Page 18 of Kiss of Fire

He swore viciously under his breath. He couldn’t produce her to the Vulcani like this. He was going to have to test her, see if the halfling had any of her mother’s power. And he had absolutely no idea how to do that.

Magda put a plate in front of Raya. At first the young woman paid no attention. She was taut with anger, her knuckles white as she dug her fingernails into her palms. How dare he? He had assaulted her, touched her without her consent.

And you liked it.

She ignored the treacherous voice and concentrated on stoking her anger instead. It seemed safer.

But as the appetising aroma of braised steak and creamed potatoes reached her nostrils, her stomach rumbled loudly.

“You’d better eat before that noise brings my hut down,” said Magda drily.

Raya fell on the food ravenously. For at least five minutes she did nothing but chew and swallow, chew and swallow, her eyes half closed in ecstasy.

“That is soooo good,” she said finally. “Thank you. Um, I don’t think I introduced myself. I’m Raya.”

“Aelah’s daughter. I know.”

“You knew my mother?” Excitedly, Raya leaned forward. “What was she like?”

“Complete hothead. But tough. And feisty. I see a little of her in you. That strand of red in your hair for example. That’s from her.”

Self-consciously, Raya ran her fingers through the matted mess. God, she needed a bath.

“I don’t suppose I’m much like her at all. Shade says she was the leader of the fire fae.”

“Shade?”

“Oh, um…” Raya flushed. “He told me his name. Shadeed bin Sham… something. In my head I just thought ‘Shade’. You know, because of all the shadows surrounding him.” She trailed off, embarrassed she’d been confused about a name just because it was foreign. But Magda was smiling approvingly.

“Shade. Yes, that suits him. Although it will annoy him immensely.”

“It doesn’t seem to take much.”

“No. His temper is not one of his finer qualities.”

They smiled at each other and for the first time since waking up there, Raya felt at ease.

“So can I ask you something? What exactlyisa fae? Or a jinn, for that matter?”

“They’re supernatural beings. You’ve probably heard of them in one form or another. In myths and legends and fairy tales. The fae are the ‘fair folk’, which is a misnomer. Many are dark and vicious. And the jinn are an ancient tribal race immortalised as genies. Though to my knowledge, they’ve never been trapped in old lamps.”

“And they all live in Nush…”

“Nush’aldaam. The supernatural realm. And yes, most do. But there are quite a few on this side of the Gate. Me, for instance.”

Raya examined the old woman as she calmly extracted her pipe from the depths of a pocket. She leaned so far into the fireplace Raya was amazed she didn’t scorch her eyebrows. She puffed on the pipe until she was satisfied it was lit.

“And can I ask, um, if it isn’t a rude question, whatareyou?”

“I’m a kobold.”

“A…?”

“Kobold. Type of fae. We do domestic chores. In my case, I guard the Gate. This one, anyway. There are a few scattered around the world. I make sure nothing gets through that shouldn’t.”

“Like what?”

“In the old days it was armies. The Vikings, the Romans, the ancient Egyptians, they were buggers for trying to find their way into the supernatural world. But that was before my time.” The old woman sighed regretfully. “These days it’s more about keeping the animals out. Humans seem to have lost their curiosity. Still, it’s a good job. Steady. I’ve done it for eight hundred years, give or take.”

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