As the Fire lit up the blackness of the basement, I saw that Alister was gone. Damn him.
Screams erupted from the stairwell. The vamps had made it to the top of the stairs before realizing, too late, that bright sunlight spilled through the now open windows, bathing the living room above in deadly rays. The first one burst into dust before the rest hustled back downstairs only to be greeted by the Fire. And me.
I strode slowly toward them, dagger in one hand and letter opener in the other, ignoring the exhaustion that pulled at my limbs. I must have looked freaky as hell, because they appeared to be scared to death, their glowing red eyes fixed on my face. Except vampires were rarely scared, not like this. Their terror was almost palpable.
It hit me. Souls. Every single one of them had souls. Fuck Alister and his damn technology.
"I release you."
The words weren't mine, though I'd spoken them before. They came from the Darkness. Or maybe from something else, who knows? But they came out of my mouth as the Fire licked up the walls toward the trapped vampires.
I watched as the Flame and the sun took them. Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust. As their remains drifted slowly down through the air, I walked calmly up the stairs and out into daylight. Behind me, the fire raged out of control.
I didn't remember making it outside, but I must have, because the next thing I knew, I was laying on my back in the grass, staring up at the impossibly blue sky. I coughed a little, my throat tickled by smoke, but other than that, I felt fine. A little overly warm maybe, but that could have been due to being in the tropics.
"Morgan. Oh my goddess, Morgan, say something."
I blinked as Kabita's face came into view, hovering over me. "Oh, good," I mumbled. "You made it out."
"Of course I did," she hissed. "Now stop this before the neighbors see."
"Can't stop a house fire." The very idea was absurd. And was that a rock poking me between the shoulder blades? How rude.
"Not that, you ninny. The Fire. You're still channeling it."
Oh, shit. I hadn't realized. The Fire had always been the hardest of my powers to control. The wild nature of it, I supposed. I tried to pull it back down into its hole, but it refused. It was out, and it liked being out. It wanted to burn. Burn everything.
Water was Fire's natural enemy, but calling it was out of the question. I'd nearly frozen myself to death with it. Earth. Yes. Dirt put out a fire, right? That's what people who camped did. Threw dirt over the fire pit to put it out. Not that I knew about such things personally, as I found camping a ridiculous pastime. Still, if throwing dirt was needed, I could do that.
I reached down into my metaphorical core and called for Earth. It came slowly, no hurry, easing its way through me, unfurling gently like a blossom or a vine. It twined its way through my body, creating that green shimmer only I—and possibly a few magical others—could see. Mentally I sent it toward the burning building. I saw it twisting and curling its way over the grass and up the sides of the house, across the roof, through the windows, down the chimney. Wherever it touched, the Fire retreated. Sulkily, like a child who has had its favorite toy taken away.
I called the Earth back to me, and it came, calmly, as if to thumb its nose at the unruly Fire. The Fire slunk back with it, firmly put in its place. I grabbed them both, the Earth gently, but the Fire with a very firm grip, and pulled them back inside myself. Then I slammed the metaphorical lid on them both and lay back on the grass with a sigh. I was bone-deep exhausted. All I wanted was a nap.
"You okay?" Haakon's face appeared beside Kabita's.
"Yeah, fine." I wasn't fine, but I didn't want to look like a wuss. Besides, what could he do about it?
"Find anything?"
Kabita shook her head. "No tech. I think Morgan found some vamps."
Haakon raised an eyebrow. Why could everyone do that but me?
"Yeah," I said, slowly sitting up, realizing I was still gripping blades in either hand. My mouth tasted like week-old socks, and a headache pressed behind my eyes. "They're dust."
"Good. I don't suppose you found who was controlling them," he said.
"Oh, I didn't say that," I said, sliding my dagger into my boot before heaving myself to my feet. I ignored his offered hand. I might be a bit wobbly, but I wasn't an invalid. The minute I was standing, or rather swaying, I shoved the bloody letter opener into my pocket. No sense disturbing the neighbors any more than they already were.
Kabita's eyes widened. "You saw who it was?"
"Better. We had a nice little tête-agrave;-tête."
She narrowed her eyes. "Oh, really. Do tell."
"It was your father, Kabita. It was Alister Jones. He's got the book. And we need to go after him before he finds a way off this island."