by Brea Alepoú
She saw it before the creature even had time to realize it caught on fire. The other creatures started to move back, seeing one of their own on fire and burning hot. Melony felt the heat from the flame. Zola tried to push her farther back, but there was nowhere to go. Melony focused on the other creatures, and they too caught on fire. She kept up the same intent and imagined them all on fire.
The flame started off small before it grew tremendously. Melony moved without thinking. She switched spots with Zola, covering Zola with her body as much as possible. The flames wouldn't hurt Melony, but they could hurt Zola.
She felt the heat of the flames against her back, but she didn't fear them. She looked behind her to see the doorway set on fire, and the hallway going up into flames. But no creatures in sight. She gripped Zola's hand and ran out of the closet. Turning down the hall, she headed for the door. Fire licked up the walls, destroying the home she’d grown up in.
She kept moving, and the fire moved out of her way without her even thinking about it. Smoke rose as the house burned. She saw the front door, and she tentatively looked but didn't see any more creatures. Zola ran next to her, and they both got outside in seconds. They made it to the sidewalk, and she turned and saw the flames eating at the house. The front windows burst, and she watched the glass shards fall to the ground as the fire grew out of control.
Zola shook her to get her attention. Melony turned to her, still unable to hear anything. All she could hear was the pounding of her heart as another creature started to run toward them from across the street. Melony pointed to the creature. She couldn't take anymore. Zola wrapped her arms around Melony, and before she knew what was happening, they were teleporting. The colors flashed past her, her stomach flipping.
They stopped, and Melony had to swallow the bile that was threatening to come up. She kept her eyes closed, trying to stop the dizzy feeling. But it was only making it worse. She felt Zola’s hands on her, directing her to sit down. She sat down and slowly opened her eyes. Zola had dark smudges around her face and some of her clothes were singed, but she didn't seem to care. Her only concern seemed to be Melony.
Melony wanted to cry from the care that Zola was giving her. She watched as Zola's lips moved once again, but still, Melony couldn't hear her. Melony shook her head. "I can't hear you."
She must have screamed it, because Zola backed up a little, but she nodded and put her hand up as if to tell Melony to stay. Fear crept up her spine as she worried Zola would leave her. She clutched Zola’s hand and stared into the beautiful green eyes that she had grown to depend on. Her other hand cupped Melony’s face and rubbed small circles with her thumb. Melony calmed and nodded. She would have to trust that Zola would come right back.
Melony looked around at her surroundings, only seeing trees. The sky was bright, but it didn't seem to reach her. She felt cold as she sat in the middle of what seemed to be a forest. The air felt warm, but it didn't penetrate her. She sat back against a tree as she waited for Zola to come back.
Melony made herself even smaller, pulling her knees to her chest and putting her head down. She didn't dare sit there and think about everything that had happened. She couldn't for fear of breaking down, and she didn't know if she was safe enough to break down. She took calming breaths, waiting for Zola to get back.
It had only been a few minutes, but Melony stayed still, fearing that she would be found, and Zola would not be there to help her. Granted, she could set whoever came after on fire. She lifted her head and opened her palm to see if she could conjure the fire again. She imagined the flame, but nothing happened. She started to panic that she might have lost the power.
She stared at her hand, wishing and thinking of the fire that burned so bright and hot. She calmed down a little and really concentrated, and she watched as a small flame appeared in the middle of her palm. She watched to see if it would flicker out, but the flame stayed strong.
She needed better control of the power. Zola wasn't back yet, so now would be the perfect time to practice. She had no idea when she would get another opportunity. And really, the only other option she had left was to think about everything that had happened, and she wasn't dealing with that.
She snuffed out the flame and reconjured it. She did it multiple times. Every time it was a little easier to call up the flame. She still had to concentrate on the flame to appear. And it was still small, but by the thirtieth time, she was attempting to make the flame bigger. She got it to grow to cover her whole palm, but that was it. It would go back down to the small flame if she tried to make it even bigger.
