Page 46 of Sweets and Sycamores

THIS IS HIS LIFE

Dom and Allie worked quickly and quietly to prepare the pastries and bread before her boss left with Brandon.

Allie didn’t miss all the glances Dom stole at her through the silence, as she was doing some heavy glancing of her own.

Dominic would be back later in the afternoon, so he decided to post a shorter schedule for Dom’s Sweets today.

Allie was happy to run the place until the lunch rush hour faded, then lock up and go on her daily walk through town.

Frustration bottled up inside her with every failed attempt at finding the place cursed by the Witch.

Dominic had helped her conquer her fiery power, and now it was her turn to help him, but she felt useless.

There must be something she was missing.

Allie had resolved to roam the unexplored parts of the town until she found something. Anything.

“I’ll be back soon,” Dom said as he donned his jacket. Allie gathered the remaining pastry boxes and walked him outside to Brandon, who had been honking for the last five minutes. “What is wrong with you?”

Brandon, unsurprisingly, grinned as if this was the best day of his life.

“Just making sure you knew I was here.”

“Everyone in the damn town knows you’re here.” The men exchanged a look that Allie couldn’t translate, which ended with Brandon cackling and Dom muttering something to the gods.

“Drive safe,” she said.

Brandon thanked her and got into the driver’s seat, but Dom stood there, watching her for a long minute. He looked torn, like leaving was the last thing he wanted to do. He stood there, frozen, like the air was hard and compressed between them, and he wasn’t sure if he should take another step.

Allie took that step for him. She grabbed the lapels of his leather jacket and smoothed them over, although there was no crease in sight.

“Don’t forget to smile at the Sanders.” Allie chuckled, raising her eyes to his. Dom had his hair loose, wild strands flowing on the chill breeze around his jaw. One corner of his mouth ticked up, almost imperceptibly, as if to show her this smile. “Something like that.”

“Yeah?”

Allie nodded.

Dominic moved closer as if her nod meant more to him than just her approval of his crooked smile.

He grabbed the back of her neck and stared into her eyes. Allie read a silent question in the calm green and urged herself to sit still. Dom sighed, then leaned down and pressed a quick kiss on her forehead. His lips were soft and warm against her skin, his fingers squeezing her nape.

It was a silent promise, a wordless acceptance, a mute desire, yet all so loud and clear that Allie felt branded. If she looked into the mirror, she’d find a Dom mark in the middle of her forehead.

“I’ll be back soon,” he repeated, then jumped inside the car, leaving her wide-eyed and with her mouth open, quietly reaching for him.

“Where’s Dom?” Anna asked, as she always did, looking around the space for him.

Allie had no doubt the woman had less of a sweet tooth and more of an interest in the man running the place, given the fact that she was here every day.

Most times, her boss would only tip his chin at Anna, or give her a bitter “Hey.” Not more or less bitter than any other greeting Dominic offered, to be fair, but Allie noticed how Anna deflated from his lack of attention.

Her crush was evident, as were Dom’s subtle replies hinting toward rejection.

“He’s away today. What can I get for you?”

“I’ll get the weekend special.” This week was raspberry cheesecake cups. “Is there…” Anna cleared her throat. “Is there something going on between you two?”

She grimaced, like the question tasted bitter and made her sick. Allie scoffed and shook her head.

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

“Dom is my business!” she hissed. Allie had a strong feeling her boss might disagree.

“I doubt that,” Allie mumbled to herself. She dropped the subject and silently handed Anna her order, who mercifully took it and left with a loud, frustrated groan. Allie waved her off, offering her a smile that was not reciprocated.

She’d done the same with all the customers today because she was excited for her plan to walk around town, and for Dom to get back.

To her shock, her smiles weren’t met with the usual sneers and distaste.

No one smiled back at her, but most of the townsfolk kept their mouths in a straight, indifferent line.

Mrs. Chen came by at lunch and praised Ekko’s form, the gleam of his purple scales, and the strength of his wings.

She’d done that as if the dragon took care of himself all on his own, but Allie enjoyed hearing this positive assessment.

It was her confirmation that she was doing a good job caring for Ekko.

The creature was around her all day, sometimes perching on her shoulder, other times bringing Allie different items between his claws.

Lately, every time Dom was away or Allie was on her own, there was nothing she could do or say to keep Ekko away.

