Set the Sky on Fire (Fire Trilogy Book 1) (15 page)

“If we start screaming,” Nevaeh whispered, “the staff will do something to help.”

“No, don't even think it,” Ari barraged her.

“But it would be worth a try. He's not going to hurt us in front of all these people. And, anyway, there's bound to be someone here who does karate or something.”

“Please listen to me. He's lightning fast. And he wouldn't hesitate to hurt you, maybe even kill you. He will do whatever it takes to make me do what he wants.”

“But we could ...”

“No, Nevaeh.” Fear made Ari's voice quaver. “I’ve told you what he’s like. He knows Nate’s not here to protect us. Please,
please
don't provoke him. Not until we have a way out or he loses that knife.”

Michelle and the seether joined them as they waited for the elevator. The seether hustled the girls up to their room and ordered them to immediately start packing. Michelle headed to her own room to do the same. After Nevaeh had cleared her things out of the bathroom, Ari went in to pack her toiletries. She closed the door behind her.

“Why do you need the door closed?” the seether called out.

“I need to go to the toilet. If you could sing a little that might help speed the process up.”

“Just get on with it,” he snarled back.

Once finished, she washed her hands with liquid soap and warm water. The heat steaming up the mirror gave her an idea. It was a silly thing her mother used to do with her when she had been a young girl; leaving hidden messages on the mirror that would show up later with a bit of steam. Before she rinsed her hands properly, she wrote at the bottom of the mirror,
Melbourne.
Doing it without making the mirror squeak was hard. When the mirror dried, the message would be practically invisible. Ari took off a small gold stacker ring and placed it on the arm of the hot tap, the gold blending in with the brass making it less noticeable. She picked up her products littering the sink and threw them all into her toilet bag, each piece providing a snap as plastic on plastic struck each other.

The message took too long to dry. Second thoughts poked holes in Ari’s plan. It was risky and there were so many ways it could go wrong. The service staff might clean it off, or Nate might not see the ring or realise why it was there, that’s even if he could get into the room. But the worst outcome had to be the seether seeing it. She had already experienced his mercurial bursts of violence, and this would surely provoke him. For a moment, she considered wiping it off, but she stayed her hand. She had to do something. She couldn't leave without giving her and Nevaeh a chance of being found. That was the one thing she was sure of; Nate would come for her. Leaving the message was better than nothing and, with all her soul, she hoped it would be enough. She put her toothbrush into its case and shoved it into her bag. Turning out the light, she came back out of the bathroom leaving the door wide open. She put the toilet bag in her suitcase and zipped it up.

“Right, let’s go. I would hate to keep the taxi waiting,” Ari said. Not wanting to stick around, Ari fled the room and stood outside in the hallway waiting for Nevaeh and the seether to follow. As the seether left the room, he poked his head into the bathroom. With enough light flooding in from the main area, he never bothered to turn on the light. Ari’s heart lodged in her throat threatening her oxygen supply as she waited for the outburst. His face reappeared a moment later showing no sign of concern Ari couldn’t believe her luck.

The seether pulled the knife from his pocket.

“Let’s not forget what damage this can do. Oh, and one last thing.” He grabbed a handful of Nevaeh’s hair, forcing her head back, and held her mouth open to drop a pill down her throat. A hard slap on her back shocked her into swallowing the tablet. Ari reacted, shoulder-charging him, driving as hard as she could. But, with his feet planted firmly, his body hardly moved under the impact and she found herself crumpled at his feet.

“Enough of that, Ari.” The seether pushed her back to her suitcase. “Now, pick it up. If you both behave, I will give her the antidote on arrival at the hotel in Melbourne, not before. But, if you make any mention of it before we get there, then she gets nothing.”

“What was it?” Ari yelled.

“Tut, tut. Another word, and I’ll end her now and leave her for room service. All you need to know is that it isn’t good for her.”

“You’re lying.” Nevaeh swung a fist at him. He caught it with a smile. “Oh, little girl, I have been alive long enough to learn a few tricks. Poisons, they’re easy. Now, get a move on. It would be
terrible
if we missed the plane.”

After the seether shut the door, he attached the
Do Not Disturb
sign to the outer handle. At least, that might stop the housemaids cleaning up her markings. The chances of Nate discovering the writing improve by the minute.

As soon as they turned the corner and the elevator was in sight, Ari saw Michelle punch the down button. She appeared to have been waiting there for a while, leaning up against the wall. A backpack, all she had with her, lay dumped in a heap at her feet.

“I was told to pack light,” she whined, as if expecting sympathy.

As they waited for the elevator, the seether dished out more instructions.

“Give Michelle your suitcases. She’ll take them to the taxi.”