She sighed in frustration and tried again, but she kept getting the same results. It would grow and then shrink. She looked to the tree she had been sitting against and thought about it setting on fire and being engulfed in flames. In seconds, the tree was on fire.
She shouted and jumped up and down, surprised that it had worked. The fire started to grow, and Melony looked to the tree and snuffed the fire out. Getting rid of the fire was a lot easier than calling it up. The fire disappeared and all that was left was a burnt tree, the leaves nothing but ash on the ground. She had done it, but she still needed more control. She looked back to the tree and noticed a weird smudge close to her.
Smudge was the best description she could think of. It was like she was looking out a window, something got on the window that was sticky, and then someone tried to wipe it off only to smear it, warping the view. Melony conjured the small flame in her hand, making it cover her palm. She concentrated hard on keeping it medium size.
Zola appeared where the ed had been, and Melony snuffed the flame out and went to Zola. Hugging her tight, she felt Zola's arms wrap around her. When Zola pulled back, Melony saw she had the small bag that she’d had the gems in. The bag looked full. Zola smiled at her, but when she looked behind Melony at the fire-crisped tree, concern crossed her face.
"Everything’s okay," Melony said.
Again, Zola winced. Melony felt bad, but she had no idea how loud or quiet she was being. Not being able to hear was messing with her. She hoped she'd be able to hear soon. Zola nodded, dug out a light blue rock, and handed it to Melony.
Upon closer inspection, the rock had green specks in it, and it was smooth and soft to the touch. She remembered that the rock Zola had pulled out earlier had been white and hid all the mud and blood on her clothes. She thought for a second. She believed Zola referred to them as casting gems. She looked to Zola, and Zola motioned for Melony to press the gem to her ear. Melony did but nothing happened. Zola pulled out a small piece of paper and handed it to Melony.
Epikaloúmaì.
Melony turned the paper over, looking for directions of some sort, but there was only the one word. She looked to Zola again, and she nodded to the paper that was in Melony's hand. Was she supposed to just say the word? She sighed and made a conscious effort to only whisper the word.
She pressed the cool stone to her ear. "Epikaloúmaì."
Heat radiated to her ear, and she yelped at the buzzing noise that began to ring in her ears. She kept the stone pressed to her skin, and other noises began to filter in. She could hear Zola talking.
"It's working, right?" Zola asked.
Melony nodded. The crunch of leaves had her turning and looking.
"What's wrong?"
Melony didn't know, but she could hear something or someone moving. More sounds came to her, more footsteps, but from the opposite direction. Melony turned to see if she could see anything. Her eyes didn't see any movement, but she could clearly hear it. The gem in her hand got hotter, and Melony could hear whispers clearly, as if someone was talking.
"Take the girl. She’s a witch—she may have fire gems on her."
"The unicorn will be a perfect gift."
"It's a warrior one. Be careful not to kill it."
Melony listened to the conversation, her heart racing. She realized they were surrounded as more footsteps joined the others.
"Melony." Zola moved in fr
ont of her face, breaking her concentration.
"We need to go now," Melony said. Her hand hurt, as if it was being burned off. "Ouch." She dropped the gem, and it exploded as soon as she released it.
"Wow," Zola said.
They stared at the burnt spot on the ground where the gem had exploded.
"We don't have time. Zola, teleport us out of here. We're surrounded."
Zola didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around Melony. Melony prepared herself for the swirl of colors and the sound flashing past her, but they didn't move.
"Zola," Melony said.
Zola unwrapped her arms and drew her sword. "Someone's blocking me. They must be close, but I can't hear anything."
Melony could. She heard people moving toward them. “To the right—at least four people are moving."
Zola looked at her as if she was crazy, but she moved them a little farther away. "You have fire, but you might set the whole forest on fire, and I can't let you do that. Our only option is to run."
Melony nodded. If only she had better control, then she could set things on fire without it going crazy.
