Embers of Magic

Ashes To Ashes, Bones To Paste.

“Who in Hades has ruined my party?” He yelled as he leaned on the railing. Grape vines crept out from under his sleeves and wrapped itself around the part of the railing he touched. His eyes, burning a deep red.

“Bacchus?” Zarah asked, feeling unsure of herself as Hecuba readied herself by my side, still chewing on a thigh bone way too small for her maw.

“Bacchus? It's Dionysus, foolish Roman!” He yelled in response. “You fools always give us these new name's and it honestly gets annoying. And, it's Lord Dionysus to you!”

“Forgive us, Lord Dionysus. We weren't informed that the party was yours.” Rain explained as she stepped forward. Dionysus sighed as he shut his eyes. “Mortals. Never informed about anything. I, on the other hand, knew you were going to show up.”

“Then why hadn't you done anything to get these people out?” I asked as Hecuba tilted her head to me. Josh, still staring at her in shock as if she had been the biggest surprise of the night.

“Oh, it's all fun an games until someone gets killed. Then, it's a party. Been like that since, well, ever. Just ask the Spartans.”

“But those people weren't Spartans.” I spoke, stepping forward. I was exhausted after summoning Hecuba, yet filled with a strange, resonating warmth that I couldn't ignore. Zarah placed her hand onto my shoulder, trying to pull me back. I tugged myself free as I took another step forward.

“Are you challenging a god?” Dionysus voice deepened, becoming all the more menacing. “Do you know what kind of power I command?”

“Ember, stand down. You do not want to pick a fight with someone who can destroy you without breaking a sweat.” Rain command. “Stand do -”

“Power?” I yelled, cutting her off. “Do you have any idea what I am capable of?” I spoke with venom in my words. I didn't know where this sudden burst of power or confidence came from, but I knew I could back it up. I was furious. His eyes darkened as I raised my hands, facing my palms upwards as two jets of flame began to burst out of them. The temperature of the room quickly heightened as my body made its way towards Dionysus, charging in a fit of rage.

“Well then, let's see what you're capable of.” He spoke, staring at me blankly. I saw an opening and I was willing to take it. Just one perfectly timed jet of flame would have been enough to turn him to dust. I held my hand behind my, ready to take the shot as I felt a smile grow across my face.

“Ember. Remember who you are.” My eyes widened as her voice echoed through me, calming in an instant and sending me back to the day she last held me. I stumbled over myself while in deep thought and hit the ground hard. My vision blurred out as I saw the rest standing over me along with Dionysus.

“I was afraid of this happening.” He said while sighing. I could feel my energy burn away as the ashes of the burnt floor settled onto me. I lost conscious.

My head felt fuzzy as I dragged my fingers through the ground, clenching my first and picking up a handful of fine dust. Ashes. I let the grey substance seep back out of my hand through the crevices of my fingers as I tried standing up. All around me, I could hear faint crackling as bright orange lights flickered wherever I looked. I wasn't in the club anymore and I wasn't anywhere that I remembered being, but it seemed as familiar as looking at an old scar which story you've told a hundred times. That's when I realized, I had been looking at a scar.

My feet sunk into the ash stricken ground as I tried to walk on legs made of Jell-O. There had been no scent of cinnamon and no cobblestone walkway. The flowers that lit the place at night all seemed withered away. Even the willow had been burning. Everything that had once flowed through the veins of Metamorph and kept it alive had abandoned its post and had now been replaced by a desolate and grim skeleton of what it was.

Not even the children ran through the town to play. They all sat in front of what was once their homes and stared ahead, aimlessly. Their skin, dyed as grey by the endless curtains of ash that rained down like snow. I stared down at my hands again as flickers of flames hopped between my fingers. The flames of destruction. I shook my head as I ran to the opposite end of town yelling out for help. Zarah. Josh. Rain. None of them were here. Whoever was her simply stared past me as if I hadn't existed. I continued running until I reached the front gate. As I turned around, I could see the smoke of the burning village rise against the night sky.

“I'm sorry that you had to see this.” My mother spoke from the other side of the gate. He eyes seemed more sunken then the last time I saw her, as if she hadn't slept. Even her hair hadn't been as neatly done as it was back then and the ends of her dress has been singe off. She waved her hand through the air as the scene behind me shifted.

“What's going on?” I yelled as heat welled behind my eyes. I've never liked crying yet now, I had no control over it as tears began pouring down my face. My mother raised her palm skyward as a sudden burst of flame flicked until it took a steady form. A dog, running in circles on her palm.

“When Prometheus stole fire from the Olympus, he saw the potential humans had with it. He realized that with it, your lives would be immeasurably easier. Needless to say, he had been right. Fire is a gift that even the gods wished to keep to themselves. But.” Her tone darkened as she clunched her first around the dancing flame, causing it to go wild and grow faster then I could move out of the way. She killed the flame before speaking again. “It can be dangerous. It could easily destroy you, if you aren't careful.”

I stared at my boots as my mother stepped closer, wrapping her arms around me as she whispered in my ear. “I believe in you, my Ember.”