The Atheil Chronicles: A Call to Fire

Chapter 37

Ariana swallowed, watching Morgrean advance on her, his wicked black sword pulled out in front of him as he walked. Then she looked down at herself, her arms still alight with flickering flames of red, orange, and yellow that blazed and writhed around her in the evening glow. Her dirtied nightgown was covered in blood and grime, flapping behind her in the wind like a banner; her last stand. Time seemed to slow as Morgrean came to a stop before her.
He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving with every labored breath that he took. She almost gasped as she got her first clear look at his misshapen face. His right eye was completely burned shut, the flesh across his eye and down his face on that side having been burned away so that the muscle beneath it was visible along with the gray leathery texture of the bottom layers of his skin showing around it. His left ear had been horribly disfigured, seeming to have melted into itself so that it was more like a misshapen heap of flesh sitting on the top of his head than an actual ear. His clothes were like rags hanging off of his muscular frame, the fire having ravaged most of the fabric so that it was barely held together. Even as she noticed all of these things, though, her eyes were drawn back to his face and she could see the violent hatred brewing there.
He let out a growl that sent shivers up her spine at its ferociousness. "Do you think that I'm above torturing your friend there to a slow and agonizing death?" He laughed, sounding demented in his fury. He took a step closer, the light of the sun glinting off of the dark metal of his sword like the sparking of flames. "By the time I'm done with her, you'll be begging for death alongside her."
Ariana swallowed but his threats were having the opposite effect on her than he meant them to. Instead of making her more scared, they were filling her with a greater strength of will. If she knew one thing at that moment, it was that she would never let him hurt anyone else because of her ever again. In her mind, she could hear the words that Tyrynion had told her, feeling like it was a lifetime ago now when they had been traveling through Orlac. "Every time you find yourself in a situation where you must choose between life and death, it will be difficult. However, sometimes it's truly necessary to kill in order to save yourself or another person. In that case, you learn to live with it because it was what you had to do." She took a shaky breath, her heart racing in her chest, and put her right foot forward just like Ryonen had shown her, closing her eyes as she centered herself.
She could hear the fighting in the distance, the clattering of swords as metal met metal, and then she heard the sounds of Morgreans footsteps, the stone crushing under his feet as he got closer. She opened her eyes, reaching her flame drenched hand down to wrap her fingers around the grip of her sword, pulling it out of the sheath and bringing it out in front of her in one fluid motion.
The second that her fingers wrapped around the grip of the sword, a magnificent flash of light like lightning exploded throughout the courtyard, the sight of it so bright that it was nearly blinding in its intensity. A powerful gust of wind rolled off of her like a solar flare, the whirling winds emanating from her in a ripple of pure power. Morgrean got the brunt of it, being thrown backward into the courtyard and tumbling into the rest of the Goblins, who were all shielding their eyes and turning away as they braced themselves against the onslaught of the force of the wind.
Simultaneously, Ariana could feel herself being lifted into the air by the same forceful winds, their tendrils wrapping around her like a cool embrace as her head, hair, and limbs were thrown back as if being pulled by some invisible force. It was as if she were in the middle of a cyclone, the pressure of it feeling like she was being ripped apart. Then a coolness washed over her and the fire from her arm spread, engulfing her entirely within its red and orange blazing flames. As it raged around her, the brilliance of its light overwhelming her, she suddenly felt like she was caught up in a vice, her body being squeezed almost unbearably before a feeling like she was shedding her skin washed over her. The sensation was strange, like paint that had dried on her skin was suddenly being peeled away in increments. As suddenly as it all began, it was over, the wind lowering her gently to the ground as everyone within a 100 foot vicinity still faced away from the brilliance of the light surrounding her.
