32. The World Went Up In Blue Flames

**MAEVE**

I have always known that hatred was a nasty emotion one should never harbor. And yet, I could not help but barely conceal it. The plain sight of this woman, Janelle, stirred emotions I could hardly control. But more than the hatred, I sensed something wrong about her.
Her end game was not the establishment of the union but some sort of manufactured chaos. And some people always use it to their advantage.
I quickly dashed out of the room as my eyes frantically looked for her blazing red dress. I would have to give it to the woman - she sure as hell dresses lethal. Perhaps it was her way of portraying her supremacy over others, given the air of arrogance she carried with herself.
I frenzied from corridor to corridor, searching the small rooms or hallways for any signs of Janelle. It was not one of those spacious buildings, but more of a heritage one with old sculptures and paintings dotted on the walls. Maybe it was the way the ‘supernaturals’ preserved their heritage through ancient art and artifacts, which could easily be hidden in plain sight.
Just when I was about to take a right turn, a vicious hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me into a corner. The flash of the red dress was all the recognition I needed at that moment.
“The human girl,” she regarded me distastefully as if my existence was an abomination to her. “We haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you yet.”
Her inky, black eyes shone as polished flint as it dragged from my head to toe and dragged up again to settle over mine. There was a threat looming in her gaze that spoke volumes.
Jutting out my chin slightly, I met her with the same fierceness she underestimated. “Then it is a good thing. It would not be very pleasurable at all.”
The sharp glint of her eyes exploded as a laugh reverberated around her. “Oh, you do have a sense of humour,” she ridiculed. “Although I’d say it’s pretty foolish. Being with a wolf must have lifted your spirits. But how long is it going to last, human?”
The laugh morphed into a sneer by now, deliberating a provoke. But I was not going to give her the satisfaction just yet.
“What exactly do you want from Xander?” I crossed my arms and waited. “Clearly, this ‘mating’ thing isn’t up your alley, or else you would have tried to reform the union. And yet you did not.”
Her wounded pride was beginning to surface as her wolf agitated. The black glint was turning silver before she quickly reigned in control.
“You know what happened with the little red riding hood when she tried to be too brave?” she warned. “You don’t want to mess with a wolf.”
“And you don’t want to mess with me,” I snapped back. There was no way she would push me around like she owned everyone around her. Maybe it worked with her so-called pack, but I was done pushed around by her. “Clearly, you have not read about the little red riding hood until the end. FYI, the bad wolf dies.”
The husky chuckle could not hide the snarl in her countenance. “Are you simply naive, woman?” She gritted through teeth. “You think this is some fantasy island where the alpha wolf sweeps you off your feet and ends with a happily ever after?”
If only she knew that I was never the one who believed in happily ever after, owing to the series of unfortunate events. But I’d settle for what’s mine.
And Xander was mine.
I did not care about the divine intervention where our paths crossed or how the universe conspired us to be together, but I would not back down by any means.
“No, it doesn’t,” she went on. “You have no idea what it means to be a luna. She is the queen of the pack, and clearly, you have no such attributes.
“Maybe not, but you don’t have the attributes either,” I returned. “And you are not going to a luna as well.”
“You are delusional if you think that a pack of werewolves will ever bow their heads before a human. It would be the ultimate embarrassment for them.” Janelle chuckled like it was the ridiculous thought in the world.
