Aidan widened his eyes. Royal clan?
“I’ve smelled your type before,” Kyniythyria had told him, the night after Aidan and his comrades were taken to her cave. “Long ago, there was a clan of silver kin, called the Koraseru, who were rulers of the Great North. Every Dragon of Exodus knew of the Koraseru Clan. It was believed that they possessed a power that was bestowed upon them by the goddess.
“Unfortunately, their reputation also gained the attention of slayers and fiends. The clan scattered, but they were uncovered, one by one, and killed. The clan was deemed extinct. You may be a descendant. If that is true, then you must find a way to restore your bloodline.”
With Gaston about to kill him, Aidan jerked up, straining the purple bonds.
“He’s strong, sir!” Devyn exclaimed, grimacing. “I don’t know ... where this strength has come from ... but I can’t ...”
Aidan’s blood boiled. He could feel the spell weakening the more he moved. With a ferocious growl, Aidan strained his arms and chest and tore through the magical bonds in a rage.
He lunged at Gaston, who stared.
Aidan smirked. Claws extended, he reached for Gaston’s throat.
Out of the corner of his eye, Aidan glimpsed a flash of light just over the tops of the tents. Something large emerged from beyond them—something much larger than he was.
People screamed. Brimstone and blood scented the air.
A grotesque creature towered over the crowd of frightened men. Its crimson body burned like fire.
It easily dwarfed Aidan, and its body rippled with muscles. Its gruesome face sparked fear in Aidan. The cold fury in its turquoise eyes drove deep into his soul. For the moment, Aidan forgot Gaston, and his rage quickly subsided.
He heard a sword hit the ground with a muffled clang, as well as a whisper: “What in Tydus’s name ...”
Fire licked the monster’s red body, but its flesh didn’t burn. It smiled at the chaos around it—people screaming and fleeing for their lives, horses scrambling to get to safety—as parts of the camp went up in flames. The monster summoned balls of fire in its massive clawed hands and hurled them at tents and fleeing victims alike, until the entire camp became a raging inferno. A thick, choking smoke rose from the flames and blanketed the area.
That creature ... So intriguing, yet so destructive! What on Exodus is it? Aidan almost didn’t notice when Gaston wriggled away. He went to grab him again, but Gaston had grabbed his sword and kept it between them.
Gaston scrambled to his feet and yelled to his remaining comrades, “Retreat! Everyone retreat!” He fled, crashing into Carver as the boy ran by, knocking him down. Gaston stumbled, but remained on his feet.
Carver grunted. “Sorry, sir!”
Gaston kicked Carver in the ribs. “Stupid boy. Out of my way!”
Carver cried out, and his body folded in pain.
Gaston motioned to one of the fleeing men, who carried a large sack. Gaston snatched the sack from the man, kicked him aside, and fled.
When Gaston had gone, Aidan made his way to Carver, scooped him up into his arms, and followed the fleeing group.
* * *
Outside the camp, not far away, a fantastic display of elemental magic flashed across the sky and ground. Gratefully, Zarya’s energy boost to Omari’s mind and body still buoyed him. Without it, Omari knew he surely would’ve fallen prey to Raban’s spells.
Raban’s attacks with the thorny vines and briars were weakening. Omari quickly countered the attacks with destructive lightning bolts, which shot from his staff and singed the wild plants where they sprouted.
“Is that all you can do, mage?” Raban jeered. Sweat beaded over his face as he concentrated and chanted more phrases. A slight breeze whistled through the area. Thunder rumbled, and the wind quickly intensified, whirling into a powerful tempest. Hail fell from the sky and pelted Omari. The winds concentrated around him, lifting him, whipping through his clothing. Omari gripped his quarterstaff, his knuckles turning white as he tried to concentrate. “Tueri ... elementa ...” An invisible barrier surrounded him, shielding him from the tempest. He fell back to the ground.
The camp glowed, aflame, and a creature rose up from the inferno. Shocked, Omari dismissed his spell. The storm also dissipated.
