The Blaze Ignites

by Nichelle Rae

  Everyone laughed at that, even Lisswilla, “No, not at all.” We all laughed more heartily while Addredoc rolled his eyes.

  The mirth was stolen from Azrel’s face though, and she scratched the back of her neck again, a nervous habit she was developing too quickly. She was always so tough and self-confident. She’d never been nervous about anything, and it broke my heart to see her falling apart.

  “Azrel,” I said. She looked at me “You said you had some matters to address.”

  She cleared her throat, her hand still at the back of her neck. She stayed quiet a moment, not meeting anyone’s eyes, as she thought about what she was going to say. Finally she cleared her throat again and her hand dropped into her lap. “Well, you all have informed me that these shields of yours are based on love, correct?” Everyone nodded and Azrel turned red. “My question is who do you love?” All of our brows dropped and we looked around at each other. “Me or the White Warrior?” Realization washed over everyone’s faces. Questioning glances went around the camp. No one answered right away.

  “I ask because it would seem to me that if you love one and not the other, there is a devastating weakness in your shields. It would only give you about half of a shield, I guess. Can you, and do you, love us both?” Azrel’s lip twitched uncomfortably at that. She was never comfortable talking about love. Hell, she and Ortheldo had yet to tell each other they loved each other, even though it was only too obvious. The problem was that Azrel didn’t believe she could be loved, because she’d been so hated by so many people for so long.

  “Look,” Azrel said letting out a nervous breath, “you don’t have to answer now. It’s just something you might want to be aware of and think about. I can’t have people protecting me who are not protected from Hathum.” She looked at Acalith. “But while I can’t do anything about them, I can do something about you.”

  My heart started pounding so hard I could feel it in my ears. Did she mean what I thought she meant? The crinkle in Acalith’s eyes told me everything I needed to know, and I sucked in air that, embarrassingly, sounded like a gasp. I was finally about to see her face.

  Azrel stood up, walked a little way away from camp to a wide clearing, and drew out her sword. Acalith followed and got on both knees in front of my sister. Everyone else followed as well and formed a circle around the two women, also taking a knee. I stared at Acalith as I took a knee myself.

  Azrel’s eyes turned into glowing white lights and white flames traveled up from the hilt of her sword to consume the blade. In my mind I began yelling at Azrel to hurry up, though only a second or two had passed.

  Azrel touched her flaming sword to Azrel’s left shoulder, then to her right, and I was amazed that Acalith’s clothes didn’t catch fire. Azrel then slipped the blade under Acalith’s hood at the top of her head. “By all the powers of Goodness tied to me and by the earthly element of the Light Gods.” The cloth of Acalith’s hood started to melt and dissolve around Azrel’s blade.

  I watched in wide-eyed wonder as blonde, perfect ringlets of hair spilled out. They bounced and swayed, gently caressing Acalith’s face. Azrel brought her sword down and rested it at the brim of the tan mask she wore over her nose and mouth.

  “I hereby officially announce you, Lady Acalith of Spar Ridges, the Deralilya of the White Warrior.”

  My breath sped up as I watched the tan cloth start to melt away. When it finally faded completely, I made some kind of weird choking noise. Acalith was the only other woman in the world that could possibly complete with my sister’s flawless beauty. She had sharp angular features, from her prominent cheek bones to her pointed chin and small nose. Her eyes seemed much bigger than when she was covered up, but in a beautiful catlike way. In fact, her entire beautiful, clean, creamy skinned face, reminded me a lot of a cat.

  She looked up at Azrel and smiled. She had a set of perfect white teeth and her smile absolutely took up her entire face, making her eyes crinkle in the corners. I couldn’t take my eyes off her for the longest time. The only thing that managed to make me look away was a swirling stream of white fire.

  It originated from Azrel’s sword and, without her moving, circled Azrel’s feet and moved up her legs and then her entire body until she stood in her full White Warrior form. I glanced at Lisswilla to see his reaction and saw him smiling with wide eyes as he looked upon her.

