Burning Flame

Chapter Seventeen

As Magma left to survey the land with Inferno and receive news from the war, she felt Blaze's presence behind her. She always wondered why he watched her leave, but she knew he was just an innocent little dragonling. He couldn't do much when it came to troublemaking.
She burst into the air and looked back to see his innocent eyes staring up at her. For a moment she felt a pang of guilt. Then she saw a light flash in his eyes and she could sense his excitement. Somewhere deep inside she knew he would be okay.
She continued her flight, contacting Inferno with her mind as she moved further and further away from the cave.

Blaze breathed a sigh of relief as his mother soared into the distance. He knew Serenity was nearby; he could feel it. Luckily the spell she had on her meant that that she was invisible to everyone else.
"Serenity?" he whispered hesitantly, "Serenity, where are you?"
He poked his head out of the cave and came snout-to-snout with his friend. She gave a surprised snort and jerked her head back. He just smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry," he said.
She smirked and poked him with her hoof, prodding him back into the cave. He tackled her and they laughed as they tumbled over the cold rock floor. Suddenly Serenity stood up and shook herself off.
"Hey, I have something I want to show you," she said.
Blaze nodded and stood up across from her, his scales scraping the floor as he rolled to his feet.
"What is it?"
She stomped one of her hooves in excitement, her tail swishing quickly back and forth.
"My father taught me how to use magic, and I know one of the spells really well. Can I show you?"
Blaze nodded again. A small smile appeared on her face and he felt his heart lighten. He loved it when she smiled.
Then her face turned blank in a distant focus, and Blaze watched in silent awe as her eyes misted over. She looked like she had aged in a matter of seconds. Then she flicked her hoof towards him.
His lungs deflated instantly and he was sent flying backwards, unable to catch his breath as his back slammed into the hard rock. He gasped as pain racked his body. He laid on the floor, slowly regaining his breath and his composure. Serenity was standing over him in a second, her eyes wide with concern.
"Are you okay?! I'm so so sorry! I never meant to hurt you! I just thought it would be fun and-"
Blaze silenced her by putting his talons on the back of her neck. He pulled her down next to him gently. She laid by his side and put her head on his chest, listening carefully to his ragged breathing.
"It's okay. I'm okay, I swear. I'm not weak, you know."
Serenity snorted and raised her head to look down at him.
"I really didn't mean to hurt you. Honest."
"I know. That's why I want you to teach me how to defend myself."
She looked down at him in shock.
"But I almost killed you-"
He interrupted her with a laugh.
"You weren't even close to killing me. It would take a lot more than that to knock me down."
She raised one of her brows at him and he rolled his eyes.
"Okay, I didn't mean 'knock me down' literally, because that's obviously all it takes. You know what I meant."
She laughed, which made him grin stupidly. She got back on her hooves and he stood up after her, but she turned around suddenly and head-butted him in the chest.
He squeaked and flinched involuntarily, making Serenity laugh even harder. He huffed, embarrassed and a little frustrated that he was showing his vulnerable side yet again. His parents would be so disappointed.
"So are you going to teach me or not?" he growled.
He waited impatiently for her laughter to subside. When she finally stopped she looked him in the eyes.
"Are you sure you want to learn this? We can't tell either of our parents. They would keep us apart forever if they found out."
Blaze kept his eyes even with hers.
"I don't understand why it's so wrong for us to be friends. We like each other, and neither of us are the monsters the other side makes us out to be. I don't want to be kept away from you, Serenity."
She blinked slowly, and he could tell she felt the same way.
"Then the only thing we can do right now is not tell our parents," she said softly, "Maybe when we're older we can tell them. When we're older we can make our own decisions, and no one can stop us, right?"
He hesitated, not entirely sure what growing older meant for them. He blinked once in reply, and she nodded.
"Then it's settled. I'll teach you the spell, and one day you can teach me something that you learn."
He perked up instantly, and Serenity cocked her head to the side.
"What?" she asked.
"I can teach you how to fly!" he said, his voice shrill with joy.
Her ears perked up.
"Really? You know how to fly?"
"Yeah! It's great! It's super scary at first, but when you practice it's  amazing!"
He stopped and looked down at his claws.
"But my mother said I can't leave the cave without her permission," he muttered.
"Oh," she murmured, obviously disappointed, "well I guess I can just teach you the spell today. Maybe she'll give you permission some other time."
"Maybe..." he said, but she could tell that it was probably a lost cause.
"Well, let's learn some magic! It's really cool!" she whinnied.
Blaze perked up a little bit again and she grinned. She loved it when he was happy.
"First I'll have you close your eyes. It's easier to focus with your eyes closed."
He followed her instructions and she felt a burst of pride. She was actually teaching someone. Her parents would be so proud if they knew... well, if they didn't know who she was teaching.
She shook off those thoughts and looked back over at Blaze.
"Now, imagine a great, swirling ball of energy inside of you, just waiting to burst free. You feel it?"
He nodded.
"Good! Now push it forward!"
She gasped as she was pushed back, almost as if a giant gust of wind had blown right into her chest. When she looked back at Blaze he was beaming.
"I did it! It wasn't nearly as strong as yours, but I did it! Wow, that felt great! It sure took a lot out of me though. You didn't tell me how draining it was."
Serenity paused and thought back to the lessons with her father.
"My father said at one point that every creature with magic has a 'certain magical capacity'. This capacity could be large or small, but every creature can practice to fill their capacity. Once the reach their maximum, they can do their maximum amount of spells or they can release their most powerful spells. The smaller the capacity, the less they can do. The smallest capacity creatures are the least powerful when it comes to magic."
She finished her lecture with a proud look on her face. Blaze watched her in utter fascination, trying desperately to understand what she was saying.
"So do we have a high magic capacity, then?" he asked.
Serenity blinked and thought about it for a moment.
"I'm not sure. I think we do, but we won't really know until we practice magic fully."
"When will that be?"
Serenity shook her head.
"I'm not sure. I don't know how old we have to be to learn the powerful spells. If we use too much magic too early, then we might become drained. Father told me that the consequences would be dire if someone became drained, especially during a battle."
Blaze looked down at his claws. There was so much he didn't know. He was starting to realize that his parents didn't teach him much when it came to magic and the outside world, and he wasn't quite sure why.
"Let's just play a game. I'm not really sure about this whole magic thing yet," he said.
"Sure. Let's play a game. We can always practice magic another day."
He grinned at her, suddenly grateful that she understood him... probably better than anyone else.