It was just as gloomy inside the warehouse, but there was one big difference: there were a lot of flashing lights. Macey tried to time them in her head, but failed each and every time. There didn’t seem to be any kind of rhyme or reason to the gaps between the flashes. Probably because they had nothing to do with the clearly frayed wiring about the place. If she had to take her guess, the electricity hadn’t been working here in a good while.

And that was without mentioning the smell. It was damp. But not the good damp she liked. This was a damp rotting smell, the one that permeated everything and made whoever could smell it want a ridiculously hot shower in which they could scrape off layers of skin. Safe to say she was burning these clothes when she got a chance. It was a good thing her men lived in a magically enchanted house that could provide what they needed. Between them, and everything that kept happening, she seemed to be going through clothes like they were going out of fashion. She tittered to herself. Maybe they were going out of fashion, and this was the universe’s way of telling her as much.

She covered her mouth with her hand. This really wasn’t the place to be making a lot of noise. Not until they were sure of who was in here. And at the moment, she was clueless beyond the fact there was someone. There had to be, or else there wouldn’t be an enchantment on the outside of the warehouse. If she kept telling herself that, then she might even start believing it.

“Flint, you go right, Jared, you’re left. Macey, with me,” Cam whispered and the other two men disappeared into the shadows. Carefully, she and Cam continued further into the warehouse. Macey felt exposed, walking in the centre of the great empty space, and the mysterious flashes didn’t help make her feel any more reassured. Her eyes were starting to hurt from all the light and she noticed she was blinking a lot. If whoever was here was trying to distract them, they were doing a great job.

The other end of the warehouse was drenched in darkness; for some reason, the flashing lights stopped halfway there. For once, Macey was preferring the darkness to light. They continued to walk further, looking around for any clue of who might be here. This place couldn’t be as empty as it seemed, it didn’t make sense. The Staran had brought them here for a reason. But why couldn’t this adventure come with instructions? There was a lot of guessing and wondering recently. Macey liked cold, hard facts, as cold as the water she had grown up in and as hard as.... better stop there.

When they had almost reached the end of the flashing lights, Cam put a hand on her shoulder. “Let me go first,” he whispered and grudgingly, Macey let him. There was no point in arguing, his stoic expression told her that.

While Cam tiptoed into the darkness, Macey looked around for a sign of the other two. Nothing. They were either excellent at hiding or something bad had happened. But surely they would have made some kind of noise? Screamed? Yes, it had to be the first option.

Warily, she stepped from one foot onto the other. Cam had disappeared into the dark shadows in front of her and she was left here, alone, not sure what to do. He said he’d go first, but not that she shouldn’t follow... right?

She smiled tensely and walked into the darkness.

Which suddenly wasn’t dark anymore. It was like a curtain had been opened and she now had a clear view of the stage. It was chaotic, to say the least. A lone, cloaked figure was standing in a circle of flames about ten metres away from her. His back was turned to her and judging from his frantic movements, he hadn’t noticed her approach. He was flailing his arms up and down as if to extinguish the flames.

Bright lights were flashing all around him; the same kind she’d seen at the front of the warehouse. They didn’t originate from anything, they were like little lightning bolts racing through the air.

Lightning. Surely not? No, Lightning was a woman, and this was definitely a man.

The hair on her arms stood up as she could feel magic wash over her. The same dread and sense of foreboding that she’d felt outside took hold of her mind. She knew it wasn’t real this time, but that didn’t make her run away any less.

Someone touched her shoulder and the only reason she didn’t scream in fright was that at the same time, a hand was pressed against her mouth.

“It’s me,” Cam whispered and she calmed down. Where the waves had he been hiding? It was bright in here; not an easy place to stay hidden. She was beginning to see that the guys had been in situations like this before. The way the other two had disappeared showed they were good at this. Much better than her. She was glad she hadn’t tripped over her own feet yet. That would have been very much like her. Sometimes, she forgot she didn’t have four hooves.

She didn’t dare whisper back in case they were noticed. But what to do now? They’d found someone, who was definitely not human, but was it a friend or foe? Why had the Staran led them here? Surely not just to see a cloaked guy do some magic tricks?

The fire circle suddenly shot up high into the air and Macey regretted her last thoughts. Maybe not just magic tricks.

Was the fire supposed to almost burn him, though? When he screamed, she realised it wasn’t. Without thinking, she sent some water to him to douse the flames. To her surprise, they fought back. This wasn’t normal fire. She threw her powers against it, slowly overpowering the fire with her own water magic. Steam filled the air as the flames sizzled out. With a shake of her hand, Macey poured some more water onto the circle, just to make sure.