  “Well, Acalith,” my sister’s voice said, bringing my attention back to her. Azrel suddenly gripped her sword in both fists and raised it above her head, “Let’s see what you’ve got!” She brought her sword down in front of Acalith’s face, just barely missing splitting the woman in two, and a loud crack sounded just before Azrel’s sword hit the ground.

  White fire exploded from the earth where Acalith still kneeled. It consumed her slowly. I watched in amazement as her clothes transformed from bulky heavy garments to a light, silky white outfit. Her white off-the-shoulders tunic was cinched at her waist by a white embroidered belt. The belled sleeves were a completely shear white material showing off Acalith’s strong, sculpted arms. White decorative cuffs were fastened to both her upper arms. Even her trousers and boots were white.

  A stream of fire shot upward above all of our heads, and inside of it I watched a magnificent and intimidating sword take shape. It paused in the air, then slowly started floating down towards Acalith, who stretched out her hand to reach it. I looked at her and I felt the seams of my sanity stretching with a longing to talk to her and touch her.

  “Feel like you’re about to go mad, don’t you?”

  I didn’t quite register the whisper for a few more seconds as Acalith’s sword found its way into her elegant hand. When I realized someone had spoken to me, I looked to my right, where Ortheldo was kneeling. “Huh?”

  He was smiling. “That’s how I feel every day about your sister.”

  I felt my heart twist as I looked back at the two women. “That sucks.”

  Considering every insane emotion I was experiencing right now looking at Acalith for the first time, I couldn’t imagine being tortured by this for as long as Ortheldo had known Azrel.

  “I doubt I’ve got as much as you do, White Warrior,” Acalith said then. I nearly choked again on my own breath as I heard her voice without that mask muffling it.

  “Just wait until you get to touch her face, or her hair, or get close enough to smell her,” Ortheldo whispered next to me. “That’s when the real torture begins.”

  I swallowed without taking my eyes off Acalith as she stood and took a battle stance. “How can it possibly get worse?”

  “It does, trust me.”

  “Try your absolute best is all I ask,” Azrel responded.

  It took a moment for their words to click in my stupefied mind. I realized both women were facing each other in firm battle stances.

  “Wait, they aren’t…” I felt someone’s hand under my arm and looked up to see Lisswilla pulling me to me feet. I realized everyone else was on their feet as well and backing away from the two women.

  “Trust me,” Lisswilla said as we backed away, “we’ll want to be out of the way for this.”

  I looked back at the women. “But they aren’t really going to…”

  “I’m not going to try anything,” Acalith said with narrowed eyes.

  Azrel smiled broadly. “I knew I picked the right person.”

  Suddenly they broke into a fierce battle. This time I could not take my eyes off my sister. She was hammering at Acalith with everything she had. I was terrified for Acalith! I’d never seen my sister in full force combat before as The White Warrior. She was lethal! She was deadly! She was something so beyond dangerous that I couldn’t even find a word for it. This was the White Warrior, and for the first time, I truly found myself in awe at being in her presence.

  This was the strongest and deadliest warrior on the face of the earth, in the Sky Sanctuary, and in the Nine Hells of the Shadow Gods Lair. This woman, my sister, was one rank shy of the Light Gods Themselves and
created by the very awesome and raw power of the Light Gods.

  As I watched her in battle, glowing like a lantern in an attic, her sword clanking with Acalith’s so fast it sounded like one continuous stream of sound, I couldn’t help myself; I placed my hand over my heart and bowed to a knee before her. I could feel everyone’s curious eyes on me, but I didn’t care. My sister, the White Warrior, was a being to be knelt to. Even as I did, I worried that my relationship with Azrel may have just changed forever. I knew Azrel didn’t want me, or anyone, kneeling to her, but how could I stop myself in her presence? She was an awesome being, a being that I was now aware of. How could I look at her the same way?

  I knew I would have to look at her the same, for Azrel’s own sake, because she wouldn’t be too keen on the idea of me bowing to a part of herself that she hated. I quickly got to my feet, hoping Azrel hadn’t notice, but also hoping the White Warrior had.

  “Are you okay?” Ortheldo asked softly as he leaned into me.