She looked down at her hand holding the sword and, as she watched, the flames moved up her body and down the length of her arm, concentrating its intensity into the blade of the sword. As the flames flickered there, licking the air greedily while they writhed around the blade, the color shifted from swirling red, orange, and yellow tendrils to vivid cyan blue flames. As the wind began to die around her, she felt her hair fall down to settle on her shoulders and she was taken aback as strands like silvery moonlight fell in glittering waves down her front, a brilliance seeming to shine from within them as if they held the light of the moon itself in them. Awe-stricken, she lifted her blade so that she could gaze upon herself in its reflective surface, seeing herself as she truly was for the first time.
Looking back at her was someone that she had never seen, an Elven woman who was both remarkably stunning and alien at the same time. She pulled the blade closer, gripping the hilt tightly to keep her hand from trembling. As she stared into the blade, she saw a pair of brilliantly blue upturned eyes set in a heart shaped face, the pale skin tight and firm over her incredibly sharp angular cheekbones. Her nose was no longer the cute little button nose from before but the shape was now that of a delicate turned up nose under which sat a pair of shell pink lips with a peaked cupid's bow. She felt her breath hitch in her throat as she realized that her whole facial structure had changed; she couldn't find one single feature from her old self in the reflection there. The waving silvery hair sprouting from her head was like rivers of shimmering moonlight and she reached up a shaking hand to touch it, gasping as she saw pale slender fingers that were not her own.
As the light faded around her, she could see that even those on the battlefield had paused their fighting to watch her. She got the briefest glance of Ryonens awe-stricken face before Morgrean's snarls brought her back to the present. She turned to him, seeing his eyes widen with shock but remain somewhat narrowed against the brilliance of her. While the light had significantly lessened, she still seemed to be shining with some inner light and, combined with the continuous roaring blue flames of her blade, it was still too much for his eyes to behold.
His narrowed eyes bore into hers for a long moment and then he raised his sword, the point aimed straight at her. "You still have the choice to come to me without force." He said, taking another step closer. He was only 3 feet away from her now; their swords would be close to touching if he only took one more step. "Although," he said, giving her a fanged smile, "I don't mind having to use force."
She felt her breath hitch in her throat and she once again looked down at Rael behind her, her bloodied face staring up at Ariana with something like fear and wonder. She was only in this situation because Tyrynion had gone to her for help. She was only bloodied and beaten because Morgrean and Malor wanted Ariana and she just so happened to be in the way. If Ariana gave in to Morgrean's demands, there would be no mercy for Rael; they would torture her until they chose to kill her or the sweet release of death took her. No, Ariana told herself quietly, anger rising up in her at the thought. No more. She turned her eyes back to Morgreans disfigured face, locking eyes with him.
    "Let me go or kill me, I won't come back either way." She said, surprising them both with the ferocity of her tone.
"Wrong answer, Princess." He spat, his own fury evident in his flaring eyes. "You WILL come back with me. I told you before and I'll tell you again; YOU ARE MINE." He roared, his words echoing throughout the courtyard. The fighting still hadn't resumed on the battlefield as everyone had their eyes trained on the two of them, Goblin and Girl.
Her heart thumped in her chest as she gazed into his cold, murderous eyes. She thought of tortures beyond anything she could have imagined, of waiting for someone, anyone, to come for her, of nights spent staring at the moon as her soul shattered inside of her, and of scars that would never truly heal. Pain rose up inside of her but with it also came courage, the two coming together and mingling until they were one entity. She could feel them raging inside of her like a swirling ocean, the waves crashing over her, pushing and pulling on her until she was something else entirely. Maybe that was already true, she thought, squaring her shoulders in resolve.
    "I am mine, and mine alone." She said, and she took one final breath before raising her sword to strike.
Morgrean crossed the space between them in a flash, his sword held in a defensive position to meet hers. She could tell from his stance that he meant only to subdue her, not harm or kill, so she knew that he wouldn't be using anything except defensive moves. Malor had been clear that she was not to be killed and this would be his downfall; he wouldn't be allowed to fight her as viciously as she intended to fight him. For her, this was life or death. She wasn't leaving this place with him, she knew that in her soul.
