Forged in Flames Read online

  “How?” Theo’s exclamation was also clearly a question, one he tossed over his shoulder at Ciarán, his eyes not leaving Hiro and Ryder.

  “We are safe to speak here, you simply need to watch your actions. They will notice if you hit me or transform, of course.” Ciarán sipped his coffee, his eyes locked on to his brother’s.

  “That’s not an answer.” Killian’s voice was a dark rumble, his hands tightening and loosening as he fought to keep a hold on his temper.

  “It’s a combination of a barrier and an illusion,” Ciarán explained. “A very neat little bit of magic, if you know where to sit.” He nodded his head toward the wall, and I studied it, looking for whatever had his attention. The tan walls of the shop seemed empty other than the generic artwork that hung in intervals, but upon closer inspection, I could see that the color of the wall near the ceiling changed ever so slightly. It looked almost like a watermark, something easily dismissed. “Ah, she sees it.” Ciarán’s chest puffed up and his smile brightened, nodding his head at me in approval. “Yes, little sister, the mark there indicates the start of the warded area.”

  “What exactly does the ward do? Obviously, Ryder and Hiro can’t hear you, but wouldn’t it be obvious to anyone else here, that they can’t hear people in this corner?” I asked, confused.

  “Smart, aren’t you?” Ciarán’s cheerful mask slipped for just a second as shrewd calculation slid over his face as he studied me. “The ward distracts anyone from paying prolonged attention to us or sending someone who could read lips. The illusions offer a constant flow of chatter, kitchen noises, things along that line. When you combine the two, it isn’t perfect, but it prevents anyone from being suspicious of us sitting in silence, despite clearly having a conversation.”

  “What about people who don’t mean to sit here?” Theo interjected, cocking his head as he thought it out. “If they try to reach out to friends or others sitting outside of the section?”

  Ciarán’s eyes sparkled as he took a sip of his drink. “This is the brilliance of the illusion. The wards only kick into effect if someone with shifter blood is within the ward. This coffee shop isn’t popular amongst shifters, so it’s usually not an issue. They generally aren’t strong enough to even feel the illusion, since it’s a passive spell and not actively keeping anyone out. A single, simple word is needed to activate the spell. It really is brilliant work.”

  “I got something for everyone, so we can warm up a little.” Hiro’s voice was cooler now that he was near Ciarán, and I turned to help him distribute the cups between us at his directions. Without missing a beat, Hiro glanced skyward and tilted his head as he caught sight of the glimmer that signaled the ward.

  Without commenting, he turned back to us.

  “Privacy ward. It works,” I told him, and he nodded once, taking my word for it.

  Hiro turned to the rest of the table. “Thank you for waiting for us. Shall we have a seat and begin?”

  “We weren’t exactly waiting,” Killian grumbled. “He’s just continuing to play with us.”

  “Quiet.” Damien’s voice was low and hard, the rumble of his Gargoyle present. “We’re all here now. We met your rules by meeting here. We played your game. No more slipping away. We need information.”

  Ciarán leaned forward, setting his cup down as we all settled into our chairs. For once, Ciar seemed more sober, but the glint in his eyes told me was enjoying himself immensely. “I told you I’d welcome you into the revolution, and that’s exactly what I intend to do.”

  Two

  Nix

  “You’re walking into something far bigger than what you know.” Ciarán had flipped the switch from playful to serious, pushing his coffee aside as he leaned forward. “There’s far more going on here than you have even begun to guess. It is not an easy thing to bring you into.”

  “Why?” Damien’s word was clipped, his eyes never leaving Ciarán as his coffee grew cold, completely disregarded. “And if it’s such a secret, and so hard to get into, how are you a part of it?”

  Ciarán sighed. “I have been authorized—”

  “Authorized?” Theo interjected, his head cocked. I could almost see his brain calculating Ciarán’s words as he said them, weighing them and cataloging them for later. “So you aren’t at the top of the chain.”

  “I’m part of the chain,” Ciarán clarified. “Our system is not run like the Elders’.” Ciarán’s lip curled back in disgust in an expression of contempt that he didn’t bother to hide. “There are leaders, they’re necessary in any running system, but we are not under their control. Not in the same way. We all seek a better world. I’ve been a part of this for years, far longer than you would believe if I told you.”

