Author Games: Dungeon Brawl

Kenna Ashfyre SEMIFINALS

Thump.

Kenna's heart, or rather, the withered remains of a once flaming spirit, beat in her chest as she crossed the dungeon, her legs still aching from their bath in the acid.

Tha-thump.

This was too good to be true. When Aedion took Helios and her heart, she never thought she'd see either again. Years of searching told her King Charles kept all his most precious possessions in the dungeon. It was bold of her to assume her heart qualified as a priceless relic, but she was a phoenix. And as far as anyone knew, the last of her kind. Whoever possessed the heart of a phoenix was granted power beyond any human's wildest dreams–immortality, invincibility, and a fiery power unlike any other.

Thump.

Kenna stumbled forward, dodging the acidic blood that dripped from the dragon's carcass to the floor, before dropping to her knees in front of a glass box amidst the remnants of a wooden chest, likely smashed in the fight with the dragon. Her bloodied and sore hands trembled as she gripped the glass box.

Tha-thump.

Inside, as vibrant as the sun above, half her heart was entombed. It pulsed with the beat of her heart still in her chest. Gently, she eased open the lid.

Thump.

Kenna clutched at the vial of blood around her neck before unlatching the hook. Hands still shaking, she opened the vial and dropped one, single drop on her heart, before placing the necklace back on her person.

Tha-thump.

And then, reciting the spell she had traded several nights with a despicable warlock for, Kenna picked up her heart.

Thump.

It was odd, sitting there, holding half of her missing soul. She had been missing part of herself for so long, she couldn't remember what it would feel like. Would her wings still explode from her back? Would her tail be ringed with fire? What would it be like to be free?

Tha-thump.

Her heart, still red as the day it left her chest, began to glow. Golden streams of light danced around her hands, warm, but not burning. When her heart was no longer visible in the glow of light, Kenna pressed it against her chest.

And gasped.

Light filled the room, chasing away the dark. The world was the golden red of a sunset, the glow of a dying fire.

Kenna was lifted into the air, arms outstretched. Her heart burned with a fire she hadn't felt since she lost everything. She burned with hope. With power. With fury.

A scream escaped her lips, not of pain or fear, but of pure, unadulterated joy. After so many years, joy was a foreign concept, one meant only for dreamers. But the joy chased away her pain, her numbness, if only for a second.

There was one, last brilliant burst of light before Kenna settled against the ground, the sting of her burnt legs no longer there.

Kenna threw her head back and laughed.

"Kenna? Are you alright?" It was Ash who called through the now dim cavern. "You've been in there a long time. And...did I hear you laugh?"

Reality snapped back in place and Kenna took a staggering breath, feeling the pain of loss settle over her once again–stuck to her like a second skin. That brief moment was the happiest she'd felt in years, but it didn't mean things were back to normal. She still had a king to kill, and a kingdom to destroy.

It would be a long time before she could rest.

"I'm fine," Kenna answered, standing on shaking legs. "Be out in a minute."