Cast in Fire

by Zora Marie

  As if fate laughed in her face, someone walked out in front of her and she flat ran into them. By the time she recovered her step, the boys were near striking distance.

  “So, what are you going to do now little witch?” one of them called out.

  “I’m not a witch, a witch can do so much more.” She straightened her dress as she faced them. She thought Hyperians were better educated than this, but perhaps not all of them were.

  With the stir of commotion, shop owners and shoppers trickled to the openings of the stores.

  “We don’t take kindly to witches messing with our little brothers,” one of the boys warned.

  “Well, if your brothers wouldn’t pick on innocent creatures, I wouldn’t have a reason to bother them. Besides, all I did was stop them from knocking a nest full of hatchlings out of a tree. I did nothing to them,” she said.

  “Oh, yeah, well that’s not what our little brothers said!” the more robust of the two boys yelled and gripped his sword so hard his knuckles turned white.

  “Then I am sorry for anything I’ve supposedly done. If you don’t mind, I have someplace to be.” She waved her hand as she started down the street once more, scanning her surroundings for something to defend herself with.

  “Oh yeah?” One of them bellowed, “Well, I do mind. I’m not done with you!” He charged at her before his words had finished leaving his mouth.

  Really? Charging while yelling? So much for not fighting. She sidestepped behind a post into the open fronted weapons shop.

  “So, you’re willing to attack an unarmed girl, now are you?” she challenged. She looked up at the shop owner and picked up a sword. “May I borrow this?”

  The round little man nodded and waved his hand upward.

  She turned just in time to catch the strike of the bigger boy before it could hit her. Cringing as she held against his blow, she willed herself to focus. She glanced around. Too many pointy objects in here. She ducked out and slipped between them.

  The boys slammed into each other when they turned to follow her, and she stopped in the middle of the street.

  “I don’t want to fight you, but I won’t stand by while you attack me or anyone else.”

  “You’re just afraid to get beaten!” cried one of the boys.

  Oy, I bet that one sounded better in his head. Great, now I’m starting to sound like…

  “That’s enough!” a voice rang out from the opening of the next shop.

  “Oh yeah?” the burlier boy called and charged the unarmed shop owner.

  Without so much as a thought of her own safety, Zelia leapt in front of the shop owner and let her instinct and training take over. She struck the boy in the side, but the boy’s sword cut across her chest. With the force of his charge drilled into her, she fell into the shop owner.

  The boy sprawled across the ground and blood oozed between his fingers.

  Caught in the heat of the moment, Zelia hardly felt the gash across her front or the new cracks in her brittle ribs. The boy’s friend charged, and she sidestepped to avoid his blade. As he passed, she grabbed his sword arm and threw her weight backward, he flew headfirst into the side of a shop knocked cold by his own momentum.

  She turned to the shopkeeper and checked that he was unharmed with a quick glance.

  “Would you return this?”

  She held out her borrowed sword to him, her free hand across the gash in her chest. The shop owner’s mouth gaped with his nod. Don’t look back, she thought as she headed down the street.

  She had not gotten far when she heard a familiar voice, “Hey, what are you doing here, little lady?”

  She turned to see the warrior Barg’s eyes widen at the sight of the blood that seeped down the fabric of her dress.

  “Zelia, are you okay?”

  “I will be. The plate blocked most of the blow.”

  “You shouldn’t be around these parts by yourself. This is not the best part of town. Here, I’ll take you to Yalif. Want me to carry you?”

  “No, I can walk.” Her words were a little strained as she started in the direction Barg had indicated.

  “You just can’t stay out of trouble, can you? So, what happened?” he asked.

  “Some boys were trying to kill some hatchlings earlier, and I stopped them. So, they convinced their older brothers to go after me.”

  “And?” he pried.

  “I avoided hurting them until they went after an unarmed shop owner. I jumped in front of him and had to strike the boy.” She stopped walking. “I... I should go back. His friend I just knocked out, but he was bleeding pretty badly. I should go help him.”

  “Do what? Uh, no, you should go get checked out. Besides, they’re probably not there anymore, people get tended to pretty quickly here.”

  With a reluctant nod, she chewed her lip against the pain and started down the path again.

  “You know, Zelia, you are wise beyond your years. That boy got what he deserved for going after a little girl,” Barg said.

  She slowed to a stop, as if lead weights dragged her down.

  “No child deserves to be hurt,” she spoke under her breath. She struggled to hide her emotions and Barg’s shift in demeanor told her she was failing.

  “Maybe I should carry you.”

  She gave a slight shake of her head and continued down the path in a daze, stumbling now and then.

  Yalif paled at least two shades when he saw her approach the infirmary. He shook himself as he opened the door.

  “What happened this time? And it better not become a regular thing.” He patted the bed for her to sit.

  She glanced to Barg, pleading for him to explain so she wouldn’t have to before she sat. She clenched the side of the bed and closed her eyes as the world seemed to spin around her. Yalif spread his special healing salve across her open wound.

