Fire and Fantasy: a Limited Edition Collection of Epic and Urban Fantasy Read online

  “But you’re not bound by this spell,” I said, knowing it was true. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to tell us.

  Tristan nodded from beside me, but it was hardly noticeable in the darkness. When I glanced back to Noah, he was shaking his head as if trying to make sense of it all. I felt like doing the same. What Tristan was saying was so overwhelming, almost unbelievable. I wouldn’t believe it if it didn’t explain so much.

  Noah looked over at Tristan. “And how do you fit into all of this?”

  Tristan nodded as if amused. “For lack of a better description, I’m one of your ancestors.”

  Noah drew in a sharp breath.

  “Well, not literally. I’m one of the few remaining mermen.”

  His words only left me with more questions. One of the…? How many were there? Tens? Hundreds? Thousands?

  Noah sputtered and slowed his step. “Wh—bu—that’s not possible…”

  “It is,” I stated confidently. I was almost surprised that given the information Tristan just gave me that I was able to say that much. “I saw him. I found him. That’s the secret I knew.” Almost immediately, I glanced Tristan’s way in question. How come I couldn’t say anything about it before and now suddenly I can? I tried for more. “When I found him, he was still in merman form, full tail and everything. I went to my dad for help, and he told the council about what I knew. I wasn’t supposed to know, and they sent me away because of it.” I turned to Tristan again. “How come it’s working now?”

  “When a certain secret has been revealed to two people, they can talk about it to each other and only each other. It’s part of the way the spell works. That way your council members can talk amongst themselves.”

  “How do they figure out the secrets in the first place?” Noah asked.

  Tristan shrugged. “I don’t know everything about how it all works, exactly, just stories from back home. Our stories say your council has books of secrets that they share with new members.”

  It all made so much sense, and I hated it. How could our ancestors take away our free will like this? It wasn’t fair.

  “Since you’re not under the spell, you can tell us everything you know, right?” I asked hopefully. I needed more answers.

  “I could, sure. But first, where are we going?”

  Noah glanced around and let out a breath in frustration. “We’re supposed to be headed back to my car.”

  “I was just following you,” I defended when he looked my way.

  “Your car is parked outside of Sea Haven?” Tristan asked, but it was more of a statement, like he already knew.

  “Not quite past all the Sea Haven houses, I don’t think,” Noah replied.

  “But you intend to leave Sea Haven, yes?” Tristan asked.

  “That’s the idea,” Noah said, irritation entering his tone.

  Tristan spoke as if amused. “That’s another problem with the agreement your ancestors made. You can’t leave, not when you’re trying to take those with you.”

  He gestured to the vials in our hands. I unclasped my hand to look at my magic. Gazing down at the beautiful colors left me relaxed. A split second later, I processed what Tristan said.

  “We can’t?” I nearly shouted with raised eyebrows. “It’s not a rule?” I glanced over at Noah, wondering if he was catching on. I couldn’t tell in the darkness. “It’s another part of the spell!” I hated this spell. How had I lived my whole life without realizing I was a prisoner, that I didn’t have free will?

  “Right.” I could practically hear the smile in Tristan’s voice. “When you’re in possession of your magic—or anyone’s magic—you can’t leave Sea Haven. It’s a lot like the way you can’t tell secrets. You’ll be overcome with confusion before you make it out past the boundary line. You won’t make it out.”

  “The boundary line?” Noah asked in uncertainty, but my thoughts hadn’t jumped to that. Instead, I immediately thought of the time I’d tried to “run away” from home when I was little and ended up walking around until I stumbled back into town. It wasn’t because I sucked at directions. It was because of this stupid spell.

  “It’s not a marked boundary line,” Tristan explained. “At least, not that I understand. But the spell knows how far you can go.”

  “No,” Noah stated in frustration, completely stopping his stride.

  It took me another two steps to realize he’d stopped. When I did, I turned back to face him.