The baby dragon clung to her clothes and hair and puffed steam at her until she relented.

Allie hadn’t figured out if Ekko didn’t like being alone, or if he didn’t like her being alone.

The busy day passed by quickly, and Allie and her dragon went on their way with the sun still out.

Allie followed the trail toward the farmlands today, a part of town she had only experienced from the car.

She kept close to the river once it slithered out of the forest, its murmur a comforting noise in the quiet afternoon.

Ekko flew from tree to tree, happily creating swirls of steam among the red and yellow leaves. They stumbled upon a wild plum tree, and Allie sat at the base of its trunk, letting Ekko eat his fill, while she took a moment to think about Petra.

What clues am I missing, Mom?

Allie closed her eyes, memories of the two of them in the sycamore shade vividly coming to the front of her mind. She smiled at the fun coincidence of being in the town of the sycamores, missing her unique broom that her sisters had found distasteful.

Between the steady flow of the river and Ekko rustling the plum tree leaves, Allie heard a constant, long hissing sound. She strained her hearing to identify it, but it was as difficult as splitting a hair into three.

“Ekko,” Allie called for her dragon, and he appeared immediately, chewing, his snout covered with plum juice. Allie wiped him with the back of her sleeve. “Can you fly over the trees in that direction? Is there something else other than the river?”

Ekko wasted no time and did as he was told, coming back with a loud flutter of chitters after a short moment. Allie followed him through a narrow path in the forest, unmarked and undisturbed, until that resonant ringing grew louder and deeper than the river, and…

Allie stood in front of a hidden waterfall. It flowed beautifully and untamed, foaming the water at its base, like a thick curtain protecting the rocks underneath.

Everything clicked into place at once.

Sycamore Falls.

Falls.

Waterfalls.

“Sycamore Falls is bordered by mountains covered in dense forests and hidden waterfalls.” Brandon’s words from the night he rescued her came to Allie’s mind.

It was just like a conniving Witch to pick a place as much in your face as it was out of sight.

Allie could swear that evil Witch thought, “This town falls because I want it to.” She had no power to test her theory, but her gut instinct screamed that this was right.

Maybe not this waterfall, but one of the hidden waterfalls in Sycamore Falls.

The wind picked up as Ekko led the way out of the forest and back to the main road, then plopped on Allie’s shoulder and snuggled in her unruly hair.

Dusk settled in, painting the forest pink and violet.

Dom would be home soon, and Allie couldn’t contain her excitement.

She finally had a lead for him, a promising one, and—

A string of loud honks made Allie stop in her tracks as a red car pulled over, rolling the passenger’s window down.

“Get in, get in, get in!” Mia screeched.

Allie nearly caught her fingers in the door while rushing into the car. She strapped her seat belt as Mia high-tailed it back onto the road, Ekko still clinging to her shoulder.

“What’s wrong?”

“Brandon’s farm is on fire.”

“What?” Allie shouted. “Which part?”

“The part closest to his house,” Mia answered robotically, driving like a maniac. “That place is his entire fucking life,” she muttered.

“And he’s out of town. Dom’s with him, too.”

“Shit. I forgot about Dom. I kind of hoped to find him at the farm, putting the fire out by the time everyone gets there.” Mia’s voice was low and lost in a way Allie hadn’t heard before.

“Everyone?”

Mia took a sharp left, and a dark tower of smoke curling into the sky came into view.

Allie’s heart raced as they drove the last length of road.

As soon as the car stopped, Allie and Mia jumped out and ran to the herd of people gathered by the gates.

The farmhands fought the wildfire with water hoses that were too small and too inefficient to put out the tall flames licking at the ground, the strong gusts of wind spreading them wide.

Toward Brandon’s green-roofed white house.

Everyone, every single one of the people there, crowded Mia.

“Where is your brother?”

“Where’s Dominic?”

“We need Dom to be here!”

“Our strongest air Wizard, he can put it out!”

The utter shock and panic that registered on the townsfolk's faces when Mia told them Dom was away drilled a hole into Allie’s heart. He was the hope everyone had been waiting for, a hope that suffocated in the heated wind.

“What about Tom and Andrew?” Mia demanded.