“I'm not the bellboy. They can do it themselves.” She swooped down on her bag, picking it up and flinging it over her shoulder.

The seether glared at her. “Just do it. I don't want any of the staff to think these two are leaving. They might ask questions.”

Further grumblings were ignored. Both Ari and Nevaeh practically threw their cases at her, finding some small delight in doing so.

The elevator door opened. “Michelle only, in this one.” The seether’s extended his arm, barring their way. “We'll get the next one.”

It wasn't long before the next elevator dinged its arrival. They rode it down in silence. Ari felt as if her legs were dragged across the lobby, weighted down by her own trepidation. The seether once again walked a step behind, only re-joining them once they were outside.

A taxi, already loaded with the suitcases, idled at the curb, the back door open wide waiting to swallow them. Ari climbed in without any argument. Nevaeh followed her. The seether joined them in the back seat, his thick-set frame squishing them together. From the corner of her eye, Ari could see Nevaeh gently rubbing her stomach. They needed to get to Melbourne without incident.

As they walked towards the international terminal, the seether muttered, “If anyone asks, we cut our holiday short because a friend died in Australia. We’re going to her funeral. If either of you screw it up, a funeral won't be far from the truth. Am I clear?” Ari and Nevaeh nodded, acquiescing to his request.

Ari wasn’t sure what happened to the seether’s knife. A part of her hoped he’d be dumb enough to walk through security with it, but that dream didn’t eventuate. They went through unchallenged. He might no longer have the knife, but the seether wasn’t letting them out of his sight. His warning was unnecessary. Ari wouldn’t do anything, not while Nevaeh’s life was threatened.

Nevaeh and Ari sat next to the window with the seether on the aisle seat, boxing them in. Michelle had been relegated to the middle bank of seats. She sat, arms folded, with a petulant look on her face. The only enjoyment Ari got out of the flight was Michelle's irritation as the fifty-something-year-old guy, whose hygiene hadn't caught up to twenty first century standards, trying to hit on her. He seemed to be a nervous flier and was plying himself with as much alcohol as the cabin crew would give him, which was enough to make him obnoxious but not comatose. Michelle looked to the seether to help her out, but he seemed to take perverse pleasure in ignoring her. In the end, Michelle used her usual, direct charm. “Sod off and have a freshen-up.” She threw a packet of wet wipes into the nauseating man's lap.

“It's going to be too cramped,” Michelle whined as she stood in the doorway of the hotel room. “I really don't want to share a room with these two. I should get my own.”

“Quit your grizzling.” The seether pushed Michelle over the threshold. It was harsh, even Michelle caught his mood that time. “Anyway, this way you get to sleep with me.” He tried to take the edge off his behaviour. “And during the day, you'll only have to share with the feisty one. Ari and I have work to do.” Michelle seemed satisfied, walking to him, hips swaying seductively.

“We’re here,” Ari said, as soon as they were all in the room, ignoring whatever sexual side-track Michelle and the seether were starting down. “Give Nevaeh the antidote to whatever it is you gave her in Singapore. We kept our side of the bargain.”

To Nevaeh’s credit, she hadn’t complained at all. Her face was pale but, under the circumstances, that wasn’t such a surprise. If whatever she had swallowed was starting to take effect, she hadn’t mentioned it.

“Close the door.” He laughed. “As I was saying in Singapore, what I’ve learnt about poisons over my many years is—if you don’t need to kill someone, the threat is just as good as the real thing. It was Betaine—Hydrochloric Acid—it can feel like it’s burning your stomach. Not fatal, though.”

“You bastard,” Nevaeh screamed at him, tears started falling down her face.

“Be bloody happy that’s all it was. Next time I might not feel so generous.”

“You should see your face,” Michelle cackled in the background.

“Now that’s cleared up, it’s time for a few ground rules. First off, for your stay here, you will have the lovely Michelle as your host. Now, Michelle will use all necessary force to stop you from leaving.” There was a humour to the seether's announcement, one only he appreciated.

He heaved Nevaeh’s suitcase onto the bed, unzipped it and fumbled through her belongings. Out came the knife the seether had pulled on them in Singapore. With a gentle lob, it landed on the bed next to Michelle.

“That’s for you, darling,” he fawned.

“Thanks,” she said as she picked it up.

“That was in my bag?” Nevaeh spluttered. “I could have been pulled up at customs for that.”

“It's not like I could take it as carry on,” Michelle retorted. “And why would we risk it ourselves at customs when we had a couple of mules to take the rap instead?”

“You’re such a …”

“
Enough
. Save it till later.” The seether's voice cut through their squabble. “Preferably, when I'm not here.”