“Enough of this stalling, mage,” Raban spat. “I have more important things to deal with.” He transformed into a crow and flapped his wings, cawing mockingly at Omari.
The sight of the camp—as well as Raban’s sudden withdrawal—stunned Omari only briefly.
“Tenae,” Omari said.
A small bolt of lightning shot from his finger toward Raban.
The bolt became an electrified shield that surrounded Raban and held him in place.
“Not so fast.” Omari walked to the crow and disabled the shield to seize the shape-shifting druid. He held the bird with both hands and squeezed its body tight, crushing bones. “You challenged me—therefore, you will finish the fight.”
Raban squawked as Omari squeezed more tightly. Omari could feel Raban attempting to shift back into a man, but Omari managed to break the druid’s concentration.
An electric current surged through Omari’s body and into Raban’s, shooting thousands of volts into the bird until its feathers caught fire. Raban cawed loudly, his voice becoming more garbled as he burned.
The bird fell silent, and Omari smelled charred feathers and flesh. Should have tried that sooner.
* * *
Kaijin remained on his side, and he smiled darkly at the monster standing before him, a creature like the one in his dream.
A roaring blaze appeared around its bare, clawed foot, then traveled up the rest of its body. Kaijin closed his eyes to relish the flames’ heat.
He felt himself be seized and set on his feet, and he opened his eyes again. Kaijin stared into the monster’s soulless eyes.
It spoke to him, its voice hissing and crackling like fire. “They must die. Show no mercy. Show them the true power of the Firelord.”
Kaijin’s smile widened. The firm voice soothed his mind. The red-orange hue around him changed to pure white, flickering light.
His strength returned to him, ten-fold. He instinctively reached for the fiery charm around his neck, but it was gone. He gasped, remembering the theft, looked to the monster, and frowned.
The monster nodded once. “Find it.”
Without hesitation, Kaijin set off into the blazing camp. He clenched his fists, and white fire blazed around them. The world appeared to burn before his eyes.
They took the one and only thing most precious to me. His blood boiled. They dared steal my necklace.
He hurled balls of white fire at two fleeing warriors, and their bodies were instantly consumed by the flames. Fire roared louder throughout the camp, echoing Kaijin’s fury.
Kaijin spotted Devyn, the one who had stolen his charm, lagging behind his comrades who fled the burning camp. The man scrambled to keep up with his leader. Kaijin looked back at the creature. “That is him.”
Grinning, the monster approached Devyn. With its massive claws, it scooped four people—Devyn, Carver, Gaston, and Aidan—lifting them up and holding them in front of its face.
It plucked Devyn from the group and held him in its other hand. Devyn screamed and wriggled about helplessly.
The monster paused, watching him, then closed its fist around Devyn, silencing his scream. The creature’s fist blazed for a few moments and then went dark.
When the creature opened its fist, all that remained was the charm, buried in ashes that blew away in a passing wind.
Gaston’s grip loosened on the sack he held, and it dropped.
Kaijin ran toward the creature, focused on the charm in its hand. He beamed, relief spreading through him, and he waited eagerly for the creature to give it to him.
“Kaijin! The egg!” Zarya yelled from behind him.
Kaijin turned and watched the priestess, who sprinted toward the falling sack, her hand exten
ded, praying quickly, “Almighty Goddess, I beseech your power to extend your gentle hand upon your endangered child to soften the fall.”
A glow of white light streamed from Zarya’s hand and encompassed the falling sack. The sack slowed its descent.
Disregarding the dangers around her, she lunged at the sack, catching it in her arms an instant before it hit the ground. She and the sack tumbled to the ground. The back of her breastplate crashed into the creature’s massive foot; she gasped, winded.
The men Sigmund had been fighting had all fled in fear of the flaming creature. Sigmund turned to the monster, pointed his sword toward it, and shouted, “Creature of the flames, you have done enough damage to please your master. Now, by Celestra’s holy light, return to the Realm of Fire, from whence you came!”
A beam of light, white and golden, shot forth from the blade. The attack penetrated the creature’s burning skin, but it remained unharmed.