  “It’s a clean cut and you should heal quickly with this, but I will wrap you up to keep it clean in the meantime.”

  Yalif’s hand bumped against her back and she gasped as a wave a pain rushed across the back of her ribs.

  “You broke a rib too, didn’t you?”

  She nodded as she forced a breath.

  “You can’t pop it back into place yet, it’ll just break in another place.”

  “What do you mean? How?”

  “I... I’m not really sure. It seems my bones turn brittle, like ice, if I use fire and ice too soon after one another.” Her jaw quivered as she paused. “I think that’s why my ribcage shattered like it did.”

  “Does Yargo know this?”

  “No. At least, I don’t think so.”

  “Alright.” He sighed and continued wrapping her up, this time being careful of her broken rib. “You know you need to tell Yargo. I will tell him if you don’t, but it would be better if you did.”

  She looked down at the cut in her blood-stained dress and sighed.

  “Dain is just going to love this…”

  “Oh, don’t worry about him; it just gives him an excuse to make another dress. He’s just two doors down on the right. Go see if he can make something else up for you,” Yalif assured, giving her a faint smile.

  “Thank you.” She forced a pained smile and headed down the hallway.

  >

  Zelia gave a light knock on the door.

  “Come in,” Dain’s voice rang from the other side.

  He stood over a strange metal contraption, busy at work on his latest project. When he looked up, he dropped his tape measure.

  “Are you okay? What happened to my dress?”

  “I’m fine, and I’m so sorry about your dress. Could... could you make me another?” Zelia asked, shifting her feet in embarrassment at the damage to her dress.

  “Oh, my dear, that is not a problem. As it happens, I just finished making you anot
her!” He spun around and pulled something from a rack. “Here, see how this fits, but that doesn’t mean you should go out seeking to mess them up.”

  It’s not like I tried to, she thought as she handed the torn dress to Dain from behind the changing screen.

  “So, what happened and why does it look like you got into a sword fight?” he asked, holding up the mangled outfit.

  “Because I did,” her muffled voice replied through the fabric of the new white and silver dress as she pulled it up around her shoulders.

  He mumbled a noise she could not quite make out.

  “You should probably avoid doing that, at least until you get better at it.”

  “I don’t want to fight at all. But I only got hurt because I stepped in front of an unarmed man after he stood up for me.”

  “Well, in that case, I will gladly make replacement dresses for you. Just promise me you will take care of yourself. Never mind the clothing.”

  Zelia appeared from behind the changing screen, attired in her new dress.

  “I’ll do my best, but no promises.”

  “That is all anyone could ever ask for my dear,” Dain assured her as he tied up the back.

  “There you are!” Yargo exclaimed as he entered the room. “I have been looking all over for you, ever since I caught wind of a little girl getting into a sword fight with the Jophlin boys.”

  “I’m fine. Sorry to have worried you.” Zelia looked down at the floor, her attention everywhere but on Yargo.

  “Oh come, dear, Barg told me what happened.” There was a long pause, and she could feel Yargo sought answers to some questions, but he didn’t voice them. His jaw set for a moment before he continued, “I am just glad you are alright. It is about time for dinner, you should go join your brothers.”

  Zelia flinched at the word brothers, the laugh of the elf child she had once played with long ago rang through her ears. She shook the memories and drifted past Yargo going off towards the dining hall.

  “There’s our little sword fighter!” Barg called out when she entered.

  Terik sat up in his seat. “I wish I could’ve been the one to knock the Jophlin boys down a notch. They’ve been causing issues for years, but father won’t let me.”

  “And I wish I wasn’t the one who did,” she said from her seat.

  “That’s just because you’re a girl.” Terik sat back in his seat a little further.

  “Oh really?” Her eyebrows raised at his assumption. “So, if you had it your way, you would beat everyone into submission?”

  Everyone at the table fell silent.

  “I didn’t think so. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve lost my appetite,” she shoved herself back from the table and left. No one made a move to stop her.

  If you feel the need to talk, you can always talk to Lumid or myself, Yargo’s words came to her. When she neared the end of the bridge, she found herself unable to speak of the things that weighed on her mind, but the views offered beckoned her to enter.

  “Lumid, do you mind if I sit and look out at the stars with you?”

  “I do not mind at all my dear, come, sit. But why are you not eating dinner?” he peered at her from beneath the brim of his golden helmet.

  “I just don’t feel like eating right now,” she confessed. She wanted to plop herself carelessly next to him, but sat gingerly, favoring her still-hurting chest.

  “It would not have anything to do with that fight you had earlier, would it?”

  “Word sure travels fast here.”

  “Actually, I saw it happen. I heard the commotion and turned to see what was going on.”

  “May I ask you then, is there anything I could’ve done to stop them without hurting them?”

  She faced him and watched his expressions as he replied, “Zelia, you just cannot reason with some people and those boys are a perfect example. They think they are the rulers of that part of town and have no respect for anyone, other than Yargo. If you had not handled it the way you did, they would have escalated, especially if you had used your powers.”

