THE MARK OF ELDOREM: Rise Of Eldorians(Book One)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Whispering stones

Kai's POV:

I watched in awe as my body ignited, intense heat radiating outward as I channeled out my power. The flames surged around me, forming a protective barrier and enveloping Choo-Choo in an inferno cocoon.

I laughed watching the Lykainas falter, the swarm hesitating while the light from my fire pierced through their ranks.

The frantic beating of Choo-Choo's wings reminded me that danger was still imminent. I focused my power on the griffin, trying to calm its erratic flapping and stabilize our flight. As we descended, the griffin's feathers caught fire, shimmering in a brilliant array of reds and oranges.

Despite our descent, the swarm of Lykainas continued to pursue us. The heat from my flames singed their wings, driving them back.

Choo-Choo squawked in distress, its flapping sending a gust that dispersed the remaining ranks of the swarm.

Seeing that the threat was gone, I gradually extinguished my flames, the warmth on my skin dissipating, leaving behind a faint smoky scent as Choo-Choo landed us safely on the ground, his feathers ruffling softly.

When we dismounted, Jaeger clapped me on the back, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Not bad, Kai! You're a natural!"

"Thanks," I said, wincing from his strong pat.

Jaeger's enthusiasm was infectious, but Myrrha's expression remained skeptical as she supported Benkrat, who was now waking up.

"Took you long enough," she said, and I ignored her.

Benkrat slumped to the ground, still disoriented. "What happened? Where are we?"

Myrrha responded first, "We're at the plains of New Mexico, and Kai scared awa-"

"Scared?!" Jaeger interrupted. "He did more than just scare them. Dude burned those creatures!"

I tried to hide the pride in my voice as I asked, "I thought you said Lykainas can't be burned by fire."

"Yeah, that's what I thought. But look at this." He raised a finger to my face, and I saw a powdery substance on it.

"Is that... ash?"

"Yeah! Look at Choo-Choo; you can see some of it on him."

The griffin let out a tired sound, a mix of a yawn and a squawk. Myrrha walked up to it, dusting the ashes off its fur.

"I think Choo-Choo is tired," she said.

"Yeah, I can sense it," Benkrat agreed from the ground.

"Forget about Choo-Choo for a sec. Don't you guys see?" Jaeger asked, his excitement palpable.

A series of murmurs from Benkrat and Myrrha followed. In the few hours I'd known him, I'd never seen Jaeger this excited.

"You didn't notice the way he kept his fire around us without burning us? And I couldn't see it, but I could tell he used his flames to calm Choo-Choo down and help him balance. That doesn't happen every day, right? And most of all, he burned Lykainas! Come on now, tell me this isn't a sign that he's actually the Mark of Eldorem. Myrrha, you know what I'm talking about. We've tried burning Lykainas with fire before, and it only stalled them, not burned them."

"Maybe it's because it wasn't Eldorian fire," Myrrha said, turning around to pet the griffin as it pecked under its collar.

I couldn't say I wasn't hurt a little by their reluctance to accept what I did as cool, but even I still had my doubts.

"Yeah, I kinda agree with Myrrha. My flames are different since I have Eldorian blood."

"Fine, whatever. But you have to admit, that was pretty cool," Jaeger said.