The man was kneeling on the ground, breathing heavily. The bottom of his long black cloak had been singed and there was a smouldering hole in his hood, giving her a view of his blue hair.

Ice. They’d found Ice.

“Izban?” she asked carefully and the man jumped to his feet, his hands outstretched. Cam was in front of Macey within seconds, but she gently pushed him aside.

“We’re not here to hurt you, we just want to talk.”

The blue-haired man snorted. “Is that why your two companions are sneaking up on me from behind?”

Macey frowned. She couldn’t see either of them. “Flint, Jared, come out! He’s a friend!” Nothing happened.

He snorted again. “I’m a friend? Since when?” His hands were still outstretched and she could feel the magic in the room sizzle. There was a lot of tension waiting to explode.

“Would you care to put down your arms?” Macey asked calmly. “We’re no threat to you.”

“You keep saying that,” he snarled. “But you attacked me!”

“I did no such thing... oh, you mean the water? But you were burning!”

“Well yes, but that’s not the point! You threw water at me!”

Macey gave him a stern stare. “Would you rather have burned?”

He smiled smugly. “I don’t burn.”

“Because you’re Ice, I know.”

“What?” Now he looked more confused than angry.

Cam sighed. “What Macey is trying to say is that we know you were attacked. We know you’re looking for your girlfriend and we want to help you find her. We also know who has her and that he’s setting a trap for you.”

“You seem to know a lot about me, yet you haven’t even introduced yourselves.” Izban crossed his arms over his chest.

“Apologies, my name is Macey, and this is Camdan.”

“Flint,” a voice suddenly said to her right and the other two guys stepped into view.

“Where the waves have you been?” she hissed and Jared shrugged.

“Investigating.” He gave Izban a little bow. “I’m Jared, at your service.”

“Are you flirting with him?” Macey whispered and he shrugged again.

“I’m trying myself at diplomacy. Figured I might start practising it today.”

“That was flirting, not diplomacy.” She wasn’t sure if she was supposed to be annoyed, jealous or amused. These men were going to be the death of her.

Izban cleared his throat. “If you know I was attacked... do you know what happened to the dog? It saved me but I couldn’t stay to help her, I didn’t have a chance against him.”

He shuddered and Macey was tempted to do the same. Clearly, Izban had felt the Voice’s touch just like her.

“She died,” Macey said softly. “Her last wish was for us to find you. Her brother brought us here, although he can’t join us just now. Something is making him want to shift.”

“Oh, that’s me, sorry.” Izban whispered something under his breath and suddenly, the flashing lights flickered out and the feeling of dread that had been assaulting Macey’s heart disappeared.

“That was you? But I thought your power was ice?” Macey asked in wonder, looking at the punk with admiration. He had to be incredibly strong.

He shrugged. “It’s one of my specialities. Wicked Wards is my online shop, you can get all the spells you need in there.” He flicked his fingers and a black business card appeared in his hand. “I’m a mage,” he explained when he saw their startled looks. “I’m human but I have magic. It’s in the family. I inherited both my powers and the shop from my grandfather, but I’ve decided to take the business online. That’s the future of witchcraft nowadays.”

Macey continued to stare at him. He was so weird.

His expression changed as her words finally sank in. “She died? I’m so sorry. I don’t know why she saved me, but I’ll be forever grateful. Do you think I could speak to her brother?”

“I’m not sure. He’s not very happy about her wanting us to help you. He’s quite anti-human, to be honest. Better give him some time,” Macey said. “If he wants to see you, he’ll come.”

“Fair enough. Now, why did you disturb my ritual? That’s one thing you still haven’t explained. Nor why you want to help me. Not many people do things out of the goodness of their hearts.”

“We’re like you,” Macey began but Izban laughed.

“I don’t think so, lady.”

“Let her finish,” Flint growled and a tiny flame began to flicker above Izban’s head. He didn’t seem to notice, though.

Macey sighed. “Have you heard about the prophecy of the Seven Wardens?”

“Yeah, Gramps made me learn all the main prophecies by heart. I found that one very strange though. Seven elements? Everybody knows there are only four.”

“Me too,” Macey admitted. “But I’ve had a bit of evidence to the contrary recently.” She threw a meaningful look at Cam, who summoned a small tornado in the palm of his hands.

“Right, so you can control air,” Izban said, crossing his arms and looking particularly sceptical.

“Wind, actually,” Cam replied, closing his hand and extinguishing the tornado.

“Pfft, that doesn’t seem likely. Especially if you think I’m part of this. I have no control over any of the four elements.”

