Silence

Chapter 3 - Run

The man smells of wind and sand. His skin is hot, uncomfortable to the touch. Desert nadic, I think. His tan hand is wrapped around the hilt of a small, brown knife. I take as deep breath, trying not to move, very aware of the pressure this Nadic was using.

He drives the knife deeper into my skin, forcing me to back further into the weapon's barrel. 

"Who are you?" I croak, staying as still as I possibly can. He breathes on my neck, but his breath stutters. He's nervous.

"None of your business, freak," he snarls. His breath is bitter and hot. I close my eyes, forcing down the flutter of nervousness. He wants me to be scared, but I can't be. I'm stronger than him.

He senses my moment of panic and chuckles, and the spot where his arm touches me begins to grow warmer until it's almost burning. The smell of burning flesh rises into the air. I squirm, trying to get away, but his grip is tight. I have no choice.

My muscles tense, and I hear the rush of the water become stronger. The river rises up in front of us, looming high above our heads. I shake a little at the exertion, but I need to get this nadic off of me.

I let the river crash back down, covering us in a cascade of cold water. His fire is extinguished and he is knocked to his knees, spitting up river water. Using this moment of disorientation, I spin around, wrapping my hand around his neck. 

"Get off of my island!" I snarl at his face, inches from his nose, baring my sharp teeth. He barely flinches.

The nerve of this guy.

I grit my teeth, and blue fire swirls up my arms. He squirms just a little, clearly not very phased by the fire. He is sure he won't get hurt.

But it's not regular fire.

My parents told me I'd have the power to create flamen, special flames that, instead of burning hot like regular flames, burn cold. They could freeze, not burn. But it was just as deadly.

I've only used it once to ward off the drakeun from the island. But this is a pretty bad situation.

The flamen swirls onto his neck, freezing his flesh. He yelps in surprise, kicking and trying to get away. I keep my grip tight, unwilling to let go.

"What is that?!" he chokes, panicked.
I throw him down to the dirt, letting the blue flames receed. He swears, scrambling to his feet, rubbing his neck. I crouch, getting ready to fight as he leaps for his dagger. But once it's in his hands, he just stands there.

I blink, confused.

"We overestimated you," he mutters, out of breath. I bare my teeth, smiling, liking where this was going. He takes a tentative step towards me, his hands twitching. I straighten slightly and back up, letting my guard down.

I didn't see him move.

He swings at me with his knife, embedding it in my shoulder, driving it down.

I didn't feel anything at first. But then hot flashes of pain burn through my arm and chest, blurring my vision.

The nadic pulls his dagger out, and I drop to the ground, clutching my shoulder. I couldn't focus.

Blood soaked my fingers, dripping onto the dry jungle floor. The nadic looks triumphant. I grit my teeth and use my power to sweep him into the river, but the force of me doing so causes pain to shoot into my abdomen and arm. I let out a small cry. The nadic pulls himself out of the water, clearly flustered and mad.

I turn around to face him, stumbling, my vision blurring at the edges. His knife lay a few feet behind me, covered in blood clumping with dirt and sand. He shakes his head and takes a step forward, hands raised.

I rush at him, jabbing my elbow at his sternum. It hits and he grabs at my neck as he's thrown to the ground. He quickly gets up but turns and runs. In his hands was my pendant.

I run after him, wheezing. I'm injured, yet still faster than him. He turns and runs into the trees, zigzagging between trunks. I feel the icy nip of my flamen tickle at my finger tips. I grab at his coat, throwing him against a tree. He slouches to the ground.

"Give it back," I growl in his face. He flinches.

"No," he spits, scowling. Breathing hard, I make a grab for it, but he turns away at the last second. We rustle for it for a bit, but I finally get it in my hands.

As I strap it back on, I feel power surge through me, and I transform into my dracken form. The nadic's eyes go wide with surprise and terror, and he shuffles away. I quickly grab him and fly up, above the canopy of leaves. With blood dripping down my arm, I fly out towards the ocean.

The sun shines on the blue scales of my sleek body, making it glitter like the water below. I glide towards the ocean bordering Dramitt, letting the nadic's feet brush against the trees. He squirms and struggles, but I can tell he is running out of energy. I am, too, but I keep pushing.

The trees break away and the ocean comes into full view, glinting with sunlight. I smile, enjoying the view, and drop lower, letting the nadics's feet dangle inches above the water so he is sprayed with mist. He yelps, grabbing at my legs.

I fly almost to Dramitt, stopping about half a mile from the shore, and drop the man into the ocean. He goes under, then comes back up, sputtering and cursing. I turn and fly back, my body drained of energy, but my mind racing.

I have a feeling this is only the beginning.