  “No,” he said again, running his hands through his hair like he tended to do. “This can’t be true. It’s all so…”

  “Unbelievable,” I finished for him in a whisper. I almost had to agree with him. I’d always believed Sea Haven was a good place and that we were good because we were all in this together, all different from the rest of the world, all sharing the same secret from humans. It turns out our town had more secrets than I ever realized. We weren’t all in this together.

  “Exactly,” Noah agreed with me.

  It wasn’t completely unbelievable, though. I just didn’t want to believe in it. But I knew better. I’d experienced enough that everything Tristan was saying fit perfectly with what I knew.

  A wave of heat rushed through my body, and I narrowed my eyes into the distance. This was all so unfair. Glancing back down at the vial of magic in my hand, I was momentarily overcome with a calming sensation, but it didn’t last. Yes, I had my magic back, but what good did it do me if I couldn’t leave? They’d take it from me again and lock me up like they’d done to Tristan.

  I lifted my gaze to Tristan’s. “I believe it, but there’s so much that doesn’t make sense. Why would our ancestors agree to this? And where would a spell that powerful come from? We can hardly control water…” The mention of water reminded me of the bit of it around my neck. Without realizing it, I reached a hand up and clamped it around the vial under my shirt. “Who would have the power to…?” My voice drifted off as realization struck. “Your people? You did this to us? Made us prisoners?” The volume in my tone rose.

  I noticed Noah beside me grow visibly frustrated. His hands curled into fists, and even in the darkness, I saw his lips press together in a thin line.

  Tristan held his hands up in defense. “It’s not like that. Like I said, your ancestors agreed to it.”

  “Why would they do that?” Noah asked. “Why not give us the choice? Why not tell us the truth?”

  Tristan’s eyebrows shot up. “Would you have wanted to stay if you knew? It’s because your people would react like this, and it’s vital to both our societies that your people don’t take their magic to the outside world.”

  After everything that had happened, I wanted to punch something, but Tristan was actually making some sense. And I suddenly hated him for that.

  Tristan glanced around as if making sure we were alone. “We should probably find somewhere to lay low so we can figure this all out. I can explain more on the way.”

  Noah and I exchanged a glance.

  “We’ll head back to Liana’s,” I stated confidently. She’d done a good enough job of hiding us out before, and if we couldn’t get out of Sea Haven with our magic—which simply wasn’t an option for me, not when I’d come this far—she was our best choice.

  Noah turned back toward town, his hands still clenched tightly into fists. If he squeezed any harder, I was afraid he might crush the vial in his hand, and I still didn’t know exactly how to restore it. That was a problem I thought I could deal with later. Maybe Tristan would have the answer, but I didn’t get a chance to ask as he began explaining more about the spell.

  “You know the stories about how our societies split?” Tristan asked, glancing to me for confirmation.

  I nodded while we walked.

  “Well, your people realized early on that the more they crossbred with humans, the weaker their powers became. They knew that if they were to preserve their magic in their descendants, they couldn’t keep crossbreeding. But people continued to come into your town, and they�
�d fall in love with the people here, and well…you can’t stop love.” He winked at me before fixing his eyes back on the pavement. “That’s when your people sought out mine. It took them several years, and still the crossbreeding was going on. When they found us, they asked for protection. We agreed, but only if your people agreed to play by our terms.”

  I narrowed my eyes up at his face. “And what were those?”

  Tristan cleared his throat. “That no magic left Sea Haven. The spell isn’t strong enough to span across the globe. Keeping your magic here assures your secret—our secret—stays protected.”

  “That doesn’t make sense,” I pointed out. “We’re not ‘protected’ from the outside world. We have suppliers who come and go.”

  “Right. But the spell works several ways. For you, you can’t leave Sea Haven with your magic. You can’t discuss your people’s secrets with outsiders, and there are certain secrets within the boundaries of Sea Haven you can’t speak of unless another person knows.”

  “Like the secret of your people.”

