by A V Awenna
***
Watching from a distance, the young elf had had no idea what the ridiculous human had been attempting. She was spilling magic all over the place – he could sense the backwash – whilst trying to cast an irrelevant spell, but now the scene was changing. The smoke and flame began to spin and spiral around the girl, so that for a few moments it obscured her. Then it gathered into a braid of dull black and flaming orange which twisted around itself, then entered her. But instead of recoiling, she swallowed it all and began to blaze. Sweet sunlight, had she no idea what she was doing? If it started a chain reaction, she would explode! And there was nowhere for him to hide – he would have to trust his cloak would protect him. Maybe he should crouch down behind the rocks for safety. But just as he was starting to get worried, the girl swallowed up the last of the fire. She stood for a moment, radiating power, then a look of stunned confusion crossed her face and she folded into a heap. The sapling beside her wavered for a moment, then imploded with a sharp crack. There was no trace of flame now, just blackened grass between the two outcrops. He let his cloak dissolve, and waited.