  “How long?” Killian’s words were quiet, his head down as he listened to Ciar. I had known they weren’t close, but from the slump of Killian’s shoulders, I believed he was disappointed at the realization of how little he actually knew his brother.

  Ciarán turned his gaze to his brother, his sharp eyes softening for a moment. “Since they took you from us. Since they tore a sobbing little boy from his family who loved him, leaving us to cry alone for you while they told us you were blessed and better off. Mom and Dad played along for your benefit. They thought it was better for you, but after… once you were gone… I saw the devastation your loss caused our family. I learned from a young age that people were too afraid to defy the Council. The sound of you crying for our mother over and over again in your sleep—and then you became silent as the tomb when your dreams no longer existed for me to walk in. It broke me.”

  Tears pricked at my eyes at the image Ciarán painted. “They blocked you from walking his dreams?” Taking a child from his brother was bad enough, but to block his communication with them entirely was nothing but cruel.

  “They took his dreams.” Ciarán’s words were a growl. “I heard him at first.” His eyes grew glossy as he looked back, and I could feel Damien stiffen beside me. I assumed some of Ciarán’s thoughts were seeping from him in his emotional distraction, allowing D a peek at the real man underneath the facade. “Memories of us at first, fear of being in a new country, all alone with no one there for him. They grew darker, full of blood. Then, they stopped altogether.”

  “You’re wrong.” Killian’s words were quiet, but hard. “I don’t dream anymore. Nothing but pieces. My Puca’s powers haven’t evolved the way they were expected to. It’s not the Council’s fault you can’t walk my dreams.”

  Ciarán shook his head. “That’s what they want you to believe. You’ve already seen how they lie. Open your eyes.” The words snapped out like a whip, causing Killian’s head to jerk up as he glared at his brother, his emerald eyes hot. “Don’t play the fool now. That’s generally my roll, never yours. Why would it be that all of your other powers have greatly increased, that your connection with your Puca is solid, and yet for some reason you don’t dream? Not even that you don’t dream prophetically, but that you don’t dream at all?” He stared at his brother, his hands clenched tight, his mask of the fool completely stripped away as fury and command rolled off of him in waves, his shoulders square and strong, his head held high as he challenged his brother. “You don’t wish to believe me, you’ll make yourself a fool, but it is your choice. Ask Theo, or Damien for that matter. Now is not the time to second guess yourself.”

  “So you stopped trying to connect with him?” I asked, trying to keep my own voice strong as I interrupted the two before they came to blows.

  Ciarán softened, turning his attention back to me, letting a little of the goofy side he had shown us in the beginning take over as he offered me a grin. I couldn’t believe how easily he could flip his personalities, or how completely he could do it. In an instant, he went from threatening and sincere to impish and candid. “Yes, little sister. I stopped trying, and I learned to be careful. They watched us, though they pretended not to. Testing us. I wasn’t going to let myself be taken. I learned to hide what I was.” />
  “So that’s when you joined?”

  “Over time.” Ciarán nodded. “I was still very young. Walking dreams is nearly as useful as your Gargoyle’s mind reading. I see behind people’s walls. I became a good judge of character, knew where to walk. I slowly found the right people, asked the right questions.” He grimaced for a moment before adding, “Passed the right tests.”

  “Tests?” Hiro’s voice was sharp, his hand moving protectively to my shoulder.

  Ciarán arched a brow. “You really believe they will let everyone join them? That’s a good way for a rebellion to be quashed early on. They’re far too smart for that.”

  “This has been going on a long time, hasn’t it?” Damien voiced it as a question, but I could hear it for the statement it was. He was focusing hard on Ciarán, trying to ensure we received as much information as we could, and working to ensure we were told the truth.