Macey sighed. She hoped Lightning and Air weren’t going to be this difficult to convince. “Let’s guess, you do have some ice powers though?”

“What?”

Unable to think of anything else to do, Macey flung her hand forward and let out a stream of water, sending it straight towards the blue-haired man. He threw his hands up and she watched in bemused satisfaction as the water froze mid-air and fell to the floor, smashing into thousands of tiny pieces.

“Was that really necessary?” Flint asked, chuckling to himself.

“You’re one to talk,” she responded, thinking of his showmanship affectionately. Flint was nothing if not a show-off. Then again, he was powerful. She imagined most people would be like that if they held his level of power.

“True.”

“Did you seriously just fling fucking water at me?” Izban demanded, an indignant look on his face.

“Yes,” Macey replied. “If that’s the only way to get you to listen, then that’s what I’m going to do. We don’t have the time to mess about explaining everything to you in minute detail.”

“Why not?” His nostrils flared. Macey would have laughed, but she figured that would only inflame him more. Or should that be inice him? She snickered to herself. Yes, that was more like it. She could just imagine him being the cold angry type as opposed to the passionate angry one.

“Because a lot is riding on us sorting out this fucking problem.” Macey just about stopped herself from stamping her foot. It was taking just about all the diplomacy skills she possessed not to do it. Something about this man just seemed to be pressing all of her buttons. Her etiquette tutor had warned her about this. She’d said that some people would wind her up regardless of what she did, and the best way to deal with them was deep breathing and counting to ten. Macey tried that. She failed.

“Who says there even is a problem?” Izban raised an eyebrow at her, while Jared shook his head behind him. Macey tried not to look at him, if she did, then she may well end up laughing, particularly as he’d now started to pull faces.

“You, for a start. You’re here because your girlfriend got kidnapped, aren’t you?”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” he muttered darkly.

“Partner? Wife? Whatever she is...”

“My sparring partner. From school.” He looked at her expectantly, but all she could return was a blank stare. She had no idea what he was on about. “No wonder you’ve no idea what you’re doing if you don’t know such basic stuff.” His eyes lit up as he threw the barb at her.

“I lived in a loch. You know, under the water. And treat me with some respect. I’m fucking royalty,” Macey blurted, letting go of any kind of restraint within her. She regretted it instantly. She shouldn’t react this way.

“You know, I learned early on that anyone who has to tell you they’re something, is usually hiding something.”

“Or they’ve just been wound up to the extreme,” she muttered darkly.

“Alright, that’s enough,” Cam said, stepping between the two of them and attempting to diffuse the tension that was there. Macey would’ve thought she’d get on with Ice instantly. If Flint was her opposite, then surely Izban should be her compliment. They should work together easily, not rile each other up.

“She started it,” Izban pouted, suddenly seeming a lot younger than he had before.

“Okay,” Macey sighed, before stepping around Cam. “Truce?” She offered Izban her hand, but he looked at it as if she had some kind of disease.

“Seriously, Izban, we don’t have time for this,” Cam said sternly. Macey admired his quiet but sure demand for respect. It was Cam all over. Flint was the showman, and Jared was a little in-your-face, but Cam was a true diplomat. He wouldn’t have lost it like Macey had. She was just thankful she’d got to know the Cam beneath the mask. While she liked commanding Cam, she liked his softer side even more. Maybe because of that.

“So you keep saying.”

“We can help you save Lightn-your sparring partner.”

“How can you be so sure?” He was asking Cam, even though his gaze was still locked on Macey’s outstretched hand. Her arm was beginning to burn with the effort, but she refused to give in. There was no way she was coming off as weak just by giving in.

“For a start, five heads are better than one,” Cam said with a shrug.

“Six. Don’t forget Cat-Man,” Macey put in.

“Yes, but he wants to kill Izban, probably not best to give him the opportunity.”

“He won’t kill him. He respects his sister’s wishes too much,” Macey said quietly. She wasn’t sure how she was so sure about that. She didn’t know Cat-Man that well. But something within her said it was the truth. Cam nodded, acknowledging her words.

“Six heads are better than one. The second reason is that two of us can completely shield our minds. And we can teach you to do the same. It might not work all the time, but it might keep out the weaker mental threats.”

“You can?” Izban’s eyes widened and then moved to Macey’s face, lingering there slightly.

“Yes,” Cam replied. Macey’s gaze flickered to him and noted the bemused smile on his face. She wondered what that was all about, but now wasn’t the time to ask more.

“Okay, fine. But only until we save Amber.”

“You mean Lightning,” Macey blurted, making him scowl.

