When Everything Burns {Mianite/CaptainFoxx} ✔

Chapter 17: Close

Chapter 17: Close

(Sparklez's POV)

When I finished talking, it was dead silent. The only sound was the wind whistling, sweeping over the dying land around us. Tom, who had been leaning against the doorframe, looked so still that if we merely poked him, he'd fall over, still in the same position. Andor nodded, though it was nothing new to him.Tucker just stared, and it was making me nervous. We hadn't been on the best of terms since he came to my house that day, so I had no clue how he'd react to this.

Dianite coughed. "That certainly explains things." A nervous laugh rippled through our awkward group. "Though," he continued, "I wish you'd told me."

Tucker rubbed the back of his neck. "And, y'know, your friends."

Tom finally snapped out of his trance. "Yeah, about that. Why didn't you tell us?"

    'Crap.' There was no answer to that. "Um... I guess I figured that I could handle it." Sonja kissed my cheek, and I bit my lip. "So story time aside, what did you guys," I nodded towards Martha and Wag, "want to tell us?"

Martha took an old, weathered book from Wag's hands, and opened to the pages she showed Sonja and I earlier when we were relaxing in the field. "Well, for the past week, Wag and I have been scouring the libraries of Ruxomar for any information on the situation. What we found," she turned the book around so everyone could see, "is this.

Meet the 'Fire Ghost', assumedly Ares Deorsa. Records say that Ares Deorsa was a small businessman turned thief when his rustic town was brought into the kingdom of Ruxomar, which had been named... Dagrun. He apparently died in a forest fire in that exact clearing.

Mythology has recorded that a man of fire, wearing torn clothes of long ago and wielding a dagger, would wander the jungle, waiting until someone stumbled into his path. When an unfortunate soul did, he would plant himself into their subconscious, his anger slowly consuming their mind and body as he drained the strength from their soul. When the person had nothing left, he separated and killed them before moving to the next person. Theories suggest that the Fire Ghost does this to either gain revenge for his death, or to restore his life so he can search for his wife and child." I couldn't have felt more doomed even if she told us there was a meteor the size of the world's about to come crashing into us.

Tom sighed. "So basically... Jordan is screwed. Possessed and screwed." That statement hit us all differently. I put my face in my hands. Sonja started tearing up and buried her face in my shoulder. Tucker took off his armour visor and chucked it into the garden in frustration. Andor hung his head, and started praying to Ianite. Tom started kicking the life out of the floorboards. Dianite's aurora stiffened. Martha sighed and started running her fingers through her hair. Wag... well Wag was being Wag and didn't really respond, at least not that I could see.

An invisible hand found its way to my shoulder, and Dianite's voice rang into the air. "I may know of something that can help. Or, rather, somewhere."

Sonja's head shot up from my shoulder and she looked to where Dianite was most likely standing. "Where?" Her tone was demanding, as if she'd try to fight him if she could if he refused to tell us.

Dianite chuckled. "Calm yourself, Foxxy. I don't intend on withholding information. There's a kind of crypt about three thousand miles West from Dagrun. I've always ignored it, but after hearing that myth it came to mind. That crypt has always been shrouded in a type of fire magic, and emanated anger. At first I thought that it had been something of my doing, but it's different from my powers."

Tom jumped up and down and clapped his hands like a young child. "Yay! Road trip!" His voice was laced with sarcasm, and I couldn't help but laugh. Martha nodded and we all departed, each to their own homes to pack. I was surprised when Tucker said that he wanted to help, given what happened, but I guess it's one of those situations where friendship proves thicker than blood. Quite literally this time.