surprised he was strong enough to withstand her
curse placed on them without notice and at the same time be dumb enough not to
notice
her
.

“Vaze,
what is wrong with you?” Al pleaded, trying to get his friend to listen to him.
“If we fight amongst ourselves we won’t be able to find Scarlet. We are wasting
time by fighting right now!” A ways off in the shadows the young witch’s
delicate rosy red lips curled into a smile, revealing sparkling white teeth.
Even though she could not influence all with her spell her plan seemed to be
working out just the same.

“Scarlet
can take care of herself for a little while,” Vaze replied to Al’s horror. “Right
now I need to teach this dog some manners.” Yuki growled again, this time her
teeth were beginning to be more canine-like that human.

“So
you’re just going to let Velkire have her?” This made Vaze stop, but he didn’t
respond. “You’re just going to let Velkire have the girl that saved my life,
your life and Yuki’s life? You’re just going to
let
Velkire take the
girl you love away from you?” Vaze let go of Yuki and turned to Al. Al tried
his best not to shrink away from him and stare him dead in the eye, but it was
hard to look intimidating to another boy when you have to arch your head up a
tad to look him in the eye. To his surprise, Vaze had a smirk on his face.

“You’re
right, Al,” Vaze said apologetically. “That son of the devil is the one I want
to fight, and being rude to my only help to beat him isn’t the best idea.” Vaze
turned back to Yuki with a serious look on his face.

“I’m
sorry,” Vaze said while offering her a hand to shake. “Those things were out of
line and I shouldn’t have said them. Will you accept my apology Yuki?”

Yuki
looked at his outstretched hand and sighed. “Sure, I guess I was a little short
tempered,” she said while shaking his hand. “I forgive you if you forgive me.”

Vaze
laughed, which made Al sigh in relief.

“It’s
a deal.”

While
Al was rejoicing, the witch watched from inside a house nearby. She scowled as
she bit her lip. If she were to defeat them she knew she was going to have to
try a different approach. Forcing them to pick each other off was out. A smile
flashed across her face. She loved to have fun, and this was the perfect
opportunity for it. The child stirred next to her in their bed. She stared at
the small boy as began to awaken. The child groaned groggily as he sat up rubbing
his eyes. The witch smiled at him as he saw her. Instead of screaming, he
gasped.