The monster’s attention briefly shifted from Zarya to Sigmund. It stared, eyes narrowed, at the guardian, who frowned.
Nester sprinted past Sigmund, hiding himself in the shadows on the ground as he made his way to Zarya.
Kaijin focused on his necklace, but the creature paid him little mind. Instead, its attention returned to Zarya, who remained at its foot. It dropped the necklace, flung Aidan, Gaston, and Carver into the wilderness, and raised its foot over Zarya and Nester, eclipsing them in a large shadow.
Kaijin caught the necklace with both hands. A surge of warmth and assurance spread through every fiber of his being. At last.
He grinned. The charm pulsed, attuning itself to Kaijin’s heartbeat. He donned the necklace, re-knotting the hemp cord around his neck. The charm heated his chest; it felt heavenly.
Reality set in once more, unusually clear. Nester and Zarya were about to be crushed beneath the creature’s foot.
Kaijin blinked and then concentrated his mind on the creature. “No! They are friends!”
* * *
For a moment, Aidan was unsure where he was. His head still spun. He vaguely recalled being in the clutches of a gruesome creature.
He first thought he might be dead—but Carver and Gaston were regaining consciousness beside him. They’d some distance away from the Legion’s camp, but the creature loomed over its burning remains.
Gaston stirred. He got up awkwardly and groaned in pain. His armor was battered. He stumbled forward a few steps, but managed to maintain his footing and stood upright. “I may have lost my men, but I will not lose my greatest prize,” he growled, scowling at Aidan. His gaze then focused on the flaming creature. “That thing took my egg.”
How dare he! Aidan sprang up and yelled, “That is not your egg!” but Gaston ignored him.
Carver slowly stood and moaned, clutching his shoulder. He recovered himself. “Sir, should we not leave? We have lost our men. There is no way we can face that thing alone!”
Gaston hissed and backhand Carver across the mouth. “You are no longer a Legionnaire, Carver! If you want to cower and run, then do so! I will not leave until that egg is once again mine!”
Aidan was about to intervene when he picked up the faintest scent of the egg amid a blanket of smoke and ash. His attention turned toward the burning camp. He remembered Kyniythyria’s voice: “Restore your bloodline.”
Without another thought, Aidan sprinted back toward the camp.
* * *
The monster stopped short of stomping Zarya and Nester, and it glowered at Kaijin. “The Firelord does not have ‘friends,’ mortal.”
Kaijin met the monster’s gaze and gulped.
Screaming and crying for help, Zarya and Nester scrambled away. White-knuckled, Zarya clutched the knot of the bag.
Sigmund drove his glowing sword up into the creature’s foot and ripped it back out. Fire erupted from the wound, and Sigmund quickly summoned a protective shield around him to ward off the flame that rained down from above.
The monster roared and withdrew its foot. The wound quickly closed on its own. The monster locked its eyes on the guardian.
Sigmund raised his glowing sword, ready to strike again, expression determined. The monster advanced and raised its foot to stomp on Sigmund. The fire surrounding its body intensified.
Kaijin ran toward Sigmund. He got sideswiped by Aidan, who went barreling past.
Aidan grabbed Zarya with one hand and snatched the bag from her with the other, animalistic frenzy burning in his eyes.
Zarya grunted and struggled to get free of Aidan’s grip. “Aidan! What are you doing? We must help the others!”
Aidan released her but clung to the bag and fled the burning camp.
Kaijin eyed the monster. “The Firelord does not have friends, but he seems to have allies, for I am somehow His tool. These people have helped me in fulfilling the Firelord’s tasks. Destroying them will not bode well for you, should your master find out.”
The monster halted and snarled at Kaijin. It reluctantly retracted its foot. “They took your necklace too easily. Next time, your carelessness will not be spared, Kaijin Sora.”
The burning flames around the creature converged into its body, becoming smaller until only the orb remained.
The flames dissipated. The land was charred, covered with cooling embers and rising coils of white smoke, highlighting smoldering remains of debris. The air reeked of ash and death.
