Enflamed (Book 2)

by R. M. Prioleau

  “Why not?” Kaijin asked the brownie.

  “Most ’umans I know follow Celestra, not a god of fire.” Nester shrugged. “Celestra’s th’ creator an’ all that.”

  Aidan scoffed. “Aidan thinks to each his own.”

  Nester glanced over his shoulder toward the giant, who brought up the rear. “Let me guess. Your master told you that when you were a little boy, too, right?”

  Aidan frowned. “No. It is what Aidan believes. There would be less violence in the world if people were more tolerant toward one another.”

  “Does my faith trouble you, Nester?” Kaijin asked.

  Nester whipped his head back around. “Nay! I was only curious. Sometimes, I think you’re deeper in your faith than some of th’ warders! Even I know that fiddlers don’t get their powers from th’ gods.”

  Kaijin sighed. “I follow Ignis because ever since I was young, I’ve had a fondness for fire. One day, I was given a book about the gods, where I learned that there was a god of fire. Since then, every time I look at a flame, I try to see if I can find Ignis inside.”

  Zarya smiled. “But Ignis is fire, Kaijin. You are already looking at Him, yes?”

  Kaijin stared at the ground. “Yes, perhaps. But part of me senses there is something more to find within a burning flame. I always envisioned the image of Ignis to be something beyond its surface.” He smiled slightly. “Something indescribable. Something—” He halted, nearly tripping over Nester.

  The brownie stood stock-still, his eyes focused on the road ahead. His fingers twitched at his sides.

  “Nester?” Zarya looked curiously at him.

  “Shh!” Nester said, placing a finger to his lips. His ears twitched. “I ’ear voices nearby.”

  Aidan walked a few paces ahead of the group and sniffed the air. He slowly scanned the area.

  Kaijin felt his comrades’ tension, as well as a slight shift in the air. He looked to the skies and mentally called to Miele. Within moments, the bat fluttered from the treetops and circled the area, letting out soft, high-pitched shrieks in her nervousness.

  He waited a few uneventful moments before calling to his companions. “Come on, everyone. Let’s keep moving.”

  They proceeded along the road for several minutes but soon slowed again.

  Nester’s ears perked. “Someone’s ’ere.” He eyed the underbrush. “I think we’re bein’ watched.”

  Kaijin briefly acknowledged the brownie, but something else caught his attention ahead. Thick plumes of smoke billowed from a large object. Intrigued, he slowly approached.

  “Kaijin!” Zarya yelled.

  Kaijin ignored her and entered the clearing, drawn by the smoke. He found what appeared to be the smoldering remains of wood, metal, and debris.

  Something glinted beneath a splintered piece of wood. Curious, he pushed the piece of wood aside with his foot and uncovered an old, silver locket. He picked it up and closely examined it. Etched on the cover was an arcane rune that meant ‘storm’.

  Before he could study it further, he felt a sharp ping in his mind. He saw Miele flying above him, flapping frantically before disappearing into the treetops. Kaijin stuffed the locket in his haversack, then heard the nearby bushes rustle and froze.

  He looked to his group. Zarya and Nester approached him, tensed, scanning the area around them. Aidan remained where he stood with his head tilted back, focused on the treetops.

  “Show yourselves!” Aidan yelled.

  Several dark-clad figures flitted through the trees before concealing themselves in the shadows once more. Two others leapt from the bushes and landed before Aidan.

  Aidan narrowed his eyes at the two strangers, leather-armored young human men. They slowly drew their longswords from their belt sheaths.

  Aidan scowled. “Let us pass.”

  The elder of the two men stepped forward, scrutinizing the giant. “You ... whatever you are ... are trespassing. Turn around and leave.” He paused and acknowledged Kaijin, Zarya, and Nester. “That goes for the rest of you, too.”

  Another man emerged from the underbrush and aimed a nocked arrow at Kaijin. “Get away from there.”

  Kaijin blinked, startled by the man’s sudden appearance. He clutched his haversack close to his body with one hand and balled his other hand into a fist, as he prepared to utter the spell that was forming on the tip of his tongue.

  “’Ey, now!” Nester stood between Aidan and the two strangers in front of them. “No need for all this, y’know? We were just passin’ through, aye!”

