The Fire That Burns Within

Chapter 2 - Escape

Esmerelda

For two years I've been on the run from my past, from the hunters. Every where I go they seem to find me. Granted, the wanted posters didn't make it any easier for me to escape them. I'd hidden out in the woods most of the time. Even going into the villages for food or clothes was risky, everyone knew my face now. Apparently the poorly drawn wanted posters were enough for people to nearly immediately recognize me. So I had to go back to hunting for my own food, bringing back not the most pleasant memories... I washed my clothes in the rivers, having only the clothes on my back. Living in the forest was not as peaceful or rejuvenating as I thought it had potential to be. Yes, I had a strong connection to nature and the elements but relying on them for survival and living in fear of being burnt at the stake tends to take the fun out of things.

 I needed to get out of the kingdom. Everyone knew who I was here, it wasn't safe. And there was no point in trying to seek refuge; who would want to help the crazy girl that burned her family to a crisp?  I would have to find somewhere to go. Somewhere where I could start fresh, finally forget about my past...or at least try. I needed to get out of Mordaine. 'How?' is the question. Technically speaking, the ocean is my only real obstacle but it's a pretty large one at that. Someone is bound to realize if I stole a ship, but maybe... I could try to use my magic to create a ship. I have never tried to create something like that with my magic before, but what could it hurt to try? It's not like I can fly across the whole ocean, exhaustion still exists and falling out of the sky into the freezing cold water didn't sound like a fun way to go. 

I looked out across the vast body of water in front of me, my toes felt trapped in the sand as the craziness of my idea started to hit me. What if I exhaust my energy? What if someone finds me passed out on the beach and decides to turn me in for a, no doubt, hefty bounty on my head? With gritted teeth, I took a sharp inhale to clear my thoughts. I had to try, I couldn't keep living like this. With a small nod to myself I strode to the edge of the beach, the calm waves sending water over the tops of my bare feet. I've had enough time to get a good grasp on my powers over the past couple of years, enough to know that they adhere strictly to elemental magic. Basically, making a ship out of thin air wasn't in my skills range. But I had an idea.

 I bent down to place my hands in the shallow water, closing my eyes tight in concentration. I could already feel the waves shifting to the pace of my breath as I tried to visualize the energy leaving my fingertips. A couple hundred yards out the water started to shift, rising from the surface in various arches that held in the air. My breath hitched and my brows furrowed as I felt my energy start to fade. I've manipulated water before, but holding it this long to make something this big nearly made me pass out. I opened my eyes, wincing. I saw the water coming out of the ocean in tendrils, starting to form the shape of a small boat. I bit my lip, causing the taste of blood to fill my mouth.

I closed my eyes tight again, my head facing the ground as I prepped myself to finish the boat. I couldn't sail across the water in a boat made from the same thing. So, with a pained scream, I forced the last of my energy out through my hands. The water at my fingertips began to freeze over, spreading to the form of the water made boat further across. The water forming the ship floated in the air, flowing across the architecture, until the freeze reached the base and quickly solidified the whole thing. 

I let out a sigh of relief, a weak smile spreading across my lips. My arms gave out and I nearly fell to my face before rolling onto my back. I looked up at the clear blue sky, closing my eyes for a moment before pushing myself off of the soft sand. I looked up at my creation: a sizeable boat made of solid ice. There was no sails, not that sails of ice would work anyway. With a grunt, I made my way to the boat. Ice had frozen over a path across the water, so thankfully I didn't need to muster enough energy to fly out to it. Though, walking was still plenty exhausting. When I finally made it to the boat, I basically collapsed on the frozen surface. But, I knew I couldn't rest just yet.

I laid my hands on either side of my body, my palms down on the ice. I closed my eyes once again, letting a calming breath out through my mouth. I winced as a sharp pain went through my head, soon after feeling the push of the waves as the boat was set on course. The water pushed my forward with enough force to carry me for a little while. Long enough for me to rest. I opened my eyes for just a moment before I felt them desperately trying to close again as I felt my limbs grow heavy.

I usually felt panic at these moments, never feeling safe enough to sleep. But even though I was out in the open, I was sailing away. I was leaving this terrible place filled with terrible memories. I could finally...rest.