Yes. Tom and Andrew. Even if Dom wasn’t here, there were two more air Wizards in Sycamore Falls. They had to be here. Had to be.

But Andrew was visiting his family three towns away, and no one had gotten hold of Tom today. He was their last chance, everyone lamented, as they busied themselves with carrying buckets of water.

The fire department from Rocky Hills? On their way, but would they make it in time?

“Allie.” Mia’s voice trembled, her eyes glistening with terrified tears. “This is his life. Please.”

“Wha—Me?” Allie’s eyebrows rode her hairline, and she clutched her hands to her chest.

“No one in this town wields water or fire. Except you.” Her friend kept her voice down, but the look in her hazel eyes was so, so loud. “I can’t… I’m only an Archivist,” she spat as if she hated the word with the intensity of the sun. Like she loathed herself.

And Allie knew that feeling well. Before she came to Sycamore Falls, before she found a way to her power, she had hated being a Witch.

And before Dom and Mia, and Brandon, and Tina and Harper, no one had truly been there for her, not since her mom.

Now she could be here for the people she cared about. The people she grew to love.

“Any water or fire wielders in Rocky Hills?” someone asked.

“No need,” Allie heard herself say as she stepped out of the crowd. “Stay with Mia.” She gave Ekko the most admonishing look she was capable of as Mia hugged the dragon to her chest. “If anything happens to me—”

“Wait. What are you doing?”

“Tell Dom it’s the waterfalls,” Allie said and broke into a jog.

“What is the Witch doing?”

“Where is she going?”

“Oh gods, is she an elemental Witch?”

Allie ran toward the fire, grabbing at thick strings of warm power from her heart.

“Is she crazy? She can wield from here!”

“Isn’t she afraid?”

Terrified out of her mind.

She had stepped into a fire before, but that had been different. It had been her fire, and Dom had held her hand, looking at her like she was porcelain, and he’d never allow her to break. He had been her safety net, and now Allie was free-falling.

The sharp fear was not enough for her to back down. She was doing this for the town that had become her home, regardless of the mean faces around her. Allie was doing this for Brandon. For her friend.

Brandon had been the only one to help her that night, without a second thought.

He’d convinced a skeptical Dom to let a homeless Witch into his house, into his life.

Neither was here to defend what was dear to them, and Allie simply could not watch from the sidelines and do nothing. She had to try because…

Because she owed them everything.

The heat enveloped her with each step she took closer to the fire.

Allie grasped at her magic, wrapping herself in what she hoped was some sort of protective shield.

She bent the power to her will as Dom had taught her, praying she had learned enough to extinguish the monstrous fire.

Allie took a gulp of air and stepped between the flames.

It’s not burning me, it’s not burning me, it’s not burning me.

It was, surprisingly, not burning her.

The scorching heat clung to her limbs, yet was bearable enough for her to keep walking. As soon as she stood in the flames closest to Brandon’s house, Allie readied her magic, wove it with the wildfire, and started to pull.

She pulled and pulled until the burning terror was far away enough from Brandon’s house not to be considered an immediate danger.

Magic buzzed through her veins, heating her from the inside out.

Allie managed to keep the flames away, but the strain on her power lit a fire inside her.

With every pull, her breathing hitched, hot air scratching her throat and frying her lungs.

But she couldn’t give up now; she couldn’t let the wind feed the flames.

Allie fell to her knees, gasping for air, not once stopping the pull of that magical thread.

“Roll the thread back.”

Dom’s words came to her like a caress as she did exactly what he’d taught her, stuffing the scalding fire inside her. She was an elemental Witch; she could take it. She had to. For Brandon. She had to. She…

Allie’s eyelids became heavy, gluing together from the sticky sweat coating her skin. She coughed the burn from her lungs, panted for air through her open mouth. The flames laughed at her, dancing around carelessly with horrendous cracking sounds, grabbing at her with searing claws.

If this was the last thing she did, she had to do it well. Allie wanted to protect what was dear to her, and never before did she have enough power to do that.

Grasping at the last piece of thread, that ball of yarn sizzling hot, Allie thought about Dom. About his kind green eyes, his deliciously broody mood, his huge heart. She hoped with everything she was that he would find the magic rupture behind a waterfall. Mia would tell him.

Allie kept pulling.

Just a little more.

Just until she was sure the fire could be put out by other means.

Just…