As the two swords collided, sparks flew from the blade, shooting into the air in blue trailing fireballs that began cascading down to the earth. Ariana saw fear for the first time in Morgrean's face as she continued her momentum and shoved him backward with the force of her swing. Something was happening besides just the adrenaline that was racing through her veins, something that was adding to her strength and agility. She could feel a lightness spreading down her arm and a confidence that she wasn't even sure was hers. It was almost as if the sword knew what it wanted, that it was guiding her rather than her guiding it.
This seemed to surprise Morgrean just as much as it surprised her and he caught his balance, coming at her again. She rushed forward to meet him this time, taking the fight away from Rael and to the steps. Her sword was shining brilliantly, the blue flames seeming to rise up in fury at their master being attacked. They writhed around the blade, reaching out and flaring as if to grab Morgrean if he got too close. This spooked him and he danced away from her blade, hopping up onto the stairs to put distance between them.
She was so focused on fighting him that she didn't realize her tactical mistake until it was already too late; she had given him a clear shot to get to Rael when she moved away from her. At the same moment that she realized this, Morgrean was already jumping off of the side of the stairs and landing right in front of Rael. As he reached down to pull her up, Ariana did something truly astounding without even knowing what she was doing. Yelling his name at the top of her lungs, she raised her sword up above her head. The flames, as if responding to some unspoken command, leapt up and began rolling over itself furiously, building and building until it was like a raging inferno concentrated on her blade.
Morgrean turned around at the sound of the hissing flames, momentarily forgetting all about Rael behind him as his face turned up to it. His expression was hesitant as he watched the blazing inferno above him, his grip slack on his sword. When his eye moved to hers in the next moment, she knew what he meant to do. 
"No!" She screamed, leaping forward as he raised his sword above his head to strike Rael dead. Just as his sword came down in an arc toward Raels fear-stricken face, the blade of Ariana's sword pierced through the flesh of his back straight through the spine and exiting out the front of his chest. He shuddered violently as his arm dropped, his sword clattering harmlessly to the ground beside him. He brought up a taloned hand as if to touch the end of the blade sticking out of him but the fire that was still alive on the sword began to crackle and spit like a sparkler. From the point of the blades exit, they rose up his front, engulfing him in blue flames as he let out a petrified scream.
As Morgrean continued to burn, the sword began to vibrate violently in her hand. Within seconds, the flames started to burst like firecrackers, spitting tiny balls of fire outwards from the blade like they had minutes earlier when their swords had first collided. Sparks began to fly from the metal and then they were bursting from every square inch of its shining surface. The first bolt struck Morgrean and Ariana saw his eyes widen one last time before he slumped forward, dying instantly. She let him slide forward off of the end of her sword and then she was reaching forward to grip it with two hands as it continued to shake and spark. Just as Malor had described it happening that night 22 years ago, cyan blue lightning cracked across the courtyard in blinding flashes, the jagged bursts emanating from her blade as she held it aloft. It reached out in an almost sentient manner, seeking out the encroaching Goblins and striking them dead within seconds of first contact. 
By the time it had struck and killed at least a dozen of them, they finally came to their senses and fled for their lives. Ariana could see the resentment in their faces as they were forced to cower before her but their instinct to survive was stronger than their pride. In unison, they turned and ran, some simply dropping and abandoning their weapons in their attempt to escape the lightning as it continued to flash and crackle throughout the courtyard. As they passed through the courtyard walls and out onto the battlefield, Ariana saw that the Goblins and Rebel Elves that had been fighting there earlier were watching the lightning as it still swirled around Ariana like a small storm, finally turning to flee with the rest of their comrades, the whole lot of them escaping into the forest beyond while Ryonens army stood dumbfounded.
