Frozen Flame

Chapter 55: Pain and Defiance

Fire Temple

Pain ricocheted through his side, penetrating his chest and reaching into his lungs to pound against them with sharp jabs. Black liquid shot through his veins, twisting them in waves, shrieking like a swarm of banshees inside him as he ripped at it with his hands, tore it with nails, tried desperately to rid himself of the horrid pain.

Colours of orange, red, yellow, brown slid past him, blurring into a grey visage, all objects indiscernible. His feet shuffled across a flat surface, dropping until he hit the hard ground, shoes caught in the dust and only a hinderance in his desperate attempt to stable himself. A breath in and out. A frantic gasp as his pushed himself up and stumbled forward.

Both hands clutching at his side, he staggered over to where he remembered the entrance into the temple to be, clutching desperately at the walls and dragging himself inside.

Seeing his teetering form, a guard rushed over, placing a hand on his shoulder and attempting to help his lord up only to have a defiant hand slap him away. Eyes wide, he swallowed. "My lord, are you alright? Do you need me to get anyone to help?" He glanced to the Fire Lord's hands, digging desperately into his side. "Do you need me to get a medic?"

A groan broke from the Fire Lord's mouth, followed quickly with a fierce growl. "No medic! Go! Just... go."

Worried for what his master would do to him if he disobeyed and yet concerned for his well-being, the guard glanced back and forth between the Fire Lord and the hallway, not daring to step either way.

Raising a pained head, the Fire Lord forced out a gruff, "Go!" that sent the guard speeding away.

Once again, the Fire Lord was left to his broken agony.

Sighing in strained determination, he pulled himself forward, gripping the wall with white hands and stumbling further down the long hallway, vision spotted with dark dots and red stars. With a whispered sigh, his hot breath brushed against the wall. "Please..."

Stones fell away, twisting and contorting until a wide, black space lay in front of him. The floor beneath him followed its movements, pulling his forward until he stood inside an empty space, gaps closing around him. Red, molten fire poured from the edges of the walls, forming a heated vicinity that allow, if only for a moment, him to experience a slight release. He sighed, awaiting chunks of stone that pooled from the floor and rested underneath his arms, behind his back and in front of his chest, propping him up.

Flames licked across the wall in front of him, displaying words that became a light to his soul. 'Svorn, are you okay? Please tell me you're okay!'

Through blurred vision, he looked up, staring at the words. "No, I'm not okay, I... I..." Deep breaths filled his lungs as his head rocked back and forth slightly. "I need help. I need... help."

Red flickered again. 'Tell me what you need. Anything, I'll do it!'

He squinted, opening and closing his eyes a few times. "I need Elena. I need... Bring me to Elena. Now."

A pause. Flames disappeared, leaving an absence of any replies.

Raising his shaking hands, Svorn's desperation became obvious. "What are you waiting for? I said, bring me to Elena! I can't... I can't do this by myself, I need..." Fearful water pricked the corners of his eyes and strangled rage contorted his face into a pitiful visage of agony.

Then the words reappeared. 'I can't.'

Worry surmounted in his eyes. "Why?"

Another pause. But, before he could repeat himself once more, the fire came back. 'I need you to calm down. Elena's with the children.' And then, almost as an afterthought, 'And Thorn's with them as well right now.'