“Got it!” Brody unlocked the car and we piled in.
Five minutes and several traffic violations later, we arrived at the library pulling our car into a back corner of the parking lot, so we’d leave the road and area closest to the library free for firetrucks.
I burst out of the car, my hand on my radio as I assessed the situation.
Everything glowed orange from the flames. The smell of smoke tickled my nose as it hung overhead in a giant cloud, blotting out the sky and reflecting back the light of the fire.
The fire was big but from what I could tell, it was focused on the front lawn—a large garden-like area that I knew from previous visits housed several statues depicting scenes from famous kids’ books. The garden was nestled into the side of the library, not the actual building itself.
Nothing was left of the colorful flowers and shrubbery except for ash and even though there were four firetrucks dosing the ground, the flames weren’t going out.
However, they also weren’t spreading. They just seemed to be eating up the already scorched ground.
Fire doesn’t normally behave like this.
I didn’t know a lot about elements, but I did know it wasn’t good that the flames were growing taller—almost as tall as the building. The air was biting hot despite the chill of the night air and the sole tree inside the library garden creaked alarmingly, little more than a black husk from the raging inferno.
“We need to offer to help,” I said.
“Gotcha. Here—this way.” Grove led us up to an EMS worker, who was standing with her truck, observing. “We’re supernaturals.” Grove motioned to the patch on our uniforms. “Can we help?”
The EMS worker pushed a strand of hair out of her face. “I don’t suppose any of you are wizards?”
Brody sneezed—the smoke must be bothering his sensitive nose. “No, sorry,” he said.
I scanned the parking lot, which crawled with sweating firefighters. Because of the poisonous properties of my blood, I was clothed from head to toe. But I could feel that my mask was starting to heat up, and my eyes felt dry from the heat of the fire.
“Then I don’t think you can do anything,” the EMS worker said. “The library was closed for the night and the cleaners already came through and left hours ago, so there’s no danger.” She grimaced. “Except if they don’t get the fire under control and it spreads to the actual building, it might wreck some of the collection. But these flames just won’t go out!”
I turned around to study the blaze again, disturbed that my observation had been right.
Flames that don’t go out…could they be fueled by magic? I started to unwind my senses to check but before I could even get my bearings, a shout boomed over the roar of the flames.
“House Tellier is here to help!” Five wizards—all wearing jackets in Tellier colors of orange and yellow—zigzagged around the fire trucks, their chests puffed up, and wearing smiles so practiced they were almost grimaces.
What?
CHAPTER
SEVEN
Jade
The House Tellier wizards held their hands up. Their wizard tattoos emerged on the skin of their faces, splashing across one cheek and stretching down to graze their chins. Their hands glowed and orange hued water appeared over their heads, which they then shot at the flames.
Wizards had elemental magic—water, fire, earth, lightning, that kind of thing. But they still had limits that depended on their powerbase. They couldn’t create a waterfall of water—they didn’t have enough power for that. Instead, it was more like a small river.
Unlike the firemen, who were pumping water at the ground trying to put out the source of the flames, the wizards sprayed their water straight into the flames producing a loud hiss as the water hit the flames and evaporated, turning into steam.
This isn’t going to work. They can’t pump water out at the rate the firemen are, it’s not going to—what?
The flames diminished, growing smaller.
The House Tellier wizards laughed—it was a canned sound, like from the television sitcoms Nan and Paddy loved. Then they moved forward using their magic to pour more water on the flames, which continued to shrink.
Grove peered around me, getting a look at the wizards. “Woah. That’s not something you see every day—wizards actually being helpful.”
“Don’t say that to April. Or Juggernaut,” Brody said.
“Does this seem odd to you?” I asked, motioning to the fire—which was about half out now.
“What part of it?” Brody asked.
“Their magic seems to be working a little too well,” I said. “Considering the firemen were struggling while using more water.”
Grove tugged on his satchel of potions. “Maybe, but even weirder is why are they here?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Let me rephrase it: what were a bunch of wizards doing out this late at night?” Grove asked. “Wizards aren’t stupid. They know they’re the weakest supernaturals. There’s lots of things that would love to pounce on them that play in the night. So, what brought them here?”
I frowned as the flames grew even smaller. “That is a very valid question.”
“Blood!”
It took me a moment to recognize the voice as April.
I turned around and waved when I spotted her—with Binx and Tetiana—picking their way through the crowd.
“What happened?” Tetiana’s eyebrows knit together in concern as she looked from me to the blaze.
“It looks like something in the gardens caught fire. The building is empty, but it seemed like the fire was going to spread there until five wizards from House Tellier showed up. They contained the blaze and are in the process of snuffing it out.” I paused while waiting for someone—anyone—to add to my debriefing.
No one said anything.
“Does anyone recognize any of the wizards?” I asked. “They are identifiable as House Tellier wizards by their colors, but that’s all I could pick out.”
“The big guy—the one built like a gorilla? That’s Gideon Tellier, Heir of House Tellier,” April said.
Heir was the title given to the child of the main family in a wizarding House—the family the House was named after—who would eventually inherit and lead the House as the Adept.
I studied the wizard April had pointed out and recognized him despite the orange haze cast by the firelight.
Brody whistled. “The Heir? That’s convenient.”
“Yeah…” April narrowed her eyes as she studied Gideon Tellier—who, if I had to guess, was probably in his mid to late twenties.
The team fell silent.
I glanced from member to member waiting for someone to take the lead.
To my horror, all of them were staring at me.
“What’s the gameplan, Blood?” Tetiana asked.
“I’m not familiar with wizard magic,” I said. “I don’t think I should be the one to make the decision.
“Your orders, Blood,” Binx growled, her expression unrelenting.