Seared by Desire (7 page)

“
Well you shouldn’t sleep in the middle of the road,” the man
whipped before staggering on, his blood shot eyes
watering.

About to curse him in response, the air was stolen from
Sara’s lungs as she watched the city move about her, alive and
teeming with life. Her head spun, trying desperately to understand
what was going on. The city shouldn’t be here, it should be nothing
more than a smouldering pile of ash, destroyed by the power and
intensity of Seraphina’s flame. Her legs shook as she tried to
rise, her knees wanting to collapse beneath her but the cold
dampness of the floor was unappealing and she knew she’d wasted
valuable time. She was being hunted, that thought had to remain
uppermost in her mind. Her legs shaky but strong enough to bare her
weight, Sara began moving, ignoring the stares of people as she
passed them as well as the throbbing cuts in her hands from where
she’d fallen last night. She had to get back to the inn, back to
Lance and then she had to move on.

Something happened here. These people should be dead. I heard
Seraphina, she was hungry and whenever she’s said that things end
up burning. What was so different about yesterday?
She racked her mind as she walked, struggling to
remember the events that had led up to her being passed out on a
dirty cobbled floor.

When she had first arrived in the city she was amazed at just
how different the place could be from the village she had always
known while at the same time being so similar. The sheer number of
people in the city had stunned her when she’d first entered Acton,
never in her life had she seen so many people gathered in one
place. It was quickly impressed upon her that she didn’t like city
people. They were rude, crude and more of a hindrance than a help
on her journey. She couldn’t even remember how many times she’d
been cursed as she and Lance created a path through the crowded
throng to reach a respectable inn. Gold spoke volumes, Sara
learned. The innkeeper, who had been so rude to her when she’d
first entered his establishment, began to treat her as though she
were the sun itself when he’d seen the faintest glimmer of gold.
The moment she’d seen the room he was charging her for, she knew
that she was being seriously overcharged. There was nothing in it
but a bed to rest her head on at night but he expected her to pay 2
gold pieces of gold a night. It was only because the stables were
of a high standard and she was in a hurry that she didn’t call the
man on his ways.

As it stood, even though she had accepted what amounted to
theft, by nightfall she was no more aware of where to go than she
had been when she’d first entered the city. Water elementals were
difficult to track down, especially when everything about her
screamed fire elemental, her hair, her eyes, even the flushed
patches on her skin were all working against her. Fire and Water
had been at war since time immemorial. Well, the fire elementals
called it a war; everyone else called it planned massacres. The
water elementals were as notoriously peacefully as the fire
elementals were power hungry. It was rare for a water elemental to
even raise a hand in defense. They were powerful healers and
revered life to such an extent that they wouldn’t harm another even
at the cost of their own life. No one was willing to direct her
towards them for fear of being responsible for a
bloodbath.

As night had fallen, she’d felt Seraphina rise within her,
her hunger wild and uncontrollable. Though Sara had run as fast as
her legs could carry her, by the time Seraphina was almost free,
she’d still been inside the city. Stumbling, she’d tried to make
her way to the exit but her strength had been fading. She’d called
frantically for help, falling to the ground as her strength
deserted her grazing both her hands and knees in the process but no
one had come, until him.

Her brows furrowed as she remembered the dark stranger. His
hair and eyes had been darker than the night sky but his skin had
been so pale that under certain light she was sure it appeared
white. His features had been sharp and angular, from the straight
line of his nose to the strength of his jaw, all but his lips, his
lips had looked soft, giving. As the fire had risen within her,
she’d made her way to him, clasping his hand tightly. His dark eyes
had flickered red the moment they touched but she was unafraid, she
had to warn him. The words fell from her lips even as she tightened
her grip on his cool hand, the heat seeping from her body until the
world fell away, her mind succumbing to the darkness.

Sara stopped abruptly, her heart racing at the implications
of her memory. Seraphina’s heat had begun to fade the moment their
skin met, hot against cold. Was it possible that she’d already
found a water elemental, the one who would save her from
Seraphina’s curse? Even as she thought it, her mind rebelled. The
man she’d met was not a water elemental, there hadn’t been anything
about him that said he was peace loving, the man was a predator.
His eyes had been dark, merciless. The calluses on his palm spoke
of his frequent use of a sword and his fangs had been
sharp.

Fangs?

Already her mind was rushing to piece this new piece of
information into what she already knew. Whatever the man was, he
had saved the city and he would save her too. His skin had been so
pale it was as though he’d never seen the light of day. His dark
eyes had flashed blood red, revealing a glimpse of a monster hidden
beneath his skin and his fangs had been sharp, sharp enough to draw
blood.

“
Vampire,” she whispered, touching her neck in a gesture of
protection.

She had met a vampire and was no worse off from the
encounter. It all made sense now. A water elemental wasn’t what she
needed. Water couldn’t cool fire, it extinguished flame. A vampire
on the other hand, a vampire might be just what she needed.
Vampires were cold, their bodies sucking heat from living things,
drawing the warmth from their blood into themselves. A vampire
could cool Seraphina’s flame. She had been courteous yesterday in
her search for the water elementals, which was a weakness she
couldn’t afford anymore. Today she would have to be vicious, she
would use the reputation her people had cultivated to find the
vampires and when she did she would make them help her.

I don’t want any more innocent blood on my hands. Once was
more than enough.

She was a fire elemental, it was time she acted the part.
Dangerous tendrils of flame erupted amidst the already wild curls
of her hair making those around her step back in an instinctive
gesture of self-protection, cautious of the destructive power she
so obviously wielded. Blue eyes aglow, Sara let her eyes wander
over the crowd, daring anyone to comment on the abrupt change in
her demeanour and appearance. All eyes were on her in that moment
before they turned watchful gazes on each other, searching for her
companion. Fire elementals rarely travelled alone and everyone knew
it. If something happened to her there would be consequences. Sara
smiled, doing her best to make the friendly gesture seem cruel.
Gazes were quickly averted as people tried to make themselves as
small and as uninteresting as possible.

