Fireborn

by David Dalglish

  Kael knelt there on one knee, gasping for air, as he yanked the blade free.

  “Holy shit.” He looked to his shield, the blue paint of the sword singed black in a few spots. It should have been burned away completely, just like the rest of him, but it wasn’t. “Holy shit.”

  If Kael survived, he swore, he would find out if Johan knew the shield was capable of such things. Sure, the strange man had called it his most prized possession, but what he’d just witnessed went far beyond that. Heart pounding, he rose to his feet, shifted the shield on his left arm to a more comfortable position, and then resumed his search for his sister.

  The hallway before him wasn’t quite as long as the previous, and it contained far fewer side doors. Near the end of the hallway a second passage branched sharply to the left. Kael barely gave it thought, for his eyes were locked on a pair of majestic doors at the very end of the hall. The ceiling itself rose up to make room, the hall two times higher by the door than anywhere else. Multiple blue lines looped and curled throughout the white marble of the doors, forming circles and whirlpools before joining together in the center as a thick circle. Painted into that circle was a pair of white wings. Along the walls on either adjacent side of the doors, forming a perfectly straight line from floor to ceiling, were dozens of runes painted gold.

  Kael found himself approaching the double doors without thinking, and he blinked and shook his head, surprised he was already halfway down the hall.

  Keep it together, he told himself, figuring he was still recovering from the brief skirmish. He’d passed one door to his right, but before he could backtrack to check inside it, he heard the soft echo of conversation from up ahead. He froze, torn between hiding and attacking, and then the pair turned the corner from the left branch near the hall’s end.

  The first was a blond woman wearing tall black boots and tight red robes cinched at the waist with a silver buckle. Beside her, golden armor shimmering in the white light, was an angelic knight.

  “...don’t know what the disciples are after,” the knight was saying before they realized Kael was there. The theotech froze, but the knight reacted without the slightest hesitation, lunging forward with a sudden burst of his wings. Kael lifted his shield, trusting it to keep him safe after the previous display. Stones the size of his head shot from the theotech’s gauntlet, and Kael cried out as they struck his shield with bright flashes of light. The stones shattered at the contact, and again Kael felt the faint strain on his mind. The impact still jarred his arm, but nothing like the damage he should have endured.

  The knight closed in, sword drawn in his left hand. Kael braced his legs and let him come. This time the knight’s sword bounced off his shield, and in that moment, Kael pulled his shield back with one hand and pushed his other hand forward, fingers curled to narrow the focus of his gauntlet. Three lances of ice flew forth, sharp and thin, their aim for the knight’s exposed head.

  Victory wouldn’t be so easy. The knight dropped to one knee, the lances breaking upon the wall, and his gauntlet dropped to the floor. Two more stones, except this time aimed at Kael’s legs. They were small, each the size of his fist, but they flew with more than enough speed to cause harm. They passed beneath Kael’s shield, both striking his left leg, one at the kneecap, the other his shin. Kael screamed in pain, and his leg buckled. Realizing how vulnerable he was, Kael acted out of desperation. Instead of retreating, he kicked off with his right leg while punching his wings to their full power. The moment he began moving he shut the power off to his shield. His scream intensified as the harness wrenched his back and his shield strained his left arm.

  That pain of carrying his shield was nothing compared to what it did to the knight. They collided with a screech of metal, the heavy shield ramming the knight against the wall. His wings bent and broke, and the knight let out a cry as Kael pushed harder, crushing him. More sounds of twisting metal, and then with a sudden gasp the knight’s body went rigid. Kael cut off his wings and staggered backward. The knight collapsed face-first to the ground and lay still. Blood pooled around him, flowing from where the metal of the wings had pushed through the harness and into his back to impale him.

  Gasping in air, Kael looked to the hall, but the theotech in the red was long gone, having fled back the way she’d come. Kael could only guess whether or not she’d return with reinforcements. Still, there was no turning back, nor giving up. He had to find his sister. Weaving around the dead body, Kael limped to that first room, continuing his search for Bree.