  When he finished, she turned back to the stars.

  “Tell me, why did you not use your powers?”

  “Something told me I shouldn’t, not against them. Besides, I didn’t want to hurt them. Of course, I never really wanted to hurt anyone.” She could feel it as a tangible weight as her past bore down on her. She shoved it back and used the stars to distract herself. “That star over there, it’s dying isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it is. Wait, you can see that? But how?” Lumid’s eyebrows went further into his helmet, surprised at her abilities to see so far.

  “I’ve always been able to see far out into space. The bridge just makes it easier. It’s amazing how different the constellations look from here and how much farther I can see.”

  “Well, you are just full of surprises. Not many see the stars as I do.”

  “What’s your favorite thing to look at, Lumid?”

  “Ah, well, there is just so much. You see that mass of purple, pink, and blue gas over there?”

  Zelia followed the direction of his hand and nodded.

  “That is called a nebula. I would have to say that is my favorite thing to watch, and, some day, that collection of gas will turn into a whole new galaxy.”

  “Hopefully, it’ll happen in your lifetime, so you may see it happen.”

  “I can only hope.”

  They sat in silence and looked out at the stars for a while until Yargo walked in.

  “There you are. I was coming to see if Lumid could see you. Rog and Terik said you left dinner without eating.”

  “I’m sorry Yargo, I just hate the way they talk about death.”

  Yargo eased down beside her and looked out at the stars. “I am sure you know that the only way I can accept them into the hall of fallen warriors is for them to die honorably in battle. So, battle is glorified here for the sake of honor and the right to dine in my halls upon death. It has been this way since the old gods and is something that cannot be changed.”

  “I realize this, but that doesn’t mean we should encourage fighting. Every step should be taken to avoid a fight and keep the peace. I know I’m not one who should speak of it given the things I’ve done, but that is how it should be.”

  The focus of the bridge shifted to Mineria as it aligned with Hyperia and she found she could see the planet’s surface.

  Seeing something moving below them, Zelia asked, “Lumid, what is that moving between islands on Mineria?”

  “A dragon.” Lumid replied after looking down at the islands.

  Yargo peered down at her, a question on the tip of his tongue. “You can see as Lumid does?”

  “My hearing isn’t as good as his, but yes I can see much like he does.”

  There was a long pause of silence and she could feel the tension between her and Yargo rise.

  Finally, he asked, “Zelia, is there something else you need to tell me?”

  “I... you talked to Yalif, didn’t you?”

  She caught his nod on the edge of her vision.

  “Rog told you how my powers don’t get along well together. Thankfully, he doesn’t feel my physical pain, at least not the same way.” She couldn’t help but dig her fingers into her side as she spoke, the pain keeping her grounded and her emotions from flooding from the box she so desperately tried to keep them in.

  “Zelia, where did you get your powers from?”

  She shook her head and avoided eye contact.

  “Rogath already told you.” She forced the words and fought against the urge to move away from him. Her fear of being turned away still bound her not to tell all she knew, though she knew it was only a matter of time.

  “How—”

  “I was there, I relived the memories just as he did. I didn’t know he could
see through me as I did him.”

  “Come, you need to eat. We will stop by the kitchen and get you something.”

  She nodded and reluctantly rose to her feet. She paused before she passed Lumid.

  “Thank you for allowing me to keep you company.”

  “Anytime, Zelia.” He gave her another toothy grin before Yargo led her away.

  13

  Thunder, she thought with a great yawn.

  “What are you doing up so early?” Rog rubbed sleep from his eye with the heel of his hand.

  “Just remembered something.”

  Rog shook as he held back a laugh, and she gave him a sidelong stare.

  “And that woke you up?”

  “No.” She held her side as she stood. “I need to talk to Yargo about Thunder.”

  “Thunder? What are you talking about?”

  “Thunder is a horse in the stables. I promised him I’d talk to Yargo about having him put in a paddock instead of locked up in a stall,” she replied from behind the changing screen.

  “So that’s where you were yesterday. I should have known you’d go to the stables.”

  Rog had flung himself across the bed, half under, half on top of the bedding when she came back out from behind the changing screen.

  “Would you tie this for me?”

  He swung his legs over the side of the bed and secured her dress.

  “There you go. Go ahead, I’ll catch up with you in a bit.”

  She ducked into the bathroom and then a few minutes later, she walked into the throne room.

  “Yargo, are you busy at the moment?”

  “No, why?” He raised a single eyebrow.

  “I wanted to ask you about putting one of the horses, Thunder, in a paddock. The stable hand said he’s not allowed to, and that no one can ride him. The only reason he doesn’t let anyone ride him is that he hates being locked up inside. I promised him I’d talk to you about it,” she rambled on.

  “So, you have been talking to the horses now have you? Well, I am sure we can arrange that,” Yargo responded, scratching his dark beard. “Actually, you can go turn him out before breakfast if you like.”