With no one to hunt anymore, the lightning receded back into the blade and Ariana was finally able to lower it. She turned to Rael on the ground behind her, still huddled in the corner, looking exhausted and in pain. She knelt down beside her, one slender hand reaching out to touch the flaming sword. Like before, the flames reached out to her, curling around her fingers in a loving embrace as she let them gather on the palm of her hand. Without a word, she brought it down and laid it on Raels broken leg, urging the fire to go to her and heal her. It seemed to know what she wanted even before she thought it, greedily licking the skin there before diving down into the open wound and disappearing.  
Rael let out a gasp of surprise as her leg began shifting beneath the skin, the bone straightening out in a loud snap right before their very eyes. The skin at the base of the break glowed a brilliant blue color from within, flashing for a moment before the fire suddenly spilled back out of the wound. It moved over the area briefly, knitting it shut before crawling back up her waiting hand and settling there in the curve of her palm like a docile pet.
While Rael looked down at her healed leg in astonishment, Ariana let the fire meld back in with its brethren on the blade of her sword before finally sheathing it. The flames extinguished as soon as it settled into the leather scabbard, the jewel embedded on the pommel flaring suddenly bright before going dim again. When she brought her gaze back to Rael, she was staring at her wide eyed, her face a mask of disbelief.
"What in the-" She started to say, but the sound of thundering hooves drowned out the rest of it.
Behind them, the Eastern Kingdoms army was spilling in through the courtyard walls, filling out the space quickly as thousands of warriors on the back of the antelope-like creatures settled around them. The first person to come running forward was Tyrynion. He rode right up to the steps before leaping off of the back of the Veluke and rushing to kneel beside them. His face was pale as he looked down at Rael's bloodied figure.
"Rael," he said, fear evident in his voice, "are you-." She shook her head, cutting him off quickly.
"I'm okay, Ty." She said, reaching out a hand and wrapping it around his. Ariana could see him visibly relax at her touch.
"How?" He asked, astonished.
Rael nodded toward Ariana and suddenly he whipped around, looking at her closely for the first time. His deep umber eyes pierced her newly blue ones and she felt so much being said in the one look.
"It's a bit of a long story." She said under her breath, swallowing.
He inclined his head in understanding just as she heard shoes snap to the ground. Turning around, she saw that Ryonen had gotten off of his steed and was walking toward her. His face was so full of obvious wonder and joy that she wasn't sure how to react other than biting her lip and remaining quiet. When he reached her, he wrapped her up in his arms and spun her around. 
He brought his hand up, his fingers running over the sharp angles of her cheekbones as his eyes roamed over the contours of her face. "This is amazing." He said, his voice thick with emotion. He sounded positively elated by it. Ariana was about to ask him what he was so amazing about this situation when, without warning, he pulled her close, kissing her full on the mouth as she stood there stiffly, not knowing what to do.
When they broke apart, a noise like thunder rang out throughout the courtyard as the Elven soldiers began to cheer. Ryonen turned to them, his arm moving to wrap around her shoulder as he lifted his free hand in a cry of victory. He let his hand slide down her arm until it found hers, his fingers entwining there before he led her forward as if presenting her to them.
As they quieted, Ryonen began to speak. "Today is not just a victory for our Kingdom but for Atheil itself. In coming to the rescue of someone in need, we have unwittingly discovered our lost Princess." More cheers erupted from the group as Ariana looked on. "I present to you Ariana, High Princess of Atheil and the Princess of the Prophecy, come back to save our world."
As the tumultuous noise of their applause rang out, Ariana watched as one by one they all bent down on one knee, their faces lowered toward the ground. She turned her neck to meet Tyrynions gaze and saw that his deep umber eyes were filled with apprehension as he held Rael's hand behind him. He gave the smallest shake of his head and she understood him as clearly as if he had spoken out loud: 'Now is not the time to argue'.
She swallowed, turning back to face the crowd, and tried to smile as her insides squirmed within her, her eyes roaming over the people that she was supposedly destined to save. As her heart thudded wildly within her chest, she took a deep breath and bowed her head in return. The Elves began to rise before her as she looked past them into the darkening forest beyond, wishing that she could be anywhere but where she was, her heart numb with indifference to it all.