  The two men sneered at the brownie.

  “Besides, I’d not get Aidan, ’ere, mad if I were you,” Nester continued. “I’ve seen this ’ulkin’ bloke in action. ’E’s ’arder than my Aunt Netta’s cakes!”

  Aidan frowned. “Nester!”

  “Enough!” the elder man snapped. “This is your last warning. Turn back now, or—”

  A clicking sound came from the trees, catching Kaijin’s attention. He kept the canopy in view from the corner of his eye while he slowly backtracked to rejoin the rest of his comrades. The archer near him followed closely, the point of his arrow trained unerringly at Kaijin.

  “No,” Aidan said, stretching out his hand. “No violence.”

  “Please!” Zarya shouted, looking at the men pleadingly. “Why are you doing this? We mean no harm. Please let us through.”

  The elder man huffed. “We obey no one. Go back to town with the rest of the refugees, or find another route.”

  “But we’re not refugees,” Zarya said. “We do not know any other route through this forest. We will not be a bother if you just let us through.”

  The elder man raised his hand. “You’ve been warned.”

  At the gesture, Kaijin turned his full attention to the treetops. He heard the twang and whistles of crossbows firing and suddenly felt himself tackled to the ground by Aidan.

  “Get down!” the giant exclaimed, shielding everyone from the incoming blows with his body.

  Nester yelped from beneath the large creature. “Don’t crush me, mate! I ain’t ready to die yet!”

  All Kaijin could see was Aidan’s broad, bare chest, covered in tiny, almost invisible, silver scales. Being pinned beneath Aidan’s body, Kaijin felt helpless. He wriggled weakly, trying to free himself, but Aidan’s recumbent bulk was too heavy.

  “Aidan!” he cried, his voice muffled by the bulk. “What are you doing? Get off us!”

  Aidan winced and grunted, his face paling and contorting with pain. His breathing became ragged.

  Zarya lay on her back, staring up at Aidan, petrified. “What have you done?”

  When the attack ceased, Aidan rolled off his comrades, stood up slowly, and faced his attackers. He turned away from his companions, revealing rivulets of blood running from dozens of crossbow wounds.

  Kaijin, Zarya, and Nester scrambled to their feet. They gasped at the sight of Aidan’s back.

  “By the goddess!” Zarya exclaimed. “Aidan!” She rushed toward the fray, withdrawing her mace. Glaring at the three visible attackers, she ordered, “Stand down! He is hurt! Haven’t you ruffians done enough?”

  While the priestess attempted to reason with the brigands near her, Kaijin heard leaves rustle and the ratchet of crossbows being reloaded. He looked sidelong at Nester, whose ears twitched nervously.

  “More of ’em,” he muttered to Kaijin, his gaze focused elsewhere. “This ain’t good, mate.” He pulled four darts—two in each hand—out from his leather jerkin and scanned the trees.

  Kaijin heard another sound, and he glimpsed a shadowy figure moving about the branches. Nester flung two darts at the figure. They hit their target, and the figure collapsed from the hiding spot.

  The fallen figure grunted, and the crossbow dropped. The man’s leather-clad body hung limp from the branches, which bent beneath his weight. The trees rustled as other figures scrambled to fill the gap left by their companion’s fall.

  Kaijin watched Nester dispatch two mor
e hidden brigands from the trees with the remaining darts. One of them fell and hit the ground with a loud thump. Soon, the treetops were still, empty of the archers.

  Kaijin rushed to Zarya, who called forth a translucent force shield around them both just as a flail of arrows came at them from the three men. Four more men emerged from behind the cart, weapons aimed at his group.

  “Deal with these insolent fools,” ordered the fiery voice in Kaijin’s mind.

  Kaijin licked his lips and concentrated, recalling one of his spells. The world turned a wavering orange hue, and the air around him began to shimmer. He felt the pulsating heat of his necklace as he uttered, “Flammvallum!” Flames erupted from Kaijin’s hands, leapt to the ground, and created a blazing wall around the four brigands, halting them before they got far from the cart. The heat and brightness intensified, and they recoiled in unison.

  “Woa! Woa! That smarts!” Nester exclaimed, scrambling backwards and shielding his eyes.