  “A very long time,” Ciarán affirmed with a nod. “They are not willing to let it be derailed. I’ve felt your contempt for the Council, for the rules that they impose on us. You believe in justice.” He turned his eyes to me, offering a small smile. “You believe in doing what is right, in everyone having a say in how their lives are run. Add in your strength, your rarity,” he turned his eyes to Damien and arched a brow as he added, “as well as your intimate knowledge of the Council. It makes you ideal candidates for us.”

  “Only candidates,” Theo mused.

  “Yes. Only candidates. The rebellion is bigger than any one of us, even any group of us.” Ciarán reached for his coffee again, taking a sip despite the now melted whipped topping, and licking the mustache it left behind off of his upper lip. “However, it works to your advantage that they want you. All of you. They’ve been watching you for some time, and Nix’s appearance only solidified their standing. It’s rare to have such a powerful group of mythologicals, such as yourselves, all set against the council. If you make it past the tests, you’ll all be assets.”

  “So what happens if we don’t make it past candidates?” Damien was stiff beside me, unmoving under this flow of information. “I assume our knowledge can’t be maintained, it’s too big of a risk.”

  Ciarán chuckled, the sound oddly bright for such a serious conversation. “Smart Gargoyle, always one step ahead of me. Yes, you will only be given pieces of information at a time to ensure that you won’t betray us, even unconsciously. One of the reasons I am speaking to you instead of someone else is because I impressed upon the others that your minds are strong. That you would not offer anything in the way of leakage that may cause the Council to become suspicious. I still need to maintain a constant eye on you, but you’ll be fed information a little at a time as you prove your ability to keep it—and prove your worth, of course.”

  “And should we prove untrustworthy?” Theo’s voice was cold, the threat clear in his tone.

  Ciarán grinned widely, throwing up his hands. “My brother dearest, untrustworthy? And his dear, honored friends? It would never happen, of course.”

  “Cut the crap, Ciar,” Killian snapped. “We’re not putting Nix in danger. What are the actual risks?”

  Ciarán shook his head. “I wouldn’t risk your mate, Kill.” I blushed at his blunt statement and his obvious acceptance of our group, of what we were to each other. “I’m not telling you it won’t be dangerous for her. I’m just telling you I think you’re stronger than the risk. If you fail, we will probably wipe these memories from you. If you actively betray us to the Council, well, you would be at a far greater risk from them than you would be from us. Which I think you well know.”

  “Did you know?” Ryder’s voice was husky, hard as ice, cracking across the tension of the table. “About the island? About what they were doing there? About them taking Nix? Is that how you knew where she was, you let her get taken?” The darkness in Ryder’s words was chilling and more impactful than shouting would have been coming from the generally upbeat Ceraptor. The frigid, strained atmosphere that rose had me glancing around to see if the glacial threat was noticeable to anyone else, because even with the wards in place, it wouldn’t be hard for someone to notice the tension radiating from our little gathering.

  I pushed from my chair and wove behind Theo to grab Ryder’s hand, offering a reassuring squeeze. I knew the events of the island still tore at him, even more so now that he believed his sister was somehow involved. I stroked my thumb across the back of his hand, giving all the support I could in public. If his temper frayed much more, I’d either need to climb directly into his lap or encourage Hiro to haul him out of the restaurant to cool down before he drew any unnecessary attention to us.

  “We’ve known for some time that there were things going on.” Ciarán chose his words carefully, and he was watchful as he considered Ryder’s temper. “We did not know the extent of it, since it was far too dangerous to put anyone onto the island.”

  “Then why did you tell us about it?” Hiro’s voice was quiet, his eyes on Ryder, with concern clear in the turn of his lips and the way he rubbed his hands against his thighs. “Why lead us there if it was too dangerous for the rebellion?”

  “I believe in the rebellion.” Ciarán’s voice was soft, and so low that it was almost hard to catch his words. “I believe that there is a much better world out there for shifters and we have a right to take it for ourselves. I understand, logically, that there may be casualties in regard to the war we are creating.” He reached out a hand, clasped his brother on the shoulder, and squeezed softly. “I would not let your mate be one of those casualties, especially not when I thought we could justify your taking her back from the island with no effect on the rebellion. I will do what I can for my family—my role in the rebellion does not change that. The second I suspected Nix might have been taken to the island, I tried to confirm my theory and let you know. Nix is important to you, and thus she is important to me too.” Tears pricked at the back of my eyes as Killian slowly reached up to mimic Ciarán’s gesture.