Michelle glared at Nevaeh, a promise that there would be more, later.

“Right, back to the rules. The second motivating factor, for Nevaeh to stay in this hotel, is what I will do to Ari if she tries to leave.”

The seether patted Ari roughly on the head. Ari made a noise akin to a hissing cat.

“But that's not an issue right now. We're going to get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.” He motioned towards the two double beds in the room. “I'm going to have a few winks myself. I should warn you I'm a light sleeper. Although, oddly, I have a very limited amount of trust in either of you, so Michelle will stay awake to make sure you don't do anything stupid.”

“But I thought you said we could sleep together,” Michelle complained.

“Maybe tomorrow,” he replied.

Michelle groaned like an insolent child.

“Don't even let them talk to each other.” The seether's words were stern. “Wake me at two o’clock, and I'll take over. If you need help to stay awake, have the coke from the mini bar.”

The seether’s presence leached into her subconscious and nightmares plagued Ari, continually ripping her from sleep. If only she’d kept her senses alert in Singapore. She was roused at 2:00 am for the changeover, but slipped back into a disturbed sleep soon after.

She woke early. The double bed she shared with Nevaeh projected every movement, so she tried to shift as little as possible, not wanting to disturb her friend. The soft yet distinct sound of traffic hummed outside but, otherwise, the room was quiet. Ari pondered on ways to escape or to, at least, obstruct the seether’s plans. But every idea she conjured up failed when she factored in his strength and speed. They wouldn't be able to get far enough away, fast enough. She would be in exactly the same place as now but with a furious seether, and she was sure she hadn't yet seen the full extent of his abilities, or his ferocity. She opened her eyes and looked around the room. He was propped up against the door staring at her.

“Good morning, Ari. Today is going to be a very exciting day for you. We're going to find out precisely what you’re capable of. Sounds like fun, huh? I don't know about you, but I'm
excited
.” His pale blue eyes glittered with glee. Ari wanted to shudder, but this whole nightmare was taking its toll on her reactions. “Why don't you get your precious little arse in the shower and I will order some breakfast. We'd best keep you at your strongest.”

Ari spent a long time in the shower. It felt like delaying the inevitable, but it was a small show of defiance and better than nothing. As the water streamed down her body, she used the private moment to let her guard down, let the emotions fill her. The darkness outside the door was stinging. As he moved around the hotel room, she could feel him, trace his steps. Forcing past him, she turned her attention to outside the hotel room, further, outside the building, further, she searched as far as she could, looking for one person, one signature that would give her hope. Where was Nate? There was no sign of him. She could only sense regular people, wandering around in their everyday lives, oblivious to her pain. A couple of days and I will come for you, Nate had said. Had he even arrived in Singapore yet? What would he do if he found the message? Nate had said it himself; he couldn’t sense her, not even a void where she should have been. The one thing that had kept her safe and off the radar of the seether for eighteen years was the one thing stopping Nate from finding her. Her cynicism made her laugh. It wasn’t a gift, it was a curse.

The last swirl of water gurgled down the drain, and Ari forced herself out of the shower in search of a towel. There was a knock on the hotel room door.

Ari's heart jumped. Perhaps, wishing to be saved might have worked.

“Room service.” Ari could just make out the words.

It was breakfast. In her worry, she had become delusional, thinking the problem would fix itself, that Nate would come rolling in and rescue her. Optimism shrunk into the dark recesses of her mind as she realised she and Nevaeh were on their own.

Dried and dressed, Ari stepped into the main room. Nevaeh, still in bed, rolled over as she came in. By the alert look in her eyes, Ari could tell she hadn’t just woken.

“Michelle, you’re going to have to stay in the hotel room with Nevaeh, all day. Go get some provisions. There’s a shop down the road. Be back here within an hour.”

“Do you need anything?” her response was sickly-sweet, the question for the seether only.

“No,” he replied, signalling her towards the door.

On her way past, Michelle locked onto his lips with a passionate kiss, her hand holding his strong jaw in place as she worked his mouth. His cold, pale blue eyes remained open, staring vacantly ahead, seemingly unmoved by the contact.

Once she had left, the seether went to the small kitchenette tucked away behind the front door. He filled the white plastic kettle from the bathroom tap, turned it on and left it to boil. He wandered to the small window on the opposite side of the room, leaning up close to it, looking down into the street below, perhaps, waiting to see Michelle. Rays of light spilling around him illuminated the dust in the air, which floated gracefully as if the passage of time had slowed. In this light, it was easy to think he wasn't as menacing as he had seemed two minutes ago. He stood still, as if in thought.

The sight calmed her nerves, so Ari took the opportunity to ask him the questions, that up until now, she had been too scared to voice.