  Amid the chaos, the three brigands by Zarya attacked. Sparks showered as a sword blade clashed between one of the flanges of her iron mace, and the sword’s heavy impact nearly dropped her to her knees. Steel flashed as two more blades came at her. As she raised her mace against the second wave of attacks, Aidan shoved her away. She stumbled but regained her footing.

  Grunting in pain, Aidan absorbed the brunt of the attacks on his thick skin. Blood oozed from the crossbow wounds, but he remained on his feet, swaying. “Enough. Enough fighting....”

  The three men wheeled and swung their swords at Aidan. He fell to one knee, attempting to dodge the incoming blows. The steel blades glanced off his silver skin and clashed together.

  Aidan struggled back to his feet and threw himself at the group of men, knocking them to their backs and pinning them to the ground, weapons dropped. He crushed them with his weight, and the men cried out helplessly.

  “No more,” Aidan groaned.

  The flames danced as Kaijin guided them with a subtle move of his hand, entrapping his four opponents in a burning prison. He relished the sounds of the men’s screams.

  “Do not disappoint me,” the fiery voice told him.

  Kaijin clenched his fist, and the flames intensified. Slowly, he began to slip into the heart of the fire, losing himself within. The ravaging flames swirled in a firestorm of chaos as if it attained a mind of its own.

  “Kaijin! Stop it!”

  Zarya’s voice sounded distant to Kaijin’s ears. His necklace pulsated more strongly as his rage intensified.

  “Enough!” Aidan growled.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Kaijin saw Aidan stand and approach him. When Aidan was mere footsteps away, the flames’ heat intensified in reaction to his presence. Aidan halted, and Kaijin resumed his torment of the brigands, realizing the giant was no longer a threat. Kaijin manipulated the flames, stoking them, relishing the screams of the four men as the fire consumed them.

  The flames soon extinguished on their own, and Kaijin collapsed to his knees. He took a deep breath, inhaling the ash and smoke that lingered in the air, and he coughed. His red-orange-hued vision soon subsided. He felt groggy, as though he had been roused from a dream.

  The three remaining brigands—archers that had been trapped beneath Aidan—rolled around in pain. Slowly, they clambered to their feet, one by one. They surveyed the destruction around them and exchanged worried glances.

  “Let’s get out of here!” Holding his midsection, one turned and hobbled off into the forest.

  Another injured brigand watched his comrade leave before taking a last look at the smoldering, ash-filled clearing, littered with the charred corpses of his fallen cronies. Frowning, he turned to his other living companion. “Come on!”

  Together, the two men hobbled into the forest, following after their comrade.

  Kaijin had an empty, yet satisfied feeling inside. The others in his group all stared at him in awe and horror.

  Nester’s mouth hung open. His eyes bulged as though they were about to pop out of his head. “Th–That was—”

  “—Terrible!” Zarya finished. “No one had to die here!”

  Aidan grunted and slumped to the ground. “That is why ... Aidan does not like violence.... Someone always ... gets hurt.”

  “You mean someone like you?” Nester pointed at Aidan’s bloodied, injured body.

  Zarya rushed to Aidan and began tending to his injuries. “Aidan, I can’t believe you did that. What were you thinking? You could have died as well!”

  He closed his eyes. “Aidan tried ... to protect ...”

  “Shh. Don’t speak. Stay still, now.” Zarya chanted and prayed, and a blue glow encompassed her hands. The energy traveled to Aidan’s body, blanketing him. He cringed, let out a small yelp of pain, and then relaxed.

  The blood and visible wounds on his body disappeared. The crossbow bolts fell out of his back and onto the ground, leaving only small traces of his blood on the blades.

  Zarya concluded her prayer, and the glowing energy ceased. She assessed his condition for a moment before standing. “That was very courageous of you to risk your life for us like that, Aidan. Thank you.”

  Aidan smiled at her and bowed his head. “It was least Aidan could do.”

  “Such bravery must not be forgotten.” She placed her hand atop his head. “May Celestra’s blessings protect you and Her strength flow through you.” Zarya’s hand emitted a soft, white glow. The light encompassed Aidan a few moments before absorbing into his body.

  Aidan stood. He stretched and flexed his chest and arms. “Aidan feels great now!” He beamed. “Like he can run for days!”