  “Right,” Tristan clarified. “That’s for our protection. Another part of the spell is that it keeps outsiders who enter Sea Haven from remembering certain things, like seeing someone use their magic.”

  “Couldn’t we leave Sea Haven with our magic and the same thing would happen?” I wondered.

  Tristan went silent for a moment as if considering how to put it into words. “Like I said, the spell can’t span across the globe. We couldn’t restrict you from using your magic. That’s why it stays here.”

  “But if the spell doesn’t span that wide, why couldn’t I talk to Noah about you? Wouldn’t I have been far enough away that the spell no longer applied to me?”

  “That part isn’t built into location. That’s built into your blood. If you have the blood of your ancestors, you must keep their secrets to matter where you’re at. But like I said, we couldn’t keep you from using your magic, but we didn’t want you using it outside of Sea Haven in case humans learned of it. That’s why that part is location-based.”

  Noah kept a steady pace in front of us. I could tell he was listening, but he didn’t say a word. I suspected he was either too shocked or angry to.

  I closed my eyes for several long seconds and inhaled a deep breath. “It’s all so much. It’s so complicated. It doesn’t make sense.”

  “You’re right,” Tristan said. “It is complicated, but once you understand it a little better, it makes more sense.”

  “Why would your people even agree to help us? What can we give in return?”

  Tristan went silent for several long seconds like there was no good way to explain it. “There aren’t exactly many of us left. Your people are the closest cousins we have. We’re helping you as insurance, in case we ever need your help in the future. As it is, your people have already taught us a lot that they’ve learned from the humans. Hence my ability to speak English.”

  I drew in a breath. “You mean your native language is different?” I should have realized that, but for some reason it shocked me. Maybe it was because he was so fluent, but he still had that hint of an accent. It must have originated from his native tongue.

  Tristan ducked his head, almost like he was embarrassed. “It’s not something that translates well, sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” I assured him, and that seemed to signal the end of the entire conversation. We were almost back to town by now, which meant back to stealth mode. Plus, there was so much to process that I wasn’t sure how much more information Noah and I could take. I volunteered one final question before reaching town. “Why are you telling us all this?”

  Tristan shrugged. “You rescued me. These secrets are all I have to repay you with.”

  Twenty-Eight

  Two knocks. One scratch. One knock.

  Liana flung open the window almost instantly as if she’d been sitting next to it waiting for us. “Where have you been?” she hissed in a whisper. “What took you so long?” Before she’d hardly finished the sentence, her eyes caught sight of Tristan, and they widened.

  “Sorry,” I whispered back, crawling through the window and into the room. “I was going to call, but we got distracted.”

  I could see Liana’s expression through the darkness since the lamp on her nightstand was lit, casting a soft glow around the room. Her eyebrows shot up so far they nearly touched her hairline. “I can see that.”

  Noah crawled through the window in after me, and Tristan quickly hurried inside.

  “Liana,” I said, gesturing. “This is Tristan. Tristan, this is Liana.” I turned to her. “Tristan will have to explain the rest.”

  “Uh, okay,” she said, never taking her eyes off him. I wasn’t sure if it was because she was shocked to see a stranger in her bedroom or if she was marveling at his towering figure and muscular physique. She stepped away until the back of her knees hit the edge of her bed. “What—what happened?”

  Tristan remained standing while I took a seat next to Liana and Noah settled into the rocking chair. He explained to Liana what he’d just told Noah and me. By the time he was done, Noah had nearly drifted off in the rocking chair. Liana’s jaw hung open, even after all the questions she’d asked—which basically followed the same lines as mine.

  She looked to me. “I—I can’t believe that’s why they sent you away. I actually thought you wanted to leave.”

  I pulled my brows together. “Really? You thought I wanted to be a journalist?”

  “Well, I didn’t want to say anything. I thought you were using that as an excuse to get away. Out of anyone in our class, you would have been my first bet for leaving. I mean, come on. You tried to run away when you were a kid. You have adventure written all over you.”