  The room stretched on seemingly forever to his left, needing at least eight light elemental prism shards to keep it lit. The walls were pale white and covered with scorch marks. An empty table rested in the center of the room. A small furnace burned in the corner opposite the door and was the only other object he saw. Kael frowned, for the furnace wasn’t like any he’d seen before. There was no flue to release smoke. On the bottom, the four iron legs were connected to wheels, as if the furnace were meant to be portable. The grate at the front bore thick, heavy bars to keep it locked shut. The gaps in the grate were thin, but Kael could barely see through them to the smoldering fire inside.

  And from within that fire he heard shrill, cackling laughter.

  Kael stepped closer, dreadful curiosity overwhelming his sense of urgency. Eyes wide, he stared through the grate. All he saw were black embers shimmering with orange and red flame. Nothing to explain the laughter. Two more steps, and then he knelt before the furnace, felt its heat upon his face. Watched. Waited.

  Several embers rose up, collecting, reshaping into arms and legs. Burning hands grew claws, and beady black eyes opened from the heart of the suddenly roaring flame. A spiked tail whipped about the back of it, showering the enclosed chamber with sparks. It smiled, revealing a yellow serpent’s tongue slithering between teeth made of liquid fire.

  And then it laughed.

  Kael fled the room, convinced he was lost in a nightmare.

  What was that?

  His mind didn’t have an answer. He feared even pondering the question. Shock crept through his body, making his fingers tingle and his mouth dry.

  What in God’s name was that, Kael?

  He didn’t know. Didn’t want to know. He more stumbled than ran back to the main hallway and then to the next door, the one closest to the giant double doors. His shoulder slammed against it, the handle refusing to turn like the others. Kael tugged on it, saw a bar the top of the door holding it shut. Kael pulled it free and flung open the door.

  “Bree,” Kael said, relief flooding through him. The room was a prison, albeit a nice one. There was barely room for the single bed, which Bree lay upon, the blankets pulled up to her neck. Kael had to twist so he would fit his wings through the door, and he could barely move without one tapping against the walls.

  “You need to wake up,” he said, brushing her side. She stirred, her eyes flitting open and shut. Kael’s relief quickly drained away. She didn’t recognize him, and didn’t seem to understand the urgency of their situation. Praying she was fine, he took her by the wrist and tugged. As she sat up the blanket fell away, revealing a silver gauntlet strapped to her hand, though unconnected to any wings or harness. Kael was confused as to why they’d give her a gauntlet, even without a set of wings or armed with a prism. Frightening, too, was the dried blood he saw caked along the interior of the empty prism compartment.

  “Come on, Bree,” Kael said, fighting to keep his voice calm. His sister forced open her eyes again. She was looking at him, he could tell, but her eyes weren’t properly focused. Drugged? Deprived of sleep? He didn’t know. Kael could only hope she’d be fine enough to endure their escape.

  Slowly, as if sleepwalking, she slid her legs off the bed. Kael pulled her to a stand, and though she wobbled, she managed to stay upright. With achingly slow progress Kael slid her out of her prison and into the hallway beyond. He glanced in both directions, wanting to ensure no one had crept up on him while he got his sister out. Just empty ha
llway toward the exit, and the blue-white doors on the other side.

  Kael stared at the doors longer than he meant, feeling a terrible compulsion to race over and thrust them open. There was no reason to do so, not with Bree in his arms and a desperate need to escape, but he felt the need as strong as his desire to draw breath. As he stared, a deep sensation of familiarity came over him. Distant words, as if from a forgotten memory, echoed in his mind.

  Come inside, child, and speak.

  Electricity raced from his heart to his throat in a sudden jolt. He knew that voice, recognized those words. The voice haunting his dreams.

  “Kael?” Bree murmured, snapping him out of his stare.

  “Sorry,” he said, shaking his head and trying to focus on the here and now. “Can you walk?”

