Cairo

Chapter 42: Shadow Behind the Flame

Yun's feet lightly tapped against the roof of an empty storage building. He crossed his arms, looking down into the window of another empty storage building. Inside he could see Fifi throwing a sharpened knife up and down as she leaned against a wall. Next to her was Aerie, tied up on the ground, struggling.

A flickering wisp of fire appeared next Yun. He barely regarded it, continuing to watched Fifi through the window.

Don't interfere, the flame spoke, a raspy and crackling voice coming through. This isn't your place.

"I know. I won't set foot in there. Demitros said he wouldn't either... but the condition he's in—" At the base of the building, Cairo stumbled along, following a trail of drying blood. Yun shook his head, waving the wisp away. "—I doubt he can do anything even if he wanted to. But then again, my pyrroh has always been one for surprises, please don't underestimate him or the plan you've worked so hard to make happen might fail."

The flame disappeared in a large poof, and Yun pressed his lips together as he leaned back onto a cloud that formed behind him, his eyes narrowing on the shaky figure of his pyrroh.

.

Cairo's legs shook under his weight. His head was pounding. As he slowed his pace to press his fingers against the side of his temple, his legs gave out. He stumbled into the building next to him, hitting his shoulder hard against the iron fortifications.

The wind was knocked out of him, and Cairo slumped to the ground. He grabbed his side, wheezing. When he pulled his hand back, it was covered in a smudge of blood.

Deep inside of him, Cairo could feel the fear start stirring inside of him. How much time did he have left? Was Aerie even still alive? But if she was, because the woman who kidnapped her wasn't patient enough... what would he do?

He'd kill her.

That was the first thought that crossed his mind--a thought that had every ounce of blood in his body boiling, and his fists shaking. No, he wouldn't kill her. He'd mutilate her and make sure that her death was a slow and painful one. If she hurt one hair on Aerie's head, Cairo knew that the restraint he'd spent years building up would crumble in an instant.

And yet, despite his overwhelming need to protect Aerie, he still hesitated at the thought. The memories of when he'd lost control for the first time still haunted him no matter how much he tried to bury them within the depths of his memories. The scars on his body were proof that it happened, and that the consequences to each action humans take can turn deadly in an instant.

::: ::: :::

Fire spewed around the city. Large houses of stone were crumbling, their framework of wood deteriorating in the heat of the fire. People ran around screaming, their bodies engulfed in a sea of flames as their skin turned a charcoal black. Yet, through all that, their eyes were still alive, still pleading for help, cursing the one that did.

The smell was nauseating. Cairo's insides turned as an array of smells his his nostrils. It was a putrid smell of a musky yet sweet copper tinted with enough of a sulfurous odor to shake his whole body. He wanted to double over and puke, but even that action was too much for his body in the state of shock he was in. So he stood there, watching the consequences of his actions unfold. Watching the bodies of the people who were kind to him only seconds before topple to the ground in an unmoving lump of black.

A popping sound filled Cairo's ears, and he screamed, slapping his hands against his ears as he dropped to the ground on his legs. He curled towards himself, the noise still ringing. It was awful, like knives exploding inside his ear drum.