  If only I didn’t attract adventure, I wouldn’t be in this mess. But was it worth it for the secrets Tristan knew? If I could choose, would I go back to being ignorant? I honestly wasn’t sure. On some level, I thought I might like that, that things would be easier that way. And I guess that’s why the people of Sea Haven were so happy and why the council kept their secrets. But that didn’t make it right.

  Noah yawned from his spot in the rocking chair.

  “I think it’s time for everyone to get some rest,” Liana suggested. “We can talk more in the morning.”

  I almost wanted to agree with her, but when I rose from the bed, I uncurled my fist to reveal the magic vial still locked in my hand. I stared down at it so long that the rest of the room seemed to disappear.

  The sound of Tristan’s voice pulled me from my trance. “Why don’t you open it?” He brushed a long strand of blond hair out of his eyes. I couldn’t help but notice how full of life they seemed, how much better he looked than when I first found him.

  “Open it?” I repeated.

  Tristan smiled a sideways smile. “How else do you expect to get your magic back?” His smile stretched wider before he turned away to reach for the extra blanket Liana held in his direction.

  As Liana settled into bed and Tristan laid out his blanket on the far side of the room, Noah and I both glanced down at our vials in question. When our eyes met again, I knew we were thinking the same thing. The consequences didn’t matter. In this moment, all that mattered was our magic.

  “On three?” I asked.

  Noah nodded.

  “One…” I said.

  “Two…” Noah continued.

  “Three…” We finished together.

  In the same moment, we popped open our vials. The blue glow escaped in a stream as if it were water that wasn’t affected by gravity. I didn’t know what was happening to Noah and his magic beside me. All I could focus on was my stream of magic, dancing in waves and growing out of the vial until it wrapped itself around me. It left me feeling warm, comforted. It was like I didn’t know who I was until this moment, until I rediscovered a piece of me that I’d lost. The stream of magic touched my heart, filling a hole I never knew was there. And then the glowing died as if my ma
gic was a fluid that had soaked into my body.

  For a moment, I just stood there focusing on the energy coursing through my body again. I’d never been so acutely aware of it before. It was so much stronger than when I’d found the vial and held it. When that happened, I somehow felt more energized and alive. This was similar, only amplified, and I suddenly felt like I could take on anything.

  Noah had an expression of amazement fixed on his face. I imagined I looked a lot like that, too.

  He swallowed hard. “How do you feel?”

  I couldn’t find the words to answer. How could I possibly describe this feeling? Remembering the vial of sea water around my neck, I quickly grabbed for it, pulling it out from under my shirt. Holding it with the ends of my fingers, I pulled the vial to eye-level and channeled my magic through it. The water swirled at my will and then changed directions inside the container, all without me moving.

  A wide smile stretched across my face as I dropped it back under my shirt. I glanced around the room to find three pairs of eyes waiting for my answer.

  “I’m me again!”

  Twenty-Nine

  I awoke to the sun shining in the window and the sound of ocean waves lapping against the shore. What I wouldn’t give to step out the back door of Liana’s house and just dip my toes into the salty water. With my magic restored, that pull was only stronger. But I pushed the urge away. I couldn’t be seen here, not when the council was looking for me. They knew what I’d done, and they’d know I wasn’t about to leave Sea Haven without my magic. They had to know I was still here, and I wasn’t ready to find out what they’d do to me if they found me.

  I repeated this reasoning in my head over and over again, but the more I did, the louder the sound of the waves seemed in my ears. I wanted to touch the water again. Just touch it. I didn’t have to swim in it. The temptation was so strong that it almost seemed worth getting caught for.

  I slowly rose to a seated position and glanced around the room. Liana’s bed was empty, the sheets tossed haphazardly at the foot of it. I listened intently to the rest of the house, but it was difficult to hear over the waves amplified in my head. It was like they weren’t outside anymore. It was like they were now a part of me. Had the ocean always called out to me in this way? How hadn’t I ever noticed such a strong desire for the water?