Soul Fire

1.6

That thrumming in her chest was roaring now. Save them, save them, save them.

With a blinding flash of light, the back door by the kitchen caved in to reveal an orange-clad Stella standing in the door frame. Bloom let out what might have been a sob at the sight of the golden faerie. Stella's eyes glowed against the darkness of the night behind her and she whipped out a snarl at the sight of her friend in the ogres grasp.

"Take one step, pretty faerie, and we'll kill the earthlings." the ogre's deep voice boomed across the room, and Stella went rigid.

"Leave them out of it." She warned, her eyes glowing with intensity.

"Give us the scepter. Now."

Stella's eyes didn't show a hint of fear as she looked towards Bloom, who was being held in the air by her arms in the ogres grasp, wriggling to try and free herself, and to Bloom's parents across the room. But Bloom knew. Bloom could tell that Stella was afraid.

Stella was afraid that she had led this innocent family to their painful demise, all because of her own selfishness. Stella hardened her gaze as she slowly, so slowly, slid the ring off of her pointer finger. Her wings reflected the light that shined from the kitchen as she grasped the ring in her hand.

"Stella, don't!" Bloom said, trying to escape from the ogre's grasp. She cried out in pain as he squeezed, and she knew that if he tightened his grip any more he would shatter the bones in her arms.

Stella looked at Bloom, an apologetic look obscuring her features. You bow to no one. The words repeated over and over in her head as she took a step forward. But he would never get away with Sun-Weaver alive. Because Stella had a plan.

Bloom had to do something. Had to save them. She had tapped into something before, something that threatened to consume her. Bloom didn't think about what she was doing as she closed her eyes and cracked that wall of adamant she built up. She unleashed herself.

If Stella had blinked, she would have missed the hot whoosh of flame that escaped Bloom.

But she hadn't blinked. One moment, the ogre was holding Bloom in the air by her arms, her parents restrained by the other ogre across the room. The next, everything in the room was on fire.

Stella acted completely on instinct as she moved across the room with almost supernatural speed, throwing up her shield of raw light around herself and Bloom's parents. The onset of flames shredded the shield and Stella continued to fly towards her parents as she threw up another one.

The two ogres roared in anguish as they burned under Bloom's flames while Stella snatched up both of Bloom's parents, nearly tumbling from the impact. She pushed her wings to move her faster as she fortified her shields, drawing up energy from her core and patching the holes with half a thought, and whisked them out of the burning room.

Bloom's parents tumbled onto the grass as Stella halted to a stop outside the burning building. Her wings fluttered as she banked up at the last second to prevent from sliding into the pavement on the sidewalk past the lawn. Stella recovered and rightened herself, dropping to the ground. Her heels clicked against the pavement as she landed. Bloom's parents stood there in shock, their eyes darting between the strange flying girl and the burning house that contained their daughter. "Stay here." Stella commanded, walking past them.

Bloom's parents, to their credit, didn't argue.

The specialists ran around the side of the house to the front, taking position by rank around Stella on instinct, each of their siphons blazing into the night.

"Care to explain what's going on here, Stel?" Timothi said, his hand on the gun attached to his belt.

As he said that, one of the ogres from the room slammed through the window of the house and onto the grass below. He rolled around frantically, putting out the flames that were covering his body.