Fear is good. Fear gets answers. Maybe today will be more
productive. Water elementals are one thing, vampires are something
else entirely.

Head held high, she walked back towards the inn, cursing the
landlord as she approached. She hadn’t even stayed the night and
she’d lost two gold pieces.

“
At least they treated you well Lance.” The horse nayed loudly
at the sight of her, stomping his hooves and tossing his head
side-to-side excitedly in greeting. “Missed me eh?” she laughed
rubbing her hand over the length of his nose. “What say we find a
vampire?”

It took mere moments for Sara to saddle Lance and have the
horse ready for action. She swung gracefully into the seat,
spurring him into action never looking back. Her chances of finding
a vampire during the day were slim but if she didn’t find one, the
chances were very high that people would die tonight.

The city churned around her loudly, as merchants shouted the
virtues of their products and potential buyers argued with them
over price. The smell was almost overwhelming as it drifted to her
nose and as she sat from atop Lance, eyeing the grime and dirt that
covered the ground, she had never been so glad of his presence. Her
spine stiffened as she made her way over to one of the larger
booths on the market. She was going to get information even if she
had to be as heartless as the people she’d left behind. If she
wasn’t then these people could die.

“
Watch where you’re going!” A voice cursed from beneath
her.

Her eyes narrowed and the flames in her hair turned an
ominous blue as the temperature of her fire increased. “What did
you say?” she hissed angrily.

The man’s face paled, his body temperature spiking as fear
coursed through his blood stream. “I’m sorry,” he stuttered loudly,
the volume of his voice attracting attention from nosy onlookers.
“I didn’t realise it was you. If I had, if I had…”

“
If you had then what?”

“
I wouldn’t have said anything. I know better than to anger
you.”

“
You should have known better. You’re probably not even aware
of just how little effort it would take to kill you. I’ve killed
people for far less slights than what you’ve done.”

“
I apologise. I’m sorry, please don’t hurt me, I have a family
to take care of.”

“
You’re lucky, I have more important things to deal with than
burning you to a crisp.”

“
Thank you, thank you, thank you so much.”

“
I don’t know what you’re thanking me for, I haven’t done
anything yet. I just haven’t killed you but trust me when I say
it’s easy enough to change that little fact. Do as I want and I’ll
consider letting you go home to your family unharmed am I
understood?”

“
Anything for you my Lady,” he responded eagerly, wringing his
hands as sweat beaded on his brow.

She could practically smell the terror rolling off the man
and knowing that she was the one causing it didn’t sit well with
Sara but she braced herself against an attack of conscience,
forcing herself to remember the charred remains of the farmhouse
that had been a victim of Seraphina’s wrath. Innocent people,
perhaps even innocent children, were dead because of her and more
would follow if she didn’t harden her heart against his fears.
“Where can I find a vampire?”

“
A vampire my lady?”

Her voice was cold as she scolded him for his impudence. “I
didn’t stutter and when I ask a question, I expect an answer unless
you want me to go back to my earlier option.” She summoned her
flame letting it wash over her right hand and she examined the
burning limb carelessly, checking her nails for any damage. “Where.
Can. I. Find. A. Vampire?” she repeated. She increased the heat in
her hand until the red flame turned white hot, turning to look at
the man with what she hoped was coldness in her eyes. “You’re very
slow in answering questions. Maybe I should just kill you and ask
someone else. I’m sure after they saw what I did to you they’d be
much quicker in telling me what I want to know.”

“
I’ve heard of a group of them,” he rushed, “that live in an
abandoned tavern.”

“
And where might this tavern be?”

“
Just down the way my lady.” He lifted a trembling hand to
point down the road. “If you continue along this road then you’ll
find them quickly. But they’re vampires lady, they won’t be awake
now, it’s day.”

“
That has nothing to do with you and if I were you I would
stop being so nosy. I don’t like the idea of people interfering in
my business. It wouldn’t be too difficult for me to kill you. We
wouldn’t want that now would we?” The man gulped, stepping back
reflexively and shaking his head in agreement. “Exactly, now just
keep what happened today between us. If I find out that gossip has
spread about this, I’ll be back and I
will
kill you.”

Turning Lance away from him, Sara forced her grip on the
reins to tighten to hide her trembling hands trying her best to
make her galloping heartbeat to slow. She couldn’t afford to show
any weaknesses now. Lance’s girth combined with the fear people now
had of her made it easy to cut a path through the busy street and
reach the tavern her guide had spoken of. He was right, everything
about it screamed empty. The windows had long since been boarded
up, there were large patches in the thatched roof and the mortar of
the walls was rotten, crumbling to nothing onto the surrounding
floor.

“
I really, really hate you Seraphina,” Sara grumbled as she
dismounted. “Because of you I’ve been chased from my home, my only
friend is probably hunting me right at this very moment and now I’m
having to walk into a vampire’s lair. My life has been so blessed
since you came into it.” She grumbled until she reached the locked
door when her grumbling turned into an angry growl.
I am not in the mood for this.

Sara placed a burning palm against the lock, melting the
contraption away and pulling the door open with ease. Darkness
enveloped her as soon as she walked into the tavern, her eyes
straining desperately to see anything. A huff of frustration
spilled from her lips before the room and her mind instinctively
reached out, searching for wax to burn for illumination. The huff
of frustration turned into a groan of exasperation but Sara walked
further in, creating a globe of flame in her palm as a light to see
by.