“Why are you doing this? I mean, I know you are a sadistic bastard, but this seems like a lot of effort to recruit a few more like-minded individuals to share your pain with.”

The insult slipped out. Antagonizing a captor was generally not productive, but he brought out the sarcastic side in her. The silhouette turned to look at her, and he leaned his broad back against the window. His features were now visible although dipped heavily in shadow.

“So judgmental. You look at me, and all you see is an invader into your perfect, pathetic life. I've been walking this earth for centuries. I belong more to this world than you. Do you know what I’ve found out about you in all those long years? You breed greed, all of you.” He indicated the door, which Michelle had departed through. “Look at how you would betray others to get something nice for yourself, or because a man smiled nicely at you. And then you judge us for doing the same.”

Steam rose from the jug and it automatically switched itself off, seemingly breaking the seether out of his speech.

“I would like to do a little experiment.” He pushed himself off the glass. “I find it strange I can't sense you. It's not like you even leave an empty space. I have heard stories about others like you, Ari.” He walked over and ran a finger down her cheek. It wasn't an intimate touch but more inquisitive.

Ari recoiled in disgust.

“They never last long, though. I really do hope you have a bit more stamina. I would hate to think I went to all this trouble for nothing. Especially, when it might draw more attention than I’d like. Come on Ari, on your feet.”

Ari didn’t move. Whatever his intentions, this wouldn’t end well for her. Then, his hand grabbed onto her upper arm, showing hardly any strain as he pulled her from the bed. It all happened so quickly. Nevaeh’s voice bounced off the walls. The seether shouted at her to shut up. As he tugged her across the room, Ari’s feet dragged behind her. She desperately scrambled to get some of her weight on them. He pulled her over to the sink and pinned her in front of him with his weight, leaving his arms free. He held Ari’s arm over the sink. Steam still emanated from the kettle’s spout. Ari looked from it to her immobilized arm. Realisation sunk in. She yanked vigorously, panicking, trying to free it.

The seether took hold of the kettle, pulling it from its base.

Ari intensified her efforts, trying to fight her way free. He didn't give her any room to move. Instead, he pushed his body harder against her, so the rim of the bench bit into her hips. All she could do was watch. A column of boiling water tipped out of the spout, falling, splashing down over her hand. The sounds of water sloshing in the kettle and of the boiling water striking the stainless steel sink, expanding it, making it pop, mingled with Nevaeh’s screams, begging the bastard to stop. There was a delay before the pain registered in her brain as she watched the water drain over her. Finally, it hit her, pain so white hot it felt ice cold. Her fist clenched, and every muscle in her arm went rigid. She let out a wail of agony. Movement out the side of Ari's eye drew her attention. Nevaeh was rushing at the seether. His body partially obscured Ari’s view. What she did see was the kettle drop into the sink, moments before she heard a grunt and the rushing of air as it left Nevaeh’s lungs. Nevaeh landed at the foot of the bed where she sat in a heap, holding her stomach.

Then the pain increased, coming in waves, anguish spreading through her hand as it burned layer after layer of her flesh. A scream was building in her chest, held in by her clenched lungs. They released and the noise tore from her throat, a gut-wrenching noise, too big for the small room.

The seether's face was blank. He stood looking at Ari not letting go of her arm. Ari pulled against him, again trying to liberate her arm, tears streaming down her face. The seether released her.

“That's so strange. Nothing, I couldn't feel anything,” he muttered, then, let out an amused huff. “I would run some cold water on that if I was you, it might turn into a nasty burn.”

Calmly, he walked back to the window and resumed his watch on the world outside. Nevaeh screamed at him through her tears, as she dragged herself up and went to stand at Ari's side. She turned on the tap, measured the temperature with her fingers and guided Ari’s hand under it.

Ari sobbed.

They were standing over the sink, water running, when there was a loud knock at the door. Their tears had only just dried up.

“What?” the seether called out impatiently.

“Hotel management. Can you please open the door, sir?”

The seether casually walked over and flicked the latch, pulling it open. On the other side stood a young man, not much older than Ari. A navy blue vest covered a bright white shirt, and together, they seemed to dangle from his skinny frame. On tiptoes, he peered over the seether’s head, raising his eyebrows at Ari and tutting. Ari imagined it was his cocky attitude that had led to him being appointed to his position at such a young age. If he had known what he was looking at it, it might have wiped the smarmy look from his face.

“How may I help, Peter?” the seether said courteously, looking down at the gold name tag adorning the young man’s vest.

“Hello, sir. Someone notified us of a disturbance coming from this room. I wanted to make sure everything was okay.”