“You’re going to have to stop with the stupid prophecy.” The hard set of Izban’s eyes told her it was better just to let it drop.

“Fine.” For now, she added in her head.

Izban finally took her hand and gave it a firm shake. About time, too. Her arm felt like it was about to drop off.

“Amber is a nice name,” she said to distract him. It worked and he loosened his grip, allowing her to end the handshake.

“It is,” he grumbled. “She’s a nice girl. Sparring partner, I mean. One of the best. That’s why I need her back.”

Macey had a hard time not commenting on that. It was clear that he was head over heels in love with Lightning. But it was probably best not to tell him that; he didn’t seem to like people telling him the truth. She hoped Amber was going to be more open. True, it had taken her some time to accept the prophecy, and even now she was still not a hundred percent convinced, but logically it all made sense. And logic was one thing she trusted in.

“What do we do now?” Izban asked.

“Now, you explain what kind of spell you were trying to cast,” Cam said calmly, continuing to be the voice of reason. Macey wanted to hug him for being so sensible.

Izban shrugged. “A location spell to help me find her. It only lasts for about a day so I have to recast it regularly. I’m getting closer though, I thought this was the last time. But something blocked the spell and it became a little… hot.”

Macey smirked, having a hard time to keep from blurting out that he’d just admitted that he’d been in trouble. So her water burst had helped him after all. Why couldn’t he just admit that?

“So you think she’s close?” Jared asked and Izabn nodded enthusiastically.

“Yes, she can’t be far, maybe a day’s ride from here. I just don’t know in which direction.”

“Ride? Do you have a horse?” Macey asked, imagining him as the knight in shining armour riding away to save his princess. He was so un-princelike that it was hard not to laugh.

“What century do you think we live in? It’s a motorbike.”

“Sharara didn’t mention a bike,” Macey whispered to Cam, cursing herself for using the cù sìth’s name a moment later. Hopefully, cat-man wasn’t listening in.

“I didn’t think you could take one into the Staran either,” Cam whispered back before turning back to Izban who was looking at them curiously. She hoped his hearing was as bad as that of any human. He may be a mage, but his body was human.

“How did you travel to the place where you met the dog-woman?” Cam asked, carefully phrasing his question. It was clear he didn’t want to give too much away.

“A spell I tried, but it didn’t work as planned,” Izban explained. “It brought me to this strange foggy place, then I got attacked and fled, and suddenly I was back where I had started.” He shuddered. “I never want to go there again.”

“Sorry to burst your bubble, but you may have to,” Macey said. It earned her a hard stare from the punk. “I don’t like it much either,” she added and his expression softened a tiny bit. “But it’s the way we travel from A to B, so you better get used to it.”

“Who says I’m going to travel with you? I’ve not decided yet.”

Macey sighed. “Didn’t we go through all of this already? We can help you find Amber. You said yourself that your location spell isn’t working anymore. Maybe we can find a solution together? As much as it pains me to say this, but if the prophecy is true, we’re going to need you. You’re one of us, just like Amber is.”

He frowned. “If we manage to get Amber away from him, I don’t want to commit to anything. It’s her decision, too. If she doesn’t want to stay, we can leave.”

It wasn’t a question. Damn that stubborn man. She was glad he was not one of her guys. Hers were much nicer. Luckily the prophecy didn’t mean that she had to be with all of them. Although... how was she supposed to get his mark without... Eurgh. No, she was not going to sleep with him. He already had a girlfriend... kind of.

“That’s only fair,” she sighed grudgingly. Hopefully Amber was going to be nicer. She was going to have to use all her charm to get Lightning on her side. They were going to need her. It wouldn’t work without all seven of them. Whatever ‘it’ was that they had to do to heal the Staran and stop the worlds from separating.

“Good, so what do we do now?” Izban asked, but before she could answer, a blinding pain shot through her skull.

The Voice was back.

She felt her body drop to the floor, but it was like an echo from far away amidst the pain that was racking her mind. It was so much worse than the times before. It felt as if he was closer, stronger, more brutal.

She clung to her mental barriers, begging them to stay up, but the onslaught was too much for them. There were cracks already, quickly becoming bigger as the Voice was trying to enter her mind.

He threw pain at her and all she could do was endure.

He was almost through.

With her last conscious thought, the pictured her three men. Cam. Flint. Jared. Hopefully, they would do as she’d asked and flee. Be safe. Live a life without her. Maybe still fulfil their quest somehow. And forget her.

“I love you,” she whispered as her barriers exploded into a million stars and Mahaun invaded her thoughts.

HELLO, LITTLE KELPIE. FINALLY, YOU’RE MINE.