Kaijin froze in awe of the monster’s departure. Did he really listen to me out of fear? Or something else?
It would be an answer he’d most likely not find out in his lifetime—if ever.
He slowly approached the orb, which still pulsated with its usual fiery glow. It was hot to the touch, yet soothing in Kaijin’s hands. Energy rushed through him as he held the orb. He gazed upon it. “So, it is you who lives in there.”
The fiery voice whispered, “Do not attempt to fathom my power, mortal.”
Kaijin swallowed and tore his gaze from the orb. Sigmund and Zarya slowly drew nearer. Nester appeared from the shadows and followed the others.
“Inconceivable ...” Sigmund’s gaze was fixated on the orb.
Nester hid behind Sigmund, expression still shocked, his face devoid of all color. He was rendered speechless—for once.
Zarya was still trembling. She bowed her head and spoke a prayer of assurance and calmness. Her voice became firm and lent a much-needed tranquility to the scene.
Kaijin smiled, showered by the warmth and beauty of Zarya’s prayer and the assurance of Miele, who settled on his shoulder and softly screeched.
Sigmund turned a hard gaze on Kaijin. “Are we dealing with afriti now?”
Kaijin blinked. “What?” The name sounded familiar.
“Has that monster been living inside that orb this entire time?” Sigmund asked.
“I ... I don’t know. This is the first time I’ve seen it come out.”
“Afriti ...” Zarya muttered. “Ferocious beings of fire. They have been known to level cities and towns with flames—kill entire populations....”
Kaijin and Sigmund looked at the priestess.
“P–p–populations?!” Nester repeated.
“I realize what it is, Zarya,” Sigmund said. “What I want to know is what it’s doing in that orb. And why.” He looked back at Kaijin.
Kaijin locked his eyes at the guardian. “How in the hells am I supposed to know? I didn’t tell it to come out!”
“You are the only one who can hold the orb like you do.” Sigmund pointed at the orb in Kaijin’s hands. “You obviously have some authority over it.”
Kaijin fell silent and looked at what he held.
“Moreover,” Sigmund continued, “I was unable to even harm it when I attacked. I sense rage and fury in the creature, and yet, I could also feel some sort of divine aura about it. It doesn’t make sense.”
Nester blinked at Sigmund. “Wha—what’re you sayin,’ mate? That ... fiery thing’s a god or somethin’?”
“No,” Sigmund pro
mptly replied, “I’m not saying that, but ...”
“Perhaps not a god, but a manifestation of one? Or a servant?” Zarya suggested.
Kaijin swallowed. He continued staring at the orb, not wanting to face his companions.
“Afriti thrive in the Realm of Fire—not an orb,” Sigmund said. “Unless, it is a beacon of some sort—a link from the mortal realm to the Realm of Fire. I don’t know. But while this orb remains in our possession, I remain wary of that horrid creature paying us another visit.”
Kaijin stuffed the orb back in the bag. “I don’t think the creature will come out anymore.”
Sigmund scoffed. “Are you certain, Kaijin?”
“No, but if I have authority over it like you say, then I can tell it to stay in the orb, right?”
“You think it’s that simple?”
Kaijin scowled. “Do you have any better ideas?”
“... No, I suppose not.”
“Let’s just tread carefully from now on,” Zarya broke in. “Let’s avoid towns, cities, and any other densely-populated areas. We are still taking the orb to The Pyre, right?”
Kaijin nodded. “Yes. I think it belongs there. Maybe the clergy there can shed some light on some other things, as well.” He’d hoped the suggestion would satisfy Sigmund, but the guardian still kept a narrow watch on Kaijin, as though he were a dangerous criminal.
Kaijin sighed. “Where’s Aidan and—”
He spotted Omari approaching the camp, bloody and walking with a slight limp, with something in his hand. Percival walked alongside him.
The four of them rushed to meet Omari, relieved that he was still alive. Omari held up the cooked corpse of a crow and smiled thinly. “This is what happens when someone challenges me.”
Enflamed (Book 2) Page 21