“That’s the difference between you and me. I would never want them to bow before me. All I want is for them to stand by my side. For your kind information, they would.”
“Your overconfidence would be the death of you.” She regarded me with the coldest eyes and resentment. “I would happily rip apart that delicate neck of yours when Xander loses the challenge and you would be the meat for my wolf.”
There was absolutely no end to her hatred. “Nice fantasy. Unlike you, I still live in the real world.”
With that, I uncrossed my arms and attempted to leave when a hand grabbed my elbow.
“Maeve, you still have time. You can still run away and save yourself and Xander from the utter humiliation,” she warned.
At that moment, I did not care if she was the baddest, meanest old I have ever seen. “Ditto,” I gritted back and yanked myself away.
“I think you are mistaking me with other women you have seen, you filthy human. I can assure you, I am not them.” The arrogance filled her voice and glowed in her face like the blinding sun. “My pedigree is, by far, of a royal, and that too of an alpha bloodline. I don’t step back or cave. I fight for what’s mine. And I fight to win.”
With every spoken word, my blood boiled.
How dare she call something hers when she has not done anything ever to earn her place?
“Good for you,” I snarled and snagged her arm to tug her closer “But let me tell you something, Janelle: you are fighting for nothing. Xander is never yours. He will never be yours.”
A wild heat spread through my senses, and all I saw was rage. As if someone has just poured hot lava into my veins.
“We will see about that,” she said, yanking herself away. “But, mark my words, human. When his lifeless body will be laid down, you will only have yourself to blame. We, wolves, are ruthless.”
As soon as she spoke the words, anger galloped into my head and took an ugly turn. I was just about to prowl closer when loud voices broke out. I turned my head to see the place behind my back were up in flames.
It was the most frightening blue flames I have ever seen that threatened to consume everything around it and turn to ashes. The flame has no culture, no pity, and no path. Having the advantage of speed and vigor, Janelle took off at lightning speed, leaving me trapped.
There was so much chaos and commotion around that it was impossible to find my way out of that maze. Besides, all I saw was glowing cinders and blinding flames. Even then, I dashed my way forward, running away as humanly as possible.
It was only when I finally made it outside that I found Xander. “Maeve! Maeve! Are you alright?”
He frantically looked for injuries, barely breathing for himself. “I am fine…I think so,” I gasped, looking around the place. “What happened, Xander?”
“I don’t know. Somebody yelled fire from the corridor and when I came out, everything was up in flames. What were you doing in the corridor? You told me that—”
“I…I came across Janelle,” I said, cutting him off. And evidently, he lost his temper.
“Why would you engage in a conversation with her?” Xander fumed.
“She just crossed my path and that’ t it,” I fibbed a little. “One thing led to another and we ended up in a verbal battle. But you have nothing to worry about.”
Xander shook his head as his mouth pressed into a thin line. “Maeve, I don’t need to tell you that she is nothing but a danger to you. To all of us.”
“I know. I was careful.”
“Never mind. Let’s go.” With a world, he turned me around and led me towards the car. His brother, Blaize, was already waiting beside the vehicle.
“Maeve, go home with Blaize.”
“What about you?” I demanded. There was no way I would leave him behind.
“I will come soon.” He kissed my forehead as if he was trying the calm himself down with a level of intimacy. “I just need to see if Esmeralda is safe and the other Elders.”