  No answer. Kael grabbed her left arm and forced it around his neck. Her grip tightened—whether instinctual or not, he didn’t know, nor did he care. They had to get out of there.

  He half-walked, half-carried Bree back down the halls, doing his best to keep Bree’s weight on his good leg and limping with his left. When he passed the empty room with the furnace he refused to look inside. Inside was something his mind couldn’t deal with right now. Back around the corner, to the stairs leading up and into the cathedral proper. The sight of natural light shining from the open door was a blessing to his eyes.

  “Almost there,” he told his sister. She grunted but said nothing.

  The two emerged into the Crystal Cathedral. Daylight shone down on them through the broken ceiling shards. The sounds of battle were gone, though it was only a matter of time before more knights and theotechs arrived to assess the damage and begin repairs.

  “We need to fly,” Kael said, still unsure of his sister’s awareness. “You’ll have to hold on to me, all right?”

  Bree’s left arm was already around his neck and shoulder, and she turned to face him so she might loop her other arm around. Kael undid the two harness straps that crossed over his waist and chest, and he yanked on the buckles to stretch them out. Pulling his sister closer, he wrapped them both around her and cinched them tightly, buckling her against him. That done, he locked his arms around her waist, his shield forming a sort of sling as it covered her body. Kael eased the throttle higher, wanting to gently ascend and test the straps before going full speed.

  Their feet lifted off the ground, and Kael was pleased by how secure his sister felt.

  “We’re going to be fine,” he whispered into her ear. “Just hold on, and trust me.”

  Still no response, just a nod of her head that he might have imagined. Swallowing down his fear, Kael pushed the throttle halfway to maximum, and together they soared through the ceiling of the cathedral and into open sky. Kael slowed to a hover, twisting to look about. Maneuvering was difficult and awkward with his sister hanging on to him.

  “Not good,” Kael muttered. Johan’s disciples had taken the fight away from the cathedral before fleeing, but not far enough. Two knights flew less than a quarter mile away, and they had both clearly spotted him. Turning east, Kael resumed flight, heading toward the distant edge of Weshern. Wind whipped across his body, and Bree’s grip around his neck tightened. Teeth clenched, Kael increased speed until the throttle was all the way to its maximum. Kael’s wings were faster than anything he’d flown before, but he was carrying extra weight. If either Bree or Kael moved in the wrong way, he might lose control and careen into the blur of hills below.

  Find somewhere to hide, Kael told himself as a town rapidly approached. Hide, just hide.

  He slowed upon reaching the town, and he dipped lower to the street. Bree immediately pulled her lips to his ear, and she finally spoke.

  “No,” she said. “Keep going.”

  Kael didn’t even hesitate. He jammed the throttle back to full with his thumb and shifted his back to lift away from the gray blur beneath that was the town’s buildings. A quick glance behind him showed the knights slowly closing in, their gold wings shimmering in the blue sky. The town vanished, replaced by farmland. Seeking only distance, only to flee, the twins raced over Weshern, Kael unsure of where they went, only knowing that they needed speed.

  A ball of ice dropped fifteen feet to his right, whistling as it sliced through the air. Kael craned his neck, baffled. He’d thought the knights too far away to accurately attack, but apparently he was wrong. The two chasing knights lobbed shots of ice and stone as smooth, heavy orbs far into the sky, accurately predicting Kael’s path despite the significant time it took the projectiles to both rise and fall. Another ball of ice fell, this one far too close for comfort. Kael veered left, and he nearly steered into a chunk of stone the size of his head.

  Stay calm, Kael told himself. Small weaves. Whatever you do, don’t lose speed.

  Towns and streets passed beneath him in a blur. The edge of Weshern was closing in. Keep flying, his sister had told him, and so Kael would do just that. Perhaps, if he was lucky, the two knights wouldn’t realize just how insane he was. Several more barrages landed to either side of them, some too far ahead, some far behind. Homes vanished beneath him, then a thin strip of green, and suddenly he was over open air. Far, far below, hidden by thin strips of white clouds, the Endless Ocean glimmered.