  “Thank you.” Damien spoke up, his voice low surprising me. “We never really had the chance to say this, but thank you. Without you, we may not have found Nix, may not have gotten her out. Thank you.”

  Ciarán nodded, but before he had a chance to say anything more, Ryder’s tension grew. “What is the rebellion going to do about the island?” The muscles of his jaw worked as he clenched his teeth, biting off any further questions he wanted to lob at Ciar.

  “They’re still investigating. Our leaders have to weigh the risk in every decision and move they make.” The answer was vague and I felt Ryder nearly vibrating in his seat.

  “There are people on that island who need help. People’s loved ones! Who knows what shady shit is going down over there?” Ryder leaned forward, his stomach pressing into the edge of the table as he tried to get his point across. “We don’t even know exactly what they did to Nix.” I flinched, squeezing his hand tighter, this time unsure if the support was for him or me.

  “This is much bigger than any of us.” It seemed like Ciar wanted to say more, but instead he looked at each one of us in turn before he continued with a warning, “No decision is taken lightly. Just keep that in mind.” I knew his words were meant for both the conversation about the island and the initiation it seemed we’d need to pass.

  Pushing his coffee aside, he stood up to regard us. “You will find out more soon, I promise. You will receive another message from me, and we will set up the next step for you to begin. Just remember, blood is strong between all of us.” His eyes landed on Theo as he gave a nod. “Even those of us not directly connected by it, blood weighs heavily on everything.”

  Ciarán brushed a kiss across my cheek as he passed, causing a riot of growls and hisses from my men. “Sweet little sister, I’ll see you soon.” He gave a wave before striding toward the door and letting in a swirl of icy air as he left.

  “I think I’ll take that coffee now,” I murmured, my hands shaking slightly as I headed back to my chair.r />
  “It looks like we could all use it.” Hiro sent me a small smile. “Let’s warm up, and we can go home and try to figure all of this out.”

  Three

  Ryder

  Sitting behind my desk, I ran a hand through my hair and pulled the purple strands between my fingers. Scattered paper surrounded me on all sides, and even more of it covered the floor by my wastebasket. The crumpled, wadded up balls of paper mocked me, and I let out a sound of frustration as I ripped yet another piece from my notebook and sent it to its death. The rustle of it sinking into the metal trash can was satisfying, but I hardly noticed. I went back to drawing, focusing hard on the task at hand.

  Rocks and my poor attempt at trees formed under my pencil, while I drew everything I could remember about what I’d seen on the island, but the image of blood on the ground and strands of black spinning from my hands like a poisoned web continued to intrude on my memories of the landscape. No matter which way I turned the page, I didn’t have enough information to be useful. Dozens of attempts, and different angles and views covered the pages sitting on the desktop, but the most prominent picture was one of Nix in her Phoenix form, surrounded by black, smoky tendrils. My fear over hurting her—or hurting one of my brothers—was enough to spike my heart rate as my fear rose. With so much going on in our lives, I hadn’t brought up the strange powers again, but they’d left a lasting effect in the form of nightmares that plagued me most evenings. The only time I got any relief was if I had Nix in my arms. Sometimes, I wished I could be selfish and ask her to stay with me every night, to chase the dreams away. I knew my sweet girl would absolutely do it, and I doubted my brothers would actually object, but I couldn’t be that selfish with her time.

  Dropping the pencil, I held my hands out in front of me with my palms facing the ceiling. I’d always been a healer. I’d never doubted that was my calling. Becoming a doctor was a lifelong dream of mine, and with my powers, it was a natural choice. Between my classes at the university, all the volunteer hours at the hospital during the summer, and being able to help people, I’d never felt more myself until I’d met Nix and grown closer to Hiro. Everything in my life, barring the complications with the Council and the threats against Nix, had been perfect. But now, it felt like I was on the precipice of something big, and all I knew was that I didn’t want things to change unless it meant a more stable world for me and the family I’d formed.