From Iron and Ruin

Sacrifice.

Chapter Ten – Sacrifice.

Aran Herve let his shield drop, his expression falling into vexation as he spotted me standing there, still alive. Oh, sorry Aran. Did you not hear that I never have the luck of just dying?

Kendon would have said I was macabre and dramatic. The people in my new life didn't know me like that truly. Perhaps Kohen did, but Herve's master had taken everything from me. If I gave him an inch, he would take all that I had gained after Dratlan too.

Herve watched as I rose to my feet, his jaw setting and quietly whispered something to Fyr that I could not catch.

Then, her dark eyes snapped to me. They were blank and cold, devoid of any recognition.

"I am going to help you Fyr." I said calmly, hands raised as if I was speaking to a spooked horse. Behind me, Mahon moved away from me and I became aware of people shoving back as I faced the Fire Magister.

Her lip curled. "You can't help anybody. You never could."

Magic danced along my hands. "That is not you speaking Fyr. I know that."

"You are just a savage beast, mutt. You are nothing."

Calmly, I repeated. "That is not you Fyr."

The casting stone set in the necklace at her throat pulsed wildly. Fire danced around her legs, rising with a tremendous roar. It whipped at her robes, but they did not catch fire.

Then, a beast with snapping jaws and a fiery tongue rushed towards me. In response, water rushed from the streams on either side of the room, cutting like a knife across the fire beast's throat. A wall of heat still washed over me and my eyes smarted as that heat punched the back of my throat.

Fyr moved quickly, fluid and deadly in her movements. I turned on my heel, aware of the people behind me and to the sides that did not have the luck of a shield. There was a Magin guarding Greydon, but Mahon had vanished somewhere behind me and it would just be like him to appear somewhere to interject with a cutting comment.

Fyr and I sparred back and forth. She meant to hurt, she meant to melt the flesh from my bones but I knew this wasn't her. I would not give Aran Herve the satisfaction of letting her kill me. It would destroy her and I had to let her know that I was sorry.

Sweat trickled down my forehead as a great burst of fire thundered against my casted shield. Instead of scattering, the fire latched onto the shield and began to spread, stretching burning fingers up to where the edge of the shield rippled.

Clever.

Fyr was too clever for her own good.

"Please Fyr." I panted, feeling the burn in my shield and the hum of the Abyss in my veins, setting them alight with silver. "I don't want to hurt you."

Her lips curled. "I doubt you could."

I closed my fist. The shield curled outwards and that snapped in, extinguishing her fire with a puff. Already silver danced along my fingers, ready for her next wave. "We don't have time for this Fyr. It's me! Aviana! I am your friend."

Her brow tightened. For a brief second, the fire weaving around her flickered. Then, that moment passed. "You are right. We don't have time."

Her hand snapped out. I braced, shielding for the wall of fire. It rushed up and out, thundering like a great roaring monster but not towards me.