And I'm back! With my last update of the year (or first, depending on your time zone and suchness)! So, I made it my goal to update before New Year's...and I accomplished it with, lets see...2 minutes to spare! Woooo!

Anyways, here is the next installment of A Fire Burns Bright, and this one has a bit more action than the last...I hope y'all enjoy!

Disclaimer: you know the deal...

I woke up to find my parents standing above my bed, looking a bit perturbed. I half-heartedly lifted my hand in a waving motion. "Sup." I said as nonchalantly as possible, like it was totally normal for me to just disappear for hours on end. My parents' response was to sigh in exasperation. My dad seemed to sense that I was fine, and calmed down a little. My mom, on the other hand, was oozing concern and worry.

"Where have you been, young lady?" she demanded, "and don't tell me you were out in that storm!"

"What storm?" I asked, confused.

My dad answered my question. "There was a huge thunderstorm last night. It was so loud; I think the whole neighborhood was awake. Plus, a lightning bolt struck one of the trees in the woods and started a small fire; luckily it went out rather quickly."

My eyes widened in realization. They thought the battle with Pitch and Azazel had been some freak storm! "Wow, um, that sounds bad. Yeah I, uh, wasn't here. I was at the Pole last night." I said quickly, not wanting to worry them any more.

"Well that's a relief." My mom said. "So how was the uh, North Pole?"

I smiled. "Cold. But it was fun; I learned some really cool fighting techniques. I even got a sword!" Then I stopped. Where was my sword? I remembered having it at some point in last night's battle, but it must have gotten lost in the woods. Add that to my list of things to do. I was brought out of my musings, however, by my mom freaking out…again.

"A sword?! Fighting techniques? Good heavens, why on Earth would you need those?"

Oh, great. This was what I had been hoping to avoid. The whole part about Pitch and Azazel wanting me as a weapon so they can spread fear throughout the Earth. That would be sure to stress them out. But it looked like I couldn't hide it now, at least not all of it.

"Well, mom, not all spirits are good. So, as a precaution, the Guardians thought it would be a good idea for me to know how to defend myself and stuff." Well, that wasn't a total lie. Luckily, my mom seemed to buy it.

"I guess that seems…logical and…responsible. Just as long as there is no mortal danger involved, right?" I nodded and a small wave of guilt knotted in my stomach. I hated not telling them everything, but it was better in the long run. Maybe after all this was over I would come completely clean, but not yet. Not only would they get sick with worry, but I doubted they would've let me leave the house.

Wanting to change the topic, I rolled out of bed, stretched and asked about breakfast. From there the morning proceeded as if nothing had changed. The three of us sat around the table eating and engaging in casual small talk, enjoying each other's company. I had just about convinced myself it would be an uneventful, normal day when I looked up and saw a cheeky winter spirit grinning at me through the kitchen window. Neither of my parents noticed, and paid no attention when I excused myself from the table and went upstairs.

"Jack, what are you doing here?" I asked as soon as I got the window open.

"We have a sorcerer to catch, remember?"

"Then why do you look so excited? In case you forgot, the last time you two met, he tried to kill you."

Jack shrugged. "Meh. This time we're ready for him. And by that, I mean North made you this." I looked at the rather suspicious vial Jack was holding out.

"Um, what is it? And what do I do with it?"

"It'll protect you from any of Azazel's spells. And it's a potion; you drink it."

I grimaced. "I was afraid you were going to say that. Well, here goes nothing." I drained the vial in one gulp, and curled my lips at the bitter aftertaste. Why couldn't these things ever have a good flavor? I mean, come on, it's magic; there had to be a spell for that.

I shooed Jack out and told him to meet me at the lake. After he left, I put on a sweater, jeans and long jacket and jogged downstairs, making a break for the exit.

"Going to hang out with a friend!" I yelled as the door closed behind me, giving my parents no time to question my excuse and stop me.

I smiled when I saw Jack. He looked healthy, as if the fire incident had never happened; his ability to heal was remarkable.

"Ready to go kick some sorcerer tail, mate?" I turned and saw Bunny hop over from the trees, followed by the other Guardians.

"Most definitely." I said, cracking my knuckles. "When do we start?"

"Right as soon as you get your weapon!" North answered cheerfully, the turned and handed me my sword, Fire Tamer. It felt good to hold it again, and I was excited to actually have a chance of using it in a real fight.

As the sleigh took off, I asked about Azazel's whereabouts. Apparently, he hadn't been able to flee very far and one of Tooth's fairies had spotted him in a hidden cave. A hidden cave. Figures.

We arrived at the cave entrance, which didn't look like much. It barely looked big enough for someone to lie down, let alone hide from an enemy. Frankly, it didn't even seem occupied; undisturbed snow lay around the opening and the air inside felt stale. Despite the fact that logic and common sense told me no one was, or had been, here, I wasn't convinced and it appeared, neither were the Guardians.

The six of us approached, weapons drawn. North went first, seeing that he had been trained in magic by the wizard, Ombric. As I stepped inside, I gasped. The cave suddenly became a lot roomier, nearly five times bigger than the outside suggested. I guess sorcerers have learned a bit of Time Lord technology. I thought with a smile.

