Fire Temple
[Last bit from last children chapter]
Rav smiled, walking to his room. "Yeah, just let me get changed first." He paused, walking back a bit. "Oh yeah, I haven't introduced you." He indicated towards Thorn. "This is Thorn."
She looked around, eyes opening as she saw Thorn. "Thorn?" A pause. Then biting her lip, she asked, "Why are you here?"
"Oh," Rav turned back towards his room. "That's right, I should probably tell you: he's my dad."
Shock crossed Elena's face once more as she stumbled back slightly, hand raising to her mouth. "You're... You..." She stared at Thorn, forehead creasing in worried panic as an angry cloud filled her vision. "You have children? You..." Her back hit the wall behind her and her hand lowered. "You're... How? How could... What...?"
[Now we continue...]
An uncomfortable silence emanated around the room as the children attempted to take in this unsettling sight. Air radiated with tension as Thorn back away, his face a mask of guilt and horror, whilst Elena's reflected him. A tongue click, eyes flicking, the children stopped and started, unsure whether the comfort them, ask what was wrong or scurry away.
"Elena." Were the words out of Thorn's mouth. "You're here."
She nodded, muttering, "Yes... yes, I am..."
A step forward. "Why are you here? Where's Svorn?"
"How...? But... Why would he...?"
He frowned. "Pardon?"
Her eyes bolted wide open. "What did you do?" A pause. "You must have done something terrible for him to go THIS far. He would never... His own blood... Why would he..." She broke off in confused rambling.
"Um, Elena," Thorn stepped up to her. "Hey, hey..." Hands wrapped around her. "What's the matter? Why're you freaking out so much? Come on, darling..."
Hands shoved him away. "No! I want to know why Svorn would ever, EVER, do something like this!? Would ever put his own nephews and nieces in danger!? And not just because you're his blood, because he has no trouble putting them in danger, but because if you're" – she indicated towards the children – "If you're Thorn's children then you must be... what? Three, four, five? Eight or Nineat best, and yet... You all look so old... How do you look this old?"
Rav stepped forward and shrugged, a smile on his face. "It's nothing, we just age fast. I'm aged nine-teen at the moment, Alec's seven-teen and Ebb's sixteen." He swallowed before an awkward chuckle. "I mean, technically we've only been alive for not that long but we age faster so it doesn't really matter. It's only a few years, and it means that we have a higher chance of surviving to adulthood..." He trailed off, the awkward pause returning.
"WHAT!?"
Elena's hands moved in a flurry as she stepped towards Rav, trying to make sense of these strange words she'd just heard and quite panicked. "What do you mean!? What- Who made you like this? What... how...? I just..." Her hands dropped as once again she turned to Thorn. A breath in and a breath out. Eyes closing gently and opening after a pause. She started once again, calmer, "Ok, now the first thing I need to clarify is what you're all doing here."
Ebb sidled up to her eldest brother and held out a kind hand. A small smile played at her lips. "Should we all sit down?"
Elena nodded. "I think that would be for the best."
YOU ARE READING
Frozen Flame
Fantasy[Finished and being edited] Once captured by a distraught king, a fierce warrior is forced to choose between saving his family or his country. But choices are never that simple. ...