  Zarya smiled at him. “Praise be to the goddess.”

  “Aidan is grateful for your help.” He bowed again, this time, more deeply.

  Kaijin looked to the corpses before him, and his heart wrenched. The sight caused grueling memories of Easthaven’s destruction to flood his mind. No, not again. I didn’t do this, he told himself, trying desperately to push aside the disturbing images of his dead family’s corpses. I didn’t kill them.

  Zarya approached one of the corpses, knelt down, and prayed over it. Kaijin turned to Nester and then to Aidan.

  Aidan’s brow scrunched while his gaze followed the priestess go from one corpse to the next, bowing her head in prayer.

  Nester tugged at Aidan’s silken trousers. “Why’s she prayin’ over dead folk for—and ones that tried to kill us, to boot?”

  Aidan tilted his head to the side. “Aidan does not know, but we should not disturb her.”

  “Well it sounds like nothin’ but gibberish to me. Not like when she ’eals us.”

  “Perhaps it is special language clerics use. Or her native tongue from her homeland.”

  After concluding her prayers, Zarya resumed following the forest path. She brushed past Kaijin, Aidan, and Nester, then stopped a short distance ahead of them and glanced over her shoulder. “Let’s get going, please,” she said sharply and continued walking.

  Kaijin exchanged glances with Aidan and Nester, and the three of them followed the priestess.

  Silence lingered for only a few minutes before Nester asked, “So, ah, should I be askin’ why you’re goin’ around prayin’ over corpses, beautiful?”

  Zarya didn’t stop walking. “I prayed that the goddess may take them peacefully. Please, let’s not speak on it again.”

  “All right.” Nester stroked his chin, and then looked sidelong at Kaijin. “I must say, mate, that was quite amazin’ what you did back there.”

  “Nester!” Zarya stopped, spun on her heels and glared at the brownie.

  Nester returned the stare. “What? I ain’t say nothin’ ’bout your infatuation with th’ dead.” He turned back to Kaijin, a smile creeping upon his face. “So ’ow’d you get so soddin’ powerful, eh?”

  Kaijin sighed. “I don’t want to talk about this, Nester.”

  “Say, y’know, all that fire an’ screamin’ an’ bodies burnin’—it’s almost
like ’ow some of th’ refugees described Easthaven. Kinda frightenin’ coincidence, aye?”

  Kaijin paled. “Yeah, really frightening.”

  “So, ah, anyway. Will you, at least, show me some of those fiery tricks, then?” the brownie persisted. “That can be kinda useful, y’know!”

  “‘Useful’?” Zarya folded her arms. “He used magic to kill those men, and he almost killed all of us in the process!” Her eyes narrowed at Kaijin. “Now I understand why mages are so feared and vilified around here.”

  A sharp pain twisted Kaijin’s gut. A bitter taste rose in his mouth, and his breathing faltered. The world spun around him. Am I really hearing this from her? He glared at Zarya and spoke in a low tone. “I thought Celestran clerics do not take sides?”

  “We do not, but there is no denying what I saw with my own eyes—what we all saw. You lost control.”

  “No! It was not my fault!” Kaijin felt his blood boil. For a moment, the image of Zarya reddened. He blinked, and the red cleared.

  Zarya’s expression hardened. She shook her head and whispered, “You are a monster!”

  Kaijin’s left eye twitched. What did she call me?!

  “She is like all the rest,” the fiery voice in his mind said.

  Kaijin gritted his teeth. “Yes,” he responded mentally, “like all the rest.” The image of Zarya began to blur. Clenching his fists, he took a step to her. “You ungrateful wench,” he growled in a voice that seemed to shift from his own. “I should have let them kill you.”

  Zarya stood her ground, apparently unfazed. She slapped him across the cheek hard enough to snap Kaijin’s head to the side. He recoiled, his cheek stinging and burning.

  “Punish her,” the fiery voice commanded in Kaijin’s mind.

  Kaijin narrowed his eyes, feeling them crackle with warm magical energy. He raised his glowing fist and felt Aidan’s leathery hand grab it.

  “Enough!” the giant boomed. He grabbed Kaijin’s other arm and dragged him away from Zarya. “No more violence.” He glowered at Zarya. “From either of you!”

  Kaijin and Zarya glared at each other.