Wild fire

Chapter 2 -awaken-

Ceridwen opened her eyes to a see young man. His messy black hair fell on his dark blue eyes that were staring at her in worry.

"Ya okay love?" He asked, worry coating his voice.

"Aye"

He helped her up from the bed and sat her down on a chair. Standing up, he walked to a large chest, rummaging for something. Thoughts raced through her head, wild and scary. Perhaps he was going to kill her? Put her out of her suffering?

The thing that intrigued her were his arms. So large and muscular, definitely not something common in her town. Not something she had ever seen, it was odd. He stood up as fear pulsated through her again. She was too petrified to see what he had in hand, shutting her eyes.

"Hold this"

She felt something in her hand, looking down to find it was a sword. She felt as if something clicked within her, as If she'd found something she had been searching for. That feeling also came with a burning sensation. Her bones as flesh were on fire, aching and hurting. Her breathing became slower and ragged, falling on the floor. Her vision was clear, unnaturally so. Standing up, she looked confusedly at the man.

"You'll need it with my crew"

Opening the door, he revealed the deck of the ship they were on. Men were seen jousting, laughing and drinking. So this is what he wanted- for her to fight for her life. If that was what she needed to live then so be it. Life was precious, she needed to keep it. She needed to prove herself, maybe he could help her. Though most likely not.

Grabbing the sword from her sheath, she looked at her reflection. Her eyes, normally bright blue, had a tint of yellow. Paying no attention to it, she focused on the people in front of her. They had smug smiles on their faces, walking towards her with swords of their own. Taking a deep breath, she felt the burning come back stronger. Her whole being was on fire, from her toes to her fingertips. Staring at her free palm, her five fingers were more heated as she swiftly looked away. Her left hand burned furiously, though it didn't hurt as much as before.

He stared at her curiously, pondering on what she would do. Of course, he would stop them immediately if she got hurt. He was testing out her abilities to see if she was who he thought she was. This was foolish, but it had to be done. He froze as she stood still, staring into her palm. They were charging at her, like he knew they would. All the years of being deprived of female company would do that to them.

Her hair whipped in her face and formed a scarlet web in front of her. She focused on the man in front of her, currently staring at her with a smile plastered on his face. He was short and pot bellied. He had to be in the defense of the ship, most likely designing the weaponry. He didn't have that bloodthirsty look that most of the townspeople had, instead had more of a mischievous look. Her hand was burning more as she looked at the marking on her left hand, which was glowing. Her breathing was slow, everything around her seemingly slowing down. She shut her eyes, feeling the overwhelming fire taking over her. Her blood becoming molten lava, running through her veins, reaching her heart. She heard her heartbeat, fast and erratical. She counted to three as it slowly grew faster.

Three, the footsteps of the men growing closer,

Two, their swords dragging on the ground,

One.

Her eyes opened in a swift movement and burned with an unusual intensity. She saw some on the men cower in fear, others cheering. Dropping her sword, she clenched her fists. Looking at the men who currently stood at the front, she tapped one of the men lightly on the shoulder. He flinched and cursed loudly, grabbing his shoulder. His hand came off to reveal a patch of red skin, surrounded by burnt clothing. His eyes were a mix of fear and awe as he stepped back slowly and ran away. Had she done that?

A couple of men came up to Ceridwen smirking, though under that was a layer of uncertainty. They grabbed their swords and charged towards her. Looking at her burning hand, she tried to summon some strength to make the miracle happen again. She stared at the men's hands, focusing and trying to loosen their grip. They flinched and fell to the ground, each clasping their hands tightly.

She slipped past the men, stopping when in the middle of all of them. Raising her hands to the sky, she shut her eyes and focused.

No mercy.

Fire rained down on them all, the ground beneath her shaking. They all ran away to the bottom deck, leaving Ceridwen alone. Turning around to face the man, she uncontrollably asked,

"Who are you?"