**XANDER**

I sprinted towards the second building, which was mostly abandoned for years due to its neglected condition. But it was the only part which was still untouched by the massive fire and currently housed the Elders. Asas (healers) hastened from one place to the other, treating the wounded. Thank the Goddess that there were no casualties, save for minor burns and bruises.
Climbing two steps at a time, I reached the third floor and dashed into Esmeralda’s room. Looking up at me, she patted the arm of the Asa. And right on cue, the wrinkled woman left with the tray of herbs and ointments, granting us the much-needed privacy.
“Esmeralda, are you alright?” I asked.
“Yes, yes. I am…” she nodded her assurance, patting the seat beside in gesture.
“Is Maeve safe? Have you seen to her accommodation?”
I nodded. “I have sent her home with Blaize and a few others. I did not want to leave dad alone, but I could not risk her life either.”
“You did the right thing, Xander,” she concurred slowly and then looked up to me with a heap of worry. “Could they find the source of fire?”
An accident, on such a massive scale, was utterly unforeseen. Perhaps, the old building was to be blamed.
“No.” I tiredly shook my head and raked a hand through my hair. “There were no faulty wires or accidents. Only one person said that when he was passing by, he saw a curtain go up in bright blue flames out of nowhere. And before he could shout for help, the room behind him caught fire as well.”
Esmeralda’s eyes grew wide in terror while her aging face paled. “Blue fire?” she whispered and frantically shook her head in denial. “This is not possible. This cannot be possible, Xander.”
I sat completely clueless. “Esmeralda, what are you saying?”
“A blue fire is called ‘*kilm*’,” she explained almost in a trembling voice. “According to the old witches’ grimoire, it is the same fire that Ametrine used to set their village ablaze so she could have her vengeance.”
My mind began to reel and fear of Maeve’s safety. “Are you absolutely certain?” I asked. “Sometimes, flames are naturally blue as well.”
“That’s because of the chemicals. Blue fire is caused by propane gas where carbons are burnt. But in case of fire accidents, it is the inflammable chemicals that cause the hazard and the flames are never blue in colour. Unless, the supernatural forces are involved.” Esmeralda gave a long and unspoken worried look. “This is not good, Xander.”
“Are you trying to tell me that it has anything to do with Maeve?” I inquired. “She doesn’t know witchcraft, Esmeralda.”
She sighed deeply and slowly nodded. It was like the worst for coming true. “Maeve is the only one who has the power to toy with the elements of the earth. She is the only living one with the blood of original Psychic in her veins,” Esmeralda said in the lowest possible tone. The last thing we would risk was exposing Maeve in a place full of werewolves.
“She is not a destroyer!” I protested in anger. “Besides, I have known her for quite some time, and nothing suspicious has ever occurred. This must be some sort of a coincidence.”
There was no way I was ready to accept that Maeve has anything to do with it. How was that even impossible? She was the timidest human I have ever seen, despite the tell-tale sign of her ancient past. And on top of it, witchcraft was no joke.
“I am not the enemy here, Xander,” Esmeralda soothed. “And coincidences don't occur in our. Of all people, you know that.”
True. Supernaturals have their own world among humans. There was no coincidence or accident, and everything happened for a reason. Fate held meaning for all of us.
“To perform magic, one has to learn the craft. Without the spell, it is impossible to perform magic,” I still argued, unable to put the finger on anything. “Besides, Maeve was surrounded by werewolves. Even an experienced witch would require the ultimate force to harness the power and spell the magic around the wolves.”
After centuries of survival, the wolves have strengthened their survival instincts. As a result, the magic turned obsolete around them. It required a lot of expertise and power for a witch to perform a spell around a pack.
“Maybe Maeve doesn’t need to,” Esmeralda said. “Do not forget that the psychics were the originals. The magic in her blood was powerful enough to repel by forces if they wish. All they would need is a catalyst.”
“A catalyst?”
“Yes,” she affirmed. “The strong emotion or intention to act upon the magic. The very reason Arietta and Amertrine could harness the magic from the earth was because they strong felt the basic need to protect and to be protected. The good against the evil.”
My muscle in my body twitched in pain. Every word spoken made me anxious because maybe…just maybe…Esmeralda was right.
“I thought you said the shamans helped them?”
“They did. But it was the pain and sacrifice of the sisters that produced the magic. The elements of earth - fire, water, air and soil had merely helped the cause.”
I closed my eyes and breathed deep and long. But no matter what I did, the storm inside my head only roiled higher. The worst of my fear was coming out.
What if someone discovered Maeve’s identity?
“Esmeralda, then we have a small problem,” I whispered. “Maeve told me that she was talking to Janelle when the curtain caught on fire and everything went for a toss.”
The pieces were slowly falling into the right place, and I hated to admit that every word spoken by Esmeralda was right.
Maybe, it was Maeve, after all.
“Protect and to be protected,” Esmeralda mumbled to herself as eyes flew to mine. “Oh, Goddess. She was trying to protect you, Xander. And she didn’t even know when her outrage turned into fire.”

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***Well, what do you think of this chapter?***