Rise From the Ashes

Chapter Seven: The Rescue Mission

(NARRATED BY TRAVIS GUILDER)

There she was, nervously tiptoeing down the road with nothing but a flashlight. "I can do this," Megan muttered to herself. "I have to do this."

In the distance, the blood-red glow of flames could be seen.

"Almost there," she said. "Just a few more—"

She stopped at the sound of horses' hooves striking the road. Megan slowly looked back, then broke into a sprint as if she were running for her life. The sound was getting louder and louder, until eventually it stopped. And with that, Megan did, too.

"Going somewhere?" a cool, yet sinister voice asked.

I had heard somewhere it before....

The figure on his blood-red steed removed his hood, revealing his face. He looked very young—perhaps twenty-four years old. His hair was light blonde and almost white, while his eyes were black. In one hand, he held a blade that changed color every so often.

The man circled around my sister with his weapon pointed directly at her. Megan crept back slowly in terror as she reached for her flashlight. When she finally grabbed hold of it, the man grinned. "What could you possibly hope to accomplish with that?"

Megan just stared at him in terror.

"How rude of me!" he laughed, dismounting his steed. "I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Alexandrio Lectavus, King of Krenshia."

Megan was too stunned to respond.

"What are you doing out on a night such as this?" Lectavus inquired. "It is much too dangerous to be traveling alone. Are in search of someone?"

Finally, my sister managed to speak: "Who are you?"

Lectavus frowned. "I am fairly certain that I already—"

Megan threw her flashlight, hitting him on the temple. Liquid trickled from the wound, but it quickly healed itself. Meanwhile, Megan turned and ran.

"You will pay for that, you little brat!" Lectavus roared. He then turned about. "It is obvious that the current plan has not been working. I can sense the children's presence, but Pyro has been using his phoenix to toy with our minds and lead us in circles. Unfortunately, I am not yet strong enough to resist his power, but we can still lure in the Chosen Heroes without pursuing them directly."

It was then that the three, black-armored warriors emerged. Their faces were all hidden by their helmets.

The middle one spoke: "Sire, we've already trapped their parents. Isn't that enough?"

"The children likely believe that they will be safe without them," the king surmised. "However, there is no doubt in my mind that they will pursue that girl. She is only a child, after all."

"What do you suggest?" the warrior asked.

"I want you to capture her," he said, "then wait for them to arrive. When they do, slay them on sight. I will give you enough time to enter the town before I summon the wall of fire. That way, no one from the outside will be able to interfere with my plan."

"But Sire, won't that make it difficult for them to reach the girl?"

Lectavus shook his head. "There is one among them who can extinguish the flames. And when that happens, treat it as a warning signal. Be prepared. Are my orders clear?"

The warrior nodded.

"Good. Once my work here is done, I shall have Calvin Azlarus teleport me back to Pyro so that I may resume the ritual. Do not fail me."