“I’m not completely sure what it is or how it’s made, but it’s magical. Here, Brianna, put it on.”
“If it has magic power maybe you should use it,” she said.
“No, it was given to you. A magical gift often enables the recipient to harness the power. Did you ever notice anything strange about the ruby?” Zollin asked Hammert.
“No, not really. I found it and polished it, but I’ve done nothing with it since then.”
Brianna had turned her back to Zollin and lifted her long, black hair up so he could fasten the clasp at the nape of her neck. When the stone touched her chest she felt a tiny thrill, almost like a shiver of excitement, but she didn’t know if what she felt was from the stone or her own imagination.
“What’s it do, Zollin?” she asked.
“I’m not exactly sure,” he said. “Kelvich told me that many wizards seek out magical objects because they can tap into the object’s power and manipulate it. That may be all it is, just a reservoir of magic, but I think it may be more. Try holding your hands together and imagining a fire between them.”
Brianna held her hands up and closed her eyes. Her forehead wrinkled as she concentrated. The dwarves gasped when her hands burst into flames, but Brianna didn’t notice. The fire was on her skin, but it didn’t burn her. She didn’t even feel it.
“Wow,” Zollin said.
“Is it working?” she asked, her eyes still closed.
“Look and see,” he told her.
Brianna screamed when she saw the flames, which promptly vanished. They were attracting a crowd now, other dwarves crowding closer to see what was happening. Zollin took Brianna’s hands, but they weren’t harmed. In fact, they weren’t even warm.
“She’s a Fire Spirit,” a dwarf said.
“How did she do that?” another asked.
“Are you okay?” Zollin asked her.
“Yeah, I just wasn’t expecting that. I thought you said the fire would be between my hands.”
“It was just a guess,” Zollin said. “I don’t even know how I knew what it was.”
“Fire spirits can hold and manipulate the flames,” said Bahbaz in voice that was clearly in awe of what Brianna had done. “They can touch fire, put their hands right into a forge, and mold the metal in the flames. We’ve all heard stories of them. Legend has it that Fire Spirits taught the dwarves how to forge steel. I just never thought they were real.”
“I’m not a Fire Spirit,” said Brianna. “It’s the ruby. Anyone can do it. Here,” she said, reaching up to take the necklace off, “I’ll show you.”
“No,” the dwarves replied almost in unison. Their collective response froze Brianna before she could unfasten the clasp.
“You’ve a special gift,” Bahbaz said.
“Only you can wield the fire,” said Hammert.
“No, I’ve seen Zollin control fire,” Brianna said.
“I can create it and even control it, but I can’t touch it,” Zollin said.
“But the magic is in the ruby. I can’t accept such a valuable gift.”
“The stone is yours,” Hammert said. “It has chosen you.”
“We believe that some objects have a will, a mind of their own, so to speak,” Bahbaz said. “You call it magic, but in our experience it is more like a kinship. The stone would not surrender its power to us. Only you can coax the power out of it and wield it.”
“But why me? Wouldn’t Zollin be a better choice? He’s a wizard and I’m just a girl.”
“You’re so much more than that,” Zollin said.
“You’re a fire spirt,” said Hammert.
“I’m a girl,” she said, half-heartedly. “Just a girl.”
They said their goodbyes and resumed their journey. Zollin could tell that Brianna wasn’t comfortable with her new celebrity status in the Jaq clan. The dwarves who had traveled with them from the Oliad clan had great affection for Brianna and Zollin, but this new revelation didn’t seem to surprise them. They treated her the same as always, and Zollin gave her time to think about what had happened. He instinctively knew that she was struggling to accept the power the ruby gave her. He also knew that she wasn’t wearing the white alzerstone ring. He had tucked it safely away in his pack so that he wouldn’t lose it. At some point Zollin had been planning on giving it back to her, but he wasn’t sure if that was a good idea anymore. He didn’t know a lot about magical objects, but it seemed unlikely that she would be able to wield fire with the ring on. He wanted her to at least get used to the idea and perhaps even experiment a little to see what she could do, before taking up the ring again.
