Hearts in Darkness (Nikki & Michael 2)

"You must stop him,” Ginger repeated, as if talking to a child. Back to square one, Nikki thought wearily. Maybe she should try a different tack. “What are you, Ginger? What are the lights?"

"We are flame imps. We are of this land."

As explanations went, it didn't help much. But perhaps Michael would know. “And you can take human form?” It seemed an obvious question, yet the awkwardness of Ginger's movements suggested she was unfamiliar with this particular body.

"Only when the new cycle begins. He has forced this form upon us." Nikki had a feeling that if she asked what ‘new cycle’ meant, the answer would only leave her more confused. She eyed the lights for a minute. They seemed agitated by Ginger's words. “And he wants to do the same to your friends?"

Ginger shook her head. “Only some. Others he uses in his magic. We die." The lights muted, becoming gray. Sadness seemed to hang in the air.

"What about Rodeman. Why marry him? What was the purpose behind that?"

"He makes us marry."

"But why?"

"To bring them here."

"Do you know why?” She felt like a CD that had become irreparably stuck on one line. Ginger shook her head. “We only bring them here."

"So where is Rodeman now?"

"He is with him. In the darkness."

Alarm spread through her. Sparks leapt across her fingers. “This darkness?" The lights shivered, their glow darkening to purple. “No,” Ginger said. “This is our last home. The last place of safety we have."

Nikki didn't ask where exactly that was. Given the heat in the rocks, the deadness in the air and the night's utter pitch, she had a feeling the answer was one she wouldn't like. “Then where has he taken Rodeman?"

"To the spaces underneath the hotel."

Caverns, she probably meant, though this didn't seem the sort of area that would have much in the way of underground caves. Nikki again scrubbed a hand across her eyes. “What about you, Ginger? What happens to you now?"

"We will die, as others have died. This body will not contain me. It will burn, and we will go with it. No longer will we dance under the orb of life."

The cavern went dark, and sadness washed in waves over her. Tears stung her eyes. “And nothing can stop this?"

"He must die for us to survive."

Then somehow, some way, she had to help make that happen. Not only for the sake of these strange lights, but for people like Rodeman and Matthew—lonely people who were only after company or for someone to understand them. Easy prey for the likes of that woman in the warehouse or the man killing the flame imps. “How many of you does this creep have under his control?"

"Four. Eight will no longer dance in the orb's light." She meant the moon, Nikki realized suddenly. That's what they had been doing tonight—dancing under the light of the moon. “And you can tell me nothing about the man who binds you?"

"No. We hear his words, but we cannot see him."

Ginger obviously didn't mean he was invisible. He'd had a shape in the images she'd received when she'd touched Ginger's hand—though his form had been little more than a shadow. “Does he wear a mask or something?"

"No. He is not of our world."

Nikki snorted softly. “I'm not of your damn world, but I can see you."

"You have the fire in you. It dances across your fingers as we speak. You can see us. Others, like the one who binds, only feel what we are."

So Michael wouldn't see them, even if they were to appear before him. That wasn't going to make an explanation any easier.

"Will you help us?” Ginger asked. The lights thrummed behind her, pulsing yellow across the walls.

"I'll do what I can.” But she wasn't about to make promises. Not when she had no real idea what she was going up against.

The lights danced in brightness. Nikki couldn't help smiling.