Bird of Fire

8

Alex's skin was starting to blister Lithaen's arms, despite the multiple cloths and towels between them. Lithaen was in excruciating pain as she walked closer to the middle of the lake to place Alex down. The water around them began to boil and steam, Lithaen continued to hold Alex to keep her afloat, no matter how agonizing it was.

The unbearable pain caused a scream to rip from Lithaen's throat.

~

Alex slowly opened her eyes to see the starlit sky above her. She didn't want to move, she didn't want to do anything but gaze at the stars. Sadly the view was blocked by Lithaen's head.

"You're awake! Care to explain to me what that was?!" yelled Lithaen.

"Huh? What do you mean and why am I in water?" Alex said as she scrambled to get to her feet, splashing around in the water.

"I brought you to the lake outside the house because you're skin felt as though it was on fire!" replied Lithaen. Fire? The word triggered memories of the dream in Alex's head.

"Water was becoming steam around you! I have blisters on my arms because of you." she wasn't lying, her skin was peeling. Lithaen's blistering skin wasn't the only thing new about her, a pair things growing out of her head was new.

"What are those?" Alex pointed to what was sprouting out of Lithaen's head, which she replied with a groan of annoyance.

"Ears. Now let's get back to the house before I get a cold"

"Um... Okay?"

~

Both Lithaen and Alex were sitting on the bed of Lithaen's room, the silence only grew. In an attempt to break the wall of quiet Alex said:

"Ears?" A deep sigh came out of Lithaen's mouth, only to be followed by:

"Werewolf ears." If Alex was shocked, she hid it well. The silence began to blossom again, only this time it lasted a little longer than before.

"Magic?" Alex asked quietly, a little "yes" is what she got in return.

"Why were you drowning in a phantom fire?" Fire. The dream sparked in her brain.

"I was dreaming. People were dancing and singing, then the fire was everywhere. All I could see was fire... Two rich people, a man and a woman, dressed with crowns upon their heads." A shiver ran down Alex's spine. "Ice followed after the fire. Only I survived because of the robe the man gave me." Alex had to take a deep breath before continuing. "When I turned to look at the cause, another man stood before me."

"A man?" asked Lithaen.

"Yeah. A man I have never seen before, yet he felt familiar. He was dressed in gray and blue, with a sword hanging at his side. A sword made of silver and a strange glowing black ore."

"But that wasn't was scared me. When he opened his mouth he said:

"A little cold today, isn't it Alex."