A Savior of Flames

Chapter 3

I grab a cloak and a scarf, pulling them both on in record time. I toss a scarf to Rowan too, and he quickly covers his face. "It's probably best that you change the color of your eyes." He nods, and I watch the glowing yellow fade to the golden brown honey color that he showed me before. I blow out the candles, dousing any light that would indicate people being inside the cottage. I grab my sword that is hanging by the door, unsheathing it and gripping it tightly. I have a feeling that Rowan doesn't exactly need any weapons, being able to control fire and all. We both walk out of the cottage, and make our way to the wall in complete stealth. I make my way to a spot where I know there is a break in the wall, making sure to stay out of sight from anyone that could see us. I press my back against the wall, my sword arm stretched out, ready to strike. Nothing has ever got through my wards before, but that doesn't mean that nothing ever will. There's no chance I'm the most powerful being, probably nowhere near it. I hear the distinct crunching of leaves and grass, on the other side of the wall, and I turn to Rowan, my eyes wide. There is someone out there. Rowan nods, and raises a hand, a ball of fire in his palm. I turn back to the opening in the wall, waiting. The footsteps get closer, and I hold my breath. The steps stop, and I can feel a presence less than a foot away from me. One step, and another. I raise my sword to swing, and I'm halfway through the swing when the person screams bloody murder, and my sword stops short.

"Now is not the time!" Rowan scolds me in a loud whisper. I keep my sword raised to the intruder's neck, and I push myself away from the wall. I look at the intruder, surprise taking over me. They are easily over the line that signifies my forcefield.

"How did you cross my forcefield?" The intruder also has a scarf covering their face, so the only thing I can see is the bright blue eyes illuminated by Rowan's fire. The intruder stammers, nervous about the sword that could move at any second and drive them through. "I'll ask again, how did you cross the forcefield?" Breaths spew out of the person quickly, and words fail to form. Despite the sword to their neck, the intruder narrows their eyes, studying Rowan and I deeply. They raise their hands and take a step back from my reach. I keep the sword raised, but I don't charge at them.

"Where did you get that cloak?" The intruder points accusingly at Rowan. The question catches both Rowan and I off guard. What an odd thing to ask about when there's two people a couple feet away that could kill them. They study the cloak for a few seconds, and then their eyes jump to me. Their eyes widen.

"Erista?" I freeze. How did they know my name? I see Rowan falter too, and the flame in his palm dies out. I study the intruder, and I feel like the breath has been sucked out of me.

"Clarissa?" I pull my scarf away from my face, and my sword drops to the ground. The other person removes their scarf, and I'm looking into the face of my older sister. "Clarissa! It is you!" I close the gap between us, crushing her into my embrace. Her hand moves behind my head, smoothing my hair.

"Little sister, I never thought I would find you!" I feel tears of relief begin to pour from my eyes. I grab her tight around her middle, not completely feeling like she's real.

"I can't believe you're here! How did you escape the kingdom?" She pulls back, but remains in my embrace. She pushes some wild hair behind my ear, studying my face with teary eyes. She smiles, pure joy taking over her features.

"It doesn't matter. All that does matter is that I found you." She pulls me back into the bone-crushing hug, and I return it. I hear an odd noise from Rowan.

"Hate to break this up Princess, but we should get back inside. There could still be people outside the wall." I pull away from Clarissa, but grab her hand in a tight grip. Rowan leans over and retrieves my sword from the ground, dangling by his side in a nonchalant way. I nod, and we all begin walking back to the cottage together. We get to the door, and even though I don't want to, I drop Clarissa's hand and motion to her.