Dark Flames

“They are already dead.” Tiara said calmly as if talking to a child. “This is a tool used for releasing… not killing.”

Trevor frowned but didn’t give the dagger back. He knew what those things were capable of and he would take all the help he could get. “Thanks,” he slid it into his belt and covered the hilt over with his shirt.

“Tiara, are you sure you’re ready for this?” Storm asked not really wanting to put any pressure on her knowing this would be her first time. “Vampires and wraiths aren’t the only things out there… zombies are being sighted all over the place. That’s not including master demons and the things we don’t have a name for… we don’t know what else is out there.”

“I’m ready,” Tiara answered with a slight defiant tilt of her chin. She tried to keep in mind that Storm thought she had only gained her power through her mother’s death and that was true in a way. She’d just inherited Myra’s powers but she’d been able to see ghosts since the day she was born.

Zachary pushed away from the desk in confusion as something dawned on him. “Are you saying this will be her first time using her powers?”

“Yes, the gift of necromancy can only be passed down when the parent with the gift dies… Tiara has only had the power a couple weeks,” Storm explained

Tiara looked up at Zachary… this time locking eyes with him fearlessly. If he had a problem with her then she wanted it out in the open now instead of leaving it hanging over her head later. If fingers were going to be pointed then she’d rather him go ahead and do it.

“And you’re going to send her out there all by herself?” Zachary suddenly didn’t like this idea. Her mother had been using necromancy for years and had a team of fighters with her. And as Storm had just pointed out… she’d still died at the hands of a demon only a couple weeks ago.

“I’ll go,” Trevor smiled laying his palm against the hilt of the dagger. “As long as this thing does what Tiara says it will, I don’t have a problem keeping an eye on her.”

Zachary looked at Trevor thinking about the way the shapeshifter had been so distracted with Envy lately. He wasn’t a good choice as far as the fire starter was concerned.

“Until Tiara chooses her own team, I propose that for starters, Trevor and Zachary accompany her. Zachary will be in charge of the team and he can also be back up in case someone witnesses her restoring the graveyards. He can easily erase the memory from them,” Storm announced.

Tiara’s eyes widened a fraction hearing that Zachary was in charge of her team. Myra had told her a long time ago about Zachary seeing her with Deth… that he’d kept her secret all these years. Myra had also pointed Zachary out to her a couple times over the years, but it had only caused a childish fear and awe to grow within her for the man who knew her mother’s secret.

Zachary relaxed some now that he knew Tiara wouldn’t be alone out there tonight. It surprised him at how much better it made him feel knowing he’d be right beside her if anything happened.

“I’ll join them,” Guy announced.

Tiara felt a flutter of unease knowing Guy’s true reason for wanting to come. Without looking at Guy she turned to Storm, “I only need three on my team for now, and one of them needs to be powerless.”

Guy’s expression darkened at Tiara’s refusal to let him join her team…. She was lying.

Zachary noticed the silent exchange between them and frowned. He wasn’t sure what Guy’s motive was for suddenly wanting to be placed on another team so soon… but then again, it wasn’t like they could take a bereavement leave. If that happened, no one would show up for work.

Storm nodded, getting the hint that Guy was not invited, “Then I have just the powerless man for the job.”

“Who,” Trevor asked suspiciously. He liked Guy and had seen his magic in action. It was a little disappointing that he wouldn’t be joining them.

“Jason.” Storm swung his hand toward the man hanging out at the back of the group.

“Oh hell no!” Jason exclaimed with a wide-eyed expression. “I’m not going out to chase dead things. If you ask me… it’s smarter to run from them.”

Zachary shrugged, “Okay, have it your way. But you know the alternative.”

Jason stumbled backwards, bumping into the young man with purplish hair as Zachary approached him with his hand raised toward Jason’s forehead.

“All right, all right,” Jason said while holding up both hands to ward off Zachary. “I’ll go. Put… the hand… down.”