  I nodded not taking my eyes of the White Warrior. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  For a moment it looked like Acalith had an edge when she feigned spinning around one way to attack from the side but actually stopped her spin halfway and—faster than I would have thought possible—reversed direction and brought her sword up to come crashing down on Azrel’s head. Azrel’s fist shot up, catching Acalith’s blade between two of the claw-like knives attached to her gloves. I was surprised to hear the clank of metal where Azrel’s flesh should have been. With a simple twist of her wrist, Azrel held the blade in the two claws and then slammed her fist straight down, burying the claw knives into the ground like tent stakes and pinning Acalith’s sword. Amazingly, Acalith held fast to her sword and went down with it when it should have been wrenched from her grip. Azrel’s sword was quickly under Acalith’s chin. Both women squatted before each other, breathing heavily—Acalith a little more than Azrel—and looked into each other’s eyes.

  A broad half-smile spread across Azrel’s face. “Very, very well done. I can’t remember the last time I fought so hard to defend myself in a duel.” Azrel lowered her sword from Acalith’s chin and gave a small yank of her fist, dislodging her claws from the earth and releasing Acalith’s sword.

  “I’m glad to hear you speak so highly of my abilities, White Warrior.” Acalith placed her hand on her chest and bowed at the waist. “I’ve worked hard since you called me nine years ago.”

  Azrel sheathed her sword. “I don’t doubt it.” Both women started to head back to the camp.

  “Now hold on,” Reese suddenly said. Acalith turned to face him. “You’re not going to let us see the sword that you’ve been whining about constantly for the past year?” Everyone grinned. “Come on now, let’s see it.”

  Everyone chuckled as Acalith held her sword out to show off. I gave a low whistle when I finally saw it up close. It looked powerful and heavy, heavier than I thought someone of Acalith’s thin frame could lift. The hilt was an antique yellow gold with a thin strip of ruby gems circling the top and bottom of it. Two strips of rubies came down vertically between the top and bottom ruby strips, lines that started out parallel before belling out to make a circle halfway down. In the middle of this ruby circle was a single, larger diamond in the shape of a fire, much like the fire brooch Azrel wore in her White Warrior form. The blade was very broad, broader than Azrel’s sword, with etching in the metal that depicted the same design as on the hilt, and an added line of text in modern Salynnian.

  “My blood to protect the white fire,” Acalith said aloud as she gazed at her own blade. Then she smiled and looked at me. I felt my heart stop beating.

  “Come,” Azrel said, saving me from trying to come up with a response, “I have a few other things I need to discuss with you all.” Azrel held her hand up to one shoulder and a white flame erupted in it. She arched her hand outward, dragging a trail of white flames that spilled over like powder. Another breeze from nowhere swirled around her, moving the fire with it, and she transformed back into Azrel.

  I saw an uncomfortable expression in Azrel’s eyes as they fell on me. She shook her head a little, and I understood the message: “Don’t do that again.”

  Pride boiled in my chest at that moment and I refused to apologize for kneeling to her. “I’ll try again when you’re ready to receive it,” I said in such a low voice that not even the Salynns would hear me. But the White Warrior would.

  “That’s a long way down the road, little brother,” she said equally as softly.

  “And I’ll be ready when that day comes.”

  “You’re going to be waiting a long time,” she replied.

  I smiled at her. “It will be worth the wait.”

  She sighed heavily and passed me, purposely shoving her shoulder into mine and knocking me off balance. My smiled just widened as I turned around to join the group at the camp fire.

  Acalith was digging through her packs, pulling out clothes and putting them on over her beautiful Deralilya uniform. She saw my look of curiosity and smiled. “I can’t have the world knowing who I am,” she said. “As long as Azrel needs to stay hidden, so do I.”

  I nodded, still unable to look at her and speak at the same time. I looked back at Azrel. “What else is on the agenda to discuss?”