It didn't take long to find said sorcerer. He sat in a makeshift chair in one of the more shadowy corners of the room.

"Let me guess. You all have come to finish me off, yes?" he said, standing up. "You thought I would be severely weakened, and would beg for mercy and apologize for all my misdeeds. Well, sorry to disappoint you, but that will not be how this is going to go."

"We'll see about that." Tooth said, drawing her twin blades. Azazel tried to look unimpressed, but there was still a twinge of unease in his eyes; apparently even immortal sorcerers know to fear an angry Tooth Fairy.

Surprisingly, Bunny was the first to strike. I felt the wind from his boomerang as it sailed right past my head and straight at Azazel, who ducked just in time. He wasn't quite so lucky when it turned and came back, though. As he sat sprawled on the floor, rubbing his head, he looked up, resentment burning in his dark eyes. Pulling out his wand, he cast a spell, to which we all dived out of the way. Unfortunately, this meant we were scattered and separated; just what Azazel wanted.

I had the bad luck of being closest, and I held up my sword, ready to face off against him. He laughed. "Well this seems vaguely familiar, doesn't it, firecracker?"

I snarled and charged, swinging my sword like Tooth taught me. I managed to land a couple lucky blows when said fairy joined in, but Azazel still had a few tricks up his sleeve. With a flick of his wand, the cave filled with a milky fog. I could barely make out Tooth's brightly colored feathers, and she was a mere four feet away. I tried to shed some light by summoning fireballs, but the magic fog wouldn't budge.

I had just regrouped with Tooth when I heard a sharp cry of pain coming from the other end of the room. A string of muttered curses in an Australian accent made it clear who had been hurt.

"Bunny!" Tooth cried, and tried to surge forward but I grabbed her wrist.

"No. We still can't see with all this fog; you're only going to put yourself in danger."

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

I smirked. "This." I unfurled my wings and beat them as fast and powerfully as I could. Little by little, the fog began to dissipate into the corners of the cave. I could hear the clash of swords intermingled with the sound of ice.

Tooth voiced my thought. "North and Jack must be fighting Azazel…yes! I think I can see them." Sure enough, as more of the fog thinned, I could make out the blurs of the colorful fabrics of Jack's hoodie, North's coat and Azazel's trench. I also saw Bunny, boomerangs at the ready, but still obviously in pain. He grimaced every few steps as he tried to go over to North and Jack; he was still several yards away when Tooth intervened to check his injuries, despite his grumbling.

North and Jack had done a superb job in weakening Azazel. The sorcerer was breathing heavily and each spell grew less effective, with more time in between. During one of these lapses, I seized the opportunity to bind Azazel in flames. In a last ditch attack, he cast a spell at me, which (thanks to North's potion) harmlessly bounced off. Initial confusion quickly melted into disappointment with a trace of despair. He knew it was over. There was nowhere else to hide.

"Should we have Sandy deal with him?" I asked. North nodded in agreement, then looked around perplexed.

"Sandy? Sandy? Where are you?"

Now all of us started looking for the little man. He had been with us at the start, and he was not one to run away, so he must still be here somewhere. I hadn't gone far when Azazel spoke to me.

"You know, it does not matter how you choose to imprison me. Someday, whether it be days, years, centuries, I will get out, and you will still be around to aid me in my domination."

"What are you talking about? I'm still human, more or less; I'm not like you. I won't be alive in a century."

His smile sent shivers up my spine and to the very tips of my wings. "We'll see about that…"

I tried to make him explain, but he said nothing more. Aggravated, I turned and saw a golden light coming from a small side tunnel. Soon, Sandy himself emerged.

"Sandy, where have you been? We have been looking everywhere for you." North said, and motioned toward the scowling sorcerer. The Guardian of Dreams waggled his finger in a tsking motion before summoning a huge ball of Dreamsand and putting Azazel in a (very) extended sleep.

I felt a wave of relief pass over me as Azazel was locked in his chambers and the cave was sealed and concealed courtesy of North and Bunny. Despite knowing it was all over, I was still bothered by what Azazel has said to me. What did he mean, I could still be around for centuries? What secret was he hiding? What is the final piece I don't know?

"You're looking pretty apathetic for someone who just defeated her archenemy." I smiled at Jack's teasing. He smiled back and put him arm around my shoulder. "I think this calls for a celebration, whadda say, North?"

"Not at the Pole, Jack. I am still making final preparations for my Christmas party. Cannot afford mess. Go to Bunny's."

"Wha-why my place? Frostbite's just gonna freeze my Warren and make it snow in the heart of spring!"

"You know, Bunny, I can melt whatever he freezes." My reminder seemed to quiet the Pooka, and Jack winked at me and grinned.

"Oh, alright ya gumbies. But only this once, just this once."

"Yes!" Jack said, and gave me a high five.

Bunny thumped his foot on the ground, and the six of us slid down a tunnel and landed in the Warren. I smiled at the golems, and laughed as Jack tried to harass them. I tried to enjoy myself, but I couldn't quite get the nagging sensation out of my head that I was missing something crucial.

So, what did you think? Leave a review and let me know! Happy New Year!