Zachary smirked and clamped his hand firmly down on Jason’s shoulder, acting like that’s what he was going to do all along. “I knew you wouldn’t let us down.”

“Go to hell,” Jason grumbled making Kamui snort in amusement.

Chapter 3

“We need to wait until dusk,” Tiara said, as she looked out the window unable to face Guy’s angry disappointment or Zachary’s authority over her. She was nervous enough as it was.

“Why wait?” Jason asked, not liking the idea of going out in the dark after demons or ghosts or whatever it was this girl wanted to go after.

“Good question,” Trevor said. “I’m all for going out after these things but going when it starts to get dark is like walking around carrying a big neon sign that says ‘Free Dinner’.”

“Because that is when the dead begin to wake,” Tiara answered. “They are at their weakest because of the sunlight counteracting their darkness. That weakness has not faded… much like how weak you feel when you first awaken for the day. It is the same for them except they are nocturnal.”

Trevor smirked, thinking of his mornings with Envy. “I’m not weak in the mornings. Whoever told you that has their information backwards.”

“What’s wrong, are your x-girlfriends spreading rumors again?” Zachary asked with an arched eyebrow causing a few people in the room to grin and Trevor to glare at him.

It was good to hear that most of the PIT members still had their sense of humor. “As for the other teams,” Storm continued while glancing up at the huge map. “I’m sure you can find something to do.”

Everyone looked from one to the other, knowing what his or her individual jobs were. The door opened and Kamui was the first to leave the meeting not bothering to shut the door behind him.

It was the sign some of the more curious PIT members were looking for and they rushed out to see if they could find out how the newcomer got up to the third floor. It was quickly becoming a betting match on what powers Kamui really had.

Storm chuckled when he heard someone growl about the new guy vanishing into thin air and money started exchanging hands. That growl was immediately followed by a loud, muffled crash upstairs and voices shouting, leaving the PIT teams looking up at the ceiling when the chandelier in the main room started to rock back and forth.

“KAMUI, YOU LITTLE BASTARD!” The angry voice echoed loudly within the castle.

Everyone’s attention was grabbed when light suddenly shone in through the front window rivaling the sunlight that was already streaming through. The PIT members ran outside just in time to see two streaks of light flying erratically above them and out toward the ocean before slowing down enough for the onlookers to really see them.

They’d been going so fast that it caused thunder to vibrate loudly in their wake as they broke the sound barrier. The young man from the meeting was actually flying backwards, his eyes wide with what looked like fright as he stared at the wet, angry silver-winged man chasing him.

“I swear Toya, I didn’t mean to pop into the shower with you in it!” Kamui tried to defuse his brother’s hot temper.

Toya’s long black, silver-streaked hair swayed around him as he followed Kamui’s movements and Kamui was doing his best to stay just out of reach.

“Yeah, right, you didn’t mean to!” Toya shouted when he noticed his brother’s lip twitch in mirth.

Trevor watched the two fly dizzying paths above them and spotted a third person out of the corner of his eye. Looking up toward the third floor terrace, he saw a man with long silver hair glaring at the other two with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Who’s that?” Trevor asked curiously.

“The current family patriarch… his name is Kyou.” Storm answered having come out to watch the amusing spectacle. “And the two putting on the show are Toya, the second oldest, and Kamui, the youngest.” He’d thought the brothers would stay to themselves but… the guardians had never been very predictable.

“They’re family?” Ren asked sensing the calming effect on his ability that he’d been siphoning was coming from Kyou. His right eyebrow rose noting that calm feeling was faltering at the moment but luckily, still kept a good measure of stability.

“They’re brothers, five of them to be accurate,” Storm answered.

The silver-haired man Storm had said was the older brother named Kyou looked down at the humans below him with a deep frown, as though the people milling around the grass were the ones responsible for this event.

“WOAH!” someone shouted as Toya punched Kamui in the stomach, sending his younger brother flying backwards… straight toward Kyou.