Spirit Fire - Amos

Chapter 16 - Dagger

Walking through the forest, we saw animals run by and heard many birds chirping in the trees.

     The sun poked through the canopy and there were no clouds and no snow on the ground. It was warmer and more humid here below the mountains. The further in the forest we went, the denser it became and the trail grew unkempt.

     Eldon enjoyed tromping around and inspecting twigs and roots that poked out of the ground.

     Suddenly, Vitalli stopped.

     "What is it?" I asked, worried.

     "I feel something." He replied.

     I stopped and held still, trying to feel the ground beneath my feet. It was vibrating, as if something very large was stomping the ground. Then I heard something deep in the forest. A roar.

     "Run!" Vitalli shouted, grabbing me as he took off.

     "Eldon!" I shouted, breaking out of my uncle's grip and scooping up the little, confused dragon.

     Suddenly, a large matted bear charged through the bushes to the right, roaring and pushing its obstacles out of the way.

     As we ran, the bear broke through on to the path and continued to gain on us, one bound at a time. I held on to Eldon with my arms as tightly as I could and ran faster. I started to wear down, my legs starting to burn, slowing me down.

     The bear was right behind swinging, biting at me. I looked back, noticing it a large scar crossing over one of the bear's eyes. Not paying attention to what was ahead; I tripped over a root sticking out of ground.

     Eldon sprang forward out of my arms as I fell and Vitalli skidded to a stop.

     "Aaron!" he shouted, racing back. He was too far away, for the bear had already reached me.

     The bear stood above me and raised its paw. I scrambled to find something to protect myself and then I remembered the dagger my dad gave me. My hands shot to the small scabbard on my waist and flung the blade out, the tip pointed towards the bear.

     The bear stopped instantly and slowly backed away, roaring and growling in disgust. Vitalli stood and watched with horror and surprise strewn across his face.

     The dagger gleamed in my hands; the white enamel of the blade and the iridescent blue handle both brilliant in the light. It felt cold in my hands, almost numbing them as if it was made of ice.

      The bear turned and walked back off the path, looking back one last time before it disappeared into the thick bushes.

     "Where did you get that?" Vitalli said, still shocked.

     "A gift from Father. He got it from trading." I replied.

     "That's no ordinary dagger," he pointed.

      I looked at the blade carefully and examined the grain. Then I looked back up at him. "I know."

     "Do you know what kind of tooth it is made from?"

     "He told me it's of a saber tooth tiger." I gave it to Vitalli and he held it on the tips of his fingers, running them along the edge of the blade.

     "I'm not sure what he told you," he started grimly. "But it's actually a frost dragon's tooth. I've seen its make before. The metal, forged with ice fire, and the blade of a tooth that will never dull. That is . . . if whoever made it, made the dagger with magic, which it probably was." He paused for a moment as if he just remembered something. "A frost dragon . . . but that would mean . . . never mind." He dismissed the thought and gave the knife back to me.

     I heard a slight whimper and looked down to see Eldon on the ground. He was hurt from the fall. One of his back legs broke during the fall and swollen.

     I knelt and said, "Everything is going to be alright." I could almost feel his pain through our connection and an instinct to help him came to me. I closed my eyes and felt for the energy surrounding us, then the connection to magic and focused my mind on it, thinking about what I wanted it to do.

     "What are you doing?" Vitalli asked anxiously.

     "Just trust me," I replied. I placed my hand on his leg and channeled the energy into Eldon's leg, saying, "Curéa."

     A golden stream of magic flowed through my hands and over Eldon, intertwining with his muscles, pulling them together and bringing his leg back into place. When the process finished, Eldon walked into my lap and closed his eyes.

     My uncle stood behind me, even more surprised than before. "It is true: you are special. You used magic and an ancient phrase without knowledge. This must be your spirit fire. Ancient knowledge passed down through inheritance." He paused, noticing my disinterest and exhaustion. "I take it we are done for today?" 

     I nodded with my eyes closed.

     "Keep the dagger with you. As much as it is concerning, it is comforting to have."

     "I will." I said, drifting off into a slumber against a tree.

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