"Which way is clear?" Zola asked.
Melony listened. "That way." She pointed to the left. There were different groups moving toward their location. "They're moving faster," she warned.
Zola nodded, handed Melony her sword, and the bag with gems in it. Zola stripped her clothes off in front of her. Melony felt her face warm as she looked at Zola’s naked form.
"Once I change, you get on and don't let go," Zola said.
Before Melony could ask any questions, Zola’s body shimmered in front of her. Colors surrounded her, and it was almost too bright for Melony to keep her eyes open. She squinted, not wanting to miss a second of what was happening.
It felt like minutes but was probably more like seconds. Where Zola once stood, now was a breathtaking unicorn. Melony’s jaw dropped as she looked at the grey-haired unicorn. Her mane was pure white, along with her horn. There were colorful specks on the side of the unicorn.
The unicorn stomped its hooves a few times, and Melony realized Zola was telling her to hurry up. Melony had never ridden a horse, but she was about to get a crash course in how to ride one. Hopefully, she didn't do the crashing part. Zola lowered herself as Melony put one leg over and hoisted herself up. She had to hold onto the silky mane. She tried not to pull too hard, but she was pretty sure she had pulled a few strands out trying to get up onto Zola’s back.
She was as secure as she was going to get, but she had no idea where to grip. She sighed. "Sorry," she whispered to Zola.
She wondered if Zola still understood human speech now that she was a unicorn, or if she now spoke horse. Or do unicorns have their own language? Zola moving pulled Melony out of her rambling thoughts. She wound her hands in the thick, long mane and held on as Zola picked up speed. Melony put her head down and held on for her life.
Chapter Seven
Melony
The wind rushed by, and she jostled on top of Zola’s back. She’d nearly fallen off twice so far. She listened again and heard movement coming from their right.
"Right. Enemy." With all the wind, it was hard for her to talk. Zola instantly turned the other way. Melony figured out that Zola, in fact, could understand her.
Melony yelped as she started to slide off Zola, but Zola moved a certain way, and Melony caught herself and righted. After this, she wasn't too sure if she wanted to ride a horse or unicorn ever again. Her thighs ached from holding on so tightly, and she was sure she was hurting Zola.
A tree branch breaking caught her attention. She looked behind them, but she didn't see anything with the small glimpse she took. She couldn't afford to look behind her when her balance wasn't so great. Zola stopped suddenly, nearly flinging Melony off her back.
"Shit." Melony opened her eyes and realized they were surrounded. But how? She had been listening for anyone getting close to them, so how in the hell had they snuck up on them? More of the grey wolf/human-looking creatures snarled at them. Zola stomped her hooves, and none of them came near.
A giant man with scarlet red hair jumped down from a tree a few feet from Zola and Melony. The man was huge, and he had a book in his hand. He glared at them. A woman walked into the small clearing from the left. She had a gem in her palm, and four others joined her.
Surrounded, they were in trouble. Melony remember the bag of gems in her hand, and she went to grab one.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, unless you want to die," said the woman who held the gem in her hand. She looked calm and confident.
Melony instantly didn't like the woman, with her blonde hair and smug smile. "What do you want?"
The smile on the woman’s face seemed to grow as she walked closer to them. Zola stomped her hooves in warning. There were too many of them, but the warning seemed to have worked. The blonde eyed Zola and stopped moving forward.
"What coven do you belong to? You're in Queen Lydia of the Danette coven’s territory."
Melony had no idea what she was talking about, but she was guessing Queen… whoever was someone important. If she made up some coven name, would they call her bluff? Or would they say okay you can leave, but you will have to pay a fine? She wished Zola wasn't a unicorn at this second, because Melony was lost as to what to say.
She just stared at the blonde, still not sure what to say, but staring didn't seem to get her anywhere. The red-headed man moved a little closer, and Melony watched him. Zola said not to set things on fire, but this was life or death.