  Azrel blew out a breath. “Well, Lisswilla has done some reconnaissance work while he’s been in Casdanarus waiting for our paths to cross.” She looked pointedly at Ortheldo. “He found out that Dwellingpath has been overrun by Shadow forces.” An ominous hush fell over everyone. “And there are rumors that Hathum himself is residing there, commanding Dwellingpath’s soldiers for his purposes.”

  I watched Ortheldo for the longest time as he sat motionless. I thought he’d fallen asleep with his eyes open. “Okay.”

  Azrel’s brows dropped. “That’s all you have to say?”

  “What do you want me to say?”

  “Don’t you care that your kingdom is now in Hathum’s hands?”

  I knew Azrel could be ruthless, but the weakened state she’d been in lately made me forget how much. However, even I found that a little harsh on Ortheldo.

  Everyone’s eyes went wide and Ortheldo jumped to his feet with his brows drawn. “That is not my kingdom! You know damn well that it’s not, Azrel!”

  Azrel was on her feet just as fast. “It is your kingdom and you know damn well that it is!” The two glared at each other silently for a moment before Azrel spoke again. “You have royal blood, Ortheldo. While you can deny the responsibly of that, you cannot deny it to be true!”

  Ortheldo was set back. He looked at her in stunned agony for a long time. I nearly stood up to speak in his defense, but Ortheldo spoke first. “Do you think less of me for denying that responsibility?”

  Azrel looked at him, seeming to experience inner turmoil. When I blinked, her expression had softened considerably.

  “Of course not,” she conceded, then held her hands out to her sides helplessly. “Look at me. My father and I have denied our responsibility as the White Warrior for thousands of years. How can I hold you at fault for doing the same?”

  They shared a soft gaze for a moment before they both sat back down. Ortheldo blew out a breath. “So he’s exposed himself.”

  Azrel nodded. “He’s bringing on the Second Shadow to lure me out of hiding so he can finish what The Nameless One couldn’t with my father.” She looked around at the camp helplessly. “I’m not ready to face him. I don’t know if I ever will be, but I just can’t seem to stop existing and let the White Warrior take over. Believe me, I’ve tried.”

  “That’s because you both are half of a complete whole,” Addredoc piped in. “If you cease to exist, then the White Warrior becomes only half a person and she will not be able to defeat him either.”

  “So what do we do?” Azrel asked.

  Everyone was silent.

  I hated this! I hated being alive during this dark time! Couldn’t the Second Shadow have waited until I was dead so woul
dn’t have to deal with it? No, that was selfish of me. Azrel needed all the help she could get. I didn’t know much about Dwellingpath, but I knew enough to determine that Hathum had to have an extremely vast army already if he’d overrun the largest kingdom in Casdanarus. We were just seven beings. We needed an army and fast! It seemed like a solution that a simpleton would have come up with, but actually doing that with only seven people was going to be near impossible. We needed allies, and lots of them, to go on a scouring mission like Lisswilla had done. We needed to find, not people with Hope like Lisswilla had done, but people without hatred for the White Warrior.

  Suddenly the world went black!

  I started to panic because I was still awake—I knew I was! Had I suddenly gone blind? Was this some evil spell? Had Hathum found us?

  “Azrel!” I called, my arms going out to my sides to feel for her next to me…nothing! “Azrel!” I screamed louder.

  Suddenly a green light faded into my vision and I was standing. Yet I hadn’t stood up! I spun around to look behind me, only to stagger back when I saw a crowd of people standing not far from us. There had to be a hundred of them huddled together. Thoughts of a defense went through my mind, but I soon realized that all their attention seemed to be on something on the ground in front of them rather than on me.

  Slowly sound reached my ears and I heard lots of chattering and worried murmurs. An all-too-familiar voice screamed above them all. “Don’t you dare lose faith now! Don’t you dare!” Azrel screamed.

  I looked at the crowd closely, now having suspicions about where I was, and almost right away I spotted Reese. He shook his head and spoke to someone I’d never seen, then turned his attention back to whatever was so interesting on the ground. As two people moved to the other side of the mob, I caught a glimpse of Addredoc looking down at what was on the ground with utter sorrow.

  “Rabryn!” another familiar voice called from behind. I turned to see Ortheldo running up to me.