Blaze of Secrets (Asylums for Magical Threats 1)

Chapter Fourteen

Jaxton stood near the edge of a rock formation, its jagged edge pointing toward the valley below. The contrast of the dark rock and the rolling green fields was one of his favorite sights. Twilight gave it an eerie quality, the pinks and purples in the sky making it magical and formidable simultaneously.

He was back in England, standing on Hen Cloud, near his childhood home in the Peak District.

Turning around, Jaxton saw two figures standing farther down the hill with their heads together, talking. Curious, Jaxton walked down the hill. The outlines of the two people took shape and he could just make out two females, one with fair hair and the other dark.

He approached them, but even when he was no more than ten or fifteen feet away, the women’s faces remained blurry. He called out a greeting and the women raised their faces, linked their arms together, and walked toward him. Soon he recognized their faces and froze.

The fair-haired one was Garrett’s ex-fiancée Marzina, and the dark-haired one was Kiarra.

Jaxton took a step forward, but the women took a step back. Each time Jaxton tried to reach out and pull Kiarra away from Marzina, they backed just out of his reach.

“Kiarra,” he shouted, but his voice was lost to the sudden wind. He tried running down the rock hill, but the women continued to move farther away until they eventually walked off the sheer side of the hill. Jaxton shouted Kiarra’s name as he dove for her, but he was too far away to save her. His heart pounded as he reached the edge of the drop-off and looked down. He steeled himself for the worst, but saw nothing unusual. No bodies, no blood, only the wilderness.

Jaxton heard a snap of fingers behind him and the scenery shifted to the inside of a cave. He turned around and saw a woman dressed in rambling gear.

Neena.

His consciousness was trained to notice her, and Jaxton realized none of this was real. He was in a dream.

He remembered why he was here.

Neena took out a plastic sandwich bag, opened it, and offered it to Jaxton. “Trail mix?”

Jaxton shook his head and got straight to the point. “A shadow-shifter compromised our safe house. Marco said you needed to speak to me, so I’m waiting for your orders.”

Neena tossed a handful of trail mix into her mouth, and with her mouth half full, said, “Have you asked Cam and Kiarra about their uncle?”

“Their uncle? What does that have to do with relocating my men?”

Neena waved a hand in the air. “You should know by now not to question me. Ask them about their uncle. And while you’re at it, work a little harder at stoking Kiarra’s fire.” Neena winked. “I mean her elemental magic, of course.”

“She lost the ability, or at least believes she did. She can’t gather fire.”

Neena tossed more trail mix into her mouth. “Nonsense. A Fire Talent can most certainly gather fire. It’s right there in the title.”

Jaxton’s heart skipped a beat. “Kiarra’s a Fire Talent?”

Neena tilted her head. “Stop shadowing me. That’s what I just said, isn’t it?” She tucked her trail mix away and adjusted the straps on her pack. “Ask the Melini sisters about their uncle and you’ll know where to take Kiarra. Going alone with her is best.” Neena moved toward the cave’s exit, but stopped and said over her shoulder, “Oh, and get to work on releasing Kiarra’s magic. You’re usually quicker than this with assignments and I really hate waiting around for something so simple.”

Neena snapped her fingers.

Jaxton shot up in his bed and tried to get his head around what Neena had just told him.

He was one of the few who knew that Neena possessed more than one latent ability. One was dream-speaking, but the other one was more powerful, and if it ever became public knowledge, Neena would be forced into hiding.

Neena was the first Feiru in nearly a thousand years who could see visions of the future.

That was why Jaxton took her words seriously. If she said Kiarra was a Fire Talent, then it was probably because Neena had seen it in a vision. He didn’t try to comprehend why Neena hadn’t told him about this earlier. Neena worked to her own beat; Aislinn was the only one who could even come close to controlling her.

He’d talk again with Neena later. Right now, all that mattered was the fact that Kiarra had lied to him about her elemental fire.

Kiarra had slept poorly, but rather than toss and turn or stare at her ceiling all morning, she’d gotten out of bed early and gone to check on Garrett.

She’d needed a distraction, and Garrett had been the perfect excuse. When she looked at hi

m, she felt nothing but concern for his health and a desire to help him. A huge contrast to how she felt about his younger brother.