Igniting A Flame {Kingdoms #1}

Thirty-Two

A chilling ice-cold breeze slapped at Lukas's slumbering face, now slowly awakening with the scurry of footsteps and faint drip of liquid. His eyelids fluttered open, his bones painfully cracking as he shifted his body upwards. A shroud of misty gloom blanketed the small space his limp body inhabited. Lukas ran his hands across the cobblestone floor, then patted his sides to find an absence of weapons. The usual weight by his side like a phantom.

He darted his attention to the steel bars lining the space, beyond that a loom of tables and objects draped in shadow. The stench of filth brought tears to his eyes as he carefully avoided the puddles of grime and piss. Lukas placed a sore hand on the bars, the cold piercing his skin. No. He turned to his left to find Arvin tensed, surveying the surrounding area with that predators gaze. Yevvi flipped a stone in his hand sighing, his orange hair radiant in the dark. Finally, Cesca huddled in the corner murmuring whispers and prayers with shaky hands.

"What the rutting hell happened?" Lukas growled, his voice lined with panic.

Yevvi paused, crossing his arms and slouching. "We were kidnapped. What else is new?"

Lukas chuckled bitterly, rage shooting through his veins. How could he be so stupid as to believe Yevvi? Of course even the Donvers would know of his origins. It must be around the whole rutting continent by now. He wanted to scream and shout. So many spiteful words drifted through his mind as he clenched his hands, his anger reaching its boiling point.

Lukas broke the rigid silence, the trio turning to him as he spoke, "My life was a smooth drift of mediocracy. Sure, every now and then a street rat would slam me into the crusty wall, strip me of my little but hard-earned coin and leave with a scowl and an insult. But that was nothing compared to the constant chasing, beatings and rutting kidnappings now."

"These are hard times, prince," Cesca snivelled from her corner, a stiff smile forced onto her lips, "But, we must be resilient. Right?"

That wicked chuckle felt like poison as it left Lukas's mouth. Prince. What a pointless title for Soran scum. He threw an insolent glance at the cowering woman's sickening attempt to liven an undeniably shitty situation, before glaring at the bars restricting his long awaited freedom.

"I'm sick of these rocky strings of events, a cruel twist of fate. Believe me, all I want is to barge into Sora and prove to every single degenerate that I am a fire-wielding elf like everyone else. I just want to go back to a time where this stupid prophecy didn't exist, when I was hidden." Lukas felt the lingering vicious stares of Arvin and Yevvi. He whirled around, facing the pair with an empty grin.

"You are a very selfish and ignorant little boy," Yevvi hissed, rising from the ground like a slick adder. Lukas scoffed at the insult. Boy. Just a mere child oblivious to the world. Is that how he is seen? "You have no regard for the years of pain that can be avenged with this stupid prophecy."

"Maybe Maragnus should remain in ruin, since no one gives a shit about it anyways."

A darkness flickered behind Yevvi's brown eyes before he launched himself at Lukas, black mist writhing upon release. Lukas countered his dive, twisting his body to the right and staggering back. His heart thumped with adrenaline inflicted by shock. The unrelenting outrage plastered on Yevvi's face was nothing but lethal.

That vibrant orange hair danced in the air as Yevvi plunged his body against Lukas, knocking him to his feet and wrapping mist around Lukas's body. His flame sparked in defiance, desperately pushing against Yevvi's own magic. His power sizzled and crackled, energy expelling too fast and too soon. The mist squeezed his body; his breathes shortening with the restriction.