"Well?" the man said impatiently. The other people around them didn't move, neither did the creepy creatures.
"Can I get multiple choice? I'm not so good at the whole fill-in-the-blank thing."
No one laughed at her attempt at a bad joke. Melony sighed. She didn't have an answer to their question, because she had no idea. The creatures started to walk near them, and Melony looked at them and set them ablaze.
“How did you do that?” the blonde asked.
Before Melony said anything, she was tackled off the back of Zola’s back. She heard Zola fighting off the attackers. Melony tried to get up, but the person on her was heavy. She was pressed firmly into the ground. Melony closed her eyes and imagined her whole body on fire, knowing the fire would only burn the person touching her.
Shrill screams penetrated the air as the weight on her back finally lifted. Melony got off the ground and looked around. The man that had been on top of her was trying to put the fire out, but was instead setting fire to the grass. Zola was going to be pissed. Melony turned to look for Zola.
She froze as she saw Zola wrapped in some type of rope, bound on the ground, her green eyes staring back at Melony. “Let her go,” Melony shouted.
They were too close to Zola for her to set them all on fire. If only she could guarantee that Zola wouldn't be hurt.
"Surrender or we will kill the unicorn," the blonde said.
"I surrender! Let her go," Melony pleaded. She would give anything to help Zola.
"Kneel down. Mezi, put the null cuffs on her and take the gems that she is clearly using." The blonde turned to talk to someone behind her. "Come put this fire out before the whole forest burns down."
Three people came running over. They were clothed in leather and hoods. One had a stone. Melony watched as it glowed and water appeared to put the fire out. The other two had books in their hands and whispered a bunch of words that Melony didn't even try to understand. Water appeared out of thin air, and they tried to douse the fire. The flame didn't budge; it looked as if it was growing larger. Melony thought about just letting everything burn, but she looked to Zola. Her eyes were full of concern.
Melony sighed and called the fire back to her, but she made sure to make it seem as if the water the others used actually worked. Soon, the fire was out. Melony kneeled. She didn't hear anyone move until she felt a thick metal bracelet around her wrists. She turned her head to see who was placing the cuffs on her, bec
ause she couldn't hear a sound from them. A blue haired child with long, pointy ears was bent over securing the cuffs. She could clearly see the girl, but if it wasn't for her eyes, she wouldn't know the girl was even there.
Melony made eye contact with Mezi, and the sorrow there had Melony wondering what could have the girl so sad. Mezi reached in Melony's pocket and pulled out the bag of gems Zola had asked her to hold. The bag went flying in the air over to the blonde.
The blonde opened the bag. Her head shot up, and she glared at Melony. "Find the fire gem," she demanded.
Melony wanted to say there was no gem, but she got the distinct feeling telling them she didn't use a stone was going to be bad for her. Little hands reached into all Melony's pockets, but they all came up empty.
"Where is the gem?"
Melony shrugged. "I don't know, but you have me. Let Zola go."
The blonde looked back to Zola. "This is the great Zola of the Opal herd?" The blonde looked at Zola as if she was a prized trophy. "Queen Lydia will be most pleased. Gather them both up."
"Wait, you said if I surrendered tha—"
"I'm going to stop you right there. I never said anything but to surrender." The sneer on the blonde’s face had Melony balling her fists.
Melony glared at her, imagining her on fire. Nothing happened. Melony brought her hand up, and she tried to conjure a flame in her palm. Not even a flicker. She looked to the metal bracelets on her wrists. There were pink gems embedded in them. She had no idea what the gems did, but based on the name the blonde called the bracelets, they nulled her power.
Melony was roughly grabbed by her hair. "Ouch, you could have just asked me to stand up," she complained.
The guy shrugged and pushed Melony to get her to walk.
"Have you ever heard of words? Using them might help."
The man paid her no attention and kept pushing her forward. She really wished her fire worked right about now. She sighed. She hadn't even wanted the power, but when she needed it, she couldn't use it.