They made camp in a small cavern, and Brianna sat a little apart from the others. She practiced making fire and controlling the flames. She liked what she was able to do, but she felt like a little girl playing dress-up. She could make fire appear from nowhere, and the flames could lick across her skin while she hardly felt anything. There was no damage to her hands, but even so her power was nothing compared to what Zollin could do. She didn’t know if the flames were a weapon or just a tool. She could start a campfire, she was certain of that, but she didn’t know if she could do anything else. She needed time to think and explore her gift, but time was the one thing they didn’t have. They had not planned to stay with the Jaq clan, but the virus had held them up two whole days.
Brianna slept fitfully. Her body was still sore from being so violently sick to her stomach, and she had trouble getting comfortable on the stone floor of the cavern. The next day they came to the last Stepping Stone. Zollin rebuilt the bridge rather quickly, his skill at levitating and transmuting the molten rock having grown. When he was finished, Brianna went into the cavern. Like the others it had a pool of molten rock at the center, casting an orange glow around the stone walls. This particular cavern had a domed ceiling with no stalactites hanging down. She walked down the sloping floor of the cavern toward the pool of magma. Normally the heat would have seemed unbearable. She remembered how she felt in the first Stepping Stone cavern. It had been so hot she could hardly breathe, the hot air seeming to cook her lungs. But this time things were different. She didn’t just tolerate the heat, she soaked it up like a sponge. It seemed invigorating to her, and she wanted to get closer and closer to the source of it.
“Brianna, what are you doing?” Zollin called. “You’re getting too close.”
“No, I’m not,” she said.
She was mesmerized by the heat. It was calling to her and washing through her body in a way that made her feel strong and confident.
“Brianna!” Zollin shouted.
She heard him, but she ignored his shouting. She knew what she was doing. She knew that the heat should be overwhelming, but it wasn’t. It felt like getting into a hot bath, when the water feels so good you just want to submerge as much of your body in it as possible and never come out. And there was a change happening inside her, as if some hidden side of her nature was waking up for the first time. She was curious and happy. The long days and nights in the tunnels and caverns had bothered her, making her feel suffocated and claustrophobic. She had fought that feeling for days and longed for wide open spaces. But now, in the intense heat of the Stepping Stone cavern, she felt free. She breathed in the searing heat and then blew it out in a long, scorching blast.
“Brianna!” Zollin screamed. “Your clothes are smoking!”
He ran forward but even with his magical shield raised he simply couldn’t get close enough to her. Then he realized that she wasn’t wearing the white alzerstone ring. He could levitate her back from the molten pool. But he remembered that he had promised never to use his magic on her against her will. He had manipulated her emotions once, in an effort to help her train with her bow, but she had resented and feared him for it. Would stopping her now do the same thing, he wondered?
In that moment of hesitation everything changed. To Zollin’s horror Brianna burst into flames. It wasn’t just her clothes, her entire body was engulfed.
“Br
ianna!” he screamed.
“What’s happening?” Bahbaz cried.
The other dwarves were gathered around Zollin, who was now sobbing uncontrollably. He knew in that moment it had been a mistake not to give her back the white alzerstone ring. He knew the magic of the ruby firestone was powerful, but now he was afraid it had lured her to her doom. He had seen the fire on her hands and how it didn’t hurt her, but that was fire she had conjured. He didn’t know if she was burning alive or not. The heat from the molten rock was overwhelming, and she wasn’t responding to him.
Brianna felt light as a feather. Her body, although strong, seemed somehow lighter and more maneuverable. She jumped up into the air and flipped several times before coming back down to land on her feet. Her clothes had completely burned away, but the flames covered her now, wrapping around her body like a living second skin. She took a deep breath and blew hard. Flames billowed from her mouth just like the dragon.
