Blaze of Secrets (Asylums for Magical Threats) (13 page)

million viewers in the UK alone, that televisions were becoming popular the world over. It was a time when
many
Feiru
lived in fear of a first-born being caught on camera using their elemental magic. With the
horrors of World War II still fresh in their minds, many
Feiru
were afraid that the use of elemental abilities
might scare the humans into a possible war, genocide, or worse. Something needed to be done before

public hysteria destroyed the
Feiru
way of life.

Enter the Head Council’s debate to amend Article III of the
Feiru
Five Laws. They finally ruled that
first-borns were considered a danger to Feiru society, and the formerly experimental AMT system became
mandatory. Since the threat of humans discovering elemental magic was no longer an issue—the first-borns were safe and secure inside the AMT compounds—peace and calm returned to our society, and the

Feiru
managed to prosper once again.

Nearly sixty years after amending Article III, with
Feiru
poverty and unemployment rates on the rise,
some argue that our society is facing a similar tipping point that requires action. One of the people who
shares this opinion is the local head councilor of Eastern Australia, Dean Kelly. Here is what Councilor

Kelly said at a press conference earlier today:

“Over the past two years, our local council has conducted research, interviewed our constituents, and
consulted economic and financial experts. We dedicated a large amount of our time to this effort, not
wanting to dismiss any idea, no matter how unconventional, that would help steer us toward the most

successful future possible for our people.

“After hours and weeks of debate and discussion, we have arrived at an important conclusion: we can

no longer hide our existence from humans if we wish to thrive and be successful. We must be able to help
steer global economic and political policy if we are to keep our people out of poverty and the
Feiru
identity alive.

“In order to accomplish this, I’m proud to say that the Local Feiru Council of Eastern Australia

supports the repeal of Article I and will do everything in its power to help achieve that goal.”

Over the last few months, comments have emerged about the effectiveness of repealing Article I,

primarily from fringe and minor economists. The Council of Northern Brazil made a statement similar to
Councilor Kelly’s last month, but they were quickly dismissed as a one-time anomaly. But with the

addition of another large local council—the Council of Eastern Australia, responsible for four hundred
thousand
Feiru
—the Head Council may be forced to start discussing the merits and pitfalls of repealing
Article I. Change in itself is difficult, especially when we have lived our entire lives believing one way. Is
now the time to step out of the shadows and confront the human world, like our ancestors before us?

When the broadcast moved on to the latest developments in America, Sinclair switched off the radio

and raised an eyebrow. “Well? That announcement should be enough to convince the others.”

Kumar’s face was expressionless. “I’ll see what I can do.”

The screen went blank.

Lavani wasn’t the only one keeping tabs on Kumar; Sinclair’s other contact would report the councilor’s

actions over the next few days.

Now that was done, Sinclair focused on another thread in the overall web of his plan, one that could be

problematic if his contact didn’t follow through on his promise.

After all, Sinclair hadn’t had an update from Dr. Ty Adams in nearly a week.

Adams had been working on a formula for years that nullified elemental abilities. The first success story had spurned a larger trial group, and the results were promising. Adams had assured Sinclair that he needed a little more time to test the formula’s effectiveness before he could shift into mass production. He’d

promised to give a full report within the next few weeks.

But after previously receiving daily updates, the sudden lack of communication made Sinclair wonder if

something had gone wrong. The formula was a pivotal part of a later phase of his R&C campaign. If the formula was failing, Sinclair needed to know so he could adjust his strategy accordingly. He hadn’t spent the last ten years working toward this point only to have some scientist ruin it all.

Sinclair opened his email program, but finding nothing from Adams, he took out his cell phone,

scrolled through the contacts, and pressed call.

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 him, 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.

She’d spent half the night lying awake, replaying events from the day: Jaxton’s touch, the way he

needled her to forget about her troubles, the odd flares of heat between them. She’d tried getting up to read, but after staring at the same page for ten minutes, she’d given up and gone back to bed.

Eventually she’d fallen asleep, but then she’d been plagued by images of him nipping at her lower lip

before kissing his way down her throat, to her breast, where he’d taken her nipple into his mouth and

sucked hard.

Even remembering it now made her skin tingle and her lower body tighten. It might have been ten years

since she’d last had sex, but her body still remembered the feeling.

Garrett moaned, snapping Kiarra out of her sex dream to focus back on his care. Even as Garrett calmed

while she hummed, he continued muttering unintelligible nonsense. The only word that she understood was

a name: Marzina.

Then, out of the blue, he fisted the blankets with his hands and mumbled, “Why did you betray me,

love?”

She nearly stopped humming at the heartbreak behind his words.

It seemed that Garrett had also had a rough time of it. First he’d been betrayed by someone he trusted,

then broken by experimental trials too horrible to ponder. She hummed louder, and Garrett calmed again.

He was only one out of hundreds, if not thousands, of first-borns who’d been abused and broken under

the AMT system.

Kiarra would never forget the first broken person she’d seen inside the AMT, on the way back from her

yearly medical exam. A girl, no more than fourteen, with a vacant expression, scratches covering her neck, and scabs on her head where her hair had been torn out. They’d tied her hands to her sides to prevent her from harming herself further. As a guard had escorted her down the hall, she’d slipped free for a few

precious seconds to ram her head against a steel doorframe. Hard. While Kiarra had been shut back into her cell before the girl had died, the news had traveled fast. F-368 had died within minutes of the event—some said with a smile on her face.

After watching the girl’s actions, Kiarra had decided to fight for her sanity and find a way out. The dead girl’s family, and others like hers, needed to know what was happening inside the Cascade F-block. The

High Council might be using fear to “persuade” parents to give up their children, but Kiarra wanted to believe that parents would fight the cruelty she’d seen if they only knew about it.

She’d only changed her mind, and attempted to kill herself, when staying alive would’ve caused more

harm than good. But now that she was out of the AMT, surrounded by people who might even help her,

Kiarra was once again determined to expose the AMT’s actions. She needed to become stronger, build a

network, and find a way to attack the issue.

Once Kiarra was sure Garrett wouldn’t wake back up, she eased out of his room and went to hers.

Garrett had reminded her of what was important. She would forget about what had happened with

Jaxton and what Cam had told her about their parents. Too many people needed her help—but in order to

help them, she needed to focus on training and becoming strong enough to have a chance of success.

She looked through the clothes Neena had given her and had started to decide what to wear when

someone banged on the door. The handle turned, but after Jaxton had barged in earlier, Kiarra had learned to lock it.

There was another pound on the door before she heard a shout.

“Kiarra, let me in.”

Jaxton needed to calm the fuck down.

But he had every right to be pissed off. The periodic emergence of the Four Talents was always

followed by one thing: some sort of catastrophic disaster. And not just any kind of disaster, but one that threatened not only the existence of both humans and
Feiru
, but also the exposure of elemental magic.

Each of the Four Talents was a master of their element, to such a degree they could both heal and