  Kael shot east like a comet, never changing his direction. The same, however, could not be said for the knights. One veered north, the other south, both keeping close to the island.

  They know I have to come back, Kael realized. So long as they never lost sight of him, they could always get him when he attempted to return to the island. Which left Kael with one direction: straight out, in hopes of losing them completely. Wings thrumming, he let the island of Weshern recede behind him. Nothing but blue stretched out before him but he refused to let the sight unnerve him. He had to fly. He had to keep steady.

  Kael shifted his arms for a moment so he could see the glow of his light element. Just below half. He could fly more than a hundred miles on that, but he had to be careful and save enough to get back home.

  By now the two knights had realized his plan and resumed chase, but he’d already added more than a mile to the distance between them. Kael checked on them occasionally as they soared east. It was strange how peaceful he felt, flying with his sister in his arms, while also knowing that he likely flew to his death. There’d be no outmaneuvering the knights, no eventually outracing them. Hiding would be near to impossible, especially with the sky as clear as it was. Just a desperate turn back to Weshern and a suicide rush in hopes the knights somehow missed their mark.

  Another glance at his light element. Barely a quarter of the bright glow it started with.

  “We have to turn around,” he told Bree, lips pressed to her ear.

  “No,” she responded.

  “We can’t make it to land if we don’t.”

  Bree shook her head. She still looked drowsy, and her speech was slurred, but there was no changing her mind.

  “Do you trust me, Kael?” she asked.

  Kael glanced over his shoulder at the two knights. They’d fallen farther behind, showing no hurry. They knew the limits of a light element. They knew he’d need to turn about soon.

  “Yes,” he said. “I do.”

  A brief moment of clarity hardened in Bree’s eyes.

  “Then fly.”

  And so he did. No turning back. No retreat. Over the Endless Ocean they flew, the miles passing by amid thin tufts of clouds and over a sheen of blue stretching from horizon to horizon. Weshern was but a brown and green speck in the distance, easily blotted out by a passing cloud, the beam holding it aloft all but invisible. The knights hung back even farther, and Kael sensed they were afraid to chase. No one went this far out from the islands. There never was reason to.

  After what Kael guessed to be another fifteen minutes, the two knights turned about and returned to Weshern. Kael checked his prism, saw it painfully faint. He kept on flying until his shield felt heavy on his arms and his speed decreased to a lazy drift a
s the thrum of his wings lessened. Kael angled them lower, and settling to hover above the water, he released the power of his ice element. Round and round he spun, layering it atop the ocean, freezing it wide enough for him and his sister.

  “Here we are,” Kael said as he removed the buckles and lay Bree atop his shield on his little island of ice. Bree curled her knees to her chest, and she closed her eyes as she shivered.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  Her voice was so soft, so tired. Kael brushed strands of hair from her face and smiled down at his sister.

  “You’d have done the same,” he said, and he crossed his legs, turned off his wings, and let the ocean carry their refuge away.

  CHAPTER

  19

  Bree drifted in and out of sleep with the gentle rocking of the water, and despite the cold, she felt like she could relax for the first time in days. Kael hovered over her, always quiet. Occasionally she’d hear him activate his gauntlet, adding more ice to their island to keep it from fading away. Mostly he stayed near her, shifting his weight often in an attempt to keep any part of his body from becoming too cold.

  By the time Bree felt like herself, the sun had begun its descent. Bree opened her eyes, and she smiled when her brother noticed.

  “I like your new look.”

  Kael’s shaved head made him look older, and she’d barely recognized him when he first entered her prison.

  “Thanks,” he said. “We needed the disguise.”

  Groaning against the pain of her stiff limbs, Bree slid up to a sitting position. Her head pounded, but that she could ignore. She pulled the shield out from under her and handed it to Kael.