Fire Meets Water - A Kotlc Marellinh Fan Fiction

Chapter 7 - Linh

All the moisture was sucked out of the air instandly. And Linh felt it, the sweltering heat was almost too much to handle. She instinctively created a waterball, or, more accurately, tried to make a waterball. All she got was a feeble sphear the size of a marble. Nevertheless, Linh splashed it on the yellow flames raging in front of her.

No effect.

"Marella!" Linh yelled. She gleaned over to look at her. Marella was on her knees staring at the flames, a vacant look in her eyes. "MARELLA!" Linh screamed again.

"It's all my fault," Marella whispered. It was barely audible above the roar of the flames, but Linh heard.

"No! Try to stop it!" Linh said, trying to make her way over to Marella side, but even with all her years at exillum, it was still so hot.

"No. I can't," Marella whispered, the flames coming dangerously close to her. She didn't move. "It's all my fault," A single tear slipped down her cheek and evaporated immediately.

"No! It's not your fault, it's Fintan's! He tricked you!" Linh yelled. At the mention of Fintan, Linh looked his way just in time to see his ice bubble, which somehow was not melting, was surrounded by Everblaze. But Fintan was smiling. Linh gritted her teeth, what had the monster done to Marella?

Suddenly Linh heard a pop and saw the Alkahest bubble disappear and the potion splatter all over Fintan's ice cell. He cackles with glee as the ice sizeled before melting away completely. He stepped out of his cage, taking a deep breath of the smoky air, said, "Well done," to Marella, and strolled out of the cave, all while Linh was helpless to stop him. When he disappeared from view, Linh focused her attention back to Marella.

"If you don't get us out of here WE ARE BOTH GOING TO BURN TO A CRISP!" Linh was kind of fed up with Marella acting like this, but her outburst seemed to work.

"I-I'm sorry," Marella said shakily, standing upright, "I don't know what came over me,"

"Don't be sorry," Linh said, "stop the flames!" Marella nodded, a look of pure determination etched into her pixie-like features. She closed her eyes, and pushed out her hands. Beads of sweat fell down her forehead as attempted to command the Everblaze. She exhaled slowly, and for a second, it seemed as if the fire seemed to retreat, leaving Linh and Marella alone. Right as Linh was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the flames came back. If they had seemed angry before, now they were straight up irate. It charged at the girls, doubling speed when it got close. Soon Linh and Marella were surrounded with no way out, the heat almost too much to handle.

Linh took a breath.

It was now or never. Literally.

"Marella, you know that secret I've been keeping from you, I'm going to tell you know because...I don't know if we're going to make it out of here," Linh said, squaring her shoulders when Marella turned to look at her, "I-I like you," Linh held her breath, waiting for Marella to reply. But she never did. Silence was the hardest, even harder than rejection. "I know it's stupid, I just....if we die here-"

"No," It was a simple word. A single word. A word thrown around without thinking all the time. But here, the simple, single word meant the world. "No," Marella repeated, "I like you too,"

She didn't just say that. How had she just said that? How could a perfect girl like Marella possibly like someone like Linh? And then she said it again, "I didn't realize I liked you until a few days ago, but I think I have liked you for a long time, I just haven't realized it."

"Um, I-" Linh was cut off by Marella pulling her close and pressed her lips against Linh's. Linh was so surprised she almost forgot to kiss Marella back. But then her instincts kicked in and she pulled closer to Marella. Both of their lips were dry and chapped but neither one of them cared. Linh cupped her hand around Marella's cheek, just like she had always dreamed, but she never knew it would feel this...alive. There was really a spark between the two girls.

It was a glorious moment.

One Linh would never forget.

All too soon they pulled away, because more pressing matters at hand: the Everblaze still raging around them. Marella seemed to have a newfound confidence. Now, she had something to fight for. She reached out her arms and yelled, forcing the flames to do what she wanted. Not giving them a choice.

The Everblaze seemed to move away a little bit but it wasn't enough, and all the heat in smoke was starting to get to Linh, and by the looks of it, Marella too.

"Marella, listen to me. Don't do this for you. Don't do this for me. Do it for us." This seemed to do the trick. Marella's face bore a look of determination Linh had seen only once before: it was the look she was wearing when she saved Atlantis, she knew she couldn't let anyone die and prove the Neverseen right, they couldn't save everyone.

Somehow, when Marella commanded the flames this time, they actually obeyed. Marella looked almost as shocked, but she didn't let her break her concentration.

Clap. Clap. Clap. Linh spun around to see Fintan with two people in black cloaks behind him. "Well, done, well done, my apprentice!" Fintan said as he clapped his hands slowly. "The power of love, does it everytime," his voice dripped with sarcasm. "I honestly didn't know if you would have enough strength to stop the Everblaze. Even some of the oldest, most trained Pyrokinetics can't do that. You will make such a great new weapon,"

"I am no one's weap-!" Marella screamed but was cut short by a cloth being shoved over her mouth. Linh spun around to see two more people in black cloaks, one restraining Marella and one coming straight toward Linh.

She didn't even have time to react before they pinned her hands behind her back and shoved a cloth over her mouth to muffle her cries. Then she felt a rope tied around her hands and feet so she couldn't go anywhere.

The cloth over her mouth was removed and replaced by another one, although this one smelled sickly sweet.

A sedative.

Linh tried to fight it, but it was strong. With every passing second her eyelids felt like they gained ten pounds. Linh could hear Marella struggling against her bonds, but it seemed far away, as if she was hearing it through a long tunnel. She could feel her eyelids drooping and she fought to keep them open, but the sedative was too strong.

No! Linh thought forcefully, I am not going out like this! But it was no use. As strong as Linh was, the drug was stronger.

Eventually, Linh had to give in. She didn't fight the sedative as it pulled her into a drugged, dreamless oblivion. 

Word count: 1.19k

Art credits: MagicalWalrus on Tumblr