“Oh my God,” Zollin said.
“She’s truly a Fire Spirit now,” Bahbaz said.
“What does that mean?” Zollin asked.
“I don’t know,” Bahbaz replied. “I’ve never seen or heard of anything like this.”
“I have,” said the gruff-voiced dwarf. “I heard that the Fire Spirits of old birthed dragons from the molten rock of the mountains.”
“That’s just a myth,” Bahbaz said angrily. “And I don’t recall anything about seeing a woman burst into flames or fly around.”
“She’s coming back,” Zollin said.
He picked up a blanket from his pack and held it out to her, closing his eyes so that he didn’t see her naked. The flames still covered her body, but her face, arms, and legs were bare. Her skin, which had always been pale, was now a golden tan. Her raven black hair was now streaked with deep auburn. And her eyes seemed to shine brighter than ever.
“Did you see it, Zollin?” she asked with wonder. “Did you see me?”
“Yes,” Zollin said. He had his face turned away from her, and his eyes were squeezed so tight they were nothing but wrinkles of skin.
She took the blanket and wrapped it around her body.
“Thanks,” she said.
“What was that?” Zollin asked, looking at her for the first time since she had come walking out of the flames.
“I don’t know,” she said honestly. “It felt so good to be in the heat and then suddenly, everything changed.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I’m different,” she said, laughing. “Didn’t you see me? I must be part dragon or something. I breathed fire.”
“Do you think that’s normal?” Zollin asked.
“No,” she said firmly, “of course it isn’t. I’ve never heard of anything like it.”
“I mean do you think you’re okay?”
“I’m better than I’ve ever been in my life,” she said confidently. “Except I lost my clothes. Excuse me.”
She picked up her pack and went back into the cavern. Zollin and the dwarves, all speechless for once in their lives, stood in the tunnel not knowing what to say. When Brianna came back they continued their journey. Zollin decided not to press Brianna for answers. She seemed happy and, for now, that was all that mattered.
Chapter 15
Pain. It was all the dragon could think about. The wounds were festering. It had been driven out of its lair, its gold lost, and now its wounds would not heal. The beast’s feet were raw from scrabbling over the rocky mountainous terrain. His mind was feverish, clouded by pain and totally consumed by the voice. It was always there, always calling for him. He no longer tried to fight the desire. All he wanted was to go to the voice, which on top of everything else now promised to heal him.
Every lurching step ached. The wound in its leg was so intense that the dragon could barely lift it to move forward, nor could it support the beast’s massive weight. The wound just below its wing was even worse. The muscle that worked the wing was dying. After centuries of near invincibility, the dragon was now reduced to an oversized lizard. Enslavement would be better, the dragon freely admitted it now. The humans had somehow found a way to pierce the black scales that covered the beast’s thick hide, and now it was helpless. Of course that wasn’t exactly true. The dragon was still incredibly strong, its tail could strike and kill the largest animals in the mountains. Two mountain lions with their huge fangs had tried to ambush the dragon, but its tail had shattered the big cats’ backs. It could also still breathe fire, so no foe could come close enough to harm the dragon, but soon it wouldn’t be able to move at all. It had been lucky with the lions; together they had made considerable sustenance, but the beast had eaten nothing since. Soon it would grow too weak from hunger to keep moving, and it was too large and slow on the ground to get near any game large enough to support the dragon’s massive appetite.
It was the wizard’s fault, the dragon thought bitterly. It had been tricked into leaving the cave and lured onto the ledge where it could be wounded. If the wounds had only healed properly none of this would be an issue. It could take to the sky and have its choice of food. The beast’s mouth salivated at the thought of finding a mountain ram and devouring the animal whole. It dreamed of succulent fare-elk, or even cows or sheep that the humans domesticated-as it dragged its weary body through the mountains and vowed to have its revenge.
* * *
Zollin pondered how he might bring up the subject of the white alzerstone ring with Brianna. She seemed so happy, and the dwarves who had been kind and protective of her before,treated her with awe now. She had changed, not in a bad way, but she was not the same girl as before. Zollin had known her as the spoiled, self-centered young girl who had treated him as if he didn’t exist in Tranaugh Shire. He had fallen in love with her when she had been the girl with an iron will, refusing to be left behind or helpless in battle. Now, she seemed more content than he had ever known her to be. She was happy, laughing and almost prancing as they made their way through the dark tunnels under the mountains. She often let tongues of fire dance on her palms or on her shoulders to illuminate the caverns high above their heads.
That night when they made camp she started their fire. It wasn’t a difficult spell; Zollin had been making fire with his magic since the day he discovered his gifts, but with Brianna it was different. She could not only produce the flames, she could touch them without being burned and control them like they were a living part of her.
She didn’t flaunt her new power, nor did she use it needlessly. Still, Zollin could tell that it made her happy, and he recognized the feeling. For years growing up in the village as his father’s apprentice he had struggled to find his place in the world. He never felt like he fit in, not at home where he never measured up to his father’s expectations, not in the essentials school where he chafed under the school master’s rigid discipline, not even in their village where he was known only as the carpenter’s son. When he had discovered his magical abilities he had found his purpose in life. Brianna now had that same expression, more confident, more comfortable in her own skin.
Of course, the power, which was as evident to Zollin as the sweet scent of a woman’s perfume would have been to her suitors, only made Brianna more attractive to the young wizard. Her eyes flashed in the light of her fire and he felt a kindred soul looking back at him. The auburn highlights in her hair and the golden tan color of her skin seemed to fit her perfectly. Zollin was forced to use all of his self-control not to touch her when her shirt rose up and revealed a bit of skin above her hip as she pointed up at some geological formation. Luckily they had been on the move the rest of the day, so he had no opportunity to give in to the desire that Brianna conjured in him. Zollin hadn’t felt like he could broach the subject of the white alzerstone with her.
The truth was, he didn’t know why he wanted Brianna to wear the ring. He had given it to her on a whim while they still lived in Tranaugh Shire. He called it a wedding gift, but the truth was greater than that, it was an expr
ession of his love for her, even though he barely knew Brianna when he had given it to her and she had been engaged to marry his best friend. He had acted impulsively, but the impulse had been driven by something deep inside him, more elemental than his magic and connected to the core of his being. But if she put the white alzerstone ring on now, would it rob her of her own power? How could he ask her to give up what she obviously felt was her true self?
They made camp at last, and Bahbaz informed them that they would reach their destination on the next day. The dwarves prepared a lavish meal, having been generously resupplied by the Jaq clan. Zollin, always hungry, ate his food without tasting it. Brianna was laughing and joking with the dwarves, but Zollin sat in silence, mesmerized by the girl who was now a Fire Spirit.
Finally they bedded down, but Zollin couldn’t sleep. He lay staring up into the black recesses of the cavern they were in. The fire had burned low, and the embers cast only the faintest light. He was lying next to Brianna, but they hadn’t really talked about things yet. Zollin was afraid that Brianna wouldn’t understand why he wanted her to put the ring back on and he couldn’t explain it himself. He just knew he wanted her to try.
“Are you awake?” he whispered.
“Yes, I can’t sleep,” she admitted. “Was I keeping you up with my tossing and turning?”
“No, I couldn’t sleep either. I’ve been wanting to talk to you, but we haven’t had much privacy.”
“I know, and even though coming down here has been wonderful, I miss being with you. I don’t miss the cold wind, but I miss being miles away from anyone else in the mountains.”
Zollin smiled. He hadn’t thought about it when they were hunting down the dragon; there were too many other things on his mind, like finding food and staying warm. But he missed the isolation, too. He didn’t want to be alone in the mountains with Brianna forever, but there was so much less pressure in the wilderness. He didn’t feel like he needed to watch his back for assassins or have whole villages depending on him for safety.
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